Ulpukka Isopahkala-Bouret
Biographic Data
| ID | 1501388 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Ulpukka Isopahkala-Bouret |
| GIVEN NAMES | Ulpukka |
| FAMILY NAME | Isopahkala-Bouret |
| SIGNATURE | ISOPAHKALA-BOURET U |
| AFFILIATIONS | University of Turku |
| ORCID | 0000-0002-8535-8874 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 19 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 19 |
| WORKS AS AUTHOR | 19 |
| WORKS AS EDITOR | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2015 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 3 |
The role of institutional reputation in mediating post-PhD careers. The case of Chinese elite universities
Amid rising doctoral populations and growing diversification inpost-PhD careers beyond academia, the disproportionate increase inemployment opportunities for doctorate holders has created height-ened pressures on doctoral graduates to improve their relative employ-ability. This is particularly pronounced in high-participation highereducation systems such as China, where post-graduation competitionis complicated by the reputational status of insti…
Struggles of highly educated adult immigrants as identity negotiations through Finnish language learning
This article aims to advance a critical understanding of language learning and identity negotiations among adult immigrants. Through Bonny Norton’s (2013) theoretical lens of ‘identity as a site of struggle’, we argue that immigrants often find themselves in contradictory positions assigned through unequal power relations because of their inadequacy in using the local language. Using narrative positioning analysis, we explore the ways in which hi…
‘Some people may feel socially excluded and distressed’
A growing number of scholars have investigated how extracurricular activities (ECA) are intimately tied to graduates’ positional competition and enhancement of employability. Prior studies have shown that the strategic tendency towards ECA especially applies to privileged, high-achieving students from a high-status university. Yet studies considering ECA as a site of gendered practices have been scarce. We explore how graduates have accumulated c…
Introduction to the special issue
This Special Issue entitled Positionality and social inequality in graduate careers concerns the changing status of Higher Education (HE) graduates as privileged occupants of highly desirable jobs. As a result of the global expansion of higher education, there is now a large and diversified body of graduates in a crowded graduate labour market and, given the less dramatic expansion of high-skilled well-paid jobs, only a fraction of them will atta…
Young and/but successful
This article advances critical theoretical and methodological approaches to employability. From the perspectives of neoliberal governmentality and positioning analysis, we investigate graduate employability as a process of creating value for the self in the labour markets. The study analyses how young Finnish business graduates (n = 19) who work in business organisations perform themselves as valuable labouring subjects in their interviews. Based…
A visit to another class? Working-class graduates entering university and the graduate labour market in Finland
Working-class students often face more challenges in securing graduate-level jobs than their middle-class peers. This paper applies the concept of boundary crossing in studying the experience of Finnish business graduates from a working-class background ( n = 27) and asks what types of boundaries they have faced and how they have managed them on their pathway through and after university studies. We identify three major boundaries: getting the ac…
Getting a head start
Previous studies have associated participation in higher education with the formation of middle-class advantages. Studies have shown that graduates from affluent family backgrounds gain more advantages from graduate degrees and secure better job opportunities than their less privileged counterparts. Drawing on the Bourdieusian framework, this study uses qualitative interview data (n = 29) to examine how recent business graduates mobilise economic…
The vocational route to higher education in Finland
Division between academic and vocational education is a predominant feature of both upper secondary and higher education in Finland as well as in many other country contexts. This article focuses on a minority of higher education students, those who have not proceeded to higher education through the traditional academic track but have enrolled through the vocational route. We deploy the concept of institutional habitus and utilize Eurostudent VI …
On a Level Playing Field? The Effect of Parents’ Education on Master’s Degree Graduates’ Labour Market Success in Finland
It is usually assumed that graduates with similar degrees are on a level playing field in the labour market. However, this common perception conceals social differences among the highly educated population. Following Bourdieu’s thesis that those with a privileged background benefit most from their degreed education due to the effects of inheritance of cultural capital, we investigate whether parents’ education affects Master’s degree graduates’ s…
Adult graduates’ employability and mid-career trajectories after graduation with Finnish UAS Master’s degree
Graduate employability research typically focuses on young graduates’ entry to the labour market. Little is known about the careers of adults who attain higher education degrees in mid-life. This article explores Finnish University of Applied Sciences (UAS) Master’s degree graduates’ mid-career trajectories using retrospectively collected longitudinal survey data (N = 1025) on their employment relations, transitions and career breaks. The specifi…
