The present study aims to provide insights into the experiences of early school leavers within the Finnish context. We conducted a narrative inquiry among eleven early school leavers who were in prison when they were interviewed. Self Determination Theory (SDT), more specifically the concept of frustration of the three basic psychological needs of competence, relatedness and autonomy, and the tendency of people to move towards more supporting environments, was used as an interpretative tool, along with contextual information. We identified three pathways out of school, differing in the locus of need thwarting circumstances and the availability of access to transfer into a more satisfying environment. Furthermore, the experienced threat of safety was a shared element in the narrative accounts. Additionally, the findings add information about experienced indifference in the case of the participants, which is a new element in theorising the continuum of perceived need satisfaction within the terms of SDT.

There is a manifest tendency for national education policy to follow global economic trends. In many Western industrialized countries, this relationship has intensified or strengthened within the last decades. The strengthening of this relationship has been seen, among other things, as evidence of the growing power of neoliberal ideology. The background reference for this article is the emergence of a neoliberal education policy ideology in the two creativity-related strategies implemented by the Finnish government during the first decade of the 21st century. The main focus of the study was the concept of creativity, for it has appeared to be the prevailing trend within the Finnish basic education renovation programme from 2010 to 2014. The sample (n = 1163) of research was composed of expert teachers, artists and university-level educated engineers. The results from the study revealed the demanding influence of the concept of creativity on curriculum planning. Perspectives on the significance or importance of creativity and creative education vary a lot and, for instance, are influenced by the respondent's professional background. The results obtained from the study also provide the basis to reflect on the functionality of national democracy within the context of the educational policy decision-making process.

This article examines the discrepancy between the ideology of inclusive education and the national education policy in the Finnish comprehensive school education. The study covers twenty years and is based on observations that indicate that the change in comprehensive school education, grounded in inclusive education ideals, has been slow. This has been the case, even though Finnish education policy has, on principle, committed to many international statements that promote inclusion ideology. The data consists primarily of statistics indicating the number of students in special education and national and international research on the subject. It confirms our supposition, but also the fact that statistics are not merely challenging but also capable of distorting reality. While examining the changes in student quantities over the last twenty years, we came to the conclusion that the fluctuation does not result from any real growth in student numbers. Changes in statistical methods, terminology in the field of study, norms, education systems or even social phenomena can also cause distortion.

The social context and the operational environment of the police has changed considerably around the world. Recently, that change has necessitated a restructuring in the Finnish police education. This reform is based on the belief that a higher level of education and a greater focus on research will lead to better professional skills and an increased ability to perform in the workplace. In this article, we examine the views of the staff of the Finnish Police University College on research, development and innovation activities (RDI) in the light of a survey answered by the staff. We pay special attention to the connection between the teacher's level of different skill areas and the experienced usefulness of RDI activities from an educational point of view. On the basis of the results, RDI activities are broadly understood to concern the whole staff. The study also shows that both the teachers' experienced RDI skills and their pedagogical skills for higher education are positively connected to their views on the experienced benefit of RDI activities. Indeed, if RDI provide the means to develop the police profession, then it is important that the related skills and the ability to transfer them are strengthened.

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