Researchers
Mareike Bacha-Trams
Postdoctoral researcher
Research themes
Social interaction, Critical thinking, Media Literacy, Perspective taking
Current projects
Studying news evaluation, peer feedback and critical thinking in adolescents
Contact
Yrjö Engeström
Professor Emeritus, Research Director
Director of the Center for Research on Activity, Learning and Development CRADLE
Research themes
Cultural-historical activity theory; theory and practice of expansive learning; methodology of formative interventions.
Current projects
Learning in Productive Social Movements
Links
Engeström's profile in the University of Helsinki research portal
Contact information
E-mail: yrjo.engestrom@helsinki.fi
Skype: yrjosaccount
Jaakko Hilppö
Postdoctoral researcher, PhD
Research themes
Children’s agency and sense of agency, children’s learning, development and everyday life, children’s projects, co-participatory methodology in research with children, Cultural-Historical Activity Theory
Current projects
- SPrEaD: Broadening implementation of an innovative STEAM learning environment: Scaling up FUSE Studios through two models of partnership engagement with industry and schools (2017-2019, National Science Foundation (USA))
- CoCuCo: Constituting Cultures of Compassion in Early Childhood Education (2016-2020, Academy of Finland)
- Children’s Projects: a Proposal for a Research Agenda
- Vital Voices 2 Perspectives on (Educational) Equity on the Early Childhood Sector in Singapore: Mapping the Best Practices (Funded by Lien Foundation 01.01.2018 - 31.12.2018).
Links
Hilppö's profile in the University of Helsinki research portal
Hilppö's profile on ResearchGate
Hilppö's profile on GoogleScholar
Contact information
E-mail: jaakko.hilppo@helsinki.fi
Skype: Hilppo
Tel: +358 40 533 4643
Anu Kajamaa
Expert Group Co-Leader
PhD, Adjunct Professor, Principal Investigator
Research themes
Learning, development, organizational change, strategic change, organizational communication and collaboration, interprofessional working, sociocultural theories, activity theory and other practice based approaches, qualitative research methods, formative interventions and ethnography e.g. in the context of health care and social care, schools and entrepreneurship hubs.
Current projects
- The Playful Learning Center (PLC)
- DigiChild
- Learning by Making: The Educational Potential of School-Based Makerspaces for Young Learners' Digital Competencies (iMake) (Academy of Finland)
- CO-LAB project: Improving collaborative working between correctional and mental health services (EU HORIZON 2020, MSCA-RISE, 2016-2020)
Links
Kajamaa's profile on in the University of Helsinki research portal
Kajamaa's profile on ResearchGate
Contact information
E-mail: anu.kajamaa@helsinki.fi
Skype: akajamaa
Tel: +358 40 8232358
Jonna Kangas
University Lecturer, PhD
Research themes
Pedagogy in early childhood education, children's participation, participatory learning, best practices of early childhood education, child initiated play, pathways of play, play-based learning, multi-professional co-operation in early childhood education, ethics in research methods, dialogic development of education, media education in early years.
Links
Kangas's profile in the University of Helsinki research portal
Contact information
E-mail: jonna.kangas@helsinki.fi
Hannele Kerosuo
Docent (Adjunct professor), PhD (Adult Education)
Research themes
My current interests are on boundary crossing and development of knotworking in construction industry. Furthermore, I examine transformative agency in several fields of study. I use activity-theoretically oriented ethnographic and interventionist methodologies and methods in my research.
Current projects
- The development of the use of building information modelling (BIM) and the new work roles in building projects (2017), funded by Finnish Work Environment Fund
- The implementation and stabilization of new management methods in building design, planning and production (2016-2018). Project is carried out by Mittaviiva Oy and funded by Finnish Work Environment Fund
Recent projects
- Learning from projects: Managing, organizing and coordinating of building information modeling in building projects (2015-2016), funded by Finnish Work Environment Fund.
