Finnish language competence supports international students’ transition and integration to work life.

Finland has for many years, been a destination of interest for international students (Lahtinen et al., 2014). However, much has changed in recent years with new policies like the introduction of tuition fees for international students, a move that has promoted commodification in higher education (Cai & Kivistö, 2013; Valkonen et al., 2024). Beyond the monetary challenge experienced by international nursing students, Finnish language challenges both in education, social and work life have been established (Kamau et al., 2023; Ropponen et al., 2023)

To alleviate language induced challenges, there has been much debate around appropriate teaching and learning approaches (Virtanen, 2016), the responsibilities of various stakeholders in supporting language competence development and even what composes ideal language competence (Martikainen et al., 2024). Even though second language learning is a complex process, these students also contribute a rich multilingual context within the Finnish society (Ropponen et al., 2023).

In recent years, Finnish language competence and competence development have received much attention amongst nurse educators and work-life partners (Komppa et al., 2024). However, there have been recognizable challenges on how and who between the higher education institutions and work life partners bears the responsibility to support competence development. (Lehtimaja et al., 2021). Another challenge has been the lack of clarity of what is an appropriate level of language competence towards supporting transition to work and ability to meet work demands successfully. Which has often led to subjective assessments and discrepancy in assessment methods at transition (Virtanen, 2016; Lehtimaja et al., 2021).

Methodology

This study was a secondary qualitative descriptive study aimed at describing nurse educators’ experiences regarding how Finnish language competence and its development support international nurse graduates in their transition and integration to working life. A total of 20 nurse educators were recruited from three universities of applied sciences in Finland during spring of 2021. Semi-structured interviews were conducted and analyzed using the content analysis method (Elo & Kyngäs, 2008).

The data had previously been used in a publication that aimed to describe nurse educators’ perspectives on how culturally and linguistically diverse future registered nurses are integrated into healthcare settings (Kamau et al., 2023).

Results

Four sub-themes and two themes were developed:
1) Finnish language limitations, which represented language requirement at work and language effects to work-life.
2). Development of Finnish language competence, including both during studies and in the workplace.

Finnish language competence limitations

Language requirement at work
Nurse educators experienced that limited or a lack of Finnish language competence led to persistent challenges for international nurse students. With insufficient language competences, these students faced challenges in finding employment and integrating into healthcare organizations and work communities.

“Many places seem to be quite hesitant and careful in taking international students for practice and then employing them due to perceived low language abilities.”

Language competence at work
At healthcare organizations, educators experienced that while there were clear expectations for language competence, opportunities for language development were limited. As a results, international nurse graduates faced constraints in career mobility and career choice. Further, the way these graduates were treated and perceived, especially when their language skills were still developing, influenced their experiences of transitioning and integrating into working life.

“I think it’s about attitude in general, and also have the feeling that when I graduate, I do have something, I have the meaning, I have studied for something and when I’ve done it, I get the job.”

Development of Finnish language competence

Competence development at the university
Nurse educators experienced that it was crucial to develop Finnish language competence during education at the university. Educators reported using approaches such as mixed-group teaching, where native and international students were taught together and embedding Finnish language into instruction, thereby employing a dual-language teaching model. Educators also pointed out the use of technology such as Virtual Reality (VR), to support language learning.

“The language once again, trying to mix native Finnish students and international students. So, encouraging them to learn from each other, to support each other. “

“Using the VR system can enhance the learning of Finnish language.”

Nurse educators viewed competence development as integral, especially during the final stages of education. Limited language competence was seen as a barrier to the recognition of professional competence.

“Maybe students should just have better Finnish speaking skills so that Finnish people feel that they can recognize their competences then when they have the same language.”

Competence development at work
At workplaces, nurse educators believed that language competence could be enhanced through organizational support for language learning and the provision of professional language training within healthcare organizations. Educators noted that co-operation within projects that focused on language learning could provide opportunities for organizational learning on how to better support the development of international students’ language competence in the workplace.

“I think it’s important that our projects developed at the school towards educating clinical tutors could also include cultural and linguistic point of views.”

Nurse educators viewed that a welcoming atmosphere at the organization and acceptance of the international student at the workplace could be a motivating factor towards learning and language competence development.

“If I think of me, that I would go to study somewhere else which is not my culture and not my language, I think, it starts when you feel welcome. You’re welcome to the country, you’re welcome to the city, you’re welcome to the school and you can see that you are welcome to the working life.”

Discussion

The findings of this study show the crucial role that Finnish language competence in the transition and integration of international nursing students into working life. Participating educators emphasized that overcoming competence-related limitations requires creative, well-resourced, and continuous strategies that extend into the workplace. The role of the workplace as a language learning environment has been established in previous research (Komppa et al., 2024; Ohlin et al., 2024).

During education, educators expressed that the use of creative pedagogical approaches, such as mixed-group learning, a dual-language model, and the use of technology such as virtual reality (VR), support the development of language competence. To further enhance second language learning, the Layered Language-Learning Method (LLM) has been promoted. This approach utilizes Artificial Intelligence (AI) to support a safe, naturalistic language learning environment (Byrne, 2024). Further, the use of language immersion may be an effective approach for supporting functional bilingualism (Keskitalo et al., 2014), as it supports mastery of both Finnish and English language which are the core language of teaching.

According to the findings, Finnish language competence is a key facilitator of both social and workplace integration. Previous research has identified several negative outcomes experienced by international nursing students, many of which often persist into their professional lives after graduation. For instance, studies have reported instances of language-induced racism (Cubelo, 2023), challenges in transitioning into the healthcare system (Ropponen et al., 2023), and difficulties with workplace integration (Kamau et al., 2023).

Conclusion

Universities of applied sciences should recognize the critical role that Finnish language competence plays in supporting international students’ integration into society, education and a smooth transition into working life. Currently, challenges remain in the support provided for language competence development and a strong stakeholder approach with work-life partners is missing. Innovative approaches, for instance, bilingual programs have yet to be thoroughly tested for their effectiveness, highlighting the need for robust evaluation and further development. The use of emerging technologies and integration of AI in language learning may offer a promising and innovative way to enhance language acquisition.

Lastly, with new scholarship models focused solely on language competence development, universities of applied sciences must acknowledge that second language learning and language competence development is a complex process, and students vary significantly in their linguistic abilities. Such narrowly focused approach may risk creating inequalities in scholarship access and may hinder the overall goal of promoting Finnish language competence.

In the future, universities of applied sciences could aim at developing multimodal student scholarship fund models that recognize diverse criteria, including academic excellence, Finnish language development, innovativeness, and community contribution. Finally, establishing intra-institutional scholarship funds through lobbying efforts and attracting external funding could enhance the availability of substantive scholarship, which may relieve international students’ financial burden and support their Finnish language learning.

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