Enhancing criticality and resistance through teaching in the neoliberal academy
University non-admittance and anomie
The core theme of this article is the emerging tension between the egalitarian discourse that increases the general aspiration of people to become more educated and actual admission constraints. A desire to attend a university and not being allowed to (i.e. non-admittance) is a loss that can potentially result in an anomic condition. Anomie theory gives a sociological explanation for a painful situation in which there is a cultural overemphasis o…
Troublesome Access
In this study, I address policy aims to reconcile equality of opportunity and marketization by examining difficulties in access to Finnish higher education. Finnish higher education is largely funded by the state and has no tuition fees. However, new demands have arisen that align with market-driven policy. At the same time, the Finnish system is one of the most competitive systems in the Organization for Cooperation and Development (OECD), and a…
Access and stratification in Nordic higher education. A review of cross-cutting research themes and issues
The purpose of this review is to investigate cross-cutting research themes and issues related to access and stratification in Nordic higher education (H.E.) (Denmark, Iceland, Finland, Norway and Sweden). We synthesise how recent changes in H.E. policy, practise, and appropriations have influenced educational opportunities along social class, gender and age. In this review we highlight results and conclusions shared by various recent Nordic studi…
The academic–vocational divide in three Nordic countries
In this study we examine how the academic–vocational divide is manifested today in Finland, Iceland and Sweden in the division between vocationally (VET) and academicallyoriented programmes at the upper-secondary school level. The paper is based on a critical re-analysis of results from previous studies; in it we investigate the implications of this divide for class and gender inequalities. The theoretical lens used for the synthesis is based on …
“It’s a great benefit to have gray hair!”
Midlife professional women's aging experiences, especially the experiences of changing physical appearance, are examined in this study. A discursive-narrative approach is used to analyze interviews of women working in senior professional and managerial jobs in Finland. The decline narrative is not enough to capture the experiences of these women; noticeable signs of aging can indeed have a positive connotation. After looking older and less attrac…
Persistent Work for Equity and Lifelong Learning in the Finnish Educational System
The article introduces how the Finnish educational system has been moved systematically towards equal opportunities for all learners. It also describes how principles of equity and lifelong learning are tied together and what consequences this has had on teachers' professional role. Finally, the article reflects on what kind of studies and practices in TE are strengthening teachers' high professional role. Major factors that have a big influence …
Graduation at age 50
It's considered a second class thing.' The differences in status between traditional and newly established higher education credentials
Although the system of educational credentials differs in many important ways from country to country, all western countries have experienced a similar trend in the form of an increasing number of graduate degrees. Graduate degrees have also taken on a bewildering range of forms and content. As a consequence, not all graduate degrees have the same credibility and status in the labor market. The aim of this study is to discover how status differen…
Graduation at age 50
It's considered a second class thing.' The differences in status between traditional and newly established higher education credentials
Although the system of educational credentials differs in many important ways from country to country, all western countries have experienced a similar trend in the form of an increasing number of graduate degrees. Graduate degrees have also taken on a bewildering range of forms and content. As a consequence, not all graduate degrees have the same credibility and status in the labor market. The aim of this study is to discover how status differen…
Getting a head start
Previous studies have associated participation in higher education with the formation of middle-class advantages. Studies have shown that graduates from affluent family backgrounds gain more advantages from graduate degrees and secure better job opportunities than their less privileged counterparts. Drawing on the Bourdieusian framework, this study uses qualitative interview data (n = 29) to examine how recent business graduates mobilise economic…
The academic–vocational divide in three Nordic countries
In this study we examine how the academic–vocational divide is manifested today in Finland, Iceland and Sweden in the division between vocationally (VET) and academicallyoriented programmes at the upper-secondary school level. The paper is based on a critical re-analysis of results from previous studies; in it we investigate the implications of this divide for class and gender inequalities. The theoretical lens used for the synthesis is based on …
Young and/but successful
This article advances critical theoretical and methodological approaches to employability. From the perspectives of neoliberal governmentality and positioning analysis, we investigate graduate employability as a process of creating value for the self in the labour markets. The study analyses how young Finnish business graduates (n = 19) who work in business organisations perform themselves as valuable labouring subjects in their interviews. Based…
