I am a researcher of environmental and sustainability education in the Finnish Institution for Educational Research, in Ecosocial education (ESSE) -team. My main focus of interest is on environmental education policies, sustainability competencies, and schools. My research examines schools as the agents for change in ecological transition and understanding the relationship between humans and the environment. I see sustainability at schools as a systemic and multilevel phenomenon of learning.
I use mainly qualitative methodologies. I have applied for example Cultural Historical Activity Theory Theory of Expansive Learning (Engeström), Practice Architecture Theory (Kemmis), and models of wisdom (Kallio & al.).
My current project, YKAPO, investigates environmental education policy through a case study that examines how project-based government funding is used to steer schools towards sustainability. The study follows the trajectory of these resources from advocacy and policy formulation through resource allocation to their implementation in everyday school practices, providing insights into the governance of sustainability in education.
I have worked with multiple projects in ESSE team. In the ECF4CLIM project (A European Competence Framework for a Low-Carbon Economy and Sustainability through Education), we implemented the GreenComp framework in the everyday lives of schools and universities. The project aimed to enhance education in order to promote sustainable lifestyles through a multidisciplinary, transdisciplinary, and participatory approach. Its goal was to support transformational change by empowering educational communities to take action on climate change and contribute to sustainable development. One of the main outcomes was The Roadmap For Sustainability Competences.
Within the GREENVERSITY project, I contributed to the adaptation of the competences defined in the GreenComp framework for the higher education context and to the development of measurable learning outcomes based on these competences. GREENVERSITY is a three-year initiative aimed at integrating the GreenComp into higher education. The project seeks to strengthen the capacity of Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) to embed sustainability competences across curricula and institutional practices, promoting transformative learning and supporting the transition towards a more sustainable future.
In the Wisdom in Practice (WiP) research project, I conducted a sub-study examining the planning of theSustainability Transitions study module. The study explored the connections between sustainability competences and theories of wisdom, identifying how wisdom-related perspectives can support the development of sustainability education in higher education.
In the VISIOS project we studied Skills and Education Needs in the Green Transition. I studied in my sub-study education on different levels from a sustainability competence viewpoint. We wrote recommendations on changes in education and learning environments.
In my PhD research, I investigated the ecological sustainability of Finnish comprehensive schools. The study explored policy and steering documents, the national curriculum, sustainability-related dilemmas in everyday school practices, and school development processes from a sustainability perspective. The research provided insights into how sustainability is understood, governed, and enacted within the Finnish comprehensive school system.
