Kirsi A Tirri | University of Helsinki (original) (raw)

Papers by Kirsi A Tirri

Springer international handbooks of education, Dec 31, 2022

SensePublishers eBooks, 2016

In many European countries, such as Finland, education aims to support the development of the who... more In many European countries, such as Finland, education aims to support the development of the whole person rather than merely the cognitive domain. This kind of education acknowledges the importance of social and affective domains in student development, including their emotional and spiritual concerns (Tirri, 2011a). For last two decades the Finnish school system has been very successful in international comparative studies on student achievements (PISA), most recently in 2012, in mathematics, science and reading achievements.

Education Sciences, Nov 14, 2022

This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative... more This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY

Routledge eBooks, Feb 17, 2015

Roeper Review, Jan 2, 2022

ABSTRACT This quantitative study examined self-perceptions of multiple intelligences among gifted... more ABSTRACT This quantitative study examined self-perceptions of multiple intelligences among gifted physics-oriented Finnish upper-secondary students (N = 164). The specific focus was on gender differences in the self-evaluated intelligence profiles. The data were gathered via an online questionnaire based on Gardner’s theory of multiple intelligences. The highest overall ratings were in environmental, spiritual, and logical-mathematical intelligences, and the lowest in linguistic intelligence. Several gender- and grade-level-related differences appeared. Males with similar grades as females in physics, mathematics, and English perceived their intelligence as higher in logical-mathematical and spatial areas. Females thought more positively of their linguistic and environmental intelligence. The findings give cause for concern about genuine gender equity in education in a country such as Finland with high overall equality.

Teaching and Teacher Education, 2021

h i g h l i g h t s Formation of five Iranian student teachers' professional identities examined.... more h i g h l i g h t s Formation of five Iranian student teachers' professional identities examined. Narrative methodology reveals changing identity during education program. Islamic ideology and lack of interest creates ambiguous epistemic orientation. Exposure to real students' lives brought about improved moral identities.

The journal of secondary gifted education, May 1, 2002

This study investigated the critical incidents in the professional and personal lives of gifted f... more This study investigated the critical incidents in the professional and personal lives of gifted female scientists in Finnish society. Finland represents a European country where gender equity has been widely acknowledged. The data include 11 life stories of female Finnish scientists from diverse fields of science. All participants have been able to actualize their academic talents and build their careers successfully. This qualitative, multiple-case study utilizes the critical incident method in the data analysis process. The results show that all these women have made important life choices that have promoted their talent and career development. These choices include important decisions concerning work, family, and beliefs and values. The majority of the women have also made some compromises related to their scientific interests and careers, as well as personal compromises. The results of the analyses demonstrate some common themes in critical incidents among female scientists. However, no picture of a uniform academic woman was found. All of the gifted female scientists were different in their multiple roles and identities. Our study also reveals some issues related to country and society that need to be acknowledged in tracing how women actualize their talent.

Unknown host publication, 2009

In this article the concept of spirituality in the educational framework is discussed. The concep... more In this article the concept of spirituality in the educational framework is discussed. The concepts of religion and spirituality are compared. The psychological view of spirituality is presented with a new suggested intelligence type: spiritual intelligence. The educational view emphasizes spiritual sensitivity as a universal human ability that needs to be developed through education. The sociological view of spirituality explores it as an expression of postsecular religiosity. Empirical studies indicate that an increasing number of people now prefer to call themselves ‘spiritual’ rather than ‘religious’. This trend seems to be more present in some European countries, for example, in the Netherlands, the United Kingdom and Finland. Empirical studies on spirituality are reviewed and discussed. A special emphasis is given to the Finnish research findings related to the spirituality of a new generation or young adults. It is argued that understanding spirituality as an expression of postsecular religiosity gives more room for young adults to participate in communicative action concerning religion. This would promote a discursive religiousness in the spirit of Jurgen Habermas, in which a plurality of religious beliefs and practices are acknowledged and a dialogical and inter-religious approach is advocated.

Proceedings of the 2020 AERA Annual Meeting, 2020

Journal of Advanced Academics, Jul 5, 2022

This qualitative study examined factors that gifted Finnish upper secondary school physics studen... more This qualitative study examined factors that gifted Finnish upper secondary school physics students ( N = 24) identified as helping or hindering their talent development in physics. In-depth interviews captured students’ descriptions of critical incidents regarding their physics talent development at home, school, and in leisure time. The results show that most of the critical experiences the students identified were related to fostering talent development. Parental physics-specific support, motivated and gifted peers, digital and traditional physics-related media, certain teacher characteristics, and some instruction- and curriculum-based opportunities were among the factors the students considered supportive. The results also reveal several factors relating to family, school, and leisure time that hinder talent development. Moreover, the analysis highlights the students’ low interest in physics competitions. The findings can be used by administrators, teachers, and parents to identify the opportunities that best support the talent development of gifted physics students.

Gifted and talented international, Sep 1, 2004

This study compared the culture-dependent attitudes of Finnish teachers (N.147) and American teac... more This study compared the culture-dependent attitudes of Finnish teachers (N.147) and American teachers (N.160) toward gifted education. The teachers from both countries represented preservice teachers, regular classroom teachers, and teachers of the gifted. Emphasis was on the relationship of attitude to culture from which the teacher came. The relationship of attitude to demographic variables such as age, gender, having a gifted family member, and giftedness of respondents were also examined. The instrument used was the Attitude Scale toward Gifted Education developed by Gagne and Nadeau (1985). A new method to identify cross-cultural predictors of attitude based on Bayesian analysis was also applied. The study found that Finnish teachers were more concerned about the possible negative social and affective effects of special classes or other services for the gifted outside the regular classroom. In addition, the new statistical methodology used was able to predict culture-dependent attitudes with 87.6 percent accuracy. Contains 14 references. (DB)

Education Sciences

In the face of global issues such as climate change, the world needs action competent, transforma... more In the face of global issues such as climate change, the world needs action competent, transformationally gifted citizens, who are willing to step up and take responsibility for a better future. However, empirical evidence on what supports the development of transformational giftedness is limited. Furthermore, the relationship between academic giftedness and transformational giftedness has not been clearly pronounced. The purpose of this study is to address this research gap by examining students’ climate competencies. A total of 1703 students from five Finnish high schools (grades 10–12) participated in this study. Using a questionnaire, students’ climate change knowledge, values, willingness to take action, sense of responsibility, environmental concern, and perceptions on how climate change issues are dealt with in school were examined. Four of the schools were general education high schools, while one was for students formally identified as gifted students. The findings indicate...

Proceedings of the 2020 AERA Annual Meeting

The Teacher Educator, 2018