A visit to another class? Working-class graduates entering university and the graduate labour market in Finland
Working-class students often face more challenges in securing graduate-level jobs than their middle-class peers. This paper applies the concept of boundary crossing in studying the experience of Finnish business graduates from a working-class background ( n = 27) and asks what types of boundaries they have faced and how they have managed them on their pathway through and after university studies. We identify three major boundaries: getting the ac…
University non-admittance and anomie
The core theme of this article is the emerging tension between the egalitarian discourse that increases the general aspiration of people to become more educated and actual admission constraints. A desire to attend a university and not being allowed to (i.e. non-admittance) is a loss that can potentially result in an anomic condition. Anomie theory gives a sociological explanation for a painful situation in which there is a cultural overemphasis o…
Troublesome Access
In this study, I address policy aims to reconcile equality of opportunity and marketization by examining difficulties in access to Finnish higher education. Finnish higher education is largely funded by the state and has no tuition fees. However, new demands have arisen that align with market-driven policy. At the same time, the Finnish system is one of the most competitive systems in the Organization for Cooperation and Development (OECD), and a…
Persistent Work for Equity and Lifelong Learning in the Finnish Educational System
The article introduces how the Finnish educational system has been moved systematically towards equal opportunities for all learners. It also describes how principles of equity and lifelong learning are tied together and what consequences this has had on teachers' professional role. Finally, the article reflects on what kind of studies and practices in TE are strengthening teachers' high professional role. Major factors that have a big influence …
Persistent Work for Equity and Lifelong Learning in the Finnish Educational System
The article introduces how the Finnish educational system has been moved systematically towards equal opportunities for all learners. It also describes how principles of equity and lifelong learning are tied together and what consequences this has had on teachers' professional role. Finally, the article reflects on what kind of studies and practices in TE are strengthening teachers' high professional role. Major factors that have a big influence …
Graduation at age 50
It's considered a second class thing.' The differences in status between traditional and newly established higher education credentials
Although the system of educational credentials differs in many important ways from country to country, all western countries have experienced a similar trend in the form of an increasing number of graduate degrees. Graduate degrees have also taken on a bewildering range of forms and content. As a consequence, not all graduate degrees have the same credibility and status in the labor market. The aim of this study is to discover how status differen…
“It’s a great benefit to have gray hair!”
Midlife professional women's aging experiences, especially the experiences of changing physical appearance, are examined in this study. A discursive-narrative approach is used to analyze interviews of women working in senior professional and managerial jobs in Finland. The decline narrative is not enough to capture the experiences of these women; noticeable signs of aging can indeed have a positive connotation. After looking older and less attrac…
Access and stratification in Nordic higher education. A review of cross-cutting research themes and issues
The purpose of this review is to investigate cross-cutting research themes and issues related to access and stratification in Nordic higher education (H.E.) (Denmark, Iceland, Finland, Norway and Sweden). We synthesise how recent changes in H.E. policy, practise, and appropriations have influenced educational opportunities along social class, gender and age. In this review we highlight results and conclusions shared by various recent Nordic studi…
The academic–vocational divide in three Nordic countries
In this study we examine how the academic–vocational divide is manifested today in Finland, Iceland and Sweden in the division between vocationally (VET) and academicallyoriented programmes at the upper-secondary school level. The paper is based on a critical re-analysis of results from previous studies; in it we investigate the implications of this divide for class and gender inequalities. The theoretical lens used for the synthesis is based on …
Troublesome Access
In this study, I address policy aims to reconcile equality of opportunity and marketization by examining difficulties in access to Finnish higher education. Finnish higher education is largely funded by the state and has no tuition fees. However, new demands have arisen that align with market-driven policy. At the same time, the Finnish system is one of the most competitive systems in the Organization for Cooperation and Development (OECD), and a…
Enhancing criticality and resistance through teaching in the neoliberal academy
University non-admittance and anomie
The core theme of this article is the emerging tension between the egalitarian discourse that increases the general aspiration of people to become more educated and actual admission constraints. A desire to attend a university and not being allowed to (i.e. non-admittance) is a loss that can potentially result in an anomic condition. Anomie theory gives a sociological explanation for a painful situation in which there is a cultural overemphasis o…
