Pekka Mertala

University of Jyväskylä | JYU · Department of Teacher Education

Research on children’s initial conceptions of AI is in an emerging state, which, from a constructivist viewpoint, challenges the development of pedagogically sound AI-literacy curricula, methods, and materials. To contribute to resolving this need in the present paper, qualitative survey data from 195 children were analyzed abductively to answer th...

This conceptual article theorises the tensioned interplay between digitalization, datafication and automation and subjectness in education by asking what intensifying datafication and automation means for teacher-student relationships and how we understand and approach education. Theoretically, the paper draws on Buber's ideas of the dialogical I-T...

Digital data have an increasingly prominent role in various life sectors, ushering in an importance for data literacy education (DLE) in schools. To better understand the versatile educational purposes in this multifaceted topic for students’ well-rounded development, this paper presents an in-depth scrutiny into “what DLE is for” in K-12 education...

Citations are valuable capital in academy as the number of citations is the most frequently used indicator in evaluating the quality of papers, journals, researchers, and universities. Thus, the characteristics of highly cited articles (HCA) have become a common research topic. Existing studies of HCAs in field of educational technology (edtech) re...

Data literacy is typically described in a decontextualized manner, and many data literacy frameworks are detached from the "messy" realities of everyday life. In the present study, we selected a specific context (recreational running), specific data technology (self-tracking devices), and specific viewpoint (accuracy of data and analyses) to constr...

This study investigates expert discourses on children in the context of the datafication of education in Finland. Drawing on interviews with 25 experts from education policy, educational technology, and data justice sectors, the present research identifies four key discourses: the "agentic child" as an active participant in data practices; the "jur...

Datafication within and outside education has inspired researchers to conceptualise teachers' data literacy, which is typically defined to describe the abilities teachers need when using data in their work. However, increased interest has led to divergence in the definitions of the concept, and no consensus on the definition has been reached. In th...

This study explores Finnish recreational runners' use of digital technologies through Ervin Goffman's frame analysis by asking from which frames recreational runners approach technology use. The objective is twofold: First, we aim to move beyond the dominant reductive approach of userism and provide a more comprehensive and fine-grained understandi...

This article rethinks the role of arts in STEAM education, emphasizing its importance in AI literacy within K-12 contexts. Arguing against the marginalization of arts, the paper is structured around four key domains: language studies, philosophy, social studies, and visual arts. Each section addresses critical AI-related phenomena and provides peda...

Digital data have an increasingly prominent role in various life sectors, ushering in an importance for data literacy education (DLE) in schools. To better understand the versatile educational purposes in this multifaceted topic for students’ well-rounded development, this paper presents an in-depth scrutiny into “what DLE is for” in K-12 education...

The term "digital natives" was introduced in 2001 to describe a generation that has grown up surrounded by technology and the internet. The accompanying claims of a new way of thinking among digital natives were influential in shaping educational policy. Still, they were challenged by research that found no evidence of generation-wide cognitive cha...

The use of digital sports technology has become more the rule than the exception in digitalized societies. The normativity of technology use is also present in the research literature and there is only a little research on the non-use of technology. We see the non-use of technology as an active and conscious choice, reflecting people's relationship...

Background and context Language is a powerful tool in shaping thought about abstract domains, including the realm of computing and digital technologies. A review of research on children's machine learning (ML) conceptions suggests that participating children were often provided with conceptual clues about the principles of ML before being asked ab...

This chapter discusses the technologies Chinese preservice teachers refer to when they reflect upon technology integration use in early childhood education and explores how Chinese educational traditions and Western theories influence preservice teachers' beliefs about technology integration. Since the 1980s, China opened its door to foreign busine...

Tässä artikkelissa tarkastelemme, kuinka hyvin suomalaisissa yliopistoissa kirjoilla olevat väitöskirjatutkijat kokevat hallitsevansa tieteellisen kirjoittamisen ja millaista tukea siihen saadaan. Tutkimus toteutettiin verkkokyselyllä (n = 397), joka sisälsi sekä monivalinta- että avoimia kysymyksiä. Monivalintakysymysten rakennetta hahmotettiin en...

This article problematizes the datafication of education through the concept of datafixation —a wordplay that combines datafication and fixation. The article showcases how the datafication of education presents compelling arguments about the importance and usefulness of data, while remaining silent about the negative consequences of reducing studen...

