Final Report Summary - TRANSDOM (TRANSNATIONAL YOUTH IN CIVIC ACTION: YOUNG RUSSIAN-SPEAKERS AS AGENTS OF DOMESTICATION IN FINNISH AND ESTONIAN CIVIL SOCIETIES)
The central aims of the project "Transnational Youth in Civic Action: Young Russian-speakers as Agents of Domestication in Finnish and Estonian Civil Societies" (TRANSDOM) were the following: a) to conduct a comparative empirical study in two countries; b) to participate in a training programme that helps the researcher to become an independent researcher and prepares for work in the international environment; c) to advance research at the intersection of three thematic fields (civil society, migration, transnational communication) and to study the applicability of new approaches-methods (including online methods). In the work plan for Dr. Rikmann’s TRANSDOM project, tasks were divided into six phases. All the project phases have been completed by now.
The study conducted during the project focused on young adults speaking Russian as their mother tongue who live in Finland and Estonia. In total, 52 interviews in Russian were conducted in 2015-2016. Half of the interviews were done in Finland and half of them in Estonia. In addition to interviews, data were collected as Internet logs. The collected data involved the three main fields of the project- civil society, migration, transnational communication. Additionally, media consumption was studied, particularly the consumption of the social media. The Russian-speaking communities living in Finland and Estonia differ to a considerable extent. Thus, the collected data were informative and abundant, and the key factor in the success of the study was the application of the comparative perspective.
Detailed information about the training programme:
Participation in training courses
According to the Personal Career Development Plan, Dr. Rikmann wished to develop herself professionally in three areas: (1) new research methods (primarily Internet-based methods); (2) communication and presentation skills; (3) language skills in the languages used in the study. Here is the list of the training courses in which Dr. Rikmann has participated during the reporting period:
1. New research methods
• LSE Methods Summer Programme. Research Methods for the Online World in the 2015, August, at the London School of Economics and Political Science (Giuseppe Veltri)
• ATLAS.ti in the analysis of qualitative data, 24.9.2015 University of Jyväskylä, staff training (Markku Könkkölä)
• Digital methods in sociology, summer 2016, study visit at the University of Edniburgh (Karen Gregory)
• Researching social media. 01.11.2016 University of Jyväskylä, staff training (Johanna Janhonen)
2. Communication and presentation skills
• The visualisation of knowledge. Okt 2015, University of Jyväskylä, staff training (Jaana Kauppinen)
• The basic techniques in picture ediiting: Adobe Photoshop Elements, 3.12.2015 University of Jyväskylä, staff training (Markku Könkkölä)
• TACE - Teaching Academic Content through English, Aug 2016-Jan 2017, University of Jyväskylä, staff training (Kirsi Westerholm, Marke Lahti, Fergal Carolan).
3. Improvement of language sills
• Brush up your Russian, fall 2015- winter 2016 University of Jyväskylä, staff training (Margarita Pietarinen)
• Working on Campus in English: Develop your English. Sept-Oct 2015, University of Jyväskylä, staff training (Miia Konttinen)
• Working on Campus in English: Fine-tune your English. Winter 2015-2016, University of Jyväskylä, staff training (Miia Konttinen)
• Academic English. Summer Course in Malta, June 2015. EC English Language School
• From Finnish Small Talk to Conversation. Oct-Nov 2015, University of Jyväskylä, staff training (Johanna Eloranta)
• Suomi 5 (Finnish C1), Jan-June 2016, University of Jyväskylä, staff training (Johanna Eloranta)
• Academic English. Summer Course in the UK, July-Aug 2016. EC English Language School.
4. Other training courses in which Rikmann has participated in within the project
• Project Management and Administration in Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions. 21.04.2015 Helsinki, organised by Academy of Finland and Tekes
• Orientation for International Employees, Living in Finland and working at the University of Jyväskylä. 15.09.2015 University of Jyväskylä, staff training
• From researcher to researcher: Would you become an evaluator? -31.03.2016 University of Jyväskylä, staff training (Elina Humala, Lasse Löytty)
• Information Event Academy of Finland September Call 2016, 05.09.2016 University of Jyväskylä, staff training (Elina Humala)
The results of the study have been used and presented during the lecture course to master’s students ’Democratization, Civil Society and Western influence in Post-Communist transitions’ (YFIS551 5 cr) taught by Dr. Rikmann together with Pekka Virtanen in autumn 2016.
