School of Educational Sciences and Psychology

Theme 1. Learning society and civilized citizenship  

Question: How do adult learning, “Sivistys” and active citizenship develop over time, locally and globally?

Searching for answers: The theme explores the Finnish learning society and its change as part of international developments from the perspectives of sociology of education and adult education. The areas of interest are the conditions, processes and outcomes of changes in education, learning, citizenship and liberal adult education. The research asks how citizenship is created, how it is cultivated at different stages of the life course, and how increasing immigration and globalization are reflected in it.  

Questions and answers: Jyri Manninen, Juha Kauppila

Collaborators: Freedom and responsibility of liberal adult education, Association of the Finnish Study Centres, Kansalaisfoorumi  

Theme 2. Work and learning in diverse environments  

Question: How do adults' competences, learning, well-being and work careers develop over time and how to create  innovative work communities through them? 

Searching for answers: In this theme, multimethodological research is carried out on workplace learning, competences, well-being, careers of adults and the development of organizations. The research examines public and private sector employees in the context of changing and differentiated organizations. The issues of bullying and harassment in work communities are also studied, especially from the perspective of teachers and their work motivation.  

Questioners and respondents:  Soila Lemmetty, Matti Meriläinen, Sonja Kosunen, Heidi Huilla, Alina Inkinen, Sara Juvonen, Marika Pylkkö

Collaborators: JOTPA, Polamk, SLATE (University of Bergen), ENI (University of Stuttgart), SURE  

Theme 3. Young people and inequality

Question: How is the inclusion and inequality of children, young people and young adults constructed in society and its institutions? The theme analyzes issues of power relations, equality and equity in education  in the research fields of sociology of education, economics, political research, philosophy and critical pedagogy. The research grasps the questions of how agency, identity and moral orders are promoted, exchanged and contested in the sensitive phase of life. The focus is on an intersectional analysis of social class, gender and various minority positions in education policies and practices. 

Questioners and respondents: Sonja Kosunen, Ari Sivenius, Heli Mutanen, Salla Myyry, Heidi Huilla, Alina Inkinen, Saara Juvonen 

Collaborators: The Finnish Youth Research Society, SURE  

Theme 4. Global education and sustainable futures

Question: How to build sustainable futures with learning and education? Searching for answers: The theme critically examines learning, pedagogy and educational practices from the perspective of global citizenship, global justice and sustainable futures. The focus of research is socio-cultural and socio-political. Questions about global crises are approached from  from ecological and social justice perspectives. Research can be carried out in formal, non-formal and informal environments and across them.  

Questioners and respondents: Antti Rajala, Juha Kauppila, Erja Laakkonen 

Partners: Fee Suomi, Fingo, Gerif Network, UC Links (University of California).

Theme 5. The university as a pedagogically developing community 

Question:  What are high-quality learning and teaching at the universities and universities of applied sciences?

The theme includes multidisciplinary research on higher education students' learning, generic skills, regulation of learning, engagement, and educational transitions. Research also focuses on the assessment of learning and competencies, and the development of teaching, learning environments, and pedagogical practices. Research on this theme utilizes a multi-method approach and it focuses on various disciplines. The findings of research will be used in the development of higher education and university pedagogical training.

Questioners and respondents: Heidi Hyytinen, Päivi Atjonen, Jyri Manninen, Sanna Väisänen, Antti Ronkainen, Sirkku Lähdesmäki

Collaborators: UEF DIGS, UEF faculties and other units, KAARO network, Finnish Institute for Educational Research (University of Jyväskylä), HYPE (University of Helsinki), Council for Aid to Education 

Below you can find the research staff organized by the position, the head of the academic subject being the first one.

Research in UEF special education is focused on learning, teaching, well-being and inclusion of people of different ages. We also study specific learning challenges and forms of support. Our research contexts include early childhood, primary, secondary, and tertiary education, as well as adult and older people's learning and teaching. The strengths in research approaches include intervention research, conversation analytic research, learning analytic research, participatory research, longitudinal research, eye movement research and visual methods research. Our research is used for national policy making and teacher training development. The scientific discipline of special education is a major subject for the students in special education teacher training.

Research, research collaboration, and dissertation supervision

• Autism spectrum: Professor Eija Kärnä, Postdoctoral Researcher Anniina Kämäräinen, University Lecturer Virpi Vellonen, Senior Researcher (Docent) Kwok Ng
• Digitalization in teaching and learning: Professor Eija Kärnä, Professor Erkko Sointu, Assistant Professor (tenure track) Kaisa Pihlainen, Senior Researcher (Docent) Kwok Ng, University Lecturer Virpi Vellonen.
• Prevention, participation, and learning: Assistant Professor (tenure track) Kaisa Pihlainen
• Learning for older people and digital literacy support: Professor Eija Kärnä, Assistant Professor (tenure track) Kaisa Pihlainen
• Inclusive education: Professor Eija Kärnä, Professor Hannu Savolainen, Assistant Professor (tenure track) Kaisa Pihlainen, Senior University Lecturer Aino Äikäs, University Lecturer Anne Karhu, Senior Researcher (Docent) Kwok Ng, Postdoctoral Researcher Anniina Kämäräinen.
• Language difficulties, supporting speech, communication and interaction: Professor (emerita) Leena Holopainen, University Lecturer Virpi Vellonen
• Supporting schoolwork at home and home-school collaboration: Professor Jaana Viljaranta, Professor Erkko Sointu
• Behavioral support: Professor Hannu Savolainen,, Professor Erkko Sointu, University Lecturer (Docent) Kristiina Lappalainen, University Lecturer Anne Karhu, Lecturer Pirjo Savolainen
• Supporting the well-being of student teachers: Assistant Professor (tenure track) Kaisa Pihlainen, University Lecturer Virpi Vellonen
• Teachers' self-efficacy in inclusive education: Professor Hannu Savolainen, Senior Researcher (Docent) Kwok Ng  
• Development of teaching methods and support for learning in higher education: Professor Erkko Sointu, Senior University Lecturer Aino Äikäs, University Lecturer Virpi Vellonen
• Learning motivation research: Professor Jaana Viljaranta
• Health promotion and adapted physical activity: Senior Researcher (Docent) Kwok Ng
• Support planning and documentation: University Researcher Noora Heiskanen
• Need for support, school and life course: University Lecturer (Docent) Kristiina Lappalainen, University Lecturer Katariina Waltzer
• Significant support and interprofessional collaboration: Senior University Lecturer Aino Äikäs  
• Early childhood special education: University Researcher Noora Heiskanen, University Researcher Anu Kuukka, University Lecturer Marja Syrjämäki
• Social interaction in inclusive environments: Postdoctoral researcher Anniina Kämäräinen 

