EDUCA Flagship news

According to Educa-Doc doctoral researcher Mitcho Hristov's research group, 15-year-olds who spend the most time on screens in their free time can lag behind their peers by up to a year in math, reading, and science.

If reading is difficult for a child or Finnish is not the native language, support from home is especially important. Working with the child’s school can help identify the right ways to practice, and even short but regular reading sessions, along with rewards for progress, will help improve skills.

The third part of EDUCA Flagship's tips for parents examines how setting your own example, requiring your child to read in an encouraging way, and all kinds of everyday conversations help strengthen your child’s language skills and interest in reading.

As part of the study Comics as a Gateway to Reading, researchers from the EDUCA Flagship have prepared information materials for parents of primary school-aged children on how to support their children’s reading interest and the development of their reading skills at home.

Kreeta Niemi and Satu Koivuhovi have joined EDUCA Flagship as new Assistant Professors (tenure track). Read more about their research.

As part of the study Comics as a Gateway to Reading, researchers from the EDUCA Flagship have prepared information materials for parents of primary school-aged children on how to support their children’s reading interest and the development of their reading skills at home. The first part provides a general overview of the development of reading skills and the role of parents in supporting it.

Many young people appear to be doing well at school, but may still lack the support they need for mood disorders. In a recent study, young adults shared how their depressive symptoms often went unnoticed during their education and how they felt unheard.

Approximately 150 EDUCA Flagship researchers in educational sciences, psychology, learning analytics, and economics, as well as representatives from our stakeholder groups, gathered in person once again at the Spring 2026 EDUCA Conference, this time on the Aalto University campus in Espoo.

The EDUCA Flagship’s Spring 2026 Conference kicked off on Tuesday, May 19, with a meeting of the EDUCA Doctoral Education Pilot and it's work-life collaboration partners.

School principals constantly face change and uncertainty in the daily life at their schools, and the COVID-19 pandemic was an extreme example of this. Postdoctoral researcher Mailis Elomaa at the University of Helsinki has studied principals’ crisis-resilient leadership.

The responses show a clear trend toward segregation development. While some young people receive ample support and encouragement for learning and life’s transitions from school, home, and friends, others feel left alone or otherwise face a stressful daily life.

In the LuKiVa intervention study led by the University of Jyväskylä, some of the children in ECEC and pre-primary education units participate in specific reading sessions using the dialogic reading method.

An advisory board appointed by the Ministry of Education and Culture has formulated a vision for comprehensive schools in collaboration with thousands of Finnish teachers, students, researchers, experts, and citizens.

The Selkopolku project donated a total of approximately 85,000 easy language youth books to all Finnish lower secondary schools in 2024. The University of Jyväskylä conducted an evaluation study of the project in 2024–2025, and preliminary results are now available.

The third EDUCA Doctoral Pilot workshop was organized in the end of January at the University of Helsinki.  EDUCA doctoral students and supervisors participated in the two-day program that included a workshop on Thursday and attending the Educa-fair on Friday. The theme of the workshop was interdisciplinary collaboration. The event also saw the launch of an award ceremony for doctoral students.

EDUCA Flagship will carry out a study in collaboration with the City of Helsinki and Sanoma Media Finland on how having printed reading materials regularly delivered to the home affects chidren's reading motivation and their perception of themselves as readers.

Researchers from the Universities of Jyväskylä and Turku have investigated teachers’ and principals’ views on the digital pupil feedback provided for them regarding the two-year pre-primary education pilot.

EDUCA-Doc supervisor, Dr. Kati Sormunen from the University of Helsinki represented EDUCA Flagship in October 2025 in an event co-hosted by the National Children’s Museum and the Embassy of Finland in the U.S., Washington, D.C.

As part of his doctoral thesis, Juho Junttila, EDUCA-Doc doctoral researcher at the University of Helsinki, has studied the effects of raising the compulsory schooling age, which came into effect in 2021.

Support for learning in pre-primary and basic education was recently reformed. A research project led by the University of Jyväskylä is now investigating how the reform is taking shape in everyday school life across Finland.

The Urban Policy Council’s First Report shows that daycare centers in more advantaged areas employ, on average, a higher proportion of qualified teachers. However, variation within similar areas is significant.

FERA Conference 2025 was organized 5.–7.11.2025 at the University of Lapland, Rovaniemi. There were many EDUCA Flagship researchers and stakeholders participating in the pre-seminars and the conference, and we had our own stand where people came to meet us.

The leader of EDUCA Flagship, Professor Marja-Kristiina Lerkkanen, will also take up the position of Dean of the Faculty of Education and Psychology at the University of Jyväskylä on January 1, 2026.

All children have a basic need to belong and to form positive peer relationships. A recent study examined early childhood education and care (ECEC) teachers’ observations of loneliness and ostracism – or social exclusion – among 5-year-old children.

The honorary title was awarded to Professor Jari Lavonen in recognition of his academic and professional career in teacher training and educational innovation. In EDUCA Flagship he is participating in the research area 4.