Everyday School Life Research Articles

Education for Agonistic Democracy: Reclaiming the Political Insights of Agonism

AbstractWhile education for democracy has been heavily influenced by the deliberative perspective on democracy, a recent turn towards an agonistic perspective on democracy places a great deal of faith in the role of political emotion and conflict. Educational scholars have mostly interpreted agonism in relation to the emotional and conflictual experiences that occur within school. Some scholars draw general pedagogical insights from this perspective, while others use it to propose conflictual approaches to classroom discussions. Overestimating, however, the extent to which experiences of agonism within school applies to politically experienced agonisms beyond the school, is problematic. Such overestimations undermine the core political insights of agonistic theory, concerning the democratic potential of radical collective movements. Agonistic theory acknowledges the psychological need among disgruntled citizens for radical alternatives enabling them to oppose and rearticulate the established power dynamics in society. The purpose of agonistic democracy is to enable rearticulations of hegemony through the institutions of representative democracy, rather than as opposed to them. Important for this paper, however, is the argument that such rearticulations depend on the rhetorical force of collective movements. Emphasizing that we cannot assume the presence of such movements in everyday school life, the paper revisits the following question: What are the didactical implications of an agonistic perspective on democracy? The democratic potential of collective movements is not easily captured through experiences within the pedagogical context alone, but proposals are made as to how this potential can be grasped in other ways.

Adolescent autistic girls navigating their diagnosis in Swedish secondary school

IntroductionAdolescent autistic girls in mainstream schools experience more loneliness and exclusion than their peers. Swedish schools have a long tradition of working towards inclusion but, despite this commitment, these girls are at higher risk of absenteeism and failing to achieve educational objectives. Bearing this in mind, it is important to understand how autistic girls navigate their everyday school life from a first-hand perspective and develop a broader understanding of what shapes their opportunities for and barriers to participation.MethodsThis qualitative study draws on multiple semi-structured interviews with 11 autistic girls, aged 13–15, exploring how they navigate having an autism diagnosis within a Swedish secondary school context.ResultsWhile on a personal level the diagnosis itself was mostly perceived as positive, the girls expressed ambivalence about making sense of it in the school context. The girls expressed awareness of the perceptions and understanding of autism in their school setting, and their consequences in terms of both support and exclusion and stigmatisation. The sense of being perceived by others as different, accompanied by a desire to belong and an awareness of stigma, seemed to have a strong impact on how they navigated everyday school life. This created field of tension between the social context of school, its values and norms, and the girls’ personal experiences and views about autism.DiscussionThe girls’ accounts illustrate the complex reality of their school lives post diagnosis. Valuable implications for practice include the need to work towards a discourse in schools in which differences are seen as natural, and guidance post diagnosis to build the girls’ awareness and understanding and enable them to develop strategies for successfully navigating school.

THE SOCIOGENESIS OF RACISM AND ETHNIC-RACIAL RELATIONS IN SCHOOL: A CRITICAL VIEW

This study addresses the sociogenesis of racism in Brazil, examining its manifestation in the school environment and the challenges of developing pedagogical practices capable of mitigating this exclusionary culture and its violence. Based on a current, historical, and theoretical contextualization, the study seeks to investigate how racism manifests itself in education and what its consequences are in everyday school life, analyzing how prejudice, discrimination, and the devaluation of black and indigenous cultures and subjectivities impact students' learning processes. It is concluded that racism is prominent in Brazilian society and its consequences affect education, with impacts on school dropout rates, student performance, and social inclusion.

Attitudes of Slovenian School Teachers Towards Smart Educational Humanoid Robots in the Classroom

Robots are becoming an increasingly important part of our everyday lives and, consequently, of the education landscape. They can take many forms in education, from simple robots that students assemble and program to more complex (humanoid) robots that can, for example, travel distances when working remotely. The attitude of Slovenian teachers towards the introduction of smart educational humanoid robots into everyday school life was explored. A questionnaire was designed, and the current state of teachers’ attitudes was analysed based on the responses of participating teachers. The results show that negative attitudes towards the use of robots in the classroom prevail and that teachers do not feel qualified to integrate smart educational humanoid robots in education. Statistically significant differences between male and female teachers also emerge in some of the statements. However, teachers expressed positive attitudes towards concrete examples of robot use.

