Tuula Nygård
PhD
University Lecturer
Multiliteracy, media and information literacy, literacies, health education, cognitive authority, informational authority, teaching, learning, nexus analysis, social media, artificial intelligence, multimodal analysis, co-research
History, Culture and Communication Studies
Faculty of Humanities
In 2022, I defended my doctoral thesis entitled "There is a lot to practice" A nexus analytical study on promoting multiliteracy in health education. In my doctoral research, I examined the challenges of promoting students' information seeking and evaluation from the perspective of multiliteracy in health education, and how teachers guided their students to acquire information, to critically evaluate information sources and to make choices between them. In this interdisciplinary research, I used the perspectives of educational sciences and information studies for health communication and teaching.
After completing my dissertation, I worked at the Tampere University (Faculty of Social Sciences, Unit of Health Sciences) from January 1, 2023 to May 31, 2025 on the YouTubers as Peer Mental Health Educators in Adolescent's Social Environments (TUBEDU) project, which investigates how young people interpret and use popular YouTubers' vlogs on mental well-being as possible peer support.
I am currently working as a postdoctoral researcher in the Artificial intelligence mediating the everyday information practices of young people (AIM). The project objectives are 1) To examine the ways AI systems are present in young people’s everyday information practices; 2) To explore how young people experience and understand AI systems as part of their everyday information practices and in constructing their identities and agency; and 3) To create new knowledge and resources with young people for AI education and decision-making. I also work as a university lecturer in the Unit of Information Studies at the Faculty of Humanities.
My research interests include literacies (multiliteracy), young people and their agency, health-related topics, social media, artificial intelligence, teachers and teacher identity, and educational equality. Methodologically, I am particularly interested in qualitative research, Nexus Analysis, multimodal methods, and co-research.
Research interests
- Artificial Intelligence
- Co-research
- Nexus Analysis
- Multimodal analysis
- Agency
- Identity
- Information practices
- Critical thinking
- Literacies
- Health and well-being
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