New Year – A Look Back and the Continuation of JATKOT!
JATKOT Continues in 2025, Broader and More Diverse Than Ever! As we embark on the new year, it’s worth taking a moment to reflect on the journey so far. How did we get to where we are today? At the end of 2023 an email from the Finnish Cultural Foundation brought joyful news: our JATKOT research group received funding for the next three years! The funding period, which began in March 2024, has not only established clear operating practices but also fostered a close-knit community culture within our group.
The core idea of the JATKOT group is that each researcher – whether a doctoral candidate or a postdoctoral researcher – has their own research project with its goals, execution, and progress. The topics are diverse, ranging from creativity and innovation to skill development, learning leadership, and the examination of well-being and ethics. What unites the projects is a shared interest in adult learning and its related phenomena within the contexts of careers and work. Many of the projects place learning in a sociocultural framework, examining not only individual actions but also work and educational contexts, societal developments, and interaction within and between communities.
The group’s diversity is also reflected in its methodological approaches, with some projects emphasizing quantitative analysis and others qualitative. Discourses and narratives, experiences and perceptions, as well as connections between phenomena, are central to the research. The various stages of research within the group have created unique opportunities for learning and support. During 2024, six new doctoral projects began, while one dissertation and one postdoc project neared completion. This trajectory has proven to be a strength, as researchers at the final stages of their projects are often the best support for those just starting their doctoral journey – when the scope of the research typically still seems unmanageable and unclear.
Peer support encapsulates, in part, the broader culture that has emerged within our group: successes and setbacks are shared openly, and thorny problems – which sometimes arise one after another – are fortunately balanced by periods when the daily routine flows smoothly and easily. Monthly Teams meetings are not just formal reporting sessions; they also provide opportunities to peek into each other’s work lives, share thoughts, and receive peer support. Many of the most central discussion topics have arisen directly from everyday life. Examples include the use of AI in research, foundational works on thematic analysis, data protection, and the taxation of income from side jobs. Alongside planned presentations and updates, this spontaneity has enabled knowledge sharing and learning within the group – even through remote connections.
Although many projects only began in 2024, the year was impressively productive in terms of publications: we published eight peer-reviewed scientific articles, several more popular opinion pieces, and one edited volume (see publications: https://uefconnect.uef.fi/jatkuva-oppiminen-tyoelamassa-jatkot/#publications). Several articles are currently under review or in the final stages of preparation. Additionally, projects have carried out extensive data collection, interviews, and initial analysis phases. The group has been actively involved in both societal discussions and scientific conferences on education and work-life research in Finland and abroad. Experiences from these events and trips have been shared on the Jatkoilla blog and Instagram channel, which has remained wonderfully active throughout the year.
The spring 2024 start-up phase turned into fall preparations for additional funding applications. Unfortunately, some rejections, such as from the Kone Foundation, brought disappointing news, but many hooks are already in the water for this new year. Hope remains strong that funding will come through, allowing us to continue this shared journey with the firm belief that researching adult learning, skills, creativity, and well-being in the context of modern work-life is perhaps more important now than ever before.
From the perspective of the group leader, the activities of the JATKOT group have started brilliantly. It has been rewarding, inspiring, and reassuring to work together with talented researchers from diverse backgrounds, disciplines, and geographical areas – above all as peers and colleagues, regardless of job titles or positions. I am undoubtedly one of those who have gained the most new understanding and learning (and support!) from our group this year, and I am genuinely grateful to every single member for that. I also can’t help but praise the culture of trust, empathy, and humanity that the group members have built through their authentic selves.
JATKOT continues this year, hopefully with much the same framework, but spiced up with new ideas, publications, collaborations, and datasets. At the very start of the year, our group welcomes a new doctoral researcher, and during the spring, at least two enthusiastic interns will join us temporarily to experience the everyday world of research.
Happy New Year!
Soila, Postdoctoral Researcher, JATKOT Research Group