Mari
Siipola
Areas of expertise
Biography
I'm a doctoral researcher in KEVEKO Doctoral Programme. My doctoral thesis Students' well-being in segregated urban comprehensive schools focuses on students' experiences of school burnout, school engagement and anxiety in selective classes with emphasized teaching (students selected via aptitude tests) and general classes (admission without aptitude tests).
I work as as senior researcher in TAR project, that aims to study the effectiveness of the state’s needs-based funding (TAR) to promote educational equality and equity in early childhood education, pre-primary and primary education. The project is a research project of a consortium of the Tampere University, the University of Eastern Finland, the University of Turku, the Labour Institute for Economic Research LABORE and the VATT Institute for Economic Research.
Teaching
My teaching tasks during the academic year 2026-2027:
- Coordinating the course Labour Markets and Careers in Education Sciences
- Offering guidance to students writing their Master's Thesis on issues relating to quantitative research methods ("graduklinikka")
- Evaluating exam answers for the course Education as a Social Phenomenon and essays for the course Evolving Learning Environments
Research
My research focuses on learning and well-being of children and young people within our education system. I began my research career in early childhood education research and development projects, where I explored children's social and emotional skills, and how these skills can be supported through literature education. Through my doctoral research, I am currently investigating issues relating to learning, well-being and equality in education in comprehensive schools.