Major reforms have recently been implemented in student selection for initial teacher education. In the first stage of the selection, matriculation exam grades have been introduced alongside the VAKAVA exam. In the second stage of the selection, which involves an aptitude test, we have moved to a nationwide joint selection and a research-based implementation method.
SITE investigates the functionality of student selection methods in the field of education, especially the VAKAVA exam, matriculation exam grades, and aptitude test. The project examines whether success in student selection predicts the development of pre-service teachers' areas of competence during the first three years of study and the quality of teaching in the first year of working life.
SITE studies areas of competence related to the teacher's work and the development of expertise, looking at, among other things, learning strategies, scientific thinking, emotional and interaction skills, and the quality of interaction in teaching.
SITE is a consortium project at the teacher education institutes of the Universities of Jyväskylä and Turku. The studies conducted in SITE are based on national educational student selection data and follow-up data collected in research (e.g., surveys, observations, writing, and eye movement materials), which are analyzed using both quantitative and qualitative methods.
SITE's international partners are Professor Emerita Els Boshuizen (Open University of the Netherlands), Professor Janet Clinton (University of Melbourne, Australia), Professor Hans Gruber (University of Regensburg, Germany), Professor Robert Klassen (University of Oxford, UK) and Professor Jan Vermunt (Eindhoven University of Technology, Netherlands).
SITE offers new, impactful information about the nationally reformed student selection methods in initial teacher education. In addition, this project increases our understanding of the development of competence and expertise during teacher education, strengthens the research basis of teacher education, and promotes international research in the field.
