P Mertala
Biographic Data
| ID | 6848 |
|---|---|
| NAME | P Mertala |
| GIVEN NAMES | P |
| FAMILY NAME | Mertala |
| SIGNATURE | MERTALA P |
| AFFILIATIONS | University of Jyväskylä |
| ORCID | 0000-0002-3835-0220 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 15 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 5 |
| WORKS AS AUTHOR | 15 |
| WORKS AS EDITOR | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2016 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 1 |
Silver Bullet with Butterfly Wings
Exploring the Futures of Datafied Welfare State Education
Technological developments have inspired many scholars and other professionals to envision the possibilities that digital data technologies bring to the future of education. However, some aspects of this so‐called datafication may conflict with the local characteristics of education systems. In this study, we investigate the future imaginaries of datafied education in the context of a welfare state education system. By interviewing Finnish expert…
Experts' discourses of children in the context of datafication of education
This study investigates experts' discourses of 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 "juridical child" requiring protection under data laws; the "citizen-child" prepared for future societ…
Highly cited educational technology journal articles
Citations are valuable capital in the 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 but the approach has been mainly descriptive with no profound critical reflection of what kind of research is cited, where the research is from, where the research is p…
Digital natives in the scientific literature
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 changes in learners. Yet, the digital natives narrative persists in popular media and the education dis…
Digital (alter)natives
This paper discusses the kinds of pedagogical pitfalls incorporated in such 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 practice. The paper draws together the findings of empirical studies carried out in initial and c…
Sähköä ja alkemiaa
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 työskentelevät miehet. Aineistossa esiintyneet tekoälytulevaisuuskuvaukset pitäytyvät pitkälti nykyis…
‘It is important at this point to make clear that this study is not “anti-iPad”’
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 does Ed-Tech speak in research articles about Apple's iPad contribute to promoting and validating the importance and utility of the iPad for teaching and learning, is addressed by applying critical genre analysis to investigate empi…
Two worlds collide? The role of Chinese traditions and Western influences in Chinese preservice teachers’ perceptions of appropriate technology use
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 Chinese values and Western influences which differ from each other in a rather fundamental manner. Interpr…
The pedagogy of multiliteracies as a code breaker
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 education relevant, meaningful and important and, thus, intentionally neglect its provision. This is …
Preservice teachers’ beliefs about young children’s technology use at home
Monilukutaito koodin purkajana
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 opetussuunnitelman perusteissa ohjelmointi tarjotaan oppilaille näennäisen arvovapaina päättelyharjo…
Disciplinary contextualisation of transversal competence in Finnish local curricula
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 the disciplines of mathematics and social studies. The article offers new insights into the discussion…
The best game in the world
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 5- to 7-year-old Finnish preschoolers in an open-ended drawing task to answer the following research questions: What aspects of digital games appear meaningful for young children when they act as game designers? W…
The value of toys
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 were collected by interviewing children in their homes. Children chose eight toys from a tailored catalog and explained why they wanted those particular items. Toys were analyzed with the aid of a framework designed to test their functional manipulation potent…
Exploring the Futures of Datafied Welfare State Education
Technological developments have inspired many scholars and other professionals to envision the possibilities that digital data technologies bring to the future of education. However, some aspects of this so‐called datafication may conflict with the local characteristics of education systems. In this study, we investigate the future imaginaries of datafied education in the context of a welfare state education system. By interviewing Finnish expert…
Preservice teachers’ beliefs about young children’s technology use at home
Disciplinary contextualisation of transversal competence in Finnish local curricula
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 the disciplines of mathematics and social studies. The article offers new insights into the discussion…
The best game in the world
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 5- to 7-year-old Finnish preschoolers in an open-ended drawing task to answer the following research questions: What aspects of digital games appear meaningful for young children when they act as game designers? W…
The value of toys
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 were collected by interviewing children in their homes. Children chose eight toys from a tailored catalog and explained why they wanted those particular items. Toys were analyzed with the aid of a framework designed to test their functional manipulation potent…
The value of toys
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 were collected by interviewing children in their homes. Children chose eight toys from a tailored catalog and explained why they wanted those particular items. Toys were analyzed with the aid of a framework designed to test their functional manipulation potent…
The best game in the world
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 5- to 7-year-old Finnish preschoolers in an open-ended drawing task to answer the following research questions: What aspects of digital games appear meaningful for young children when they act as game designers? W…
Monilukutaito koodin purkajana
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 opetussuunnitelman perusteissa ohjelmointi tarjotaan oppilaille näennäisen arvovapaina päättelyharjo…
Disciplinary contextualisation of transversal competence in Finnish local curricula
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 the disciplines of mathematics and social studies. The article offers new insights into the discussion…
Sähköä ja alkemiaa
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 työskentelevät miehet. Aineistossa esiintyneet tekoälytulevaisuuskuvaukset pitäytyvät pitkälti nykyis…
‘It is important at this point to make clear that this study is not “anti-iPad”’
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 does Ed-Tech speak in research articles about Apple's iPad contribute to promoting and validating the importance and utility of the iPad for teaching and learning, is addressed by applying critical genre analysis to investigate empi…
Two worlds collide? The role of Chinese traditions and Western influences in Chinese preservice teachers’ perceptions of appropriate technology use
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 Chinese values and Western influences which differ from each other in a rather fundamental manner. Interpr…
The pedagogy of multiliteracies as a code breaker
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 education relevant, meaningful and important and, thus, intentionally neglect its provision. This is …
Preservice teachers’ beliefs about young children’s technology use at home
Digital (alter)natives
This paper discusses the kinds of pedagogical pitfalls incorporated in such 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 practice. The paper draws together the findings of empirical studies carried out in initial and c…
Highly cited educational technology journal articles
Citations are valuable capital in the 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 but the approach has been mainly descriptive with no profound critical reflection of what kind of research is cited, where the research is from, where the research is p…
Digital natives in the scientific literature
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 changes in learners. Yet, the digital natives narrative persists in popular media and the education dis…
Exploring the Futures of Datafied Welfare State Education
Technological developments have inspired many scholars and other professionals to envision the possibilities that digital data technologies bring to the future of education. However, some aspects of this so‐called datafication may conflict with the local characteristics of education systems. In this study, we investigate the future imaginaries of datafied education in the context of a welfare state education system. By interviewing Finnish expert…
Experts' discourses of children in the context of datafication of education
This study investigates experts' discourses of 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 "juridical child" requiring protection under data laws; the "citizen-child" prepared for future societ…
Silver Bullet with Butterfly Wings
Sociology (12 works) · Psychology (9 works) · Pedagogy (8 works) · Computer Science (7 works) · Child Development and Digital Technology (6 works) · Political science (6 works) · Social science (5 works) · Mathematics education (4 works) · Qualitative research (4 works) · Developmental psychology (3 works)