Jenni Alisaari works in the School of Applied Educational Science and Teacher Education, where her main job is teaching the Master’s Degree Programme in Early Language Education for Intercultural Communication. She also teaches other students on the topics of linguistically responsible pedagogy, language awareness, language pedagogy and multilingual learners.
Previously, Alisaari has worked as a university lecturer of Finnish at the University of Stockholm, as a special researcher in sociology at the INVEST research centre at the University of Turku, and as a teacher trainer at the University of Turku and Åbo Akademi. Alisaari has also provided professional development training for teachers on linguistically and culturally responsible teaching for several years. Linguistically responsible teaching takes into account, among other things, the dimensions of language in the school context and the link between language and culture and identity. It also supports the development of language skills and promotes the use of multilingualism as a resource for learning. Culturally responsive teaching takes into account all dimensions of cultural identities, such as ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation and socio-economic background, and their relationship to learning.
Alisaari’s main research interests are related to linguistically responsible pedagogy, multilingualism and language learning. She has also studied the teaching and guidance of newly arrived students and students studying Finnish or Swedish as a second language and literature. Alisaari’s doctoral thesis dealt with learning Finnish by singing, listening to songs or rhythmically reciting song lyrics.
In my doctoral dissertation, I investigate how students in the fields of mathematics and the natural sciences develop their engagement with studies in various learning environments. My focus is particularly on pedagogical approaches, teaching models, and learning environments. Nowadays, university education is offered in multiple formats, such as on-campus, remote, and online, which pose challenges for building student engagement. Engagement with studies is crucial for completing a degree and fostering a sense of belonging.
In addition, I work as a project researcher in the Young Universities for the Future of Europe (YUFE) initiative. Our work package 5.2 focuses on innovations in education, such as teachers’ pedagogical beliefs and the use of educational technology and learning analytics.
Research projects:
- 2024-2026 YUFE (Young Universities for the Future of Europe) – WP 5.2 Research Publication on Innovation in Education in the YUFE Context, Project researcher
- 2022 Utilization of learning analytics in the various educational levels for supporting self-regulated learning (OAHOT) project (Business Finland), School of Applied Educational Science and Teacher Education, Project researcher
- 2021 DigiCampus -Retrofitting Learning Landscapes-subproject (Ministry of Education and Culture), School of Applied Educational Science and Teacher Education, Project researcher
Jenni Kankaanpää (M. A., Ed.) works as a doctoral researcher at University of Eastern Finland. Jenni is a trained teacher and has worked in various research projects on both primary and higher education for several years. Especially, she has gained experience on educational development in higher education and flipped classroom/learning during research tasks and when training teachers in implementing them. Her doctoral research is related to higher education teachers’ pedagogical development work in flipped and blended contexts.
Research projects
- 2021–2022 Utilization of learning analytics in the various educational levels for supporting self-regulated learning (OAHOT) project (Business Finland), School of Applied Educational Science and Teacher Education, Project researcher
- 2020–2021 DigiCampus -Retrofitting Learning Landscapes-subproject (Ministry of Education and Culture), School of Applied Educational Science and Teacher Education, Project researcher
- 2020 The Work-integrated Pedagogy in Higher Education project (WORKPEDA) (Ministry of Education and Culture), School of Applied Educational Science and Teacher Education, Project researcher
- 2017–2019, Flipped Learning project (Ministry of Education and Culture), School of Educational Sciences and Psychology, Project researcher
- 2015–2017, Preparing teacher students for the 21st century learning practices (PREP21) project (Academy of Finland), School of Applied Educational Science and Teacher Education, Research assistant
- 2015, We are Europe project (Erasmus+), Research assistant (temporary, part-time), School of Applied Educational Science and Teacher Education, Research assistant
- 2013, Children tell of their well-being – Who listens? project (Academy of Finland), School of Applied Educational Science and Teacher Education, Research assistant
I am an experienced scholar of party history, history of ideologies and have extensive knowledge on and understanding of the developments of political culture and party systems. My research efforts locate at the crossroads between contemporary, political history and political science and I have successfully combined quantitatively inspired politological research results to empirically and qualitatively inclined historical approaches providing cutting edge insight with a historical perspective on current public debates and discussions. I am an active and sought-after political pundit and serve frequently as an expert commentator for domestic and international media.
