The ideology of gender equality is accepted as the norm in the Nordic countries. When asked to describe what they thought was required to be a good mother and a good father, Finnish informants (N = 387) showed uneasiness in describing good parents separately, however, often describing only a good mother. This article aims to explore the ambivalent stance toward gender equality reflected in these descriptions. The mother is seen as the model against which the father is compared. Moreover, the ambivalence noted could indicate a contradiction between how things are and how they should be. Ambivalence here is located between structural, sociological, and psychological levels, reflects the ambivalent rhetoric of welfare officials, and is possibly the result of social change.

Although stressors and coping strategies have been examined in managing stress associated with doctoral education, stress continues to have a permeating and pernicious effect on doctoral students' experience of their training and, by extension, their future participation in the academic community. International doctoral students have to not only effectively cope with tensions during their training and their socialization in their discipline but also address the values and expectations of higher education institutions in a foreign country. Considering the increase of international doctoral students in Finland, this study focuses on perceived sources of stress in their doctoral training and how their scholarly identity is involved when responding to them. The study draws on thematically analyzed interviews with eleven international doctoral students of educational sciences. The participants, one man and ten women, came from nine countries and conducted research in six Finnish universities. The principal sources of stress identified were intrapersonal regulation, challenges pertaining to doing research, funding and career prospects, and lack of a supportive network. Despite the negative presence of stress, most participants saw stress as a motivating element. However, in order for stress to become a positive and motivational force, participants had to mediate its presence and effects by means of personal resources, ascribing meaning and purpose to their research, and positioning themselves within their academic and social environment. The study argues for stress as a catalyst for scholarly identity negotiation and professional development when perceived positively.

Beliefs have been a to p ic of considerable interest among researchers in various fields . In this article 71 articl es reporting a study on parental beliefs and published in the course of fift een years (1980)(1981)(1982)(1983)(1984)(1985)(1986)(1987)(1988)(1989)(1990)(1991)(1992)(1993)(1994)(1995) are reviewed. After clarifying the term 'belief, the topics and th e methodolog ical solutions of th e studies are discu ssed. Throughout the discussion the question ofthe origins of parental beliefs and the belief -beha viour dil emma are dealt with . Finally, the implications of the findings and suggestions f or future research are presented.Research today con siders it important to investigate parents' ways of think ing and understanding . Many researchers argue that beliefs are the best indicators of the decisions individuals make throughout their lives (e.g., Pajares, 1992). Parents' child-rearing practices may be expressions of their beliefs (Goodnow, 1988;Goodnow & Collins, 1990;Sigel, 1985). According to Miller (1986), four general questions have guided research on parents 's beliefs about children:(1) what are these beliefs; (2) through what experiences do parents form and modify their beliefs; (3) What is the relation between a parent's beliefs about a child and the parent's behaviour towards the child?; (4) How do the parent ' s beliefs relate to measures of the development in the child?Our aim here is to review the literature on child-rearing beliefs and parenthood and, at relevant points, to see what the more recent research has to offer as answers to the questions Miller (1986) poses. We begin with a discussion of the term 'belief', continue with a description of the process and criteria we followed in conducting this review. Then we outline the findings and discuss the methodological solutions used in the studies. Finally, we describe and summarize the findings of the studies concluding with some general remarks and recommendat ions for future belief studies. Belief and other terms definedDespite the popularity of parents' beliefs as a topic of study, the concept of belief has not been clarified in the research literature. Thompson (1992 ) thinks that for the most part, This study was financiall y supported by the Finnish Academy of Sciences.

Finnish parents' views on responsibility in the home–school relations were explored. Responsibility was here understood as responsibility over education and upbringing. The data consist of semi‐structured interviews with 24 mothers and four fathers. In the home–school discourses, parents and teachers were often referred to as partners, and active parental involvement in school life was seen as a key to children's success. However, in some discourses teachers and parents were seen as polar opposites, e.g. teachers as experts — parents as laymen. Few references were made to children's responsibility.

In this article the image of a good Finnish mother is described and the images by daughters, sons, mothers, fathers, grandmothers and grandfathers are compared. Three members of the same family (129 families) each from a different generation were interviewed (387 persons).The good mother loves, listens to, and controls her child. She gives advice and spends time with her child. She is patient and supportive. The good mother is an example for her child and she treats all her children equally. When the images of the different groups were compared, it was noted that the informants could be divided into two on the basis of the images they had produced: Mothers, daughters and sons formed the Informed group, and fathers, grandmothers and grandfathers formed the Traditional group.