High Ability Studies

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How Finland Meets the Needs of Gifted and

Talented Pupils

Kirsi Tirri

To cite this article: Kirsi Tirri (1997) How Finland Meets the Needs of Gifted and Talented Pupils,
High Ability Studies, 8:2, 213-222, DOI: 10.1080/1359813970080206

To link to this article: https://doi.org/10.1080/1359813970080206

Published online: 28 Jul 2006.

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High Ability Studies, Vol. 8, No. 2, 1997 213

How Finland Meets the Needs of Gifted

and Talented Pupils
KiRSI TlRRI1

The purpose of this paper is to give an overview of the different ways to differentiate
education for gifted and talented pupils in Finland. The recent trends of decentralization
and ungraded school system are discussed as national policy effecting gifted education.
Special schools and programs designed for gifted and talented pupils are investigated in the
theoretical framework of Gardner's theory of multiple intelligences. Finland's strengths in
supporting academic and creative talents in the gifted programs are identified. A greater
need to endorse the social and affective needs of gifted pupils is acknowledged with a
recommendation to include more approaches fostering intrapersonal and interpersonal
intelligences identified by Gardner into gifted education programs.

Introduction
The purpose of this paper is to give an overview of the ways education is differenti-
ated for gifted and talented pupils in Finland. The Finnish educational system and
the current official educational policy are reviewed as contextual factors influencing
the opportunities that are available to gifted and talented pupils. The recent trends
of decentralization and ungraded school systems are discussed as a national policy
affecting gifted education. New trends of individuality and freedom of choice are
identified as advantages especially for the gifted. Special schools and programs
designed for gifted and talented pupils are presented with some optional enrichment
alternatives. These alternatives include intensive courses and summer camps in
mathematics and physics.
Gardner's theory of multiple intelligences is discussed as a flexible and education-
ally useful way to foster all kinds of talent development in schools. In this article,
Gardner's theory is used as a framework in presenting the desired capabilities that
are valued in Finland. Considering the current emphasis on science and mathemat-
ics and the number of special classes nurturing linguistic talent, we can identify
Finland's strength in supporting academic talents in the gifted programs. Also,
different kinds of creative talents are encouraged by a high number of special schools
and classes in art and music. A greater need to endorse the social and affective need
of gifted pupils is acknowledged with a recommendation to include more approaches
1
Author's address: Dr Kirsi Tirri, Department of Teacher Education, PO Box 38, FIN-00014,
University of Helsinki, Finland.
1359-8139/97/020213-10 © 1997 European Council for High Ability
214 K. Tirri

fostering interpersonal and intrapersonal intelligences, as identified by Gardner, into

gifted education programs.

Gardner's Theory of Multiple Intelligences

Gardner's theory of multiple intelligences builds on a concept of an "intelligence",
which he defines as "the ability to solve problems, or to create products, that are
valued within one or more cultural settings" (Gardner, 1993, p. x). Considering this
definition, Gardner lists seven intelligences that meet his criteria for an intelligence.
These intelligences are:
(1) linguistic;
(2) logical-mathematical;
(3) musical;
(4) spatial;
(5) bodily-kinesthetic;
(6) interpersonal; and
(7) intrapersonal
(Gardner, 1993, p. xi).
In a broad sense, Gardner views his theory as a contribution to the tradition
advocated by Thurstone (1960) and Guildford (1967) because all these theories
argue for the existence of a number of factors, or components, of intelligence. All
these theories also view intelligence as being wider and more multidimensional than
a single, general capacity for conceptualization and problem-solving. Gardner differs
from the other pluralists in his attempt to base his MI theory upon neurological,
evolutionary, and cross-cultural evidence (Gardner, 1993, p. xii). In the first edition
of his MI theory more than ten years ago, Gardner adopted a very individualistic
point of view in exploring various intelligences (Gardner, 1983). In his newest
edition of the MI theory, Gardner emphasizes more cultural and contextual factors
in the development of the seven intelligences (Gardner, 1993). Gardner has retained
the original seven intelligences presented earlier, but he acknowledges the possibility
of adding new intelligences to the list. He has worked on an eighth intelligence, the
intelligence of the naturalist, to be included in his list of multiple intelligences
(Gardner, 1995, p. 206).
Sternberg gives a good review of different approaches in the field of intelligence
research. In that review he reflects on the most commonly known theories and the
tests based on them. His main emphases are on the reliability and validity of
measurement. Sternberg discusses different approaches to the measurement of
intelligence and divides them into six categories: classical psychometric, develop-
mental, culture-sensitive, cognitive, biological, and systems. He identifies Galton,
Cattell, Binet and Spearman as advocates of classical psychometric approaches.
Tests based on Binet's approach are still the most widely used because of their high
reliabilities and good predictive validity with respect to school-based performance.
However, these tests likewise the other classical psychometric approaches, can be
criticized as being culturally biased and too narrow. The critics, for example,
 How Finland Meets the Needs of Gifted and Talented Pupils 215