I currently work at RESLIDE consortium where we focus on democratic resilience. The consortium is funded by the Strategic Research Council.
I am a doctoral researcher at the department of social sciences. My dissertation locates in the fields of youth studies and sociology and it deals with vocational students well-being from the perspective of Capability -approach and ecological sustainability. The aim of the research is to hear young people’s own perceptions of their well-being and examine how vocational education supports young people’s opportunities to live a life they have reason to value. In addition the objective is to find out, how ecological boundaries emerge in the young people’s perceptions of their own well-being. The practices of vocational education to promote opportunities for just and sustainable well-being are analyzed.
My previous research projects has dealt with participation and belonging at child welfare services, young peoples’ experiences and well-being in the times of Covid-19 and young peoples’ educational choices as well as equality in carrier guidance.
In my doctoral dissertation, I study the institutionalisation of the Russo-Swedish border(land) in the 18th century. The interests of the physical, institutional and mental border formation reflected in the local community.
In the project Towns on the eastern border of the Swedish Great Power, I study social networks and power relation in Kexholm (Käkisalmi) in the late 17th century.
I am a member of a research network Pax Nordica: Experiences and lessons of the Nordic Peace, ca 1721–1830.
Teaching
Paleography (3 cp), Intermediate studies in history
In my current research project, Faith-based development efforts at times of emerging multipolar world order in Madagascar (FAITHDEV), I examine what faith-based development actors do in situations where official development aid from states been reduced or stopped altogether. In discussions concerning faith-based development actors, a need for further information has been identified, particularly regarding the activities of local religious actors. The research focuses on Madagascar, which is located in Eastern Africa, in the western Indian Ocean. Religious groups, especially traditional Christian communities, are key societal actors in Madagascar. In addition, newer religious groups are emerging, each leading their own development projects across the country. The research investigates how these religious development actors operate amidst the climate crisis, shifting multipolar world order and geopolitical changes. The study draws on insights from anthropology, religious studies, development studies, and theology. The main methods used in the study are ethnographic fieldwork and interviews.
Previously, I have worked as a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Eastern Finland in the project Climate Crisis and Religious Change in Sub-Saharan Africa, funded by the Kone Foundation, as well as in the Trees for Development project in Global Development studies at the University of Helsinki. In my doctoral dissertation in social and cultural anthropology (University of Helsinki), I examined, from the perspectives of environmental anthropology and political ecology, large-scale environmental conservation projects in rural northeastern Madagascar. In addition to environmental conservation, the themes of my dissertation included, among others, ecotourism, agriculture, human-nature relations, ritual and debt.
I am affiliated with interdisciplinary Indian Ocean World Center at McGill University in Montreal, Canada and I belong to an interdisciplinary research group Religion, Ecology and Diversity. I serve as an editor of Suomen antropologi -journal.
Jenni Poimala investigates and develops computational methods for photoacoustic tomography. She is especially interested in uncertainties of photoacoustic imaging. In her research, she utilises, for example, Bayesian inversion approaches and machine learning.
Jenni Spännäri, ThD, is a researcher in sociology of religion. Her research interests include ageing, religious change, wisdom, spiritual growth and compassion.
My research involves measurement and analysis of human motion, particularly walking. Some of my points of focus are:
- Markerless motion capture
- Wearable motion sensors and inertial measurement units
- Musculoskeletal modeling and simulation
- Estimation of knee contact forces
- Machine learning in motion analysis
- Real-time analysis methods
- Open data
Please contact me via email ([email protected]) if you wish to discuss my work, potential collaboration, or simply have a question for me.
GitHub: https://github.com/jerela/
