Erika Löfström | University of Helsinki (original) (raw)

Papers by Erika Löfström

Yritysyhteistyölle on monenlaisia motiiveja, hyötyjä ja haasteita, joihin liittyy pohdintaa tutki... more Yritysyhteistyölle on monenlaisia motiiveja, hyötyjä ja haasteita, joihin liittyy pohdintaa tutkijan vastuista ja velvollisuuksista. Yritysyhteistyö on tullut yhä enenevässä määrin yliopistojen ja korkeakoulujen tutkimustoimintaan. Tässä kirjoituksessa hahmotetaan yhteistyön motiiveja, hyötyjä ja haasteita sekä tunnistetaan yhteistyössä esille nousevia eettisiä kysymyksiä. Näihin kysymyksiin liittyy pohdintoja tutkijan vastuista ja velvollisuuksista. Näkökulma tässä kirjoituksessa on humanistis-yhteiskuntatieteellisten alojen ihmisiin kohdistuvan tutkimuksen näkökulma. Esimerkiksi lääketieteellisen tutkimuksen yritysyhteistyö jää tämä artikkelin ulkopuolelle. Yritysyhteistyön eettiset kysymykset perustuvat osittain aiempaan kirjallisuuteen, osin kirjoittajan kokemukseen ihmistieteiden eettisestä ennakkoarvioinnista.

The European Proceedings of Social and Behavioural Sciences, 2019

This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-No... more This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 4.0 Unported License, permitting all non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

For some time, researchers have identified the weak connection between theory and practice as one... more For some time, researchers have identified the weak connection between theory and practice as one of the basic problems in teacher preparation programmes. Nowadays, the formation of future teachers' professional identity is highlighted as an important aspect in initial teacher education. This means that student teachers should have a chance to gain experience connected to teaching, to develop their ability to learn from challenging situations and to develop the ability to plan, reflect and create meaning in their role as a teacher. The need to improve the quality of teaching practice in initial teacher education has been raised in the Estonian Teacher Education Strategy 2009-2013. The strategy emphasises that teaching practice is an important component in achieving professional tenure and development of professional identity. During teaching practice, theoretical knowledge becomes meaningful in practical situations and the student teachers are able to improve their skills. Therefore, initial teacher education provider, together with the school, should create opportunities for effective learning in the working environment for student teachers. The aim of this paper is to develop suggestions for institutional and national policy for enhancing the integration of theory and practice in teacher preparation programmes. To achieve this goal, we provide an overview of the practice systems in six Estonian higher education institutions. We analyse the documents, which regulate student teachers' teaching practice at strategic and national level. The goals of pedagogical practice mainly focus on the need for applying knowledge and skills to gather teaching experience; there is less focus on student teachers' personal working theory. Strategic documents highlight the importance of integration of student teachers' practice in the whole school as an organisation but this idea is not supported by the policies. Solutions are suggested for institutional and national policy development.

Web-based learning enviroments have become increasingly popular world-wide. At the same time, the... more Web-based learning enviroments have become increasingly popular world-wide. At the same time, the need for new approaches to both supporting and investigating teaching and learning have emerged. Although log information enables research of online behavior, this opportunity is not used to its full potential in the context of web-based teaching and learning. This research utilized log information in the assessment of a MOOC course and its development. This article describes the learning process with the help of log information. It also envisions what kind of understanding of the learning process log information can provide and how this understanding may be harnessed to support learning in the future. The data consisted of the log information of mathematic teachers (N=58) participating in an online continuing training course. The results show that in-depth time-consuming activities interrupt studying more easily than video lectures for example. Short videos and quick queries engage the...

Studies in Graduate and Postdoctoral Education

Purpose This paper aims to identify the documented effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on early care... more Purpose This paper aims to identify the documented effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on early career researcher (ECR) activity, development, career prospects and well-being. Design/methodology/approach This is a systematic literature review of English language peer-reviewed studies published between 2020 and 2021, which provided empirical evidence of the impact of the pandemic on ECR activity and development. The search strategy involved online databases (Scopus, Web of Science and Overton); well-established higher education journals (based on Scopus classification) and references in the retained articles (snowballing). The final sample included 11 papers. Findings The evidence shows that ECRs have been affected in terms of research activity, researcher development, career prospects and well-being. Although many negative consequences were identified, some promising learning practices have arisen; however, these opportunities were not always fully realised. The results raise questions...