Gardner (1983) argue that they do not measure the broad spectrum of abilities.
According to Sternberg these tests favor Western experience and they are most
useful in measuring abstract reasoning from people with relatively homogenous
cultural backgrounds (Sternberg, 1991, pp. 257-259).
Developmental approaches to intelligence include tests based on the theory of
Piaget and the approach of Vygotsky and Feuerstein. Piagetian tests are theory based
but they seem to overlap in their measurement with conventional intelligence tests.
They have also been criticized being even narrower than classical psychometric tests
in their emphases on scientific-logical aspects of human intelligence. Sternberg
warns against drawing conclusions from any quantification of Vygotsky's "zone of
proximal development" (Vygotsky, 1978). The idea in this approach is to measure
the zone between a child's developed ability and his or her latent capacity. The
concept itself is very hard to operationalize and it is not clear how the operational-
ization should be quantified. Furthermore, children learn in different ways and the
kind of instruction given in a test to measure the zone may underestimate the child's
ability to profit from a different kind of instruction (Sternberg, 1991, pp. 260-261).
Culture-sensitive approaches include various investigators who vary in their view
of the relativity of intelligence. At one extreme there are advocates of radical cultural
relativism and at the other extreme there are psychometricians who make no
allowance for cultural differences in their use of intelligence tests. According to
Sternberg, this approach has been used to investigate a small number of cognitive
skills rather than intelligence. Other approaches that are listed to this category are
the approaches of Mercer and Williams. In Mercer's approach the standard psycho-
metric intelligence test is translated and "adapted" for another culture. Sternberg
argues that translating tests from one language to another is not sufficient to account
for cultural differences. The differences need to be probed deeper and the knowl-
edge gained should be used in creating tests that fully account for the differences in
cultural conceptions and manifestations of intelligence. The approach of Williams
advocates tests for children from nonstandard environments. For example, in the
Black Intelligence Test of Cultural Homogeneity (BITCH) test children are asked
questions involving knowledge of ghetto slang and related concepts (Sternberg,
1991, pp. 261-263).
The cognitive-correlates approach and the cognitive-components approach belong
to the category of cognitive approaches. In the former approach most research has
been conducted on reaction-time performance on simple cognitive tasks. This
approach can be criticized for its limits to predict complex performance. The latter
approach involves task analysis of the very tasks that appear on conventional
psychometric intelligence tests presented only in simplified form. Sternberg
identifies himself as an earlier advocate of the cognitive-components approach.
Today, he finds this approach limited in its capability to broaden the scope of
abilities measured, which he believes to be the leading priority for the intelligence
tests of the future (Sternberg, 1991, pp. 264-265). The biological approach mea-
sures directly the biological functioning of the human or other organism. Sternberg
argues that the state of that approach is still somewhat speculative and can not be
used to enhance our understanding of intelligence.
216 K. Tirri

