Teaching foreign languages in Finland: insights from a leading school system

Abstract

Finland is internationally recognized for its high-quality student-centered education system and its approach to foreign language learning reflects these core values. The Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) tests give insights into how well education systems are preparing students for real life challenges and future success. Finland has been among the top-ranking countries in all PISA tests since 2000, but in recent years the Nordic country has shown decline in performance. In PISA test 2022, Finnish students performed well above the OECD average in reading, mathematics, and science knowledge scoring 490 points in reading, 484 points in mathematics, and 511 in science [4]. PISA test 2022 assessed the knowledge and skills of 690,000 15-year-old students across 81 countries and explored how well students can solve complex problems, think critically and communicate effectively [3]. In basic Finnish education, which covers grades 1 to 9, all students study their mother tongue, a second national language (either Finnish or Swedish), and at least one foreign language – most commonly English. Foreign language learning is organized into compulsory and optional syllabuses. However, since the 1990s, interest in optional foreign languages such as German, French, and Spanish has declined, primarily due to structural limitations and the high student numbers required to form new language groups. By the time students reach upper secondary education, most continue with only the compulsory languages, especially English.