This paper describes a study of the development of professional identity among employees in small... more This paper describes a study of the development of professional identity among employees in small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) participating in large-scale company-wide training programs. Managers and employees in 175 SMEs in Finland participated. These two research questions were posed: (1) are there differences in the perceptions of professional identity between age groups, men and women, managers and other employee groups, staff with different educational backgrounds, and staff from different industries/businesses; and (2) what is the development of perceived professional identity measured before and after the training? Professional identity was measured using a 30-item self-report questionnaire. Attrition during the program was described as a significant problem. Data were gathered at the beginning of the training program and a follow-up was completed at the end of the program (five years). Among the findings were the following: (1) weaker professional growth motivation was associated with older age groups, blue-collar workers, and lower educational levels; (2) professional competence was highest among older workers and workers with more education; (3) younger age groups have greater professional growth motivation; and (4) women experience less professional frustration than men and were more committed to their work. The training program decreased professional frustration and increased perceived professional competence significantly. (Contains 33 references.) (SLR) Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document.

Tutkimusetiikkaa opitaan väitöskirjaohjauksessa Nuorelle tutkijalle väitöskirjan ohjaussuhde muod... more Tutkimusetiikkaa opitaan väitöskirjaohjauksessa Nuorelle tutkijalle väitöskirjan ohjaussuhde muodostaa keskeisen tutkimuseettisiin toimintatapoihin sosiaalistumisen ympäristön.

Educational Studies, 2022

International Journal of Doctoral Studies, 2021

Aim/Purpose: The study set out to understand the challenges doctoral students experience at diffe... more Aim/Purpose: The study set out to understand the challenges doctoral students experience at different systemic levels of doctoral education through the perspective of ethical principles. Background: Doctoral students experience various challenges on their journey to the degree, and as high dropout rates indicate, these challenges become critical for many students. Several individual and structural level aspects, such as student characteristics, supervisory relationship, the academic community as well national policies and international trends, influence doctoral studies, and students’ experiences have been researched quite extensively. Although some of the challenges doctoral students experience may be ethical in nature, few studies have investigated these challenges specifically from an ethics perspective. Methodology: The study drew on qualitative descriptions of significant negative incidents from 90 doctoral students from an online survey. The data were first analyzed using a re...

Scandinavian Journal of Educational Research, 2016

The present study aimed to identify difficulties in writing at the beginning of educational scien... more The present study aimed to identify difficulties in writing at the beginning of educational science programmes in the Finnish Open University by analysing the students' written argumentation and use of sources at the textual level. The data were analysed using qualitative content analysis. The results showed that many students began their educational studies with weak writing competencies. While many of the problems were directly related to students' failure to explain the ideas in their sources in their own words, some problems pertained to other aspects, such as the inability to construct convincing arguments. Understanding the nature of the problems in writing encountered by beginning students in educational sciences can help teachers foster students' participation in academic discourse.

Studies in Higher Education, 2014

Academic supervision of PhD dissertations and master's theses has traditionally been conceptualis... more Academic supervision of PhD dissertations and master's theses has traditionally been conceptualised as the pedagogy of the dyadic relationship between master and apprentice. Recently researchers have argued for a more systemic approach. Yet, many communities lack practices for sharing the pedagogical responsibility of supervision. Consequently individual teachers face the challenges of supervision alone. We have been involved in university pedagogical training where these challenges are explored. Data consist of 44 academics' learning tasks, from which we analysed to what extent and how supervision is interpreted as a social activity, and what kind of cultural elements appear in the teachers' discourses. We adopted the sociocultural approach to discourse analysis and treat the academics' experiences as reflections of their wider culture. A traditional supervisory discourse pervaded much of the challenges we identified in the academics' descriptions, however, there was also evidence of an aspiring process-orientated dialogical supervision discourse.

International Journal for Academic Development, 2015

This is an electronic reprint of the original article. This reprint may differ from the original ... more This is an electronic reprint of the original article. This reprint may differ from the original in pagination and typographic detail.

