Sonja Niiranen – girls and technology education

This event is part of the Making Waves project.

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Speaker Bio:

Sonja Niiranen is a university lecturer in engineering pedagogy. She received her master’s degree and her doctoral degree in education in 2006 and in 2016, respectively. During the years 2006–2018 she has been working in the Department of Teacher Education, at the University of Jyväskylä by delivering technical craft and technology education and entrepreneurship education courses for elementary teacher education students. She is currently working at Tampere University as part of a PGL (Professional Growth and Learning) research group and delivering courses on university pedagogy for the staff members at the university.

Talk Abstract

Education has an important impact on preparing children and young adults to participate in future society. To introduce a more equitable gender balance in technology-oriented fields, and, consequently, in the labour market, our knowledge of technology education and gender-related issues should continue to expand and to receive attention. Numerous studies have indicated the importance of how technological activities are conducted in class and how teachers can influence students’ motivation through the application of different pedagogical approaches. In my presentation, I will draw on research to enrich understanding of how to increase girls’ interest in technology education by highlighting some practical suggestions for developing technology education in the future. In addition to that I will tell some insights of my work in EU project ‘Equal Career Paths for Women – NOW! (2020–2022)’. The project aims at supporting and promoting equal employment and career development of women, particularly in the field of technology.