Anna-Leena Riitaoja
Biographic Data
| ID | 118002 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Anna-Leena Riitaoja |
| GIVEN NAMES | Anna-Leena |
| FAMILY NAME | Riitaoja |
| SIGNATURE | RIITAOJA A |
| AFFILIATIONS | University of Helsinki |
| ORCID | 0000-0003-2825-8380 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 8 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 41 |
| WORKS AS AUTHOR | 8 |
| WORKS AS EDITOR | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2012 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 3 |
Competence-based discourse and fading educational knowledge in Finnish teacher education
Finnish teacher education's agenda has shifted from research- to competence-based. • Finnish TE aligns with political and economic aims, not educational knowledge. • Competence discourse endangers TE's academic autonomy. • Teachers need solid educational knowledge, not competence-based goals
Linguistic Autonomy in a Monolingual Social Imaginary
The article studies how public policies of migrant ‘integration’ are enacted and made sense of in the street-level welfare state from the perspective of social work practitioners performing integration work and with a focus on language and language skills acquisition. It draws from twenty-seven semi-structured individual interviews and reflective discussions after service user meetings with eleven social workers and social advisors in migrant int…
Ruling Relations Coordinating the ‘Migrant Family’ in Institutional Encounters between Finnish Social Work Professionals and Migrant Service Users
Despite the growing body of literature on how migrancy transforms family relations, surprisingly little research exists on how ‘migrant family’ takes shape in institutional encounters. In this article, we analyse the negotiations on when and how family relations become addressed in encounters between social workers and migrant service users. Drawing from institutional ethnography, we understand the local service encounters as actively regulated b…
The ethical performance of access and consent in ethnographic research on social work encounters with migrant-background service users
In this article, we contribute to an emerging body of literature concerning the often-overlooked topics of access and consent in research. We posit our understanding of access and consent as continuous ethical reflection and negotiation, conceptualised here as ethical performance, which is particularly valuable in research in institutional contexts defined by numerous power asymmetries. We draw empirically from research on street-level institutio…
Nordic discourses on marginalisation through education
The purpose of this article is analysis of discursive marginalisation through education in Nordic welfare states. What knowledge do Nordic research discourses produce about marginalisation through education in Nordic welfare states? What are the Nordic contributions to research discourses on marginalisation through education? We apply a discourse theoretical approach and analyse 109 peer-reviewed publications on marginalisation by the Nordic Cent…
Thinking multicultural education ‘otherwise’ – from a secularist construction towards a plurality of epistemologies and worldviews
This article examines educational, political and philosophical perspectives on the concepts of worldview and religion in the context of multicultural education. Using a postcolonial and post-structural approach combined with theories that analyse the politics of secularism, we attempt to pinpoint key perspectives in the recognition of worldviews in the current discourse on liberal multiculturalism. We suggest that the liberal-secular foundation o…
Interreligious dialogue in schools
Interreligious dialogue is a central objective in European and UNESCO policy and research documents, in which educational institutions are seen as central places for dialogue. In this article, we discuss this type of dialogue under the conditions of asymmetry and categorisation in two Finnish schools. Finnish education has often been lauded for its successful implementation of equity and equality by the thousands of ‘pedagogical tourists’ who vis…
Multicultural Education in Finland
This paper reviews discourses on multicultural education and the concept of intercultural competencies in the European and Nordic country of Finland. We focus on their present uses and perceptions by decision-makers, researchers, and also student teachers. Some prognosis for the future is made based on a short case study from art teacher education in this context. The case study represents an approach that replaces an understanding of intercultur…
Multicultural Education in Finland
This paper reviews discourses on multicultural education and the concept of intercultural competencies in the European and Nordic country of Finland. We focus on their present uses and perceptions by decision-makers, researchers, and also student teachers. Some prognosis for the future is made based on a short case study from art teacher education in this context. The case study represents an approach that replaces an understanding of intercultur…
Thinking multicultural education ‘otherwise’ – from a secularist construction towards a plurality of epistemologies and worldviews
This article examines educational, political and philosophical perspectives on the concepts of worldview and religion in the context of multicultural education. Using a postcolonial and post-structural approach combined with theories that analyse the politics of secularism, we attempt to pinpoint key perspectives in the recognition of worldviews in the current discourse on liberal multiculturalism. We suggest that the liberal-secular foundation o…
Nordic discourses on marginalisation through education
