FERA Conference on Education 2026

Main page image: Jousia Lappi, City of Tampere

Educational science research has the power to change the world—yet today, that power is being tested in unprecedented ways. Our research is deeply intertwined with the everyday realities of education and training, and we often work in close interaction with learners, teachers, and communities. In Finland, we have long trusted that decisionmakers want to ground their choices in research. But how strong is our impact really? Is it growing, shrinking, or simply shifting shape? Are we being heard—and if so, when, how, and by whom? 

At this moment, the importance of high-quality research knowledge must be asserted more clearly and more confidently than ever before. This applies powerfully to education. But what does this new demand mean for us as researchers, and are we ready to respond? 

To engage with these urgent questions, **FERA 2026 introduces the conference theme:
Educational Science Knowledge and Societal Impact – Do We Have the Power? 

We invite all FERA members and the wider educational community to join us in examining what actions we can take—together—to strengthen the influence of educational science at a time when it is needed most. 

FERA 2026 will be organized differently than before: already in August, and in parallel with the annual conferences of the European Educational Research Association (EERA) — the Emerging Researchers’ Conference (17–18 August 2026) and the European Conference for Educational Research (18–21 August 2026).
While the conferences remain separate and require their own registrations, their alignment opens the door to an exceptional opportunity: an entire week of educational research, collaboration, and deep discussion in the late summer atmosphere of Tampere. Furthermore, this year, FERA’s program places strong emphasis on collegial interaction. Instead of paper and poster presentations, we invite research-based discussion openings on our central theme. Participants will explore the materials in advance—in the spirit of flipped learning—and then come to Tampere ready to debate, challenge, and cocreate ideas that can shape the future of educational research and its societal impact. 

Join Us in Tampere to be excited, inspired, provoked, and amazed by what education—and we, as a community—can achieve.