Mit der Optimierung des Lehrens und Lernens durch Daten, Zahlen und Algorithmen nehmen die Nutzung digital erzeugter Daten oder automatisierte Auswertungsmethoden zu. Daten lassen sich nahezu beliebig miteinander verknüpfen und digitale Geräte, einzelne Plattformen und technische Ökosysteme befinden sich inzwischen im Dauerbetrieb. Scheinbare »Gewi...

Digitaalisen liikuntateknologian käytöstä on tullut 2020-luvulla enemmän sääntö kuin poikkeus Suomen kaltaisissa digitalisoituneissa yhteiskunnissa. Teknologian käytön normatiivisuus on läsnä myös tutkimuskirjallisuudessa, sillä liikuntateknologian käyttämättä jättämistä tarkasteleva tutkimus on vähäistä ja ihmiskuvaltaan yksipuolista. Tässä artikk...

Research on children's initial conceptions of AI is in an emerging state, which, from a constructivist viewpoint, challenges the development of pedagogically sound AI-literacy curricula, methods, and materials. To contribute in resolving this need in the present paper, qualitative survey data from 195 children were analyzed abductively to answer th...

Tämän artikkelin tavoitteena on laajentaa digitalisaatiosta, datafikaatiosta, automaatiosta ja kasvatuksesta käytävää teoreettista keskustelua. Artikkelissa pohdin sitä, millaisia merkityksiä koulutuksen kiihtyvällä datafikaatiolla ja automaatiolla on opettaja-oppilassuhteille ja ylipäätään käsityksellemme formaalin kasvatuksen olemuksesta. Käsitte...

Tässä katsauksessa kysyn ”onko etäkoulu mahdollinen?” Haen kysymykseen vastauksia kommentoivan narratiivisen kirjallisuuskatsauksen keinoin. Tavoitteenani on tehdä näkyväksi sitä, mitä kaikkea koulu on – ei arvostella koronapandemian aikaisten poikkeavien opetusjärjestelyjen toteuttamista tai idealisoida lähitoteutuksena järjestettävää perusopetust...

Data literacy is typically described in a decontextualized manner, and many data literacy frameworks are detached from the "messy" realities of everyday life. In the present study, we selected a specific context (recreational running), specific data technology (self-tracking devices), and specific viewpoint (accuracy of data and analyses) to constr...

In the present paper, we report the findings of a qualitative survey study of 195 Finnish 5th and 6th grade students' pre-instructional conceptions of artificial intelligence (AI). An exploration of these initial conceptions provides insight into students' preliminary understanding of the topic and informs curriculum designers and teachers about mi...

In this chapter, we discuss the results of the media education (ME) study focusing on Finnish early childhood teacher education curricula. The research interest evolved from a specific time in the history of Finnish early childhood education and care (ECEC): the first mandatory national core curriculum became effective in 2017 and it also included...

In the present paper, we report the findings of a qualitative survey study of 195 Finnish 5th and 6th grade students’ pre-instructional conceptions of artificial intelligence (AI). An exploration of these initial conceptions provides insight into students’ preliminary understanding of the topic and informs curriculum designers and teachers about mi...

Teknologialla on teknisen olemuksensa lisäksi myös kielellinen ulottuvuus, mutta näiden kahden välillä ei välttämättä vallitse juuri minkäänlaista vastaavuussuhdetta. Tästä syystä on tärkeää kyetä erottamaan teknologian realistiset mahdollisuudet koulutusteknologiapuheen maalaamista fantasioista. Tämä artikkeli auttaa lukijaa koulutusteknologiapuhe...

Competence-based education is a widely implemented educational approach, but more research is needed into the relationship between transversal competences and individual disciplines. In this article, we present the results of a study focusing on how the transversal competence of multiliteracy is contextually defined in Finnish local curricula in th...

Arvosteltu teos: Watters, Audrey 2021. Teaching Machines: The History of Personalized Learning. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press. 328 s.

Tutkimuksessa selvitetään, millaisia käsityksiä varhaiskasvatuksen opettajilla on mediakasvatuksesta. Tutkimusaineisto käsittää yhdeksän varhaiskasvatuksen opettajan teemahaastattelua, ja sen aineisto on analysoitu fenomenografista lähestymistapaa hyödyntäen. Tulokset osoittavat, että varhaiskasvatuksen opettajat käsittävät mediakasvatuksen ens...

With the ever-diversifying digital landscape of the 21st century, terms such as ‘information and communication technologies’ (ICT), ‘digital media’ and ‘technologies’ are often used to refer to a broad set of digital devices and applications. However, the use of these umbrella-concepts in educational contexts has caused issues when used in conjunct...

