itsevalintainen

Itsevalintainen is a Finnish adjective meaning self-selected or chosen by oneself. It is formed from the word itse (oneself) and valinta (choice) with the suffix -inen that marks a characteristic. The term is used to describe situations where selection or participation is voluntary and initiated by individuals themselves, rather than being imposed or arranged by others.

In practice, itsevalintainen can refer to people, items or processes that are selected by the subject. Common contexts include contexts where participants decide to join a study, register for an event, or submit themselves for a program. The expression is especially common in discussions of methodological issues, education, market research, and media participation.

In research and statistics, the phrase itsevalintainen otos (self-selected sample) describes a sample in which individuals choose to participate, rather than being randomly or systematically recruited. Such samples can introduce self-selection bias, a type of sampling bias that affects representativeness and the generalizability of results. Researchers often note this limitation and contrast self-selected samples with random or stratified sampling methods.

The concept is related to broader terms such as itsevalinta and itsevalintainen osallistuminen, and is used mainly in Finnish-language scientific, educational and media discourse. While it emphasizes autonomy and voluntary participation, it also highlights potential biases that can arise when participation is not mandated or randomly assigned. See also self-selection bias for its English terminology.