My doctoral research focuses on how municipal-level digital education strategies support teachers’ professional learning and the development of digipedagogical competence in Finnish basic education. In Finland’s decentralized education system, municipalities play a central role in translating national curriculum goals into practice. My first PhD substudy draws on longitudinal survey data (2021–2023, N = 1,121) and examines how teachers assess and develop their digipedagogical competence. The study identifies different teacher profiles based on their engagement with digital pedagogy and explores how these profiles change. The findings suggest that while the profiles remain relatively stable, there are small shifts, which highlight the need for sustained and differentiated support for teachers.

By the time of the EdTech 2026 conference, I will be at the early stages of my second study. At the moment, I am trying to better understand how to connect the structural perspective (municipal strategy and its implementation) with the individual perspective (teachers’ experiences, agency, and professional learning) in a meaningful and coherent way across my dissertation. Defining the scope and focus of this next study still feels quite open, and I am focusing on how to best position it in relation to my first study.

Alongside these research-related questions, I have also been reflecting on the nature of doctoral work more generally. Working as a full-time doctoral researcher has required a high level of independence and self-direction, and the long-term nature of the process can at times feel overwhelming. Especially in this early phase, much of the responsibility for structuring the work and maintaining progress comes from oneself, which can make the process feel quite solitary. At the same time, I have found peer support to be extremely important, and discussions with others in similar situations have been a key source of motivation and perspective.

In the roundtable, I would particularly appreciate elaborative feedback and discussion, for example on the following questions:

• How can I meaningfully connect my first study and my second study so that they form a coherent whole?
• What are effective ways to combine structural (strategy-level) and individual (teacher-level) perspectives within one study or dissertation?
• How have others dealt with stress, pressure, uncertainty, and self-doubt during the doctoral process?
• What kinds of practices have helped you maintain a sense of balance and self-compassion while continuing to make progress in your work?

I see this roundtable as an opportunity to both clarify the direction of my research and to reflect on the broader experience of doing a PhD, together with others who are going through similar processes.