@article {1065, title = {LEARNING ASSESSMENT VIEWS AND PERCEPTIONS OF FINNISH TEACHERS AND INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS IN POSTGRADUATE PHYSICS STUDIES}, journal = {Problems of Education in the 21st Century}, volume = {75}, year = {2017}, month = {June/2017}, pages = {Continuous}, type = {Original article}, chapter = {270-287}, abstract = {The way teachers view assessment has a considerable impact on their practice of assessment. Student perceptions of assessment, in turn, affect the ways in which they take advantage of its potential to direct their learning processes and to develop metacognitive skills. In this research, physics teachers and international postgraduate students at a Finnish university were surveyed for their views of assessment. The teachers were found to use assessment in a restricted fashion, which indicates that their conceptions of assessment are also limited in scope. The international students appeared to have a loose grasp of the concepts pertaining to assessment. Furthermore, clear differences were found in the purposes ascribed to assessment by the teachers and students. The implications of the findings are discussed and suggestions are made for the development of assessment practices to ensure a better use of its potential as a tool for achieving learning objectives.}, keywords = {educational programmes, higher education, international students, postgraduate studies, views of assessment}, isbn = {E-ISSN 2538-7111}, issn = {1822-7864}, doi = {https://doi.org/10.33225/pec/17.75.270}, url = {http://oaji.net/articles/2017/457-1498501191.pdf}, author = {Roni Tinell and Mervi A. Asikainen and Pekka E. Hirvonen} } @article {1066, title = {PREPAREDNESS AND PHYSICS-RELATED EPISTEMOLOGICAL VIEWS OF INTERNATIONAL PHYSICS MAJORS AT A FINNISH UNIVERSITY}, journal = {Problems of Education in the 21st Century}, volume = {75}, year = {2017}, month = {June/2017}, pages = {Continuous}, type = {Original article}, chapter = {288-314}, abstract = {The aim of this research is to depict foreign entrant students{\textquoteright} preparedness for studies in an international Master{\textquoteright}s degree programme of physics at a Finnish university in order to lay the ground for a research-based development of the study programme. Interviews were conducted with the academic staff involved in the programme to investigate their views on the international physics students as learners. Conceptual tests were deployed to assess international students{\textquoteright} conceptual understanding of the areas fundamental to acquiring a solid expertise in physics. To enrich the data, a survey was conducted to obtain information about students{\textquoteright} physics-related epistemological views. Both qualitative and quantitative methods were used for the data analysis. The main results suggest that the entrant international students comprise a very heterogeneous group with regard to their preparedness for commencing physics studies. The staff were specifically concerned with the international students{\textquoteright} pre-knowledge of physics, a notion that is supported by the test results. Suggestions based on present findings are made for further development of international degree programmes such as the one considered in this article.}, keywords = {epistemological views, higher education, international students, postgraduate studies, pre-knowledge}, isbn = {E-ISSN 2538-7111}, issn = {1822-7864}, doi = {https://doi.org/10.33225/pec/17.75.288}, url = {http://oaji.net/articles/2017/457-1498501259.pdf}, author = {Roni Tinell and Mervi A. Asikainen and Pekka E. Hirvonen} }