Centre for Research on Learning and Instruction (CERLI)

The members of the research group have interests connected to themes of historical, societal and cultural education. These include, for example, education for democratic citizenship; human rights education; culturally responsible education; education for culturally and socially sustainable future; moral education; history education, social science education, and religious education. Questions of teaching and learning in these fields are researched in the group from the perspective of education of citizens in different age groups, from early education to adult education, and in the context for formal, non-formal and informal learning. The group welcomes different approaches and research traditions, from theoretical and historical studies to empirical and design-based research. The keywords include society, culture, history, citizenship, democracy, human rights, identity, and ethics. The research in the group is linked to educational sciences but with close connections to social sciences, historical research, study of religion, and philosophy. The group is a platform for preparing and processing research papers and publications, conference presentations, and research project plans. It functions as a a study circle and in ways that the members consider productive and fruitful. The group also gives support to students who are interested in the themes of the group and would like to develop their ideas for a doctoral dissertation research project.

Contact person: Anuleena Kimanen

Members of the research group: 

Julia Jaakkola
Annukka Jauhiainen
Suvi Jokila
Mikko Kainulainen
Lauri Kemppinen
Anuleena Kimanen
Jarmo Kinos
Miikka Korventausta
Teija Koskela
Susanna Leppähaara
Jan Löfström
Marjaana Puurtinen
Leif Rosqvist
Tiina Rytkölä
Johanna Tigert
Juha Vänttinen

Early childhood education

The research group explores new evidence-based ways of supporting early education teachers’ professional development. At present, there is little scientific evidence that early childhood education optimally support learning and development, especially among children who represent culturally and linguistically diverse home backgrounds.

Our main objective is to improve pedagogical sensitivity across multiple interactional settings with children in order to promote their language, social and emotional competence years before school entry in collaboration with the parents. This will be strengthened by supporting leadership and effective collaboration among multiprofessional team members for learning practice-oriented scientific knowledge that specifically target key developmental domains.

Drawing on mixed methods research, we integrate various theoretical paradigms and gold standard methods (observations, self-reports, and interviews) to assess professional competence and child development.

The research seminar meets every other Tuesday from 4-5.30 p.m. on Zoom.

Look for the topics and link here: https://blogit.utu.fi/earlyresearchgarden/our-research-seminar/

The seminar is conducted in Finnish and/or English.

Organizer: Sara Sintonen

Other organizers: Teija Koskela, members of the Early Research Garden

Contact person: Sara Sintonen

Members of the research group:

Juli-Anna Aerila
Satu Laitinen
Janne Lepola
Anitta Melasalmi
Meri Pihanperä
Inkeri Ruokonen
Timo Ruusuvirta
Maarit Silvén
Sara Sintonen
Anne Sorariutta
Wenwen Yang

Education integrating art, craft, design, and technology 

The research group investigates art, craft, design and technology as explorative, experiential and embodied design and engineering processes and creation of culture in technologically rich formal and informal learning and working environments. The discipline of Craft, Design and Technology Education has several SIG-groups:

• Pedagogical and didactic research in craft education
• Innovation pedagogy and eco-social design thinking
• Crafts as a developer of culture, well-being and action competence
• Entrepreneurship education research
• Research on safe learning and working environments
• Research on the discipline of craft education and teacher training

Postgraduate study seminar on the first Tuesday of every month at the Rauma campus, remote connection possible. Professor Eila Lindfors directs the seminars.

Members of the research group:

Satu Grönman
Tellervo Härkki
Arttu Korkeaniemi
Jaana Lepistö
Eila Lindfors
Jussi-Pekka Peltola
Mikko Puolitaival
Marja-Leena Rönkkö
Brita Somerkoski
Virpi Yliverronen - contact person

The research constitutes a work package within the project Fostering Finnish Science Capital (FINSCI), which is funded by the Strategic Research Council (SRC) established within the Academy of Finland. FINSCI is part of the council’s Information literacy and evidence-informed decision-making (LITERACY) program, which seeks solutions to how information can be used critically and constructively to support individual and societal decision-making and activities.

