What did you research today? Three perspectives on learning and social interaction
Karoliina Inha: Children’s views on learning a foreign language have been marginalised
When Finnish primary school pupils select their first foreign language (or second national language, if they choose to study one), English is by far the most common choice. Nationwide, over 90 per cent of Finnish-language primary school pupils start their language studies with English. This is known as their A1 language, and teaching begins in the first year of school.
For Karoliina Inha, a doctoral researcher specialising in early foreign language learning, the dominant position of English opens up interesting avenues for research.
She studies children’s perceptions of learning English and the significance of language. Children hear English everywhere, but at school they learn ‘school English’.
Is there a conflict between the variations?
You can often hear older pupils say that the English they learn at school and the language used outside school don’t always match,” says Inha.
“The same has been observed in studies of adolescents’ perceptions. We know less about when this disconnect begins to develop, or whether it is evident in children who have just started school.
Inha is particularly interested in children’s perspectives on language learning.
“Traditionally, studies on learning foreign languages have focused on examining adults’ perspectives,” she says. “With children, researchers have more looked at the language skills they acquire through formal language teaching. Children’s perceptions, however, have been marginalised, and their expertise in their own lives has not been valued.”
Finding out more about the value of English in children’s daily lives
Inha is currently conducting doctoral research at the Centre for Applied Language Studies at the University of Jyväskylä. In her study, she has followed the same primary school pupils from the first grade to the third grade.
Once completed, the study will provide a children’s perspective on the importance of the English language in their everyday lives.
Inha says that children and adolescents are actively shaping the Finnish linguistic landscape. In their daily discussions, they speak multiple languages and combine them.
In the media,” says Inha, “this is referred to as language mixing, which often invokes negative associations."
How does Inha, as a researcher, view this phenomenon of language mixing?
“I consider the idea of languages mixing to be outdated. Children speaking multiple languages is simply a natural consequence of their language environments becoming more diverse. This means that languages are used and combined according to the situation. It’s not wrong or peculiar if an English word just feels more suitable, for example. Children learn which language is appropriate for each situation at school and throughout life.”
What did you do for your research today?
“Using the collected data, I analysed how children relate the English they encounter and learn outside of school to what they learn in the classroom. Unlike teenagers in earlier studies, children did not describe any disconnect between what they learn at school and outside it; they merely considered them environments that complement each other. Children described their language learning in many ways and with great consideration. This suggests there is a strong basis for more child-centred research.”
In short: Karoliina Inha |
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| Who | MA, doctoral researcher at the Centre for Applied Language Studies at the University of Jyväskylä |
| Studying | Children’s beliefs about early foreign language learning |
| Funding | The study is partly funded by the Finnish Cultural Foundation |
Heini Törnqvist: Understanding a dog’s emotions requires objective measurements
Many dog owners and animal professionals benefit from the knowledge uncovered by Postdoctoral Researcher Heini Törnqvist and her colleagues in their research.
Törnqvist studies the interaction between dogs and humans, focusing on how they observe and interpret each other’s behaviour, feelings and intentions.
The aim is to improve daily encounters and the wellbeing of both parties. According to estimates, Finns have around 800,000 dogs, so there is a clear demand for this knowledge.
Our research data show how dogs and humans process each other’s social cues, and the factors that facilitate smooth interaction,” says Törnqvist.
She became interested in this research topic 15 years ago when very little was known about the cognitive processes of dogs compared to humans. Our knowledge, however, remains limited. You cannot ask a dog questions; you can only assess its thinking through its behaviour or various measurement methods.
Unlike elsewhere in the world, research into interactions between species continues to be limited in Finland. Törnqvist is part of Academy Research Fellow Miiamaaria Kujala’s multidisciplinary research team.
“People may interpret dogs’ messages in an overly human-like way”
The cognitive processes of dogs are studied by adapting the same methods as those used for humans.
Törnqvist considers the successful application of these research methods to be one of the most important achievements in her research career. This has opened up entirely new perspectives on canine cognition.
Eye tracking can be used to determine where a dog focuses its attention on another dog’s face, for example. The autonomic nervous system of a dog is studied by measuring heart rate variability. This is influenced by the dog’s activity and emotional state. Measuring the electroencephalogram clarifies how dogs process different stimuli. The researchers have also videotaped and evaluated the dogs’ behaviour.
