About me | Marjaana Kangas

Life gives you the chance to love, to work, and to play.

Adjunct Professor, playful and game-based learning, 2017, University of Jyväskylä
PhD. in Education, 2010, University of Lapland, FINLAND

Completed non-academic programs:
REACH Acceleration program provided by Nordic Innovation House in Silicon Valley, 2018-2019, Palo Alto, California

Since 2003, my research has primarily focused on understanding teaching and learning processes in various innovative, technological, and nature-based contexts. Specifically, I have been interested in playful learning and in harnessing human playfulness, play, and games within educational settings. Recently, generative AI in education has become a key area of my research. My main research areas include:

Playful learning: Investigations on how play and playfulness can be used in educational settings to enhance learning and different competence areas, e.g. a research HERE
Artificial Intelligence (AI) in education: Research on how AI can support playful learning and playful human-AI interaction, e.g. a research HERE
Game-based learning pedagogy: Exploration of the use of games and gamification in different educational contexts, e.g. a research HERE
Digital technology in education: Studied on the role of digital tools in facilitating new literacies and learning environments, e.g. a research HERE
Outdoor learning environments: Exploring the benefits of natural settings in educational contexts, e.g. a research HERE

In Finland, I’m a forerunner of the research on playful learning, and a co-developer of the conceptualization of a “playful learning environment” (PLE). My dissertation “School of the Future: Theoretical and pedagogical approaches to creative and playful learning environments” (Kangas, 2010) received the national Professor Lea Pulkkinen’s award in 2012. Beyond academia, my commitment to educational innovations has led me to collaborate with several organizations and companies, such as Lappset Group Ltd., ROVIO Learning, YALP, The Mannerheim League for Child Welfare, YLE Lapset, and Save the Children. I have also had the honor of serving as the Ambassador for Outdoor Playful Learning for Lappset Group Ltd. In the video, Ville Kemppainen from Lappset Group and I discuss about the importance of playful learning for children: YOUTUBE VIDEO

My dedication lies in sharing knowledge and inspiring change. Having trained hundreds of teachers in Finland and the United States, and giving lectures at the universities around the world, I have had the privilege of igniting a passion for playful and game-based learning, and collaborating with schools in Finland and abroad. For me, playful learning is not just a concept; it is a way of life – a belief that education should not be confined to the conventional, but should celebrate creativity, exploration, and the joy of discovery. It is this passion that drives me to pioneer change and forge a new path for the learners of today and the leaders of tomorrow. During my university years, I have conducted research as part of several multidisciplinary teams and projects, funded by European Social Fund, Business Finland, Ministry of Education or Finnish National Agency for Education:

Scientific awards, honours and major grants

June 2024, AI in Learning: Designing the Future, the book compilation received the China Development Award in a Springer Nature event, Beijing, China (including a chapter written by me and my colleagues)
11.11.2021, Best Paper Award, Journal of Professional and Vocational Education: Upola, Kangas & Ruokamo, Towards working life skills – Vocational student as a learner in working life projects.
29.6.2018, AACE Best Paper of Finland Award, EdMedia Conference: Keskitalo, Kangas & Ruokamo (2018) Adult Playfulness in Simulation-based Healthcare Education. In T. Bastiaens et al. (Eds.), Proceedings of EdMedia: World Conference on Educational Media and Technology (pp. 2316–2324). Amsterdam, Netherlands.
2012 Reward for high-quality publications (€3000.00), University of Lapland: Kangas, M., Kultima, A. & Ruokamo, H. (2011). Children’s Creative Collaboration – A View of Narrativity. In D. Faulkner & E. Coates (Eds). Exploring Children’s Creative Narratives (pp. 63–85). London: Routledge.
19.4.2012, Doctoral Dissertation Award, University of Jyväskylä, Finland: Kangas (2010) The School of the Future: Theoretical and Pedagogical Approaches for Creative and Playful Learning Environments.
17.5.2010. ASLA Fulbright SIR Scholar-in-Residence Program Grant for 2010–2011: Finland–U.S. Educational Exchange Commission, Fulbright Center & J. William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board, Helsinki, Finland.
Most downloaded and cited article in the journal: Kangas (2010) Creative and playful learning: Learning through game co-creation and play in a playful learning environment, Journal of Thinking Skills and Creativity, between the years 2010–2015.