Jani Ursin
Biographic Data
| ID | 1500666 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Jani Ursin |
| GIVEN NAMES | Jani |
| FAMILY NAME | Ursin |
| SIGNATURE | URSIN J |
| AFFILIATIONS | Research Institute of the Finnish Economy |
| ORCID | 0000-0001-6557-9058 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 13 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 38 |
| WORKS AS AUTHOR | 13 |
| WORKS AS EDITOR | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2010 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 3 |
A realist synthesis review of algorithmic approaches to developing multiple-choice questions in the natural sciences
This review study aimed to identify factors influencing the effectiveness of algorithmically generated test items, the quality of the tasks generated, and their broader impact on education when algorithmic procedures are implemented. The applied method of realist synthesis enabled the integration of evidence from previous studies to identify successful and unsuccessful configurations within the system Mechanism – Context – Outcomes. The mechanism…
A Qualitative Study on Variation in the Written Argumentation of Finnish Final‐Stage Undergraduate Students
Higher education students need generic skills such as written argumentation to succeed in their studies and in modern working life. However, research has shown that some students struggle with these skills even at later stages of higher education. We examined Finnish final‐stage undergraduate students' argumentative texts ( n = 200). Qualitative content analysis was used to analyse the quality of written argumentation and its variation between st…
How do self-regulation and effort in test-taking contribute to undergraduate students' critical thinking performance
Critical thinking is a multifaceted construct involving a set of skills and affective dispositions together with self-regulation. The aim of this study was to explore how self-regulation and effort in test-taking contribute to undergraduate students’ performance in critical thinking assessment. The data were collected in 18 higher education institutions in Finland. A total of 2402 undergraduate students at the initial and final stages of their ba…
Linguistic, Contextual, and Experiential Equivalence Issues in the Adaptation of a Performance-Based Assessment of Generic Skills in Higher Education
This qualitative study investigated the various linguistic, contextual, and experiential equivalence issues embedded in a performance-based instrument aimed at assessing generic skills in higher education. A rigorous translation and adaptation process (American English to Finnish) was conducted on one instrument, namely Collegiate Learning Assessment ( CLA +) International . The data were obtained from cognitive laboratories ( n = 13), with think…
To Achieve the Same as the Others? Policy Preconditions for Successful Higher Education Governance
Higher Education (HE) Institutions in different European countries have been steered towards an increased level of quality and performance through a comparable market governance approach. Despite the comparability of the applied governance instruments, the question remains whether these also yield comparable results in different HE systems. Building on policy implementation studies, this article analyses the importance of policy preconditions for…
The dynamic relationship between response processes and self-regulation in critical thinking assessments
The performance task and selected-response questions trigger different processes. • The performance task evokes holistic response and self-regulatory processes. • Selected-response questions result in fragmented and question-oriented processes. • Students’ response and self-regulatory processes are intertwined. • Variation in self-regulation is associated with the complexity of response processes. Our aim was to explore higher education students’…
It’s Not Like Everything Changes Just With a Click on New Year’s Eve’
Finnish and German student teachers’ motivations for choosing teaching as a career. The first application of the FIT-Choice scale in Finland
How to measure students’ innovation competences in higher education
Problematising the equivalence of the test results of performance-based critical thinking tests for undergraduate students
The construction of academic identity in the changes of Finnish higher education
This article sets out to explore how academics make sense of the current transformations of higher education and what kinds of academic identities are thereby constructed. Based on a narrative analysis of 42 interviews with Finnish academics, nine narratives are discerned, each providing a different answer as to what it means to be an academic in the present-day university. Narratives of resistance, loss, administrative work overload and job inse…
Dominant and emerging approaches in the study of higher education policy change
The purpose of the article is to analyse recent literature on higher education policy change. Based on the review, three different approaches are distinguished: structural, actor and agency. In the structural approach the dynamic of policy change originates in well-established structures. The actor approach focuses on either individual or institutional actors as the drivers of policy change. The agency approach understands higher education policy…
Why (not) assess? Views from the academic departments of Finnish universities
In Europe, national quality assurance systems of higher education have begun to be established. In Finland, this development has had the consequence of forcing universities to take notice of assessment procedures. However, little is known about the procedures taking place in individual academic departments as a result of this pan‐European trend. This article describes how academics currently comprehend quality assessment, paying particular attent…
The construction of academic identity in the changes of Finnish higher education
This article sets out to explore how academics make sense of the current transformations of higher education and what kinds of academic identities are thereby constructed. Based on a narrative analysis of 42 interviews with Finnish academics, nine narratives are discerned, each providing a different answer as to what it means to be an academic in the present-day university. Narratives of resistance, loss, administrative work overload and job inse…
Finnish and German student teachers’ motivations for choosing teaching as a career. The first application of the FIT-Choice scale in Finland
Dominant and emerging approaches in the study of higher education policy change
