Pauliina Rikala, PhD

RESEARCH identity

My research identity begins long before academia. In a living room where a small girl watched TV and saw an adventurer walking through forests and over ridges. He was a character from a commercial, not a story meant to shape a life. And yet something in him resonated deeply. Not because of the product, but because of the image of someone choosing their own path. That quiet spark stayed, becoming a way of seeing the world long before I had words for it.

Years later, that resonance became a way of thinking. The girl grew into a researcher who stepped into landscapes that didn’t have ready‑made answers. Curiosity pushed her forward. But she soon discovered that the academic world is full of boxes. Are you digital enough? Pedagogical enough? Quantitative? Qualitative? I was always too much of one thing and not enough of another. Not fully Digital, not fully pedagogical. Not purely quantitative, not purely qualitative. I lived in the methodological in‑between. A place that often felt like a mismatch. And this in‑betweenness shaped my journey.

Some doors closed. Reviewers asked me to fit the mold. Co‑authors worried my approach was too hybrid, too boundary‑crossing, too something. I tried to explain, but the boxes remained small, and I refused to shrink my ideas to fit inside them. However, the path did not end there.

Along the way, I met researchers who saw what I was trying to do. People who didn’t ask me to choose a side. Colleagues who understood that some phenomena require movement across boundaries. Mentors who helped refine instead of restrict. With their support, the trail was lighted up, and slowly, clarity emerged.

I realized I am not “between boxes.” I am outside them, and that is actually my strength. My work lives in the spaces where methods meet. I see shapes before categories, patterns before paradigms, phenomena before methods. And once I understood that I could be proudly out‑of‑the‑box, the path opened again, toward new horizons, new boundary‑crossing insights, and new ways of understanding complex, evolving worlds.

My research identity is not about fitting in. It is about expanding what research can be.

RESEARCH PROFILE

Since completing my doctoral dissertation in 2015, I have developed an independent research profile focused on understanding how digital and AI-mediated environments reshape learning, expertise and well-being across working life, with particular attention to professional and digital agency.

My research draws on a multidisciplinary background spanning information technology, education, psychology, social gerontology and marketing, enabling me to examine learning, expertise, work and agency from different perspectives. My research has progressively evolved from studying learning with technology to examining how digital and AI-mediated environments transform expertise and professional agency in working life. Although the contexts and technologies have changed, the overarching research question has remained surprisingly consistent.

To date, I have published 37 publications, including 26 peer-reviewed scientific publications. Of these, 12 are first-author publications, demonstrating my capacity to initiate, lead and independently develop research. The publications to which I have contributed have been published in internationally recognized journals, including Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Teaching and Teacher Education, Computers & Education, International Journal of Human-Computer Interaction, and Futures. The publications address digital competence, workplace learning, skill gaps, digital agency, technostress, digital frictions and AI-mediated work, collectively contributing to a coherent research profile on learning and expertise in digitally mediated environments, with contributions to research on digital agency.

My research has been conducted within multidisciplinary national and international collaborations. Although I have not held individual research grants, I have contributed to the preparation, conceptualization and implementation of competitive externally funded projects, including ERDF- and EDUFI-funded initiatives. In these projects, I have contributed particularly to conceptual development, research design, literature syntheses and analytical work. These activities demonstrate my ability to conduct independent research while working effectively within multidisciplinary research teams. I also actively contribute to the academic community through peer-review and research evaluation activities. I have served as a reviewer for numerous national and international journals, acted as a pre-examiner of a doctoral dissertation, supervised bachelor’s theses and co-supervised master’s and doctoral research. In addition, I have participated in organizing international scientific activities, including serving as conference secretary for the EARLI SIG14 Conference in 2024.

PEDAGOGICAL THINKING

My pedagogical competence, expertise in adult and workplace learning, learner-centered approach, digital pedagogy, academic supervision experience, professional learning activities, and interdisciplinary collaboration collectively inform my teaching and supervision practices.

