Vocabulary of Education, 1st edition

REPLACED BY: Glossary of Education, second edition (OKM 2021:10)

Vocabulary available:
- in PDF format

Languages of the vocabulary:
- Terms: Finnish (partly Swedish and English)
- Concept descriptions: Finnish

A new vocabulary, namely Vocabulary of Education, has come out in the publication series of the Ministry of Education and Culture.

In 2010, the Ministry of Education and Culture and the Finnish Terminology Centre TSK launched a terminology project with the aim of supporting the development of online services of the Finnish National Agency for Education and, later on, other information management projects in the administrative branch of the Ministry of Education and Culture as well. The purpose of the terminology work was to lay a foundation for developing online services and creating an information architecture in the field of education and research. The Vocabulary of Education, together with compatible, more detailed definitions that can be found in other sources, will help make the flow of communication between information systems and those producing, using and searching for information run as smoothly as possible.

In addition, the Vocabulary of Education will facilitate communication between people. One of the challenges for communication in the field of education is that multiple terms may be used to refer to a single concept. This problem occurs for example in the legislation concerning the different levels of education. On the other hand, the same term may also be used to refer to different concepts in different connections. The Vocabulary of Education provides jointly agreed definitions for concepts and recommends the appropriate terms for them.

Further, the Vocabulary of Education builds bridges between legislation and information production. It describes term usage in the current legislation and is intended to harmonise usage in the future as well. The work carried out within the terminology project improves the compatibility, usability and understandability of information and thus increases the value of information. In this respect, the work is in line with the proposed guidelines for Finland's information policy.

The Vocabulary of Education serves those in need of terminological information both in the educational sector and in other administrative branches. It is intended for experts in the field of education, law drafters, information system specialists, information officers, journalists, translators, and anyone who needs information on the recommended terms and their meanings in the field of education.

The Vocabulary of Education contains approximately 560 concepts. The intension of the concepts has been determined through terminological concept analysis. Terminological definitions and supplementary notes are provided for each concept, and concept diagrams are used to illustrate the relations between them. Recommendations on Finnish terms to be used for each concept are provided. Term equivalents in Swedish and English are given for concepts related to higher education. The Vocabulary will be supplemented with missing equivalents as the terminology work progresses. Similarly, new concept systems, for example concepts related to early childhood education and care, will be added to the Vocabulary later on.

The working group that compiled the Vocabulary was comprised of experts from the Ministry of Education and Culture, National Agency for Education, the Terminology Centre TSK, CSC – IT Center for Science, and University of Turku. Swedish and English equivalents for the terms were worked through by groups with experts from higher education institutions. The terminology work was funded by the Ministry of Education and Culture.