The purpose of this article is analysis of discursive marginalisation through education in Nordic welfare states. What knowledge do Nordic research discourses produce about marginalisation through education in Nordic welfare states? What are the Nordic contributions to research discourses on marginalisation through education? We apply a discourse theoretical approach and analyse 109 peer-reviewed publications on marginalisation by the Nordic Cent…
Interreligious dialogue in schools
Interreligious dialogue is a central objective in European and UNESCO policy and research documents, in which educational institutions are seen as central places for dialogue. In this article, we discuss this type of dialogue under the conditions of asymmetry and categorisation in two Finnish schools. Finnish education has often been lauded for its successful implementation of equity and equality by the thousands of ‘pedagogical tourists’ who vis…
Linguistic Autonomy in a Monolingual Social Imaginary
The article studies how public policies of migrant ‘integration’ are enacted and made sense of in the street-level welfare state from the perspective of social work practitioners performing integration work and with a focus on language and language skills acquisition. It draws from twenty-seven semi-structured individual interviews and reflective discussions after service user meetings with eleven social workers and social advisors in migrant int…
Multicultural Education in Finland
This paper reviews discourses on multicultural education and the concept of intercultural competencies in the European and Nordic country of Finland. We focus on their present uses and perceptions by decision-makers, researchers, and also student teachers. Some prognosis for the future is made based on a short case study from art teacher education in this context. The case study represents an approach that replaces an understanding of intercultur…
Interreligious dialogue in schools
Interreligious dialogue is a central objective in European and UNESCO policy and research documents, in which educational institutions are seen as central places for dialogue. In this article, we discuss this type of dialogue under the conditions of asymmetry and categorisation in two Finnish schools. Finnish education has often been lauded for its successful implementation of equity and equality by the thousands of ‘pedagogical tourists’ who vis…
Thinking multicultural education ‘otherwise’ – from a secularist construction towards a plurality of epistemologies and worldviews
This article examines educational, political and philosophical perspectives on the concepts of worldview and religion in the context of multicultural education. Using a postcolonial and post-structural approach combined with theories that analyse the politics of secularism, we attempt to pinpoint key perspectives in the recognition of worldviews in the current discourse on liberal multiculturalism. We suggest that the liberal-secular foundation o…
Nordic discourses on marginalisation through education
The purpose of this article is analysis of discursive marginalisation through education in Nordic welfare states. What knowledge do Nordic research discourses produce about marginalisation through education in Nordic welfare states? What are the Nordic contributions to research discourses on marginalisation through education? We apply a discourse theoretical approach and analyse 109 peer-reviewed publications on marginalisation by the Nordic Cent…
The ethical performance of access and consent in ethnographic research on social work encounters with migrant-background service users
In this article, we contribute to an emerging body of literature concerning the often-overlooked topics of access and consent in research. We posit our understanding of access and consent as continuous ethical reflection and negotiation, conceptualised here as ethical performance, which is particularly valuable in research in institutional contexts defined by numerous power asymmetries. We draw empirically from research on street-level institutio…
Ruling Relations Coordinating the ‘Migrant Family’ in Institutional Encounters between Finnish Social Work Professionals and Migrant Service Users
Despite the growing body of literature on how migrancy transforms family relations, surprisingly little research exists on how ‘migrant family’ takes shape in institutional encounters. In this article, we analyse the negotiations on when and how family relations become addressed in encounters between social workers and migrant service users. Drawing from institutional ethnography, we understand the local service encounters as actively regulated b…
Linguistic Autonomy in a Monolingual Social Imaginary
The article studies how public policies of migrant ‘integration’ are enacted and made sense of in the street-level welfare state from the perspective of social work practitioners performing integration work and with a focus on language and language skills acquisition. It draws from twenty-seven semi-structured individual interviews and reflective discussions after service user meetings with eleven social workers and social advisors in migrant int…
Competence-based discourse and fading educational knowledge in Finnish teacher education
Finnish teacher education's agenda has shifted from research- to competence-based. • Finnish TE aligns with political and economic aims, not educational knowledge. • Competence discourse endangers TE's academic autonomy. • Teachers need solid educational knowledge, not competence-based goals
Political science (7 works) · Sociology (7 works) · Global Education and Multiculturalism (3 works) · Law (3 works) · Business (2 works) · Ethnography (2 works) · Gender Studies (2 works) · Gender Studies (2 works) · Global Educational Policies and Reforms (2 works) · Law (2 works)