The Influence of Soviet State Policy on School Everyday Life in Kazakhstan (1945–1955)

Introduction. The work reconstructs the ideological component of Soviet children’s everyday school life in Kazakhstan, which had a huge impact on their socialization. Methods and materials. The methodological basis of the study is the theory of the sociologist P. Sztompka about the significance of “cultural trauma” in the biography of any generation of people – social tension associated with changes in society, the transformation of its values. The method of narrative interview was used in the work. Interviews were conducted with over 20 respondents whose childhood was spent in Kazakhstan in 1945–1965. Analysis. Archival data and recollections of respondents show that the school, which traditionally carried out a certain order of society, was the main mechanism in the formation of the “new Soviet person.” During the period under study, the “order” was to form a Soviet identity, with which the Soviet school and socio-political organizations represented by the pioneers and the Komsomol in Kazakhstan successfully coped. Everyday school practice reflected the ideological component of school education – all respondents, assessing their childhood from today’s standpoint, are aware of the degree of this influence. Results. A number of mechanisms were analyzed through which the official Soviet authorities formed the consciousness of the future “builders of communism”: the school, ideologized and, in fact, obligatory children’s organizations, and propaganda. The identified correspondence between the propaganda ideal and the real image of a Soviet schoolchild indicates the acceptance and assimilation of socialist values by children in Kazakhstan. The data obtained open up prospects for new research on the history of Soviet children’s everyday lives. Authors contribution. A.A. Bimoldanova proposed the idea and concept of the article and wrote the final text. M.J. Bekmagambetova prepared a historiographic review, was engaged in the identification and analysis of documentary sources from the Archive of the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan, and R.K. Bekmagambetov carried out the transcription and interpretation of the interview materials and the technical design of the text of the article. All three authors interviewed respondents.

MUSIC LISTENING IN EDUCATIONAL CONTEXTS: REPRESENTATION OF MUSIC THROUGH LANGUAGE AND VISUAL ARTS BY FOURTH GRADE PRIMARY STUDENTS

This study focuses on exploring fourth grade (9-year-old) primary students’ (N=11) reflections on the opportunities they were given to externalise their emotions and thoughts induced by music by participating in music listening activities, in a general primary classroom context. The students worked in pairs; they first listened to four short musical excerpts, and they were then invited to represent them verbally, through writing, and visually, through painting. The participants recorded their ideas on worksheets. Data were collected over a 6-week period through participant observation/observational notes, a questionnaire with closed-ended questions, semi-structured interviews as well as on the basis of the students’ produced work. Overall, the primary students were positive towards the activities expressed regarding the activities, as they had the opportunity to express themselves, to escape from the routine of everyday school life and the stress of classes, to enhance their imagination and creativity, to interact with their peers and to participate in something that they enjoyed and wished to be repeated in the future.<p> </p><p><strong> Article visualizations:</strong></p><p><img src="/-counters-/soc/0710/a.php" alt="Hit counter" /></p>

FORMAÇÃO DE PROFESSORES DE EDUCAÇÃO FÍSICA QUE ATUAM COM ALUNOS COM DEFICIÊNCIA

This article addresses the theme of Inclusive Education with a focus on training teachers in the area of Physical Education who work in teaching students with disabilities. This article addresses the theme of Inclusive Education with a focus on training teachers in the area of Physical Education who deal with students with disabilities. The main objective of this investigation is to understand the training trajectory of Physical Education teachers to work with students with disabilities, specifically: 1. How the training took place and possible implications for acting in the context of Inclusive Education and 2. Teachers’ challenges in dealing with students with disabilities in everyday school life. The data were constructed in semi-structured interviews recorded and later transcribed. In line with the methodological principles of historical-cultural theory, the explanatory analysis allowed us to identify obstacles in the initial training process, such as: scarce content on teaching for students with disabilities; and subjects that are very theoretical and removed from the school reality. The teachers also highlighted: lack of support from educational management and the need for continued training while, in the school context, training spaces should be created. The study made it possible to identify the training demands of Physical Education teachers and the challenges they face in everyday school life, contributing to reflections on their training needs.