Sternberg identifies Gardner's theory of multiple intelligences as a systems ap-

proach likewise his own triarchic theory. Although he likes Gardner's assessments at
a theoretical level, he claims them to be a psychometric nightmare. The biggest
challenge for advocates of Gardner's approach is to demonstrate the psychometric
soundness of their instrument. Sternberg is calling for hard data that would show
that theory works operationally in a way that will satisfy scientists as well as teachers.
Sternberg's own theory promises the broader measurement implied by the triarchic
theory (Sternberg, 1985). His theory provides process scores for componential
processing, coping with novelty, automatization, and practical-contextual intelli-
gence, and content scores for the vermatization, and quantitative, and figural
content domains (Sternberg, 1991, p. 266).
Sternberg's observations on Gardner's theory should be kept in mind in attempts
to create tests based on his theory. However, in the educational setting his theory
can be used as a framework in planning a program that would meet the needs of
different learners. Gardner has shown a special interest in the school's possibilities
and limitations of encouraging different talents in students (Gardner, 1991). Gard-
ner's theory has been applied in educational settings and in schools (see, for
example, Armstrong, 1993). Gardner warns against using his theory as the only
educational approach. There is no single way to adapt his theory, but he has given
some guidelines for the possible uses of his theory in schools (Gardner, 1995,
pp. 206-209). In the following section; Gardner's theory of multiple intelligences is
used as a framework in presenting the current trends in the Finnish educational
system that foster these seven intelligences identified by him. His theory can be used
in the cultivation of desired intelligences that are valued in the community and in the
broader society. We discuss the official educational policy in Finland with an
attempt to identify those intelligences that are valued in Finland. We also pay
attention to those intelligences that are not fostered as much in the current efforts
to meet the needs of gifted and talented pupils.

The Finnish Educational System

The Finnish School System
The Finnish educational system covers preschool education (up to the age of six),
basic education (the nine-year comprehensive school, with an optional tenth year),
upper secondary level (senior secondary school and vocational education) and
higher education. The aims of education are to support the growth of the pupils'
whole personality. The cognitive goals of education are to strengthen the study skills
and thinking skills of pupils. The affective and social goals of education are met by
providing socio-ethical and aesthetic education alongside the conventional learning
of facts (the aims of the comprehensive school are to promote social and regional
equality by providing teaching, materials and school meals free of charge to every
pupil.) (Framework Curriculum for the Comprehensive School, 1994; Framework
Curriculum for the Secondary School, 1994).
The comprehensive school has two parts. At the lower stage (Grades 1 to 6), the
 How Finland Meets the Needs of Gifted and Talented Pupils 217

teaching is the same for all and is generally given by a class teacher, except for
foreign languages, which are taught by language specialists (specialized FL teach-
ers). The teachers at the upper stage are specialized subject teachers. The Finnish
comprehensive school is intended to give a general education to all children.
Compulsory subjects at the lower stage include religious education, environmental
studies, Finnish or Swedish (depending on the child's mother tongue), a foreign
language (generally English but can also be Swedish, German, French or Russian),
history and social studies, civics, mathematics, natural history and geography,
physical education, music, art and handicrafts. The same subjects continue at the
upper stage except for environmental studies, and in addition a second foreign
language (usually Swedish), chemistry and physics, and home economics. At the
upper stage, the pupil can take optional subjects such as a third foreign language and
computer studies.
Two types of upper secondary education exist in Finland. On one hand, there is
the (traditionally) three-year senior secondary school, which represents the rather
academic general education tradition, and on the other hand, vocational education
with its many forms. When pupils have completed senior secondary school, they take
the matriculation examination consisting of nationwide exams in various subjects.
This examination is a general university entrance qualification. Each year over
30000 pupils take this examination; however, only one third of those who pass this
examination gain access to universities. The rest of the pupils seek vocational
education or a job (Facts about Finland, 1990).
In Finland, as in other Scandinavian countries, society has traditionally attached
great importance to special education as a means of looking after its weakest
members, children with learning difficulties or behavioral problems (Urban &
Sekowski, 1993, p. 785). The official educational policy of the 1970s put a strong
emphasis on educational equality. The aim was the equalization of educational
opportunities. The arguments were not only ideological but also pragmatic. The
reserve of talent was to be harnessed to help increase the wealth of the nation.
Education was seen as an investment in human capital (Laukkanen, 1995, pp. 19-
22). Understandably, any suggestion for special education for gifted children in
this kind of atmosphere would have been labeled as elitist and contrary to the
principle of equality. The centralized decisions of the 1970s forced teachers to
teach an entire age group for nine years in accordance with a common curriculum.
So it remained every teacher's duty to differentiate instruction in the best possible
way for 25-30 different pupils. Naturally, teachers found this task very difficult to
carry out (Ojanen & Freeman, 1994).
In the 1980s, legislative reforms rapidly changed the education system in Finland.
The centralized decision-making of the 1970s changed in favor of decentralization.
An essential reform was abandoning the concept of a national curriculum. Instead,
the idea of a municipal curriculum was introduced (Laukkanen, 1995, pp. 22-23).
This trend of decentralization of education has continued in the 1990s. In the
following section, we discuss this recent national development in the Finnish
educational system by emphasizing the possibilities this new trend gives in meeting
the needs of gifted and talented pupils.
218 K. Tirri