Links
Kerosuo's profile in the University of Helsinki research portal
Kerosuo's profile on ResearchGate
Contact information
E-mail: hannele.kerosuo@helsinki.fi
Kristiina Kumpulainen
Expert Group Leader, Professor, PhD
Research themes
Sociocultural theories; Social interaction and learning and development; Human agency; Formal and informal Learning; Learning across contents; Digital learning; Multiliteracies; Pedagogy and leraning environments; Teacher professional develoment; Creativity and co-creation; Participatory research methods; Visual research
Current projects
- The Playful Learning Center (PLC)
- DigiChild
- The Joy of Learning Multiliteracy
- MakEY: EU RISE: Makerspaces in the early years: Enhancing digital literacy and creativity
- EDUDigi
- Nordplus Horizontal project: Digital Computer Games for learning in the Nordic countries
- A Comparative Study of Early Childhood Education in Selected High Performing Countries
- DigiLitEY: The digital literacy and multimodal practices of young children (DigiLitEY)
Links
Kumpulainen's profile in the University of Helsinki research portal
Kumpulainen's profile on ResearchGate
Kumpulainen's profile on Academia
Kumpulainen's personal Webpage
Kumpulainen's profile on LinkedIn
Kumpulainen's profile on Twitter
Contact information
E-mail: kristiina.kumpulainen@helsinki.fi
Skype: kristiinakkk
Tel: +358 50 3185221
Arniika Kuusisto
University Lecturer, Docent, PhD
Research themes
Most of Arniika's research projects have been based on a mixed methods design. These cover her PhD works and the present projects, in which she places value learning trajectories in the center of her research interest. In her publised doctoral disseratation, Arniika examined young people’s value learning, socialization experiences and agency. She also carried out two projects on diversity in Early Childhood Education and the comprehensive school age groiup. At present, she is working on young children's value learning, and the value learning trajectories of an older participant age group. She is also working on various other smaller projects related to value learning trajectories and life histories.
Current projects
Links
Arniika Kuusisto's profile in the University of Helsinki research portal
Contact information
E-mail: Arniika.Kuusisto@helsinki.fi
Tel: +358 2941 29339 / +358 503187293
Elina Kuusisto
Docent, ThD, MA (Ed.)
Research themes
Moral and religious education, more specifically - 1) moral sensitivities such as ethical sensitivity, intercultural sensitivity, interreligious sensitivity; 2) purposeful teaching and life purposes; 3) talent development and growth mindset.
Current projects
- CoPErNicus: Changing Mindsets about Learning: Connecting Psychological, Educational, and Neuroscientific Evidence (CoPErNicus) (1/09/2010 – present)
- EDIC+: Education for Democratic Intercultural Citizenship+ (1/09/2016 – 31/08/2019)
- Purposeful teaching (1/01/2014 – 31/12/2017)
- MoCo: Teachers' Moral Competence in Pedagogical Encounters (MoCo) (1/09/2011 – Present)
- Actualizing giftedness
Links
Elina Kuusisto's profile in the University of Helsinki research portal
Elina Kuusisto's profile on ResearchGate
Contact information
E-mail: Elina.kuusisto@helsinki.fi
Tel: +358 2941 29865 / +358 503180309
Sonja Laine
Postdoctoral researcher, PhD
Research themes
Gifted education, conceptions of giftedness; differentiated teaching; teachers’ and students’ mindset about learning
Current projects
- CoPErNicus: Changing Mindsets about Learning: Connecting Psychological, Educational, and Neuroscientific Evidence (CoPErNicus) (1/09/2010 – present)
- Actualizing giftedness
Links
Laine's profile on in the University of Helsinki research portal
Laine's profile on ResearchGate
Contact information
E-mail: sonja.laine@helsinki.fi
Tel: +358 2941 29838, +358 5031 82182
Lasse Lipponen
Professor, PhD
Research themes
Cultures of Compassion; Leadership in Early Childhood Education; Play Interactions; Social Interaction
Current projects
Constituting Cultures of Compassion in Early Childhood Education, 2016-2020, Academy of Finland.
Vital Voices 2 Perspectives on (Educational) Equity on the Early Childhood Sector in Singapore: Mapping the Best Practices (Funded by Lien Foundation 01.01.2018 - 31.12.2018).
Links
Lipponen's profile in the University of Helsinki research portal
Lipponen's profile on GoogleScholar
Contact information
E-mail: lasse.lipponen@helsinki.fi
Skype: lasse_lipponen
Reijo Miettinen
Professor Emeritus
Research themes
Cultural-historical activity theory; learning in technological innovations; teacher’s work and the relationship between schools and society.
Recent projects
Learning from projects: Managing, organizing and coordinating of building information modeling in building projects (2015-2016). For more information see also here.
Links
Reijo Miettinen's profile in the University of Helsinki research portal
Contact information
E-mail: reijo.miettinen@helsinki.fi
Postdoctoral researcher
Research themes
The art of theorisation and theory generating research - ethnographic experimental research. Technology and materiality. Creativity, learning and development. Change as interactants creative co-construction of culture. Cultural-historical theory and cognitive domain theories on moral development and ethics. Minority- majority categorization and transgression. Observation to study development, e.g. using tablets, sociometric badges or interaction-based video observation and the quantification of observation such as in-footage coding.
Current projects
-
Changing conversations: Study on exploring children’s reasoning and perspective-taking when booklets containing illustrative stories on peer rejection are digitalized and displayed on tablets.
