Uncharted territory – master’s theses in Finnish primary school teacher education

The aim of this study is to examine the master’s theses of primary school student teachers in Finland. Furthermore, the aim is to place the results, in terms of format and content of the master’s theses, within the theoretical framework of an academic and a professional orientation. The data comprised 150 theses from three teacher education programmes. For data analysis, qualitative theory-driven content analysis and inductive reasoning were employed. The findings revealed considerable variability in both the format and content of the theses. Despite modest national regulation and very few guidelines governing the thesis, there were relatively small differences between the universities in terms of the format and content of the thesis. Due to Ministry of Education policy, there will be increasing pressure to establish standardized guidelines to ensure timely completion. Furthermore, it is imperative to underscore the broader significance of master’s theses as research-based teacher education in Finland develops.