Current Developments in the Finnish Educational System

Curricula. Curricular redesign characterizes all levels of education in Finland. It is
closely connected to other megatrends, such as decentralization and deregulation,
both also visible in some other countries of the European Union. Decentralization
implies that decision-making, concerning both the organization and the contents of
general and vocational education, has mostly been transferred to the municipalities.
At the national level, only general guidelines provide the framework for steering
education. The new framework curricula for the comprehensive schools and for the
senior secondary schools were approved in 1994 (Framework Curriculum for the
Comprehensive School, 1994; Framework Curriculum for the Secondary School,
1994).
In a recent study investigating the most important educational innovations in
Finland as identified by some Finnish decision-makers, all the persons interviewed
recognized and acknowledged the importance of the curricular changes. The seven
persons interviewed were the most influential persons from the Ministry of Edu-
cation, the National Board of Education and Teachers' Union. Four of them
identified curricula-related areas as the most important recent innovations in Fin-
land. These changes were referred to in the interviews: "more power to municipal-
ities in designing the curricula" (12), "curriculum integration" (13),
"municipality-based curricula" (14) and "increasing possibilities for teachers to plan
their teaching" (17) (Tirri & Telia, 1997).
Educational policy in the 1990s stresses individuality and the freedom of choice.
As a result of the current trend of individualism, schools have been encouraged to
draft more individual curricula. The curricular redesign allows teaching in schools to
be more differentiated. This differentiation of education can be seen as an advantage
especially for the gifted and talented pupils. In gifted education, acceleration and
grouping are the main issues that usually test the level of acceptance in the
differentiation of the gifted (Van Tassel-Baska, 1992). In Finland the new trend of
individualism allows flexible decisions in acceleration. This year it is possible for
parents to decide whether their children will begin school at the age of six or seven
(earlier the age was seven). Another possibility for acceleration is the ungraded
school which allows pupils to advance in their studies with a flexible schedule. This
ungraded system has been in use in most of the upper secondary schools. This year
the possibility to attend ungraded school in the elementary grades as well is being
experimented within some schools. In Finland pupils usually attend the local
elementary school in their neighborhood. However, the current trend of individual-
ism has advocated the right of the parents to choose the school which their children
attend (Laukkanen, 1995, p. 25).

The special schools and classes in Finland. Usually the reason for selecting a school
other than the local one for their child is the parents' desire to emphasize foreign
languages. In Helsinki it is possible to attend a special elementary school where a
child receives teaching both in Finnish and in some other language (for example,
English, French, German, or Russian). These schools are private schools or sup-
 How Finland Meets the Needs of Gifted and Talented Pupils 219

Table 1. Special schools in

Finland

Special
school n %

Art 14 38
Sports 12 32
Science 5 14
Languages 2 5
Other 2 5
IB 2 5
Total 37 8

ported by the state; they select their pupils according to their own criteria. In
addition to these special schools, we have several special music classes in the
comprehensive school. Admission to such music classes is not only based on musical
talent, but rather focuses on a particular interest in music. During recent years, some
elementary schools have arranged voluntary groups where pupils can advance in
those skills in which they show talent. These groups have had teaching in thinking
skills and mathematics, project-oriented working, computers and art (Lehtonen,
1994). All these groups can be said to emphasize something that is related to the
intelligences identified by Gardner and aim at developing them by the personaliza-
tion of education.
In Finland, after the compulsory comprehensive school approximately half of the
population continue their studies in upper secondary school. We have 463 upper
secondary schools, of which 37 are special schools (Bloom, 1994). These schools
can just as well be called schools for the gifted and talented because it very hard to
get permission to study in them. However, in Helsinki area there are other schools
in addition to these special schools that are also hard to get permission to study. The
special schools usually select their pupils based on their grade point average, and
they may also have an admission examination. These special schools are listed in
Table 1.
As we can see in Table 1, most of the special schools in Finland nurture creative
talents in art and sports. We have a few science and linguistic-oriented schools and
two IB schools. In these IB schools, pupils study all the subjects in English and
graduate with an international Baccalaureate degree which gives them permission to
study in foreign universities, too.
During recent years, several enrichment alternatives have become available to
gifted learners on a voluntary basis. For instance, in mathematics and physics
talented high school pupils have met at the University of Tampere during the
evenings and weekends to be more challenged in these subjects. As part of the same
project, intensive courses and summer camps in mathematics have been arranged.
Some of the pupils have even participated in summer courses offered under the
Open University program and have gained university credits in linear algebra and in
220 K. Tirri

