CERLI, Centre for Research on Learning and Instruction, and CELE, Centre for Research on Lifelong Learning and Education, present one researcher each month. In October doctoral researcher Iida Kiesi from CELE takes the spotlight.
At the moment, I am researching education business connected to Finnish comprehensive education. In my recently published doctoral dissertation, I have researched the edu-business network in Finland and its relationship with public comprehensive education. In my dissertation, I examined how the private and public sectors co-operate, how the edu-businesses reacted to the COVID-19 pandemic, and how the actors are networked in education business coalitions and on company boards.
Researching this topic is important because the involvement of private actors in public education has increased during the last decade, both globally and in Finland. The edu-business phenomenon is multidimensional and the edu-business network in Finland includes a wide range of actors, including public institutions such as the Finnish National Agency for Education and large global corporations. We do not yet know enough about how this phenomenon is shaping Finnish public education.
My daily work as a researcher involves reading, collecting and analysing research data, writing research reports and reflecting with colleagues. I also have a varied range of tasks in the academia, such as teaching and organizing conferences and other events. An important part of my workday is meeting colleagues and students. Conversations in research groups, in the coffee room and in the corridors of Edu often help me to overcome the challenges of doing research. Small breaks with movement like walking around campus balance my workdays.
I collaborate with others very gladly! The best part of being a researcher is working with other people in different research groups and communities. I started my research in a research project funded by the Academy of Finland called Hollowing Out of Public Education Systems? Private Actors in Compulsory Schooling in Finland, Sweden and New Zealand (HOPES), in which I gained valuable experience and support from esteemed international researchers.
When I am not researching, I spend time with my friends and family. Floorball and dancing are important elements of my everyday life: movement is medicine. I love to relax at home with my favourite TV series and movies, doing puzzles or reading easy breezy books. Music events such as concerts, festivals and of course the Eurovision Song Contest are also close to my heart.
My greetings to those involved in sociology of education and educational policy research and especially to those just starting their journey in academia: gather people around you with whom you can share your thoughts on research and its potential challenges. Our research topics can sometimes be emotionally charged, in which case it is particularly essential to get support from colleagues.
Researcher of the Month is a joint publication series of the Faculty of Education's Centres for Research CERLI and CELE, presenting one researcher once a month. The previously published presentations have been compiled on the series' website.
Picture: Nella Merisaari
