tiedonhalun

Tiedonhalu is a Finnish term for a strong desire or appetite for knowledge. The compound combines tieto, meaning knowledge, with halu, meaning desire, and the genitive tiedonhalun denotes the thirst for knowledge or curiosity that drives a person to learn.

In everyday usage, tiedonhalu describes an attitude or disposition toward information seeking and understanding. Psychologically, it corresponds with epistemic curiosity and intrinsic motivation: the urge to acquire new information for its own sake, rather than for external rewards or consequences.

Educationally, tiedonhalu is valued as a driver of lifelong learning. Instruction that supports inquiry, open-ended questions, access to diverse resources, and autonomy can cultivate and sustain tiedonhalu, helping students engage deeply with topics and develop critical thinking.

The concept intersects with theories of intrinsic motivation and epistemic curiosity, and research may explore individual differences, context effects, and how classroom practices affect information-seeking behavior. Critics caution that curiosity is not uniformly distributed and can be influenced by assessment pressure or cultural factors that dampen intrinsic motivation.

See also: curiosity, epistemic curiosity, intrinsic motivation. Tiedonhalua is part of broader discussions of learning motivation in Finnish education.