Jaakko Hilppo

Jaakko Hilppo

University of Helsinki

Research supervisor: Prof. Lasse Lipponen

The basic problem I’m currently, and during next summer, grappling with in PhD work regards understanding and conceptualizing our research design in light of the core principles of the genetic methodology in cultural historical activity theory. More precisely, this means understanding how concepts like first and second stimulus, the ideal, mediation, obuchenie, perezhivanie, and social situation of development are operationalized and empirically investigated within this methodology.

Furthermore, I see that need to understand the deeper epistemological and ontological standpoints, that is, the dialectical roots of the genetic methodology, and how it differs from other approaches prevailing in the field of studying learning and development such as design experiments and action research. Answering these questions will lead me to write a more clearer contribution with my phd, and in addition, hopefully add to my skills in designing future research projects as well as reanalyzing existing data sources.

The summer university, to my knowledge, would give me the best possibility to achieve the fore mentioned goals for two reasons. First, it provides me with the opportunity to engage in discussion around core methodological issues with fellow pdh students and share my data with them, and thus ground gained insights closely with my work. Second, discussions with leading scholars, will open the possibility to access research connected to my phd topic, but outside my current academic sphere. In all, the summer university, to my understanding, would provide me with a social, and scaffolded connection to a network of knowledge and academics who’s impact and significance on my own work I am just beginning to understand.

Presentation “Authoring their own lives: children’s sense of agency”

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