My pedagogical thinking is grounded in contemporary, sociocultural, constructivist, and learner-centered perspectives on learning (e.g., Illeris, 2009), together with networked (Siemens, 2008) and system-oriented approaches (Engeström, 2001). I view learning as an active process in which knowledge is constructed through participation, reflection, dialogue, and interaction with others. In this process, I view the teacher’s role primarily as a facilitator who supports students in developing independent thinking, critical reflection and responsibility for their own learning. Thus, rather than transmitting information, teaching should create opportunities for learners to develop understanding, expertise, agency and competence that can be applied in authentic professional and societal contexts. Therefore, a central principle of my teaching is to support learners in developing agency, expertise, and the capacity for lifelong learning. I seek to create learning environments that encourage active participation, collaborative knowledge construction, reflective inquiry, and learner autonomy. In supervision and teaching, I emphasize dialogic interaction (e.g., Alexander, 2008), psychological safety, constructive feedback, and the gradual development of academic independence. Furthermore, my research on workplace learning, professional and digital agency, digital competence, and AI-mediated environments strongly informs my pedagogical approach. I am particularly interested in how emerging technologies reshape learning, expertise, and professional practice. I utilize digital learning environments and blended supervision practices. In addition, I aim to support learners in critically engaging with digital and AI-mediated environments and understanding their implications for work, learning, and society.

My pedagogical competence is grounded in formal pedagogical training, expertise in adult and workplace learning, digital pedagogy, academic supervision, and continuous professional development. I have completed the pedagogical studies required for subject teachers at the University of Jyväskylä. Together, these studies (60 ECTS) provided a strong foundation in learning theories, assessment, curriculum development, and student-centered teaching. I continuously maintain and develop my pedagogical competence through engagement in pedagogical seminars, webinars, professional networks, and research communities. My participation in interdisciplinary research groups, educational development initiatives, and professional learning networks provides ongoing opportunities to reflect upon and further develop my teaching and supervision practices. I actively follow research on higher education, adult and workplace learning, digital pedagogy, and technology-enhanced learning. Furthermore, student feedback plays an important role in the continuous development of my teaching and supervision. Feedback from thesis seminars has highlighted the importance of clear guidance, a supportive learning environment, and opportunities for dialogue. In response, I have refined supervisory and teaching practices, clarified expectations at different stages of the thesis process, and strengthened peer-learning opportunities within seminar teaching.

My university teaching experience has primarily been within the field of adult education at the University of Jyväskylä, with a particular focus on research-oriented teaching and academic supervision. In this seminar, I guided students throughout the bachelor’s thesis process, supporting topic selection, research design, literature use, academic writing, methodological reasoning, and peer-feedback practices. The seminar aimed to strengthen students’ research skills, academic thinking, and capacity for independent scholarly work. In addition to university teaching, I have supervised school-based development projects within nationally funded educational initiatives, supporting teachers’ professional learning and pedagogical development in practice-oriented settings. Through supervision at different academic levels, I have developed expertise in supporting academic writing, research design, methodological reasoning, and the development of independent scholarly thinking. My supervisory approach emphasizes scaffolding, reflective questioning, constructive feedback, and the gradual transfer of responsibility to learners. The goal is to foster confidence, autonomy and ownership while providing clear structures and timely guidance throughout the research process.

My work frequently brings together perspectives from education, technology and working-life research. Through national and international projects, I have collaborated with researchers, educational institutions and workplace partners in developing professional learning and technology-supported educational practices. These collaborations have strengthened my ability to incorporate interdisciplinary and international perspectives into teaching and supervision. I also contribute to the dissemination of research-informed pedagogical knowledge beyond academia. This includes public presentations, podcasts and collaboration with educational institutions and workplaces on topics such as digital well-being, technostress and digital competence. In addition, my experience teaching digital skills and creative technologies in adult education settings outside higher education has strengthened my understanding of diverse adult learners, lifelong learning and practice-oriented learning environments.

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