physics. The project has received support from the Ministry of Education and from
industrial sponsors (Nieminen & Piche, 1995, pp. 143-147).
In a survey that explored different ways to differentiate education for the gifted
and talented pupils, Finnish teachers emphasized different methods in elementary
and secondary levels. Teachers who had taught small children tended to prefer
differentiation that occurred in a regular classroom. Secondary school teachers saw
a greater need for special classes and schools for gifted students. In the higher
grades, the teachers' attempts to differentiate teaching in the regular classroom were
not sufficient. These teachers found special arrangements, like special schools, to be
important alternatives for the gifted learners (Tirri & Uusikylä, 1994). The current
trends of individuality and freedom of choice for teachers to plan their curriculum
will hopefully help them in finding more appropriate ways to differentiate teaching
with both elementary and secondary school pupils. The new enrichment alternatives
mentioned above give teachers possibilities to guide their pupils to find new learning
challenges outside the classroom as well.

The Intelligences Supported by the Finnish School System

The official educational policy in Finland advocates increasing studies in science and
mathematics. Computer skills and the new information technology have also re-
ceived special attention. The national strategy advocated by the Ministry of Edu-
cation (1995) has set goals to provide every student with the versatile basic skills in
acquiring, managing and communicating information which are necessary in the
information society. Goals are also set for the teachers to acquire new knowledge,
skills and competencies in order to be able to use information technology as a tool
in their teaching (Ministry of Education, 1995; Developing a Finnish Information
Society, 1995).
Based on the recent educational policy in Finland presented above and the
concrete arrangements available in schools, we can identify the intelligences that are
valued and supported in Finland. Evidently Finland invests in logical-mathematical
and linguistic intelligences which are the traditional academic subjects supported by
schools. In the official strategy of education, science and mathematics are explicitly
mentioned with the new information technology. These areas are also practiced in
the elementary schools which have personalized education for the gifted. Finland has
several elementary schools that are specialized in teaching foreign languages and two
foreign language-oriented special upper secondary schools. Musical, spatial and
bodily-kinesthetic intelligences are also well supported by special music classes in
the elementary schools and the biggest number of special schools being in art and
sports (70%).
We can identify Finland's strength in supporting academic and creative talents in
the gifted programs and special schools. These schools and programs should meet
well the needs of musically, spatially and bodily-kinesthetically gifted children.
Although the aims of education in Finland are to support the growth of the pupils'
whole personality, we are lacking programs that foster the social and affective needs
of gifted pupils. Nevertheless, intellectually gifted children often need nurturing in
 How Finland Meets the Needs of Gifted and Talented Pupils 221

these areas (Andreani & Pagnin 1993, pp. 549-550). The interpersonal and intrap-
ersonal intelligences identified by Gardner are not acknowledged in Finland in the
same way as the other intelligences in his list. Furthermore, these are the intelli-
gences that can help the gifted individuals to direct their special talents more
successfully. According to Goleman, at best IQ contributes about 20% to the factors
that determine life success. He introduces a new concept of emotional intelligence
to refer to a meta-ability of emotional aptitude that determines how well we can use
whatever other skills we have, including raw intellect (Goleman, 1995). Gardner's
personal intelligences have some common features with Goleman's emotional intel-
ligence. The manifestation of Gardner's intrapersonal and interpersonal intelli-
gences is the ability to identify and understand different feelings and motives in
oneself and in other people. Considering these arguments, we advocate increasing
approaches that endorse intrapersonal and interpersonal intelligences in meeting the
needs of gifted and talented pupils in Finland.

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