Exploring Finnish Education Through the Lens of Naturalistic Inquiry
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.70232/jrep.v3i3.201Keywords:
Naturalistic Inquiry , Finnish Education, Practitioner-Scholar, Case StudyAbstract
Despite growing interest in qualitative research approaches, practitioner-scholars often lack accessible, field-based guidance for conducting naturalistic inquiry in authentic educational settings. This gap highlights the need for research that is both theoretically grounded and methodologically transparent. Grounded in naturalistic inquiry, this study investigates how such inquiry can be effectively designed and implemented within an international educational context through a qualitative case study conducted in Finland. Data were collected during a two-week immersive field experience and include field notes, reflective journals, informal conversations, practitioner presentations, focus group interviews with students, and photographic artifacts. Analysis was conducted using the constant comparative method alongside ongoing reflexive practices, with attention to credibility, transferability, dependability, and confirmability. Findings address two research questions by illustrating both the implementation and outcomes of naturalistic inquiry. This study seeks to answer two main research questions: 1) How can naturalistic inquiry be practically designed and implemented by a practitioner-researcher in an international educational fieldwork context? and 2) What themes emerge from the implementation of naturalistic inquiry in an international educational fieldwork context, and how do they reflect key values and practices in Finnish education? To answer the research questions, first, the study outlines key methodological components, including site entry, prolonged engagement, emergent design, reflexivity, and triangulation of data sources. Second, three central themes emerged that reflect core features of Finnish education: (1) trust as a foundation of educational relationships and professional autonomy, (2) the integration of play and emotional development in early childhood education, and (3) structural supports that enable equity, adaptability, and teacher professionalism. This study contributes to the literature by offering a transparent, practice-oriented account of naturalistic inquiry in an international setting. It provides concrete methodological guidance for practitioner-researchers while also highlighting the cultural and systemic conditions that shape educational practice in Finland.
References
Agostinho, S. (2005). Naturalistic inquiry in e-learning research. International Journal of Qualitative Methods, 4(1), 13–26. https://doi.org/10.1177/160940690500400102
Aho, E., Pitkänen, K., & Sahlberg, P. (2006). Policy development and reform principles of basic and secondary education in Finland since 1968 [Report]. World Bank. Retrieved from https://pasisahlberg.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/Education-in-Finland-2006.pdf
Alho, J., Hanhimäki, E., & Eskelä-Haapanen, S. (2024). Finnish student teachers’ perceptions of their leadership development in a study group intervention to enhance their teacher leadership. Journal of Research on Leadership Education, 19(4), 414–432. https://doi.org/10.1177/19427751231200161
Barkhuizen, G. (2011). Narrative knowledging in TESOL. TESOL Quarterly, 45(3), 391–414.
https://doi.org/10.5054/tq.2011.261888
Ellis, C., Adams, T. E., & Bochner, A. P. (2011). Autoethnography: An overview. Forum: Qualitative Social Research, 12(1), Article 10. https://doi.org/10.17169/fqs-12.1.1589
Erlandson, D. A., Harris, E. L., Skipper, B. L., & Allen, S. D. (1995). Doing naturalistic inquiry: A guide to methods. Sage Publications. Retrieved from https://us2.sagepub.com/en-us/nam/doing-naturalistic-inquiry/book3939
Guba, E. G. (1981). Criteria for assessing the trustworthiness of naturalistic inquiries. Educational Technology Research and Development, 29(2), 75–91. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02766777
Huber, J., Caine, V., Huber, M., & Steeves, P. (2013). Narrative inquiry as pedagogy in education: The extraordinary potential of living, telling, retelling, and reliving stories of experience. Review of Research in Education, 37(1), 212–242. https://doi.org/10.3102/0091732X12458885
Lincoln, Y. S., & Guba, E. G. (1985). Naturalistic inquiry. Sage Publications. Retrieved from https://us2.sagepub.com/en-us/nam/book/naturalistic-inquiry
Mäkiharju, A., & Smeds-Nylund, A. S. (2023). Finland: A structure of trust. In education and democracy in the Nordic countries: Making sense of school leadership, policy, and practice (pp. 29–44). Springer International Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-33195-4_3
Malinen, O.-P., Väisänen, P., & Savolainen, H. (2012). Teacher education in Finland: A review of a national effort for preparing teachers for the future. The Curriculum Journal, 23(4), 567–584. https://doi.org/10.1080/09585176.2012.731011
Merriam, S. B., & Tisdell, E. J. (2016). Qualitative research: A guide to design and implementation (4th ed.). Jossey‑Bass.
Moschkovich, J. N. (2019). A naturalistic paradigm: An introduction to using ethnographic methods for research in mathematics education. In Kaiser, G., Presmeg, N. (Eds.), Compendium for early career researchers in mathematics education (pp 59–79). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-15636-7_3
Olbertz-Siitonen, M. (2021). Practical applications of naturalistic inquiry in intercultural education. Journal of Praxis in Higher Education, 3(2), 52–78. https://doi.org/10.47989/kpdc127
Olmo-Extremera, M., Fernández-Terol, L., & Domingo-Segovia, J. (2024). Leading a professional learning community in elementary education: A systematic review of the literature. Journal of Research on Leadership Education, 19(1), 53–76. https://doi.org/10.1177/19427751221145207
Oodi Helsinki Central Library (2025). https://oodihelsinki.fi/en/
Patton, M. Q. (2015). Qualitative research & evaluation methods (4th ed.). Sage Publications. https://uk.sagepub.com/en-gb/eur/qualitative-research-evaluation-methods/book232962
Perry III, L. G., & Perry, A. (2017). Facilitating student engagement research: An historical analogy for understanding and applying naturalistic inquiry. Journal of Research Initiatives, 3(1), 1–11. https://digitalcommons.uncfsu.edu/jri/vol3/iss1/2
Sahlberg, P. (2021). Finnish lessons 3.0: What can the world learn from educational change in Finland? Teachers College Press. Retrieved from https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED609968
Saldana, J. (2016). The coding manual for qualitative researchers (3rd ed.). Sage Publications. Retrieved from https://study.sagepub.com/saldanacoding3e
Schön, D. A. (1983). The reflective practitioner: How professionals think in action. Basic Books.
Schultz, J. R. (2010). The scholar-practitioner: A philosophy of leadership. Scholar-Practitioner Quarterly, 4(1), 52–64. Retrieved from https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ942498.pdf
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Younglong Kim, Katherine Curry, Jentre Olsen, Jessica Hogaboom
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