-
How to foster awareness rather than biases? A wholeness perspective on the development of conventional beliefs. Designing an interactive app/computer game to support a playful attitude towards social conventions and challenge young people’s beliefs about gender and ethnicity building on moral questions based wihin an interview frame similar to studies on peer rejection and moral reasoning.
Collaborators: Erika Löfström University of Helsinki, Harriet Tenenbaum University of Surrey, Anna Stetsenko, City University of New York.
Links
Möller's profile in the University of Helsinki research portal
Contact information
E-mail: signe.moller@helsinki.fi
Pia-Maria Niemi
University lecturer, Postdoctoral researcher, PhD
Research Themes
Young people’s sense of belonging; peer relations; construction of worldviews; didactics.
Current projects
Radical nationalistic worldviews of young people in Finland and Canada (starting in autumn 2017)
Links
Niemi's profile in the University of Helsinki research portal
Niemi's profile on ResearchGate
Contact information
E-mail: pia-maria.niemi@helsinki.fi
Reetta Niemi
Lecturer at Viikki Teacher Training School, PhD
Research themes
My work focuses on developing participatory pedagogy through narrative learning projects, as well as methodological issues of pedagogical action research. I have developed visual participatory research methods in order to perceive children’s meaningful learning experiences. My research has also centered on understanding how children’s meaningful experiences can help teachers to develop their practical theories and pedagogical actions in classrooms.
Links
Reetta Niemi's profile in the University of Helsinki research portal
Contact information
E-mail: reetta.niemi@helsinki.fi
Sami Paavola
Associate Professor (tenure track), Docent, PhD
Research themes
Technology mediated collaborative learning, inquiry and work; theories of learning; trialogical learning; practice methodologies - cultural-historical activity theory, pragmatism; abductive methodologies of discovery
Current projects
CO-LAB - Improving collaborative working between correctional and mental health services (2016-2020).
Recent projects
Learning from projects: Managing, organizing and coordinating of building information modeling in building projects (2015-2016). See also here.
Links
Paavola's profile in the University of Helsinki research portal
Paavola's profile on GoogleScholar
Paavola's profile on Academia.edu
Paavola's profile on ResearchGate
Contact information
E-mail: sami.paavola@helsinki.fi
Skype: samipaavola
Anna Rainio
Senior University Lecturer, Docent
Research themes
- Research on educational interaction: The development of student agency, ambivalence and engagement in early education and youth work contexts
- Cultural-historical research on adult-child joint play and play-based pedagogies
- Research on educational change and interventions, teachers’ professional development, particularly discursive methodologies
Recent projects
-
Longitudinal study on children taken into care in Finland. Responsible researcher in the sub study Art-based Activities With Youth in Foster Care. (Academy of Finland, 2010-2013)
Links
Rainio's profile in the University of Helsinki research portal
Rainio's profile on GoogleScholar
Contact information
E-mail: anna.rainio@helsinki.fi
Tel: +358 50 3180 306
Antti Rajala
Postdoctoral researcher, PhD
Research themes
Learning, Collaborative learning, Social interaction, Peer interaction
Current projects
- Makerspaces, Steam learning and Educational Equity (2015-2017)
- CoCuCo: Constituting Cultures of Compassion in Early Childhood Education (2016-2020, Academy of Finland)
- Vital Voices 2 Perspectives on (Educational) Equity on the Early Childhood Sector in Singapore: Mapping the Best Practices (Funded by Lien Foundation 01.01.2018 - 31.12.2018).
Links
Rajala's profile in the University of Helsinki research portal
Contact information
E-mail: Antti.Rajala@helsinki.fi
Giuseppe Ritella
Postdoctoral researcher, PhD
Research themes
My main research interests are computer-supported collaborative learning, digital learning environment, professional training (especially for in service teachers), space–time organization (chronotope), collaborative sense-making,qualitative research, video analysis, dialogical theory, sociocultural research, and activity theory.
Contact information
E-mail: giuseppe.ritella@helsinki.fi
Mohsen Saadatmand
Postdoctoral researcher, PhD
Research themes
technology enhanced learning, online/blended learning environments, online courses and MOOCs, learning design, learning technologies, open education, networked learning.
Current projects
Links
Saadatmand's profile in the University of Helsinki research portal
Saadatmand's profile on GoogleScholar
Saadatmand's profile on Twitter
Saadatmand's profile on LinkedIn
Saadatmand's profile on ResearchGate
Saadatmand's profile on Academia
Contact information
E-mail: mohsen.saadatmand@helsinki.fi
Skype: saadatm1
Annalisa Sannino
Academy Research Fellow, Docent, PhD
Research themes
My work focuses on the emergence and enactment of transformative agency from the perspective of cultural-historical activity theory, how this type of agency relates to learning and how it can be identified, supported and enhanced through formative interventions within communities, educational and work settings.
