Visiting Researcher Mohd Zaidi at the Finnish Institute for Educational Research: A Collaborative Model for Transdisciplinary Doctoral Education
The PKPI-PMDSU programme itself represents a strong and forward-looking policy instrument by the Indonesian Ministry of Education. It combines early-stage doctoral acceleration with targeted international mobility and publication support. Rather than treating internationalisation as an add-on, the programme embeds it directly into doctoral training. This creates conditions for both high-quality research output and long-term institutional collaboration. The present case illustrates how effectively such a model can operate when combined with strong supervision and an active research environment.
A decisive element of the programme’s success was the strong continuity between home and host supervision. Zaidi’s doctoral work, guided by Prof. Achmad Samsudin and Dr. Irma Rahma Suwarma in Indonesia, was already clearly positioned before the mobility period began. This provided a stable intellectual foundation. The collaboration was further strengthened by Dr. Kristóf Fenyvesi, who supervised Zaidi at Jyväskylä and also serves as an associate professor at Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia. This dual role created a rare level of alignment between institutions and enabled the visit to function as a genuinely shared supervisory process.
Within this framework, Fenyvesi positioned Zaidi’s research in a broader transdisciplinary context. His work on TPACK, augmented reality, and deep learning-based instruction was connected to ILE’s ongoing research on STEAM, participatory design, and future-oriented learning environments. This conceptual framing was complemented by a wider support structure.
Engagement with the METEOR Project, led by Prof. Terhi Nokkala, introduced a systematic approach to developing transversal skills and interdisciplinary collaboration. Post-doctoral researcher, Dr. Josephine Lau and doctoral researcher Maria Fisk supported this process, with Fisk playing a key role in integrating Zaidi into the STEXperiments project.
The research environment extended beyond formal supervision. Peer exchanges with doctoral researchers such as Orsolya Tuba enabled continuous feedback and reflection. Contributions from academic mentors, including Mi Yung Hong and experienced ILE supervisors such as Kati Clements, provided further depth. Additional collaboration with the Johannes Kepler University Linz team, supported by Prof. Zsolt Lavicza, strengthened the international dimension of the research. The Finnish-Indonesian academic community in Jyväskylä, represented by Dr. Ratih D. Adiputri, as well as connections with the LUMA network through Prof. Jan Lundell, Dr. Tuomo Äkkinen, and Anniina Koliseva, further enriched the experience.
These layered forms of support created strong conditions for progress. However, they do not fully explain the outcome. A defining factor was Zaidi’s own approach. His motivation, sustained engagement, and ability to adapt to a new academic environment played a central role. He combined independence with openness to feedback and worked with persistence throughout the visit.
The results are significant. During the five-month period, Zaidi developed and completed more than four academic manuscripts targeting Q1 and Q2 international journals. One has already been accepted, while others are under review. This level of productivity reflects both the strength of the collaborative framework and the researcher’s own commitment.
From the perspective of the Finnish Institute for Educational Research and the ILE research group, this visit illustrates how doctoral mobility can evolve into a structured model of collaboration. Alignment between supervisory teams, integration into active research communities, and access to layered mentoring structures are key elements. At the same time, the case highlights a central insight: well-designed programmes create opportunity, but it is the researcher’s agency that turns this opportunity into measurable academic impact.
