Taina Saarinen

Taina Saarinen

Director, research professor
Unit
Finnish Institute for Educational Research
Room number
Mobile
+358400247970
Postal address
Alvar Aallon katu 9
Fields of science
516 Educational sciences
616 Other humanities

Biography

I am a higher education researcher, currently working as research professor and Director at the Ä¢¹½Ö±²¥ Finnish Institute for Educational Research. 

I am interested in higher education in society, particularly equity issues in higher education and higher education institutions. Due to my background in applied language studies, I am particularly interested in various questions related to language and language policy and ideology. In addition to research work, I have served in various expert positions regarding language policy, language education policy and higher education policy. I am the current chairman of the Edistyksellinen tiedeliitto, and former chair of Korkeakoulututkimuksen seura. 

As the director of the Finnish Institute for Educational Research, I aim to support my colleagues in all possible ways and to find ways to conduct societally and academically interesting and relevant research.

Research interests

I study internationalisation of higher education and higher education policy from the perspective of language. What political, ideological or societal theme do we talk about when we think we talk about language? What are the spaces and times where and when language makes societal structures visible? Whose language is important, whose is invisible, and what does that say about our higher education? How can we theoretisize higher education with language? Recently, I have moved towards questions of academic wellbeing and academic work in crisis. As PI of Strategic Research Council funded consortium TRIM (Transforming Immigration Systems for Future Skills), co-leader of the EDUCA Flagship multilevel and multilayered education policy, as well as co-leader of RA3 in Research Council of Finland Profiling activity ULearn, I am currently leading research projects on the futures of education and education policy.

Attachments

Publications

Publication
2025
Available through Open Access

Ammattikasvatuksen aikakauskirja.
Virtanen, Anne
Huusko, Mira
Tynjälä, Päivi
Saarinen, Taina
Publication
2025
Available through Open Access

Nordic Journal of Studies in Educational Policy.
Adriansen, Hanne Kirstine
Madsen, Lene Møller
Saarinen, Taina
Waters, Johanna
Publication
2025
Available through Open Access

Learning and Teaching: the International Journal of Higher Education in the Social Sciences.
Gibson, Andrew G.
Saarinen, Taina
Publication
2025

Suomen kuvalehti.
Kalalahti, Mira
Saarinen, Taina
Varjo, Janne
Publication
2025
Available through Open Access

Tiedepolitiikka.
Saarinen, Taina
Publication
2025
Available through Open Access

Raportteja ja työpapereita / Koulutuksen tutkimuslaitos. Jyväskylän yliopisto.
Kalalahti, Mira
Minkkinen, Laura
Saarinen, Taina
Tyni, Kiia
Vaara, Elina
Ala-Vähälä, Timo
Häkkinen, Päivi
Jänkälä, Jukka-Pekka
Pitkänen, Hannele
Pöysä-Tarhonen, Johanna
Tarnanen, Mirja
Publication
2025
Available through Open Access

Learning and Teaching: the International Journal of Higher Education in the Social Sciences.
Aarnikoivu, Melina
Ennser-Kananen, Johanna
Saarinen, Taina
Publication
2025
Available through Open Access

Tiedepolitiikka.
Saarinen, Taina
Publication
2025
Available through Open Access

Acatiimi.
Saarinen, Taina
Publication
2024
Available through Open Access

Tiedepolitiikka.
Perkins, Marc C.
Ennser-Kananen, Johanna
Laihonen, Petteri
Saarinen, Taina