Current projects
Academy Research Fellowship project on “The Emergence of Agency: Foundations for Educational Change from Below” (2012-2017)
Links
Sannino's profile in the University of Helsinki research portal
Sannino's profile on GoogleScholar
Contact information
E-mail: annalisa.sannino@helsinki.fi
Skype: ansannino
Tel: +358 04 51 35 6343
Laura Seppänen
Senior Researcher, DSc (Agr. & For.), Adjunct Professor
Finnish Institute of Occupational Health
Research themes
Learning and development in platform economy work; service networks and relational agency in many fields of work. Proactivity, e.g. interpretive practice in robotic surgery. Collaborative tools and developmental intervention methodologies in activity theories and other practice-based approaches.
Links
Seppänen's profile on LinkedIn
Current projects
- Smart Work in Platform Economy (SWiPE)
- Future Magnetic Cancer Center (VETÄVÄ)
- Work Based Learning (WOBLE)
- CO-LAB project: Improving collaborative working between correctional and mental health services (EU HORIZON 2020, MSCA-RISE, 2016-2020)
Contact information
Email: laura.seppanen@ttl.fi
Skype: leseppa1
Tel: +358468514752
Kirsi Tirri
Professor
Dr. Kirsi Tirri is a full Professor of Education and a Research director at the Helsinki Collegium for Advanced Studies at the University of Helsinki. She serves as a President of the Finnish Academy of Science and Letters. She is also a Visiting Professor at the St. John's University, New York, USA. Tirri has been the President of ECHA (European Council for High Ability) for the years 2008-2012 and the President of the SIG International Studies at AERA (American Educational Research Association) for the years 2010-2013.
Research themes
School pedagogy; moral and religious education; gifted education; teacher education and cross-cultural studies.
Current projects
- CoPErNicus: Changing Mindsets about Learning: Connecting Psychological, Educational, and Neuroscientific Evidence (CoPErNicus) (1/09/2010 – present)
- EDIC+: Education for Democratic Intercultural Citizenship+ : Lifelong Learning Program Erasmus (1/09/2016-31/08/2019)
- Purposeful teaching (1/01/2014 – 31/12/2017)
- MoCo: Teachers' Moral Competence in Pedagogical Encounters (MoCo) (1/09/2011 – Present)
- Actualizing giftedness
Links
Tirri's profile in the University of Helsinki research portal
Tirri's profile on ResearchGate
Contact information
E-mail: kirsi.tirri@helsinki.fi
Tel: +358 2941 29838, +358 5031 82182
Tapio Toivanen
University lecturer, Docent, PhD (Doctor of theatre and Drama)
Research themes
Developing drama and theatre education; Creativity in drama and theatre education; Creative teaching, Interaction and learning; Playfull learning
Current projects
Challenge of the Empty Space (2011-). Part projects 1) What is creativity in drama and theatre education? 2) What is quality in drama and theatre education? 3) Developing Teachers' Body Awareness and Holistic Interactions Using Theatre Based Methods.
Links
Toivanen's profile in the University of Helsinki research portal
Contact information
E-mail: tapio.toivanen@helsinki.fi
Jenni Vartiainen
Postdoctoral researcher, PhD
Research themes
Small children’s science education; science learning environments; children’s multiliteracy skills; inquiry-based education; ICT and technology enhanced learning; non-formal education.
Links
Vartiainen's profile in the University of Helsinki research portal
Vartiainen's profile on LinkedIn
Current projects
The Joy of Learning Multiliteracy (MOI)
Contact information
E-mail: jenni.vartiaine@helsinki.fi
Skype: jenni-vartiainen
Tel: +358 50 311 66 60
Liubov Vetoshkina
Postdoctoral Researcher, PhD
Research themes
The role of objects and technologies in work activities, communities, and networks; cultural-historical activity theory (CHAT); application of ethnography for studying work, work change, and digitalization.
Affiliations
Recent projects
- DigiPrintNetwork: research on learning networks in the field of digital printing (in Finnish)
- Transformation of Academic Work and Digitalization
Links
Vetoshkina's profile in the University of Helsinki research portal
Vetoshkina's profile on LinkedIn
Vetoshkina's profile on Academia
Vetoshkina's profile on ResearchGate
Vetoshkina's profile on Twitter
Contact information:
E-mail: liubov.vetoshkina@helsinki.fi
Jaakko Virkkunen
Professor Emeritus
Research themes
cultural-historical activity theory; developmental work research; work-related learning.
Contact information
E-mail: jaakko.virkkunen@helsinki.fi