The purpose of the article is to analyse recent literature on higher education policy change. Based on the review, three different approaches are distinguished: structural, actor and agency. In the structural approach the dynamic of policy change originates in well-established structures. The actor approach focuses on either individual or institutional actors as the drivers of policy change. The agency approach understands higher education policy…
How do self-regulation and effort in test-taking contribute to undergraduate students' critical thinking performance
Critical thinking is a multifaceted construct involving a set of skills and affective dispositions together with self-regulation. The aim of this study was to explore how self-regulation and effort in test-taking contribute to undergraduate students’ performance in critical thinking assessment. The data were collected in 18 higher education institutions in Finland. A total of 2402 undergraduate students at the initial and final stages of their ba…
It’s Not Like Everything Changes Just With a Click on New Year’s Eve’
Why (not) assess? Views from the academic departments of Finnish universities
In Europe, national quality assurance systems of higher education have begun to be established. In Finland, this development has had the consequence of forcing universities to take notice of assessment procedures. However, little is known about the procedures taking place in individual academic departments as a result of this pan‐European trend. This article describes how academics currently comprehend quality assessment, paying particular attent…
Dominant and emerging approaches in the study of higher education policy change
The purpose of the article is to analyse recent literature on higher education policy change. Based on the review, three different approaches are distinguished: structural, actor and agency. In the structural approach the dynamic of policy change originates in well-established structures. The actor approach focuses on either individual or institutional actors as the drivers of policy change. The agency approach understands higher education policy…
The construction of academic identity in the changes of Finnish higher education
This article sets out to explore how academics make sense of the current transformations of higher education and what kinds of academic identities are thereby constructed. Based on a narrative analysis of 42 interviews with Finnish academics, nine narratives are discerned, each providing a different answer as to what it means to be an academic in the present-day university. Narratives of resistance, loss, administrative work overload and job inse…
Problematising the equivalence of the test results of performance-based critical thinking tests for undergraduate students
How to measure students’ innovation competences in higher education
It’s Not Like Everything Changes Just With a Click on New Year’s Eve’
Finnish and German student teachers’ motivations for choosing teaching as a career. The first application of the FIT-Choice scale in Finland
The dynamic relationship between response processes and self-regulation in critical thinking assessments
The performance task and selected-response questions trigger different processes. • The performance task evokes holistic response and self-regulatory processes. • Selected-response questions result in fragmented and question-oriented processes. • Students’ response and self-regulatory processes are intertwined. • Variation in self-regulation is associated with the complexity of response processes. Our aim was to explore higher education students’…
Linguistic, Contextual, and Experiential Equivalence Issues in the Adaptation of a Performance-Based Assessment of Generic Skills in Higher Education
This qualitative study investigated the various linguistic, contextual, and experiential equivalence issues embedded in a performance-based instrument aimed at assessing generic skills in higher education. A rigorous translation and adaptation process (American English to Finnish) was conducted on one instrument, namely Collegiate Learning Assessment ( CLA +) International . The data were obtained from cognitive laboratories ( n = 13), with think…
To Achieve the Same as the Others? Policy Preconditions for Successful Higher Education Governance
Higher Education (HE) Institutions in different European countries have been steered towards an increased level of quality and performance through a comparable market governance approach. Despite the comparability of the applied governance instruments, the question remains whether these also yield comparable results in different HE systems. Building on policy implementation studies, this article analyses the importance of policy preconditions for…
How do self-regulation and effort in test-taking contribute to undergraduate students' critical thinking performance
Critical thinking is a multifaceted construct involving a set of skills and affective dispositions together with self-regulation. The aim of this study was to explore how self-regulation and effort in test-taking contribute to undergraduate students’ performance in critical thinking assessment. The data were collected in 18 higher education institutions in Finland. A total of 2402 undergraduate students at the initial and final stages of their ba…
A realist synthesis review of algorithmic approaches to developing multiple-choice questions in the natural sciences
This review study aimed to identify factors influencing the effectiveness of algorithmically generated test items, the quality of the tasks generated, and their broader impact on education when algorithmic procedures are implemented. The applied method of realist synthesis enabled the integration of evidence from previous studies to identify successful and unsuccessful configurations within the system Mechanism – Context – Outcomes. The mechanism…
A Qualitative Study on Variation in the Written Argumentation of Finnish Final‐Stage Undergraduate Students
Higher education students need generic skills such as written argumentation to succeed in their studies and in modern working life. However, research has shown that some students struggle with these skills even at later stages of higher education. We examined Finnish final‐stage undergraduate students' argumentative texts ( n = 200). Qualitative content analysis was used to analyse the quality of written argumentation and its variation between st…
Psychology (9 works) · Mathematics education (7 works) · Pedagogy (7 works) · Higher education (6 works) · Political science (6 works) · Higher Education Governance and Development (5 works) · Sociology (4 works) · Computer Science (3 works) · Critical thinking (3 works) · Economics (3 works)