Below you can find the research staff organized by the position, the head of the academic subject being the first one.

Research on guidance 

Is guidance an individual support, control or a critical force in society? How does guidance affect the agency of the individual, group or community? How is guidance structured as a professional activity? How do societal structures limit or enable individual agency in educational and work institutions? 

Our research is characterised by an interest in the intersections of individual meanings and social structures, and in theoretical perspectives that address this interface. The social justice approach in educational and career guidance is an important frame of reference for us, and we are looking for ways to implement it in concrete guidance practices. Guidance is an interdisciplinary field, and our research draws on educational science, adult education and sociology. 

Our research priorities 

Interactional guidance study using ethnomethodological conversation analysis. We investigate the core phenomena of multimodal guidance interaction (e.g., shared goal setting, building alliance, managing emotions) and their relation to institutional goals of guidance and ideals of guidance such as agency and competence. 

Studying guidance and guidance competences as social activity and examining the conditions for successful guidance in different institutional contexts (guidance in educational institutions, employment services and work-based learning support). A central perspective is the construction of the agency of the student/client. We will also look at the development of expertise and professional agency in different working communities practising guidance professions and using guidance methods. An important perspective is the institutional tensions in guidance, and the possibilities for learning and transformation stimulated by these tensions. We use participatory research methodologies, among others. 

The importance of social differences and relationships for an individual's agency, horizon for action and career adaptability. We study these in primary, secondary and tertiary education. One focus is on intersectionality and anti-racism in career guidance. Our research also focuses on how ideals and norms are structured as experiential and cultural phenomena and how they define the boundary conditions of individual existence. For example, we look at the demand for sociality from the perspective of those who feel shy and at the ideals that university teachers attach to their students. As methodological approaches, we use both quantitative and qualitative methods (including ethnography, content analysis and narrative-discursive methodologies). 

Research cooperation and dissertation supervision

Professor Sanna Vehviläinen coordinates postgraduate studies in the field of counselling.

• If you are interested in guidance interaction, the structuring of guidance as a purposeful activity, and the competence and professional agency of guidance practitioners, please contact Professor Sanna Vehviläinen.
• If you are interested in social differences (e.g. ethnicity, race, gender, sexuality, age) and inequalities in career guidance and educational and/or labour market transitions, please contact Senior University Lecturer Anne-Mari Souto. 
• If you are interested in guidance interactions and conversation analysis of recorded data (for example, on emotion regulation or changes in the agency of the student), please contact Liisa Voutilainen, University Researcher. 
• If you are interested in topics related to professional growth and development (growing as a guidance practitioner, emotional conversations as part of professional growth, well-being and coping at work) and research on group phenomena, please contact Ulla Nuutinen.

Below you can find the research staff organized by the position, the head of the academic subject being the first one.

Multidisciplinary quantitative and qualitative research

Our research is multidisciplinary. We approach psychological phenomena from the perspectives of society and culture, life course, children and families, school and education, work, professions, and climate change. Research focuses on health, education, work and organisations, and forensic psychology.

We use a wide range of research methods. Our critical psychology research group utilises narrative and discursive methods to explore issues such as life courses, understandings of health and illness with their cultural connotations, and ideals of education and work and their meaning for people. The qualitative strand also includes our research on, for example, perceptions of psychologists and their professional practices.

We conduct register research, systematic reviews and meta-analyses to provide a comprehensive and reliable overview of findings from large datasets and individual studies. We use our quantitative research expertise to look at well-being at work and work ability, as well as depression and recovery. In the area of health psychology, we study the well-being of students and teachers in different countries and the well-being and work capacity of employees in a changing workplace. Our health psychology research also includes themes from positive psychology, such as empowerment, recovery from work and supporting well-being at work. In the area of forensic psychology, our research focuses on crimes against children, both from the perspective of children and offenders.

Research co-operation and dissertation supervision

• If you are interested in mental health and well-being research or forensic psychology, please contact Professor of Clinical Psychology Kirsi Honkalampi.
• If you are interested in occupational health psychology and health psychology issues, please contact Professor Taina Hintsa, Professor of Health Psychology.
• If you are interested in research related to critical psychology and qualitative methods, please contact Professor Katri Komulainen or University Lecturer Maija Korhonen. 
• If you are interested in research issues related to school and student life, please contact University Lecturer Matti Kuittinen or Senior Lecturer Kati Kasanen.
• If you are interested in psychological issues and mental health in working life, please contact Marianna Virtanen, Professor of Work Psychology.

Below you can find the research staff organized by the position, the head of the academic subject being the first one.