The research team led by deputy PI Mirjamaija Mikkilä-Erdmann, professor of educational science, focuses on the learning of complicated phenomena in natural sciences and how to support science-based decision-making in daily life. Instructional interventions are used to support science literacy among different age groups of learners from primary education to high school. University students will be invited to participate in a follow-up study of the changes in science capital, science literacy, and agency during their university studies. The interconnections of science capital, science literacy, and decision-making are investigated in all age-groups. The work package uses a multi-method approach.

The work package brings theory and methodology from research in learning complex phenomena as well as learner agency.

Contact person: Mirjamaija Mikkilä-Erdmann

>> Read more about the FINSCI project

>> Read more about Mirjamaija Mikkilä Erdmann

Higher education, professional development and workplace learning 

The research group of higher education, professional development and workplace learning focuses on exploring teaching and learning in the contexts of educational institutes and workplaces. The overall aim of the research is to develop conditions for successful teaching and learning in universities and other HE institutions as well as understanding how to support professional development at work.

Firstly, the research focuses on teaching and learning processes (i.e. approaches to teaching and learning, regulation of teaching and learning, conceptual understanding) and on the interaction between them. Secondly, the focus is on investigating the teaching-learning environments and their effects on expertise development. Thirdly, the aim is to study collegial action at workplaces and professional communities.

The group adopts a variety of diverse methodologies, combining self-report data (interviews, questionnaires) with objective online measures, such as physiological data (electrodermal activity) and eye-tracking utilizing also virtual reality environments, as well as using methodological tools developed for units of analysis at collegial level, such as social network analysis. Regarding professional communities and workplace learning, the main focus is on academic professions. 

Contact person: Mari Murtonen & Tuire Palonen

Members of the research group:

Heini Ahonen
Erkki Anto
Kalypso Filippou
Satu Hakanurmi
Mirva Heikkilä 
Laura Helle
Tarja-Riitta Hurme
Tuike Iiskala
Mirjamaija Mikkilä-Erdmann
Mari Murtonen
Siru Myllykoski-Laine
Trang Nguyen
Hanna Nori (also CELE)
Tuire Palonen
Maikki Pouta
Marjaana Puurtinen
Jere Riekkinen
Emmi Saariaho-Räsänen
Heidi Salmento
Ville Salonen
Ilona Södervik
Henna Vilppu
Henna Virtanen
Erika Österholm

Diverse approaches to language and literature education

The group extensively studies first (L1), second (L2) and foreign language (FL/L3) learning in various educational and teaching contexts. The work of the research group is characterized by multimethodology and multidisciplinarity. The research combines qualitative and quantitative methods and different disciplines. The group's researchers and doctoral researchers are interested in the perspectives of language learning and teaching, reading and literature as well as linguistic and cultural diversity from early childhood education to adult education.

Contact persons Maria Tyrer and Juli-Anna Aerila

Members of the research group: 

Juli-Anna Aerila (language and literature education)
Maria Tyrer (language awareness and multilingualism in early childhood education)
Johanna Tigert (teaching immigrant background students, language awareness, multilingualism)
Janne Lepola (early childhood education, interactive reading)
Roosa Suomalainen (discourse analysis, reader identity, language, society, power)
Sanni Mäntyoja (language comprehension, reading)
Mikko Haavisto (multimodal learning, video as an instructional tool)
Marja Tomberg (language awareness and multilingualism in higher education)
Kaisa Korpinen (early language education, embodied language learning, art-based approaches, intergration of dance)
Leea Lakka (reading, writing and inequality)
Milla Luodonpää-Manni (foreign language pedagogy)

Learning in interaction

This research group focuses on collaborative, supportive and individual processes of learning in interaction. Interactions are understood as dynamic, intertwined and systemic processes. Exploring these processes requires developing innovative methodological and analytical approaches besides applying traditional ones.

