Marika Oikarinen

My career path as a researcher has developed through years of working in development cooperation projects and teacher education in Southern Africa, mainly Namibia. With a background as a primary school teacher, the question that has driven my research interests has been how to develop education that is meaningful and contributes to the well-being of future generations and more democratic societies. I have been particularly interested in contexts that have faced various challenges of educational inequality and marginalization. My doctoral thesis explored these themes in rural Namibian communities with a specific focus on pre-primary education. I have been teaching in the Faculty of Education and Psychology since 2021 and coordinating project activities related to global learning crisis and innovation in teaching and learning (see GINTL).