The aim of this paper is to decipher the essence of the joy of learning and the ways to enhance it at school. In the field of educational psychology, research on feelings is lacking, and the little that does exist has focused more on negative rather than positive feelings. The present paper is based on ethnographic and observational research of a Finnish school class (N = 19) and the data were collected by videotaping and photographing first- and second-grade pupils (aged 7–8) studying in the school and lessons from the autumn of 2003 until spring 2005. Based on the children's expressions of feelings and experiences, a detailed description of their experiences of joy of learning or lack of it in primary education was comprised by the video data by way of photos (N = 754). This method is known as the ethnography of experience. Ten theses of the joy of learning were created from the transcription of pupils' emotional talk and actions that were reflected by previous research. These resulted in 10 conclusions regarding teachers' work, which contained the idea that a teacher could provide circumstances that are favourable to the joy of learning at primary school.

Several studies in the 1970s and 1980s have showed how girls’ courage or willingness to bring out their talents and strengths at school is hindered by many factors. The self-esteem of girls who are known to be talented decreases especially during their adolescence. This phenomenon is connected to girls’ ability to notice conflicting expectations in their environment. They realize that they are expected to possess certain traditional female characteristics such as passiveness, adjustment, sensitivity to others’ expectations, and altruism. They are not expected to show competitiveness. At the same time, girls are expected to perform well at school. Girls learn to regulate their behaviors and study quietly, but this could also hinder their talents to come forward. Still, they pursue perfect scores that eventually do not bring them satisfaction. Earlier research has showed that teachers treat girls and boys differently, based on stereo-typical assumptions about troublesome boys and compliant girls, and they also interpret reasons for girls’ and boys’ behaviors differently. The 21st century seems to both repeat and question many of the research results about gender differences. In this article, we analyze gender cap through nine viewpoints by presenting contradictory research results about girls’ and boys’ upbringing and education. It is crucial that each individual can develop their own strengths for the best of themselves and the society – regardless of their gender. As the conclusion we present the role of strength-based teaching as the means to promote gender equality at school. It is based on the ideology of positive psychological research and on the fundamental idea that strengths belong to everyone. The ability to recognize and use one’s strengths has not only personal benefits in terms of increased life satisfaction but also societal benefits as strengths help facing adversities, overcome difficulties, and prevent malaise, and increase wellbeing in general. When people flourish, not only the people but also the society succeeds—and it all starts from school. The strength-based approach can direct teachers’ attention away from good-girl-expectations to universal and genderless strengths, and help girls find success in life that is based on well-being and profound understanding of one’s potential.

The roots of teacher training in Finland extend to the 1860s. The evolution of teacher training was closely connected to the history of elementary education and changes in educational policy and the Finnish society. Recently, the Finnish educational system and its teacher education programs have fared extremely well in international comparisons. This raises a question concerning the kinds of initiatives and policies that this story has involved. This article will provide some answers, and it also discusses the trends and developmental aspirations that have molded the approaches to teacher training in this country. The article is based on Finnish research literature on teacher training and relevant contemporary developmental reports and laws. The main purpose is to provide a review of the historical development of Finnish teacher training—its significant achievements and the most crucial turning points—and then to discuss their contribution to the educational outcomes in the current system.

What is the role of educational psychology in the development of sustainability education? In this editorial article, we argue that human happiness and life satisfaction could be the keys to positive education and adapting to pro-environmental behaviors. We discuss the perspective of sustainable happiness education being the guiding principle of sustainability education. Sustainable happiness education can provide a means to educate people about ways of considering their own well-being and that of others simultaneously, while keeping in mind the sustainability aspect of their actions.