EDUCAÇÃO ESPECIAL NA PERSPECTIVA INCLUSIVA

This case study brings reflections on possibilities for implementing the concept of a school for all in everyday school life, reinforcing the importance of the struggle movement for people with disabilities in our country. It focuses on the situation of Special Education in the municipality of Miracema/RJ based on a comparative analysis between the Municipal Education Plan (2015-2025) and normative and political devices (such as: the National Education Plan, the Law of Guidelines and Bases of Education and the National Policy on Special Education from the Perspective of Inclusive Education) that guarantee education for all as a human right. The work carried out by the municipality's Specialized Assistance Center (NAE) is also analyzed. Methodologically, the study was carried out taking bibliographic and documentary research as its starting point. It is theoretically based on authors such as: Paulo Freire, Maria Tereza Mantoan and Rita de Cassia Fumegalli. It is concluded that the municipality of Miracema has been expanding its horizons with regard to the implementation of what is implied by goal 4 of the National Education Plan and the National Special Education Policy from the Perspective of Inclusive Education, seeking to promote a break with related social prejudices to the education of students with disabilities, charting a new path, where the commitment is to an education that proposes to be universal, which must include diversity, moving away from standardized models, which do not respect the reality of students and their families and promote scenarios of exclusion and school failure.

Gender and schooling in Australia

This special issue presents a collection of recent papers drawing on qualitative research in and about schooling in Australia and the ways in which gender-related issues in the broadest sense continue to shape people’s educational experiences. These papers from the present are positioned in relation to the long histories of policy and research attention to gender equity in Australian education. We set the context for work in the present by scanning the past, noting the ambitions, the gaps and the failures of earlier policies, and drawing attention to the quality and volume of research that has previously been undertaken in this area. We explore the current policy vacuum regarding gender to consider some of the pressures and complexities that have led to the erasure or avoidance of gender-related issues. Each of the papers that form this special issue demonstrate—despite different methods, theoretical frameworks, settings and participant cohorts—how stereotypes and limitations circulate in everyday life in schools and beyond them, and how these impact on people. They each explore from a different starting point how gender injustices are perpetuated and produced, in often subtle and nuanced ways that require concerted effort to unpack. They simultaneously offer insights into the critical and creative ways that young people and those around them are reconfiguring gender and seeking more hopeful and more equitable educational experiences and outcomes. Collectively, the papers that form this special issue advocate for policies and practices that embrace the complexities of young people's lives and are oriented towards inclusive and equitable educational environments.

A shared vision for a school: developing a learning community

ABSTRACT Background Developing a school as a learning community is a complex process necessitating active engagement from the entire school community. This paper reports on a study from Finland that focused on exploring learning community development grounded in a shared vision. Purpose We sought to investigate the development of a school community with a separate primary and lower secondary school as it progressed towards becoming a unified comprehensive school. The research involved close school-university collaboration to support the community’s transformative journey. Our particular interest in this paper is the relationship between the shared vision and learning community development. Method At the conclusion of the development project, seven semi-structured interviews were conducted with members of the school management team. Thematic analysis of the interview data was undertaken to identify their perceptions of how the shared vision was linked to learning community development. Findings The in-depth analysis revealed five major themes: (1) communication of the shared vision and transparency; (2) present and absent themes in the shared vision; (3) tradition and innovation; (4) the long-term nature of school development; and (5) the role of the vision in everyday school life. The analysis drew attention to how a school’s past and present influence a shared vision and school development. Conclusion This study provides insights into how the preconditions of a school community contribute to the implementation of a shared vision as a catalyst for change. Recognising the distinct needs and starting points of schools is crucial, emphasising the importance of understanding the pre-existing context in school development.

Queere Un/Sichtbarkeiten im Feld der Schule Einblicke in aktuelle Studien zu den Erfahrungen und Herausforderungen schwuler Schüler und Lehrer

In this article, we concentrate on the current experiences of gay students and teachers and the challenges they face. Drawing on the results of two educational research projects (Jansen i. E. and Mallwitz i. E.), our focus is less on the reconstruction of rigid forms of heteronormativity. Rather, we base our analysis on the concept of post-heteronormativity (Klenk 2023) – a queer theoretical perspective on social transformation processes in the field of gender and sexuality – and are thus able to trace the subtle experiences of in/visibility and moments of silencing sexual diversity in everyday school life.