Further analysis of preliminary results of the study is planned to be conducted in several directions. Thus, Dr. Rikmann is included in the project applications of the strategic research project “Rooting New Practices of Participation: Equality, Governance, Participation, Security, Extremism“ (PI: professor Marja Keränen), coordinated by the University of Jyväskylä, as well as of the research project “Same Forces, Different Impacts? A study about the role of civil society in the democratisation process of six post-communist countries“ (PI: Pekka Virtanen). Both applications have been also submitted to the Academy of Finland.
The study conducted during the project focused on young adults speaking Russian as their mother tongue who live in Finland and Estonia. In total, 52 interviews in Russian were conducted in 2015-2016. Half of the interviews were done in Finland and half of them in Estonia. In addition to interviews, data were collected as Internet logs. The collected data involved the three main fields of the project- civil society, migration, transnational communication. Additionally, media consumption was studied, particularly the consumption of the social media. The Russian-speaking communities living in Finland and Estonia differ to a considerable extent. Thus, the collected data were informative and abundant, and the key factor in the success of the study was the application of the comparative perspective.
Detailed information about the training programme:
Participation in training courses
According to the Personal Career Development Plan, Dr. Rikmann wished to develop herself professionally in three areas: (1) new research methods (primarily Internet-based methods); (2) communication and presentation skills; (3) language skills in the languages used in the study. Here is the list of the training courses in which Dr. Rikmann has participated during the reporting period:
1. New research methods
• LSE Methods Summer Programme. Research Methods for the Online World in the 2015, August, at the London School of Economics and Political Science (Giuseppe Veltri)
• ATLAS.ti in the analysis of qualitative data, 24.9.2015 University of Jyväskylä, staff training (Markku Könkkölä)
• Digital methods in sociology, summer 2016, study visit at the University of Edniburgh (Karen Gregory)
• Researching social media. 01.11.2016 University of Jyväskylä, staff training (Johanna Janhonen)
2. Communication and presentation skills
• The visualisation of knowledge. Okt 2015, University of Jyväskylä, staff training (Jaana Kauppinen)
• The basic techniques in picture ediiting: Adobe Photoshop Elements, 3.12.2015 University of Jyväskylä, staff training (Markku Könkkölä)
• TACE - Teaching Academic Content through English, Aug 2016-Jan 2017, University of Jyväskylä, staff training (Kirsi Westerholm, Marke Lahti, Fergal Carolan).
3. Improvement of language sills
• Brush up your Russian, fall 2015- winter 2016 University of Jyväskylä, staff training (Margarita Pietarinen)
• Working on Campus in English: Develop your English. Sept-Oct 2015, University of Jyväskylä, staff training (Miia Konttinen)
• Working on Campus in English: Fine-tune your English. Winter 2015-2016, University of Jyväskylä, staff training (Miia Konttinen)
• Academic English. Summer Course in Malta, June 2015. EC English Language School
• From Finnish Small Talk to Conversation. Oct-Nov 2015, University of Jyväskylä, staff training (Johanna Eloranta)
• Suomi 5 (Finnish C1), Jan-June 2016, University of Jyväskylä, staff training (Johanna Eloranta)
• Academic English. Summer Course in the UK, July-Aug 2016. EC English Language School.
4. Other training courses in which Rikmann has participated in within the project
• Project Management and Administration in Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions. 21.04.2015 Helsinki, organised by Academy of Finland and Tekes
• Orientation for International Employees, Living in Finland and working at the University of Jyväskylä. 15.09.2015 University of Jyväskylä, staff training
• From researcher to researcher: Would you become an evaluator? -31.03.2016 University of Jyväskylä, staff training (Elina Humala, Lasse Löytty)
• Information Event Academy of Finland September Call 2016, 05.09.2016 University of Jyväskylä, staff training (Elina Humala)
The results of the study have been used and presented during the lecture course to master’s students ’Democratization, Civil Society and Western influence in Post-Communist transitions’ (YFIS551 5 cr) taught by Dr. Rikmann together with Pekka Virtanen in autumn 2016.
Further analysis of preliminary results of the study is planned to be conducted in several directions. Thus, Dr. Rikmann is included in the project applications of the strategic research project “Rooting New Practices of Participation: Equality, Governance, Participation, Security, Extremism“ (PI: professor Marja Keränen), coordinated by the University of Jyväskylä, as well as of the research project “Same Forces, Different Impacts? A study about the role of civil society in the democratisation process of six post-communist countries“ (PI: Pekka Virtanen). Both applications have been also submitted to the Academy of Finland.