The week that I worked at the University of Helsinki went by so swiftly that I craved to stay here for a longer time. The time I was here was from 10.11.25 to 14.11.25. The department I was under was the Educational Sciences. My time at the beginning of the week was invested in learning about the research group, attending a lecture and learning different aspects of it, and collecting data. When I entered, I adored the energy and the vibe in the office. All of them were very welcoming and friendly. I was so excited to work in this amazing environment. Because of this, I got to learn the real connection between data collection and research, as well as how skills learned in various fields of your life come in handy in a work-life situation.
Then my first task began and took place, which was to read about the research group on their website. I then further educated myself on new things about the research group, such as their previous projects, their main goal, the members of the research group and brief information about what all of the members do. I learned that the research group’s main goal is to see how different factors affect the mathematical learning difficulties of children. I was also surprised that I had another intern with me. We performed very well for the whole week, thanks to our teamwork and collaboration with each other.
Our next task was to collect the description of different math games and apps for children and give their description from the Play Store, the average rating of those games and then also the name and developer’s name. There were some games already listed from a previous TET intern. We then tested some games to evaluate them in different aspects, such as what kind of tasks were offered and which age group they were targeted at, which languages were used, how much we would rate them and along with that were our notes on the game.
The whole point of collecting this data was to see if the apps that claim they are good for children are actually reasonable and if they ensure that the children are learning something through the apps. Those questions also made me very curious, so the next days I tried to investigate and find as many as I could. I found more than 50 games and wrote their description, age rating, average reviews, the game itself, and its developer.
Another exciting insight that I got to enjoy was attending a lecture. My understanding was that the whole class was going to be full, there was going to be a hard time understanding, it was going to be way too advanced (THIS PART IS TRUE), and absolutely no one would say anything. I was prepared for the chaos, the tension and the complex formulas. Let’s just say I was wrong. There was no tension in the class, and there were not hundreds of people in the class, and the only thing I was right about was the complex formula (this does not apply to all lectures, though). People could freely ask questions, and overall it was a very relaxed and nice environment, which busted my misconception that I had about the lectures, and I was glad it was busted if I am being honest. This was a great trailer for how it is going to be when I go to university and what to expect. The lecture that I attended was about quantitative research methods, which is a master’s level class. It was about reliability and the different types of reliability. Also, how reliability comes into play with statistics, and I learned about different ways to measure some things, along with a mathematical formula.
On the same note as the lectures, I also had the opportunity to attend a study group session, where the theory learned in lectures can be used in a practical way and it is more broken down based on my understanding. I noticed that in the study group, it was easy to ask questions. I also participated in doing exercises that were master’s student level. There, I learned data manipulation. That means I organised the variables and tried to analyse the data. I discovered how the data is filtered and how the equations are put in the app named Jamovi, where I also got to know about the different kinds of tools presented to me.
During lunches and between tasks, I would get curious to know what it is like being a researcher. Throughout the week, I learned that a researcher’s work is unstable, yet exciting. I learned that countless topics are still awaiting proper study and scientific research. I also learned that it is a very demanding career and takes a lot of guts to look for funding and publishing. I also got a vision about how the researcher‘s life is, from finding something to research about to publishing it. It is a long process; I really commend a researcher’s life, furthermore all of their hard work and struggles.
I also got to see how big seminars and conferences are planned. I attended a meeting that was planning a conference. I was totally blown away that there is so much planning in something, and I only got to see a fraction of it. Some things that I learned to take into consideration: who is talking when, what is being displayed, how it is being displayed, are there any complications if it is going to be shown, and more.
The main things that I have gained from this experience would be: how data is a big part of research, I learned about the quantitative research method, and how to analyse data using Jamovi. I also observed how conferences are planned, discovered the challenges and benefits of a researcher’s life, and experienced the welcoming academic environment.
I am more than grateful to have the opportunity of working at the University of Helsinki. The welcoming atmosphere was really great and the work here was educational and inspiring to do. In this week I improved my teamwork skills, learned practical research methods, and experienced the academic environment while improving my personal knowledge. This all came to be with the help and guidance of Natalia, Veikko, Anssi and Anne who supported me along the way and helped me when I was stuck. Thanks to their calm behaviour, my whole experience was shaped positively.
One of the reasons why I could understand these big, complex topics throughout the week was because of Natalia. Her ability to break down these hard-to-understand topics into small parts was really helpful, and working under her supervision was such a privilege. I couldn't have asked for a better mentor!
Overall, this opportunity expanded my knowledge, strengthened my practical skills, and gave me a clearer vision of university life and a better understanding of what university is like and the life of a researcher.