About me
Dr. Elina Kuusisto works as a Senior Research Fellow at Tampere Institute for Advanced Study. She is also an University Lecturer in the domain of diversity and inclusive education at the Tampere University, and she holds a Title of Docent at the University of Helsinki. Her research interests include teacher ethics and school pedagogy. More particularly, through her studies she aims to enhance 1) civic purpose and purposeful teaching among students and teachers; 2) ethical sensitivity and moral education in schools; 3) talent development and growth mindset pedagogy to increase meaningful learning experiences of every student.
Selected publications
PURPOSE AND PURPSEFUL EDUCATION
Kuusisto, E., Gholami, K., & Tirri, K. (2016). Finnish and Iranian teachers’ views on their competence to teach purpose. Journal of Education for Teaching, 42 (5), 541-555. doi: 10.1080/02607476.2016.1226553
Kuusisto, E., de Groot, I., de Ruyter, D., Schutte, I., Rissanen, I., & Suransky, C. (2023). Life purposes: Comparing higher education students in four institutions in the Netherlands and Finland. Journal of Moral Education. https://doi.org/10.1080/03057240.2022.2159347
Kuusisto, E., & Schutte, I. (2022). Sustainability as a purpose in life among Dutch higher education students. Environmental Education Research. https://doi.org/10.1080/13504622.2022.2107617
Kuusisto, E., & Rissanen, I. (2023). Kohti päämäärätietoista yhteiskunnallista opettajuutta? Opettajaopiskelijoiden tulevalle työlleen asettamat päämäärät [Towards a purposeful, societal teaching profession? Student teachers’ work-related purposes]. Kasvatus, 54(4).
Kuusisto, E., & Tirri, K. (2021). The challenge of educating purposeful teachers in Finland. Education Sciences, 11(1), 29. https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci11010029
TEACHER ETHICS
Kuusisto, E., Ubani, M., Nokelainen, P. & Toom, A. (Eds.) (2021). Good teachers for tomorrow’s schools – Purpose, values and talents in education. Brill Sense.
Tirri, K., & Kuusisto, E. (2022). Teachers’ professional ethics: Theoretical frameworks and empirical research from Finland. Brill.
Tirri, K., & Kuusisto, E. (2019). Opettajan ammattietiikkaa oppimassa [Learning teachers’ professional ethics]. Helsinki: Gaudeamus.
Gholami, K., Kuusisto, E., & Tirri, K. (2015). Is ethical sensitivity in teaching culturally bound? Comparing Finnish and Iranian teachers’ ethical sensitivity. Compare: A Journal of Comparative and International Education, 45 (6), 886-907. doi: 10.1080/03057925.2014.984588
GROWTH MINDSET
Kuusisto, E., Laine, S., & Tirri, K. (2017). How do school children and adolescents perceive the nature of talent development? A case study from Finland. Education Research International, 2017. doi: 10.1155/2017/4162957
Rissanen, I., Kuusisto, E., Tuominen, M., & Tirri, K. (2019). In search of a growth mindset pedagogy: A case study of one teacher’s classroom practices in a Finnish elementary school. Teaching and Teacher Education, 77, 204-213. doi: 10.1016/j.tate.2018.10.002
Rissanen, I., Laine, S., Puusepp, I., Kuusisto, E., & Tirri, K. (2021). Implementing and evaluating growth mindset pedagogy -A study of Finnish elementary school teachers. Frontiers in Education. https://doi.org/10.3389/feduc.2021.753698
INTERCULTURAL SENSITIVITY
Kuusisto, E., Kuusisto, A., Rissanen, I., Holm, K., & Tirri, K. (2015). Finnish teachers’ and students’ intercultural sensitivity. Journal of Religious Education, 63 (29), 65–77. doi: 10.1007/s40839-016-0018-0
Rissanen, I., Kuusisto, E., & Kuusisto, A. (2016). Developing teachers’ intercultural sensitivity: Case study on a pilot course in Finnish teacher education. Teaching and Teacher Education, 59, 446-456. doi: 10.1016/j.tate.2016.07.018
GIFTEDNESS
Kuusisto, E., Laine, S., & Rissanen, I. (2021). Education of the gifted and talented in Finland. In E. Kuusisto, M. Ubani, P. Nokelainen, & A. Toom (Eds.), Good teachers for tomorrow’s schools – Purpose, values and talents in education (pp. 195–216). Brill Sense. https://doi.org/10.1163/9789004465008_011
Tirri, K., & Kuusisto, E. (2013). How Finland serves gifted and talented pupils. Journal for the Education of the Gifted, 36(1), 84– 96. doi: 10.1177/0162353212468066