Studies have shown that the heart rates of dogs and humans synchronise when they interact. What does this mean?
The reactions of the nervous systems of the dog and the owner may adapt to each other during interaction,” says Törnqvist.
“This phenomenon reflects the same mechanisms that underpin affection, which are also evident in human relationships.”
What strengths do dogs and humans have when recognising each other’s feelings and intentions?
“Usually dogs and human adults read each others’ gestures and expressions quite well. The biggest flaws are related to how people may interpret dogs’ messages as being overly human-like.”
What did you do for your research today?
“I am currently working on an article about the effects of sedatives on canine cognition. Sedatives are used to alleviate anxiety during veterinary visits and to treat noise sensitivity. The impact of sedatives on dogs’ behaviour has previously been studied through surveys of dog owners, for example, but the effect of sedatives on how dogs perceive what’s happening around them has not been examined before.”
In short: Heini Törnqvist |
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| Who | Postdoctoral researcher in the Department of Psychology at the University of Jyväskylä |
| Studying | Interaction between dogs and humans, especially cognitive processes, social cognition and recognition of emotions |
| Participating | The Interaction of Dogs and Humans research group |
Auli Lehtinen: In the age of artificial intelligence, teachers must think critically
Research on generative artificial intelligence is now popular. At the same time, there is an increasing need for approaches that emphasise critical and ethical aspects to the technology.
The introduction of AI in schools is constantly raising new research topics. Postdoctoral Researcher Auli Lehtinen is focusing her attention on digitalisation in education in general, and teacher education in particular. Currently, Lehtinen is researching, among other issues, how teacher students evaluate generative AI when using it to prepare lesson plans on sustainability.
Lehtinen examines the critical thinking of future teachers. With regard to the use of AI, this is linked to their ability to draw on their own background knowledge, verify information from multiple sources and comprehend how language models operate. It is important to recognise the mechanisms that can yield incorrect information.
Lehtinen summarises that the best lesson plans were made by students who used AI critically.
“These were produced by groups that more frequently revised their own text and supplemented the AI-generated content using other online sources,” Lehtinen says, talking about a study that is currently undergoing peer review.
These findings are consistent with those of earlier studies: Students who used a search engine were more successful in their assignments and information retrieval strategies than peers who used generative AI.
In the school world, a major concern is that thinking is becoming more passive.
People at school need to consider what lazier thinking means for writing and learning-related efforts,” says Lehtinen.
“Critical thinking is also needed for considering how to use technology in a pedagogically purposeful way.”
Investment in teachers’ in-service training is needed
Supporting student teachers’ critical thinking is particularly important because digitalisation is changing the demands placed on schools and teaching. As technologies and social media services rapidly evolve, there is a call for continuous updating efforts and more work from teachers.
Lehtinen has also recently considered the bigger picture, examining how Finnish schools and critical media education can combat the threat of misinformation and hostile information operations. She is also the co-author of an upcoming book on the subject.
This is not only about media education, but also about how schools and educators engage with children and adolescents."
"If schools fail to engage with children and adolescents from an early stage, the consequence may be that they become passive and alienated. This can create an environment in which they are susceptible to negative influences.”
Lehtinen emphasises the need to support teachers’ in-service training and to improve its accessibility.
What did you do for your research today?
“Today, I met with a colleague and a research assistant. Together, we examined the encoding of observation data collected from lower secondary schools regarding pedagogical activities. I also had a supervisory meeting with a student about her master's thesis, wrote a little for a research paper and checked the English translations of text quotations.”
In brief: Auli Lehtinen |
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| Who | Postdoctoral researcher in the Future Education (EDUCA) Flagship led by the University of Jyväskylä |
| Studying | Digitalisation in the field of education as well as teacher education, with a focus on critical thinking and interaction |
| Participating in | One of the authors of the forthcoming book Kognitiivinen turvallisuus – ihmismieli vaikuttamisen kohteena [Cognitive security: The human mind as a target of influence] (Gaudeamus) |
| Funding | The EDUCA Flagship is funded by the Research Council of Finland |
