
Tiina Lämsä
Biography
Ph.D., Adjunct Professor, University of Canberra (Australia)
Postdoctoral Researcher in Cultural Literacy and Social Inclusion.
University Teacher, JYU Open University (currently on research leave until 31 December 2026). In the disciplines of Education and ECEC, my responsibilities include teaching (educational leadership, pedagogy, the sociology of childhood, and qualitative research methods), research-based development of university education, and supervising theses (bachelor’s theses, master’s theses, and doctoral dissertations). My teaching portfolio also includes entrepreneurship and service design. Additionally, my areas of expertise include sales and private education services.
Research interests
My research focuses on interdisciplinary studies of education and pedagogy in early childhood education and care (ECEC), basic education, and adult education from a cultural studies perspective. I completed my PhD in 2017 in the field of early education. My work examines pedagogy and expertise in early childhood education, education policy, and educational leadership, as well as their connections to educational structures and practices. Additionally, my research area includes the study of family and childhood. Interdisciplinarity and mixed methods are at the core of my work, and I integrate perspectives from sociology, media studies, and educational sciences in exploring cultural practices and meanings. I supervise doctoral students in my research field. My goal is to bridge research and practice and to develop sustainable, research-driven solutions through innovative and interdisciplinary approaches. I am an adjunct professor of teacher education at the University of Canberra.
My research areas include educational leadership (particularly pedagogical leadership), childhood studies (especially images of childhood), multidisciplinary family studies, ECEC, adult education and pedagogical expertise, and cultural studies (with a focus on cultural literacy, media, advertising, and visual representations). I am also interested in digital learning environments and the methodological development of visual and arts-based research.