To be able to support young children in learning to learn-an ability that requires adapting often-unprecedented changes in society-teachers need to be aware of the ways in which children understand learning. In this qualitative study, 177 micro-interviews conducted with 41 Finnish children were analysed using an abductive method to understand their...

While computing has been (re)introduced into the basic education curricula in various countries, its actual implementation appears to be inconsistent. There are schools in which computing education is commonplace, while the implementation seems to be lagging behind in others. There is emerging evidence that some teachers do not consider computing e...

This position paper contributes to the field of critical educational technology (Ed-Tech) research by providing empirical evidence for the qualities of the phenomenon known as Ed-Tech speak. The research question, how Ed-Tech speak in research articles contributes to validating the importance and utility of the iPad, is addressed by applying critic...

Käsittelen artikkelissa varhaiskasvatuksen pedagogisen toiminnan arviointia. Keskitän tarkastelun erityisesti monilukutaitoon, sillä se on kansallisen varhaiskasvatussuunnitelmien arvioinnin mukaan (Repo ym. 2019) heikoimmin toteutuneita osa-alueita. Käyn artikkelissani ensin läpi varhaiskasvatuksen, laadun arvioinnin ja monilukutaidon yhdistämisee...

This chapter is the final for Section 3 and in many ways stands as an example of how many of the individual elements presented thus far in the book, can come together in a holistic way. This chapter demonstrates how we can adopt play, make it unique to the project and the children and still arrive at meaningful research data. This chapter describe...

Tässä kriittisessä esseessä luon yleiskatsauksen koulutuksen digitaalisen datafikaation erilaisiin muotoihin ja merkityksiin erityisesti kotimaisessa kontekstissa. Esseessä käyn läpi datafikaation suhdetta muihin koulutusta ohjaaviin trendeihin, erityisesti digitalisaatioon, oppimiskeskeisyyteen ja tulosvastuullisuuteen. Lisäksi tarkastelen datan j...

Tässä artikkelissa tarkastelemme sitä, millaisena ja miten tekoäly esitetään suomalaisessa julkisessa keskustelussa, ja ketkä tekoälystä suurelle yleisölle kertovat. Aineistona olemme käyttäneet Yleisradion verkkosivujen tekoälyä käsitteleviä artikkeleja. Tulosten perusteella tekoälystä pääsevät kertomaan useimmin talouden ja teollisuuden aloilla t...

h i g h l i g h t s Chinese preservice teachers' beliefs about children, parents and technology were examined. Young children were portrayed as natural competent technology users. Parents were believed incapable to regulate children's home technology use. Teachers role was seen as a responsible guide or educational authority. a b s t r a c t Teache...

This position paper uses the concept of "hidden curriculum" as a heuristic device to analyze everyday data-related practices in formal education. Grounded in a careful reading of the theoretical literature, this paper argues that the everyday data-related practices of contemporary education can be approached as functional forms of data literacy edu...

The current smart toy research has not fully acknowledged the existing research on traditional toys. Instead, the focus has been on the digital layer of smart toys. This study contributes to bridging the gap between traditional and smart toy research by applying the analytical model known as the functional manipulation potential of toys (FMP) to id...

This paper discusses the kinds of pedagogical pitfalls incorporated in de-contextual and spectacular beliefs about children and (digital) media. The focus is particularly on early childhood education—institutional education for children from birth to eight years old—which is an emerging but underrepresented branch of media education research and pr...

This study reports Chinese preservice teachers’ perceptions of appropriate technology use in early childhood education (ECE). China provides an interesting but understudied research context as research into technology use in the early years is western‐centric and the contemporary Chinese ECE is characterized as a hybrid combining traditional Chines...

The need for media education in early childhood teacher education has been regularly emphasized. However, the questions of what and how student teachers should be taught about media education have remained unanswered. This paper contributes to resolving these questions by introducing the concept of media educational consciousness which we argue to...

The language used around the digitalization of education tends to be inherently political, value-laden, and deterministic. This position paper scrutinizes this so-called ‘Ed-Tech speak’ via narrative methodology. The analytical focus is the paradoxes that exist between the normalizing master narratives of Ed-Tech speak and the complexity and polyph...

This position paper uses the concept of “hidden curriculum” as a heuristic device to analyze everyday data-related practices in formal education. Grounded in a careful reading of the theoretical literature, this paper argues that the everyday data-related practices of contemporary education can be approached as functional forms of data literacy edu...

