Contact
Areas of expertise
Biography
I started as Professor of English (language learning and teaching) in a two-year post in August 2019. Before joining the staff at Turku university, I worked for over 20 years at the University of Jyväskylä in different posts: researcher, co-ordinator and most recently as a senior lecturer (and am on leave from that post). I have also worked as an English teacher at a private company. I am a member of the Matriculation Examination Board as well as its Language Committee, and the chair for the English section.
Teaching
As a professor, my teaching duties concentrate on SLA research (theories and methodology) and thesis supervision. However, in the capacity of a senior lecturer I have taught all three levels, basic, intermediate and advanced as well as post-graduate students. The courses I have taught have varied: linguistics, grammar, vocabulary studies, media studies, phonetics, phonology, various courses on language learning and teaching, etc. I have also taught numerous project courses that have somehow aimed at interacting with the surrounding environment: English for the staff at the Finnish Red Cross, or Multilingual Language Camps for children are some examples of courses my students have taken as project courses.
I have supervised a number of theses, some 90 finished BA theses and about 170 MA theses. I also supervise PhD theses.
Research
I specialise in vocabulary studies, and in second/foreign language learning and teaching and have been doing research on different areas in the field. The projects I'm currently involved in include Formulaic sequences in three morphologically different languages funded by the Swedish Cultural Foundation (PI Sinikka Lahtinen), and in In Full Swing – In Swedish that taps into Swedish learning in grades 7-9, I was a member of the research team of three Academy funded projects: Topling (2010-2013, PI Prof. Maisa Martin) and Cefling (2007-200), PI Prof. Maisa Martin) that investigated the development of writing skills of students from one CEFR level to another; and Metalinguistic awareness (2001-2004, PI Prof. Riikka Alanen) that followed a group of children during their first six years at school. I have also done research on multilingual learners, multilingual families and most recently, on early foreign language learning.