Studies in Educational Evaluation, 2015

The study investigated the development of academics' teacher identities in a research-intensive e... more The study investigated the development of academics' teacher identities in a research-intensive environment when supported through a sustained university teacher development programme (UTD). The study applied a follow-up design. The various type data (Approaches to Teaching Inventory, interviews, and teaching practicum reports) were collected over period of 5-6 years from 11 academics. Data were analysed utilising narrative approach. Four teacher identity groups were identified. The results indicate that teacher identity develops through dynamic interaction between a reflection of teaching practice and a deepening knowledge of theoretical pedagogical constructs. The willingness to reflect is crucial for the development as a university teacher. ATI was fairly accurate in anticipating future reflective engagement with the development of oneself as a university teacher.

Eesti Haridusteaduste Ajakiri. Estonian Journal of Education, 2014

Artiklis antakse ülevaade viieaastase pikiuuringu tulemustest, keskendudes uuringus osalenud üliõ... more Artiklis antakse ülevaade viieaastase pikiuuringu tulemustest, keskendudes uuringus osalenud üliõpilastega õpetajakoolituse lõpus tehtud intervjuudele (N = 13). Artiklis otsitakse vastust küsimustele, kuidas õpetajakoolituse lõpetanud tudengid interpreteerivad enda õpetaja identiteedi kujunemist õpingute kaudu; milline on see õpetaja identiteet, mille poole soovitakse püüelda, lähtudes õpetaja ideaalist; ning millised on need põhitegurid, mis on mõjutanud tulevase õpetaja arusaamu õpingute käigus. Mittestruktureeritud intervjuus kasutati taustinfona ja intervjueeritavate mälutugedena nende poolt kolmel õpinguaastal kirja pandud metafoore õpetaja rolli kohta ning küsimustiku abil kogutud infot. Intervjuudest ja varasematest küsitlustest saadud info kõrvutamine ning analüüs võimaldavad paremini mõista aspekte, mis mõjutavad tulevaste õpetajate professionaalse identiteedi kujunemist. Tulemuste põhjal võib öelda, et õpetajakoolitust alustatakse naiivse ettekujutusega õpetaja tööst, läht...

Teaching and Teacher Education, 2013

ABSTRACT h i g h l i g h t s Results on the teachers' knowledge-base measure and metaphor... more ABSTRACT h i g h l i g h t s Results on the teachers' knowledge-base measure and metaphors align to some extent. Beliefs as measured on the knowledge-base instrument tended to remain unchanged. When beliefs changed, metaphors tended to express expanded views of teaching. Students entering teacher education scored higher on "Pedagogue" than others. Teacher as didactics expert negatively predicted entrance to teacher education. a b s t r a c t This longitudinal study focused on change in university students' beliefs about the role of teachers. The students (n ¼ 80) were Estonian undergraduates, whose beliefs were investigated in the first and third years of their studies and followed up to the point at which the students either entered teacher edu-cation or chose other paths. Beliefs about teaching were neither unambiguously persistent nor malleable. Students who continued in teacher education exhibited stronger beliefs about the teacher as pedagogue and aligned less with the belief that the teacher's role is to be a subject matter expert than peers who did not choose teacher education.

International Journal for Academic Development, 2013

ABSTRACT Academia is generally not considered a place for expressing emotions, yet emotions are i... more ABSTRACT Academia is generally not considered a place for expressing emotions, yet emotions are inevitably present in complex activities such as teaching. We investigated whether drawings could be used as a means of gaining access to emotions in university teaching and how. The data consisted of academics’ drawings of themselves as university teachers (n = 86). We examined emotions in university teaching through thematic analysis. Positive, neutral, negative and mixed emotions were identified. Our findings suggest that emotions related to university teaching are contextual. Positive emotions were typically conveyed in a seminar and group work setting. Neutral emotions were mostly connected with lecture settings or had no context depicted. Only four drawings were interpreted as portraying negative emotions, and, with one exception, these were placed in lecture settings. We suggest that drawings can be a helpful exercise for facilitating reflection in academic staff development.