Close up and distant perspectives of educational visions: Youth at risk educators designing an ideal school

Abstract

Abstract Purpose This article presents a study of the professional perspectives of educators working in the service of children at risk. These perspectives were examined using a unique research approach relying on a Location Task process, whereby participants were guided to plan an ideal school, and to present the process both visually and verbally. Method Guided by a descriptive phenomenological perspective, two educators participated in the study, both employed in the same municipality: one in an administrative and the other in a hands-on position. The study examined whether and how the intensity of contact with the ground was reflected in the participants' educational perspectives. Results The location task helped reveal two intersecting axes in the educators' perspectives. Along one, the professional field was viewed from an engineer rather than craftsman-like perspective. The other included meta-schemes fundamental to the educators' lifeworlds, reflecting content about schoolchildren and about the professional self. Implications The research reveals the multidimensional character of the lifeworlds of educators working with youth at risk, and how these are woven by the diverse contexts of their lives. Study implications reveal the significance of dialogue within educator teams, based on an in-depth understanding of and appreciation for their varied perspectives.