This qualitative study explores the meaningful memories of visual arts education for preservice generalist teachers in Finland. Research that examines generalist preservice teachers’ memories from the viewpoint of a specific subject is scarce. Subject-oriented research is needed, as generalist teachers’ self-efficacy varies between subjects. The da...

The language used around the digitalization of education tends to be inherently political, value-laden, and deterministic. This position paper scrutinizes this so-called ‘Ed-Tech speak’ via narrative methodology. The analytical focus is the paradoxes that exist between the normalizing master narratives of Ed-Tech speak and the complexity and polyph...

This qualitative study demonstrates the kinds of pedagogical pitfalls that are included in simplistic understandings of child-centeredness in the context of media education, an emerging field of early childhood teacher education with only a little empirical research done so far. Course diaries from 15 preservice teachers were analyzed to find answe...

Tässä artikkelissa esitetään malli laaja-alaisesta ohjelmoinnin pedagogiikasta. Digitalisaation myötä algoritmit lävistävät yhä useampia elämänalueita ja sekä koulussa että sen ulkopuolella oppilaita hallitaan, ohjataan ja kontrolloidaan koodin ja algoritmien avulla. Tätä valta-asetelmaa ei kuitenkaan käsitellä perusopetuksessa vaan perusopetuksen...

Arvosteltu teos: Selwyn, Neil 2019. Should Robots Replace Teachers? AI and the Future of education. Cambridge, UK: Polity. 145 s.

Tässä artikkelissa esitellään laaja-alaisen tieto- ja viestintäteknologisen osaamisen tukemisen malli varhaiskasvatukseen ja esiopetukseen. Malli koostuu kolmesta orientaatioalueesta: oppimisteknologiasta, mediakasvatuksesta ja teknologiakasvatuksesta. Jokainen orientaatioalueista lähestyy tieto- ja viestintäteknologiaa eri näkökulmasta ja niistä...

Although digital games have become a constituent part of young children’s lives, not enough is known about the kinds of meanings children give to games and gaming. This qualitative study contributes to resolving this need by engaging 26 five- to seven-year-old Finnish preschoolers in an open-ended drawing task to answer the following research quest...

There is a body of evidence suggesting that instead of concentrating only on teaching and learning (the education task), teachers believe that their tasks are to care for their students social, emotional, and physical needs (the caring task), and to raise them to be and become functional members of society (the socialization task). However, this di...

Kotimaista koulutusteknologiatutkimusta on kritisoitu teknologiaoptimistisen paradigman kritiikittömästä noudattamisesta. Tämän artikkelin tavoitteena on kriittisten näkökulmien tuominen osaksi koulutuksen digitalisaatiosta käytävää tieteellistä ja julkista keskustelua. Kerronnalliseen metodologiaan tukeutuen teknologiaoptimismi käsitteellistetään...

The international trend of competency-based curricula is evident in the curricular framework in Finland. In the latest effort of curricular reform, seven transversal competencies were introduced to the Finnish educational system. In this article, we analyse the ways in which multiliteracy as a transversal competency, presented in the Core Curriculu...

The current stage of early years information and communication technology (ICT) integration research has been criticized for not paying enough attention to the unique pedagogical features of early childhood education. Similarly, children’s views about educational use of ICT have been underrepresented in research. This dissertation study contributes...

Ubiquitous computing (ubicomp) and the Internet of things (IoT) are turning into everyday household technology at an ever‐increasing pace, for example, in the form of connected toys. However, while ubicomp and IoT are changing and shaping children’s digital and technological landscape, not much is known about how children perceive these omnipresent...

Research on early childhood teachers’ perceptions of technology integration has been criticised for not paying enough attention to the unique pedagogical characteristics of early childhood education. This qualitative study contributes to resolving this need by scrutinising preservice teachers’ perceptions of technology usage through the frames of e...

In this study, written assignments from preservice early childhood teachers were examined to find answers to the following research questions: [1] What beliefs do preservice teachers have about children and technology at home? [2] How are parents represented in preservice teachers’ beliefs about children and technology? [3] What are the relationshi...

The current stage of early years information and communication technology (ICT) integration research has been criticized for not paying enough attention to the unique pedagogical features of early childhood education. Similarly, children’s views about educational use of ICT have been underrepresented in research. This dissertation study contributes...

Tämä luku käsittelee sitä, kuinka mediakulttuuri ja sen erilaiset ilmiöt voivat toimia eheytetyn, oppiainerajat ylittävän ilmiölähtöisen oppimiskokonaisuuden keskusteemana. Käytämme konkreettisena esimerkkinä Unelmien peli -projektia. Projektissa lapset suunnittelivat ja toteuttivat omia pelejä pienryhmissä ja se toteutettiin oululaisessa päiväkod...