The theme combines cognitive, metacognitive, motivational, emotional, as well as social and cultural aspects of interaction in learning.The aim is to understand learning during interaction in communities, classrooms, small groups, dyads and individuals or in combination of these. The research designs emphasize micro-level phenomena without excluding large-scale studies. This group aims at scrutinizing interaction in varying learning contexts, such as different school subjects, different levels of education and learning-at-work. The participants of the studies represent different skill levels and age groups ranging from young children and school-aged learners to adults.

The overarching mission of this group is to crystallize interaction patterns beneficial for the development of skills and quality of learning.

Contact person: Tuike Iiskala

Members of the research group:

Tiina Annevirta
Anna Eskola
Olli-Pekka Heinimäki
Tarja-Riitta Hurme
Tuike Iiskala
Anu Kajamies
Satu Laitinen
Janne Lepola
Tiia Lindfors
Jenny Marttila
Mari Murtonen
Iina Männikkö
Marita Neitola
Tuire Palonen
Maikki Pouta
Sara Routarinne
Anne-Elina Salo
Anne Sorariutta
Maarit Silvén
Marja Vauras
Erika Österholm

Mathematical learning 

Research Group for Mathematics Learning and Instruction is a collection of researchers investigating various aspects of mathematical learning and instruction from early childhood to adulthood.

A core feature of the group is combining expertise across the spectrum of educational and psychological research. From large-scale professional development courses to neuroimaging, the group aims to examine the learning and teaching processes that influence mathematical development and look for empirically validated means to improve learning for all.

The group’s motto “Cultivating Future Mathematical Minds” embodies their approach to mathematics education as one that aims to seek out new models for approaching instruction and new indicators of success in the domain. A strong emphasis is placed on spontaneous mathematical focusing tendencies, expanding mathematical instruction beyond formal learning settings and supporting flexible mathematical knowledge and skills that can be applied in novel situations.

>> The website of the group

Contact person

Minna Hannula-Sormunen

Members of the research group: 

Phuong Bui
Hilma Halme
Minna Hannula-Sormunen
Heidi Harju
Ciğdem Haser
Sanni Kankaanpää
Tomi Kärki
Erno Lehtinen
Janne Lepola
Katri Luomaniemi
Jake McMullen
Saku Määttä
Cristina Nanu
Anne Sorariutta
Jo Van Hoof

Sustainability education, sustainable development pedagogy, environmental sciences and (natural) sciences education

The interests of the members of the research group are the unification of science education and education for sustainable development as a continuation of three visions ((Sjöström & Eilks 2018, 2022): Vision 1) conceptual knowledge of environmental matters, knowledge, skills, values ​​and attitudes, and competence from a scientific perspective, Vision 2) contextual knowledge of environmental matters, from the point of view of applying skills and knowledge Vision 3) application of environmental knowledge in transformative learning to promote a sustainable future, which is strongly related to socio-scientific topics, controversial science topics. The research focuses on the field of teacher education and, broadly speaking, under the concepts of visions 1 and 2 "scientific literacy" and vision 3 "sustainability" and "transformative learning". In sustainability education, the perspectives of biodiversity, climate and future education are emphasized.

At the core of all three visions is interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary knowledge and the competences of the teacher and the learner in science and sustainability education, which according to UNESCO (2017) are system, future, normative, strategic, integrative problem solving, community and critical thinking and self-knowledge. The above mentioned topics are the group's current main research subjects, as well as research on environmental awareness.

The resaerch in this group is linked especially to the following thematic groups of Turku University “Biodiversity and Sustainable Development” as part of the Multidisciplinary themes and areas of strength of the University of Turku.