On a Level Playing Field? The Effect of Parents’ Education on Master’s Degree Graduates’ Labour Market Success in Finland
It is usually assumed that graduates with similar degrees are on a level playing field in the labour market. However, this common perception conceals social differences among the highly educated population. Following Bourdieu’s thesis that those with a privileged background benefit most from their degreed education due to the effects of inheritance of cultural capital, we investigate whether parents’ education affects Master’s degree graduates’ s…
Adult graduates’ employability and mid-career trajectories after graduation with Finnish UAS Master’s degree
Graduate employability research typically focuses on young graduates’ entry to the labour market. Little is known about the careers of adults who attain higher education degrees in mid-life. This article explores Finnish University of Applied Sciences (UAS) Master’s degree graduates’ mid-career trajectories using retrospectively collected longitudinal survey data (N = 1025) on their employment relations, transitions and career breaks. The specifi…
The vocational route to higher education in Finland
Division between academic and vocational education is a predominant feature of both upper secondary and higher education in Finland as well as in many other country contexts. This article focuses on a minority of higher education students, those who have not proceeded to higher education through the traditional academic track but have enrolled through the vocational route. We deploy the concept of institutional habitus and utilize Eurostudent VI …
‘Some people may feel socially excluded and distressed’
A growing number of scholars have investigated how extracurricular activities (ECA) are intimately tied to graduates’ positional competition and enhancement of employability. Prior studies have shown that the strategic tendency towards ECA especially applies to privileged, high-achieving students from a high-status university. Yet studies considering ECA as a site of gendered practices have been scarce. We explore how graduates have accumulated c…
Introduction to the special issue
This Special Issue entitled Positionality and social inequality in graduate careers concerns the changing status of Higher Education (HE) graduates as privileged occupants of highly desirable jobs. As a result of the global expansion of higher education, there is now a large and diversified body of graduates in a crowded graduate labour market and, given the less dramatic expansion of high-skilled well-paid jobs, only a fraction of them will atta…
Young and/but successful
This article advances critical theoretical and methodological approaches to employability. From the perspectives of neoliberal governmentality and positioning analysis, we investigate graduate employability as a process of creating value for the self in the labour markets. The study analyses how young Finnish business graduates (n = 19) who work in business organisations perform themselves as valuable labouring subjects in their interviews. Based…
A visit to another class? Working-class graduates entering university and the graduate labour market in Finland
Working-class students often face more challenges in securing graduate-level jobs than their middle-class peers. This paper applies the concept of boundary crossing in studying the experience of Finnish business graduates from a working-class background ( n = 27) and asks what types of boundaries they have faced and how they have managed them on their pathway through and after university studies. We identify three major boundaries: getting the ac…
Getting a head start
Previous studies have associated participation in higher education with the formation of middle-class advantages. Studies have shown that graduates from affluent family backgrounds gain more advantages from graduate degrees and secure better job opportunities than their less privileged counterparts. Drawing on the Bourdieusian framework, this study uses qualitative interview data (n = 29) to examine how recent business graduates mobilise economic…
Struggles of highly educated adult immigrants as identity negotiations through Finnish language learning
This article aims to advance a critical understanding of language learning and identity negotiations among adult immigrants. Through Bonny Norton’s (2013) theoretical lens of ‘identity as a site of struggle’, we argue that immigrants often find themselves in contradictory positions assigned through unequal power relations because of their inadequacy in using the local language. Using narrative positioning analysis, we explore the ways in which hi…
The role of institutional reputation in mediating post-PhD careers. The case of Chinese elite universities
Amid rising doctoral populations and growing diversification inpost-PhD careers beyond academia, the disproportionate increase inemployment opportunities for doctorate holders has created height-ened pressures on doctoral graduates to improve their relative employ-ability. This is particularly pronounced in high-participation highereducation systems such as China, where post-graduation competitionis complicated by the reputational status of insti…
Sociology (17 works) · Political science (13 works) · Pedagogy (12 works) · Psychology (12 works) · Social science (12 works) · Higher Education and Employability (9 works) · Higher education (8 works) · Economics (7 works) · Gender Studies (6 works) · Economic growth (5 works)