Anne Soini is a title of docent in Early Years Physical Education at Tampere University (TAU, 2024). She holds a PhD in Health Sciences from the University of Jyväskylä (JYU, 2015) and an MSc in Sport Sciences from JYU (1999).
She works as a University Teacher of Physical Education in the Department of Education at JYU, Finland. She was a member of a national expert group that developed the Finnish physical activity recommendations for preschool children in 2016. Additionally, in 2021, she participated in a research and development project aimed at monitoring young children’s enjoyment of movement, physical activity, and motor skills. Furthermore, she is a member of Nordic MovECE and the AIESEP Special Interest Group (SIG) for Early Years networks, which focus on early childhood education, physical activity, health, physical education, and sports pedagogy.
Her research focuses on the physical activity and well-being of young children and their families and the early years of physical education. The current multidisciplinary research projects are as follows:
1. Physical activity habits of preschool-aged children and their families in playgrounds
2. Preservice teachers’ self-efficacy in early years’ physical education
3. A comparative study of national regulations regarding ECEC outdoor environments from the perspectives of movement and physical activity (MoPA) in five Nordic countries.