Viime vuosina toteutetut opetussuunnitelmauudistukset (Opetushallitus 2014a, 2104b, 2015, 2016) ovat tuoneet kotimaiselle koulutuskentälle koko joukon uusia käsitteitä. Yksi keskeisimmistä, mutta samalla vaikeimmin hahmotettavista käsitteistä on monilukutaito. Tässä artikkelissa pyrin jäsentämään monilukutaitoa tarkastelemalla sitä erityisesti opet...

It has become evident that the vast majority of early childhood educators feel positive about using ICT with children. However, as they are found to have had no or only a little training or practical experience of pedagogical use of ICT, it is important to explore where the positive attitude comes from, and what pedagogical benefits early childhood...

This study has used drawings from and interviews with 5–6 year-old Finnish children (N=103) to explore their ideas for the use of digital media in preschool. The main findings, based on data driven analysis, were the following: Playing commercial digital games was the most popular activity followed by media production, mainly photographing. Compute...

In this study, 5-to7-year-old Finnish children were asked to show, by drawing a design, what would be “the best game in the world” for them. Data were analyzed through a framework of game design elements. Children were found to be keen to modify existing games by adding new things to them. Often these additions had their roots in other meaningful m...

A poster presented in 1st DigiLitEY training school

The aim of this study was to explore the kinds of toy preferred by 6–8-year-old children, asking: how, and on what basis, do children rationalize their preferences for particular toys? Data was collected by interviewing children in their homes. Children chose 8 toys from a tailored catalog and explained why they wanted those particular items. Toys...

Artikkelissa hahmottelemme näkökulmaa varhaisvuosien mediakasvatukseen varhaiskasvatuksen keskeisten elementtien kautta. Kehittämishankkeessa kertyneet empiiriset aineistot havainnollistavat aiheen käsittelyä. Mediakasvatus koetaan varhaiskasvatuksessa vielä usein vieraaksi ja vaikeaksi teemaksi. Epävarmuustekijöiden taustalla näyttävät olevan kull...

Tieto- ja viestintätekniikka esiopetuksessa – mitä sanovat lapset?

Artikkelissani käsittelen päiväkotityön ominaispiirteiden merkitystä työssä oppimiselle. Empiirisenä kontekstina on toiminut tieto- ja viestintätekniikan (TVT) pedagogiseen käyttöön keskittynyt kehittämishanke. Haastatteluista ja tutkimuspäiväkirjamerkinnöistä koostuva aineisto on analysoitu kerronnallisen lähestymistavan menetelmin. Kolmesta mikro...

Media Education and ICT in Kindergarten Teacher Education: a Study on Finnish University Level Training Programmes’ Curricula

Käsittelen työssäni esiopetuksen TVT-pedagogiikkaa kirjallisuuden ja konkreettisen esimerkin kautta keskittyen kahteen teemaan, leikkiin ja vuorovaikutukseen. Näihin teemoihin keskittyminen on perusteltua kahdesta syystä. Ensiksi, intersubjektiivisuus ja leikki näyttävät muodostavan eräänlaisen universaalin varhaispedagogisen ytimen. Toiseksi, niid...

Media and information and communications technology (ICT) are a part of children’ s everyday life in Finland. Finland has supported national level media education (ME) in early childhood education and care (ECEC) for years with resource allocation and policy framework, but with relatively modest permanent effects in pedagogical practices . The need...

Pienten lasten luovaa kirjoittamista on tutkittu vähän ja yleensä vain teknistä tarkkuutta korostavan taitodiskurssin kautta. Kirjoittaminen voidaan kuitenkin ymmärtää myös tarkoitushakuisena sosiaalisena toimintana, jaettavaan muotoon taltioituina ideoina, näkemyksinä ja mielipiteinä – suhteina. Työssäni suhteisuuden teoreettisen viitekehyksen muo...

Tutkimuksessa pyrittiin kirjallisuuteen perehtymällä selvittämään millaisia määritelmiä ja kategorisointeja leikkikaluista on tehty. Kirjallisuuskatsaus sekä vastasi tutkimuskysymyksiin että nosti esiin deduktiivisen johtolangan leikkikalujen sisäänrakennetusta käyttötarkoituksesta. Täten uudeksi tutkimustehtäväksi tuli selvittää sisäänrakennetun...