Models of alienation in education: selected views and educational recommendations

Abstract

The problem of alienation in education is an issue that has been rarely analysed in Poland so far. However, experiencing alienation is related not only to poor indicators of functioning as a pupil/student (i.e., poor school achievements, lack of sense of learning, disengagement in the implementation of the curriculum or educational burnout), but also to a high risk of development disorders, marginalization, and disconnection from the community in the individual's adult life. The aim of the article is to characterize selected theoretical models of alienation in education, which present this phenomenon from various perspectives, including alienation as a specific state of an individual (model by Bradford Barnhardt and Paul Ginns), alienation as an attitude towards school (model by Ella R. Kahu), alienation as a process of losing involvement in educational activities (model by Stephen J. Fyson), alienation in the social and ecological (systemic) approach, which indicates multidimensional and multilevel nature of this phenomenon (Jennifer M. Case and Juanita Bezuidenhout et al.) and in the holistic approach (SAL model by Tina Hascher and Andreas Hadjar). The theoretical analyses carried out in the article are based on a review of Polish and foreign literature. The characterized perspectives of alienation in education allow for a precise determination of activities aimed at minimizing this phenomenon in the school and academic environment.