Contact person: Eija Yli-Panula

The members of the research group in the University of Turku

Eila Matikainen

Satu Kankare

Juulia Lahdenperä

Johanna Kortessalo-Ainasoja

Celine Arzel

Katja Koivumäki

Sanna Mäki

Eija Yli-Panula 

Collaboration with researchers of other universities

Isabel Banos-Gonzalez, Patricia Esteve, Ana Ruiz, Magdalena Valverde, Universidad de Murcia, Espana

Eila Jeronen, Anne Pellikka University of Oulu, Finland

Ilona Södervik, University of Helsinki, Finland

Christel Persson, University of Kristianstad, Sweden

Kirsten Schlueter, University of Cologne, Germany

Ariadna Ciążela, Akademia Pedagogiki Specjalnej im. Marii Grzegorzewskiej, The Maria Grzegorzewska University, from Warsaw, Poland

Vesta Vančugovienė, Švietimo akademija, Kaunas (Lithuania) 

Teaching and teacher education

The research group gathers together researchers who are interested in investigating teaching and teacher education. Teacher education is seen as a continuum where the integration of research and practice at all stages of teachers’ professional learning is emphasized.

Our aim is to develop understanding of the processes of professional learning in order to provide effective guidance for pre-service and in–service teachers and teacher educators who are seeking to strengthen their practice at all career stages. Other important contributions relate to research on teaching practice in collaboration with the Department’s Teacher Training Schools in Turku and Rauma.

The research group highlights teachers’ capacities to adapt changing school contexts, curricula and policy demands. Many theoretical stances are welcomed and both quantitative and qualitative methods are applied diversely. 

Contact person: Mirva Heikkilä

Members of the research group:

Päivi Granö
Mirva Heikkilä
Anni Holmström
Jukka Husu
Tuike Iiskala
Anna-Maija Katajisto
Teija Koskela
Marko Lähteenmäki
Anitta Melasalmi
Mirjamaija Mikkilä-Erdmann
Mari Murtonen
Iina Männikkö
Mirjam Rasmus
Jaanet Salminen
Brita Somerkoski
Mikko Tiilikainen
Serja Turunen
Henna Vilppu

Anni Vidbäck 

Technology enhanced learning and science education

Research focusing on technology enhanced learning environments covers age groups from primary education to adult education; in general focusing on digital pedagogy, and in  particular on  motivation, interest, and teaching and learning in digital learning environments. 

The general focus of the research on science has been on interactive learning environments (e.g. simulations). Individual studies and projects have focused on the role of pedagogy in these interactive learning settings, for instance between different types of simulations (more concrete or abstract), different pedagogical support (level of guidance), measuring effects on learning outcomes and interactions within and between settings and motivational variables. 

Contact person: Marjaana Veermans

Members of the research group:

Anna-Reetta Aalto
Jussi-Pekka Järvinen
Miikka Korventausta
Maiju Kyyhkynen
Aleksi Lahti
Lauri Lehtonen
Sanna Rantanen
Koen Veermans
Marjaana Veermans

The research group examines the construction of participation, well-being and communality in different growth, development and learning communities. Interests include for example 1) physiological, psychological and social mechanisms related to loneliness and ostracism and their developmental continua, 2) the multidisciplinary cooperation and interaction skills of different service systems as a continuum that strengthens the well-being of children, young people and families, 3) hearing the voices of vulnerable children, young people and families, and 4) influencing inequality development and highlighting the value of diversity through various intervention and prevention methods. The research group is strongly multidisciplinary and the framework consists of things outlined in the Convention on the Rights of the Child and the National Child Strategy, especially those highlighting participation, agency, and the uniqueness of childhood and youth and the significance of silent voices.

Contact person: Niina Junttila ja Tiina Annevirta

Members of the research group:

Tiina Annevirta
Kirsi Heikinheimo
Anni Holmström
Niina Junttila
Miia Laasanen
Nina Mellenius
Venla Panula
Jaanet Salminen
Pamela-Zoe Topalli
Saija Westerlund-Cook

In collaboration with:

Linnea Karlsson (TY)
Noona Kiuru (JY)
Marja-Kristiina Lerkkanen (JY)
Eija Pakarinen (JY)
Tiina Ristikari (ITLA)
Katariina Salmela-Aro (HY)
Matti Sarvimäki (Aalto)