معرفی
Mia Halonen is a Senior Researcher at the Centre for Applied Language Studies (SOLKI), University of Jyväskylä. She investigates language ideologies, accent perceptions, and societal gatekeeping in language assessment, with her work applied in university teaching and public discourse. Her research addresses how attitudes impact speakers in institutional contexts like citizenship tests.
Research Focus: Halonen's work centers on unpacking language-based biases in high-stakes evaluations. Key areas include:
- Accent perception in Finland's National Certificates of Language Proficiency (YKI)
- Stereotyping in oral proficiency assessments
- Language testing as a citizenship gatekeeping mechanism
- Sociolinguistic analysis of public signage and interaction norms
Publications: Her 15 most recent articles (2018-2024) demonstrate consistent themes: language assessment fairness, ideological critique of testing regimes, sociolinguistic identity construction, and discourse analysis methodologies. Works frequently employ mixed-methods approaches combining statistical analysis with critical discourse studies.
Leadership: She directs the Research Council of Finland project 'Broken Finnish': Accent perceptions in societal gatekeeping (2018-2024), which has generated significant datasets on language proficiency evaluations. Collaborates with research groups including:
- Finnish Network for Language Education Policies
- Language Campus
- Multiliteracies for Social Participation (MultiLEAP)
