University Researcher Pirkko Siklander
What is your area of expertise?
My expertise is in collaborative learning, learning of expertise, playful learning and designing playful teaching in diverse contexts, and maker education. In addition, designing teaching and learning processes and technology-enhanced teaching and learning include in my expertise. In my research, I use qualitative research methods (e.g. grounded theory).
What are the most interesting research topic within this research area at the moment?
Questions such as: How to trigger students’ and teachers’ interest and support their motivation and engagement in diverse contexts? How play and learning should be integrated? Rough play – threat or possibility? How to enhance outdoor learning?
Are you currently running your own research projects? What kind of?
I’m involved in four research projects: MAKE – Makerscpaces for lifelong learning (unti 2021), Työelämärelevanssi, korkeakouluopintojen työelämäläheisyys TYÖPEDA (until 2020), MINDBUSINESS − yrittäjän kompetenssit ja niiden kehittäminen sekä INOS − Citizen Science (starting from September 2019). I’m planning a project called Outodoor Playful Learning.
In which area do you want to provide mentoring to doctoral researchers?
I offer support for the above-mentioned topics and methodological perspectives, especially to promote research on children or play (adults’ or children’s).
What was the topic of your own doctoral dissertation? What method did you use in it?
Affordances of playful learning environment for tutoring, playing and learning. I used as a method a grounded theory approach.
Read more: https://pirkkohyvonen.wordpress.com/.
