The FINSCI consortium is lead by the University of Turku, and it includes the University of Eastern Finland, the University of Helsinki, the association of Finnish science centres (Suomen tiedekeskukset ry), and science association Skope ry. The project is funded by the Strategic Research Council (SRC) established within the Academy of Finland.
The Fostering Finnish Science Capital (FINSCI) project aims to investigate and develop Finnish science capital, i.e. the possibilities for individuals to interact with science and get to know people in science, as well as their scientific literacy, critical thinking and science communication skills.
Research in the fields of psychology, neuroscience, education and social sciences are combined to create new knowledge on the affective and neurocognitive mechanisms that underlie successful science learning and decision-making, and to create science-based methods for formal and informal science learning. The main goal of the project is to develop community science practices and public engagement with science in order to increase the accessibility of science.
The University of Turku is leading two work packages within the project. The work package in psychology led by Johanna Kaakinen focuses on the effects of emotions, such as curiosity and awe, on human information processing. The work package in teacher education led by Mirjamaija Mikkilä-Erdmann investigates the science capital of children, youth and adults, the learning of complicated phenomena in natural sciences and how to support science-based decision-making in daily life.
FINSCI is part of the council’s LITERACY program, which seeks solutions to how information can be used critically and constructively to support individual and societal decision-making and activities.
