Postdigital Paths to Finnish Language Acquisition for International Talent
In postdigital societies, language learning unfolds across digital platforms, workplaces, and everyday social environments rather than within clearly bounded classrooms. For adult learners, this creates challenges that differ fundamentally from child language acquisition, which typically occurs through natural immersion in rich interactional ecosystems. Adult second-language learners often encounter language learning through formal instruction and digital applications that prioritise written language and standardised content, leaving gaps in spoken competence and contextual language use. Drawing on postdigital theory, adult learning research, and critiques of platform capitalism, this conceptual paper examines how educational leadership can better align digital tools, artificial intelligence (AI), and workplace practices to support meaningful and equitable language learning. Using Finnish language learning for international adults as an illustrative context, the paper offers a transferable framework relevant to educational leaders, HR professionals, and designers of online, hybrid, and workplace-based learning environments.
Margarita Guskova, Tampere University of Applied Sciences, FI
HR and recruitment professional based in Finland with an MBA in Educational Leadership. She has extensive experience in international recruitment and workplace learning, with a strong focus on using AI to support skills development and training design. Her work combines practical HR expertise with research on language learning, integration, and employee development, aiming to create more effective and inclusive learning environments.
