Description: Transformation of knowledge is an interesting but complicated process because at the same time it contains different perspectives, dimensions and rhythms. I see the concept as very similar to Fernand Braudel's (1980) theory of the Mediterranean world and its various time periods. There are three different times or rhythms of time in Braudel´s theory (long lasting, semi lasting and slow lasting time). Each of these rhythms has an influence on the life of the contemporaries and to history itself. If the theory of Fernand Braudels will be borrowed to explain the history of education, for example on the macro-level of educational/schooling systems, transformation of knowledge could be represented as a very slowly changing process. Social dimension of education, for example faith in education and its meaning to a nation or certain groups of a nation, is tightly intertwined to national cultural identities and mental models of education and its values (Anderson 1983, Hecter 2000, Hobsbawm 1992 and 1994, Schleicher 1993) . Values are slow to meet changes because there is a reconstructive structure in the hierarchy of values. Michael Billig (1995) has used the term/concept "banal nationalism" when he has referred to the process of how the national identities are renewing day after day. A very good example of a slow transformation of knowledge and its social dimensions and cultural values is the discussion concerning the Finnish national matriculation examination system and its reform after the Second World War. In Finland the matriculation examination has been for over 150 years a nationwide examination which has been held at the end of the upper secondary school. It has had a very respected and overvalued position in the Finnish school system and society since 1852 when it provided a straight admission to university studies. Until the 1990´s the system of matriculation examination changed very little even though at the same time other parts of the school system went through strong changes. The main question in my research is why the Finnish matriculation examination has preserved its position as an overvalued examination. There have been two levels in my analysis. First I have searched the topics and themes of the discussion concerning matriculation examination from 1945 to the millennium. And the aim on the second level has been to find out cultural reasons and explanations for why the examination has preserved its position and for whom it has been so important. My hypothesis to the research questions is that part of the answer lies on the national values and cultural identities of the elite of the Finnish society. Methodology: Source material has been collected from three Finnish periodical journals from the year 1945 to the turn of century. The total amount of articles and pictures is 480. Both text and picture analysis have been used as a research method. Conclusions: See the description of the paper above.