What kind of values do pupils in three countries regard as important to themselves? What kind of goals would they like to achieve in their lives? How do they describe and evaluate their learning and the school as a place of learning? How do they spend their time outside school hours?

The book offers answers to these questions based on quantitative data collected from Finnish, Russian and Estonian ninth graders in 2005–2006. It is part of a comparative research project Changing values and goals in education: Pedagogical cultures in Finland, Russia and Estonia, carried out in 2001–2006. The overall aim of the project was to shed light on pedagogical cultures in these countries with different backgrounds and aspirations.

This book is aimed at all those who are interested in comparative and intercultural education, and its findings can be applied to developing educational practices. It enhances our understanding of reshaping pedagogical cultures particularly in Russia and Estonia and seeks to predict their future development in the context of globalization.