Schools history representation through the preservation of educational everyday life artifacts through the process of renovation and construction of school buildings

Introduction. The relevance of the problem of studying and preserving artifacts of educational everyday life of school buildings is due to large-scale renovation and construction of educational infrastructure in Russia. Frequently, during renovation, along with the old walls, historical artifacts of everyday educational life irrevocably go into the past, and the history of the school itself disappears with its established traditions, events and ways of life. In this regard, it is very important to preserve and integrate historical artifacts of everyday school life into new school interiors, which makes it possible to create a comfortable and emotionally safe educational environment for students without losing the historical school identity. The purpose of the research is to identify approaches to representing the history of a school through the preservation of artifacts of educational everyday life in the process of renovation and construction of new school buildings. Materials and methods. Systemic and environmental approaches were used to determine the significance of the problem of preserving and representing artifacts of educational everyday life in the process of renovation of outdated funds and new construction of school buildings to maintain the emotional connection of modern students with the historical heritage of the school, its traditions, way of life, and identity. The research methods determined: analysis of theoretical sources and existing practices of working with artifacts during major repairs and construction of schools, in-depth interviews with representatives of the administration of educational organizations, photographic fixation of artifacts available in educational organizations, expert discussions at round tables and seminars at events of various levels. Results. Based on the data obtained as a result of the conducted research, five approaches to the preservation and representation of their history by educational organizations have been identified, namely: the building is considered as an artifact of a certain historical period, there is a partial preservation of interior artifacts of the past, new artifacts are being developed, a museum of artifacts of educational everyday life is being created, artifacts are used in the educational process. Conclusion. The implementation of the research results will allow us to develop new action algorithms in the renovation and design of schools, taking into account their cultural and historical heritage through the preservation of artifacts of educational everyday life and their careful inclusion in modern and updated interiors.

The Stellarium Gornergrat: Astrophysics with your own Data

Remote-controlled telescopes in education provide the opportunity to obtain high quality astronomy images for a broad variety of users. The Stellarium Gornergrat is such a telescope. In addition to pure observation, it offers a user-friendly interface and teaching modules so that astronomical and astrophysical projects can be integrated into everyday school life without any special prior knowledge and without requiring a lot of time. This contribution presents the Stellarium project and a provides an overview of several teaching activities.

STEM teachers’ beliefs about the relevance and use of evidence-based information in practice: a case study using thematic analysis

The term evidence-based practice has gained importance in teacher education as well as in everyday school life. Calls from policymakers, academics, and society have become increasingly apparent that teachers’ professional actions should not exclusively be based on subjective experiential knowledge but also on empirical evidence from research studies. However, the use of evidence comes along with several challenges for teachers such as often lacking applicability of available sources or limited time resources. This case study explores how teachers (n = 12) at secondary schools think about the relevance and usage of evidence-based information in practice as well as the barriers associated with it. As we see a particular need for evidence-based teaching in STEM disciplines, we focus on these subjects. A thematic analysis of the data indicates that the teachers generally rate relevance highly, for instance seeing opportunities for support and guidance. However, the actual use of evidence-based information in the classroom is rather low. The teachers most frequently mentioned the feasibility of implementation in class as a quality indicator of evidence-based information. Based on the data, we discuss possible conclusions to promote evidence-based practice at schools. Furthermore, the study opens up directions for further research studies with representative teacher samples in various disciplines.

A REFLECTIVE STUDY ON SEXUAL EDUCATION AS AN INTEGRAL ELEMENT OF DAILY SCHOOL LIFE

This article presents a reflective analysis of sexual education as an essential component of everyday school life. Exploring the integration of sexual education into the daily practices of the school through a qualitative and exploratory approach, utilizing specialized literature in the virtual environment, the research examines the importance and impact of this approach on students' development. The study aims to highlight different perspectives on sexual education, emphasizing the need for a reflective and inclusive approach. By addressing the relevance of sexual education in the school context, the study seeks to identify educators' approaches to sexual education, assessing whether or not this topic is being incorporated. Additionally, it aims to understand the perspectives of students and their parents regarding this type of education, contributing to a better understanding of how this dimension can enrich the educational experience and promote a school environment that is more informed, healthy, and supportive of diversity.

Teachers’ attitudes and self-efficacy toward augmented reality in chemistry education

Digital media have played a central role in everyday school life, at least since the governments in various competence frameworks define the digital competence areas. With a view to experimentation in STEM lessons, digital media offers a variety of opportunities to promote learning processes. A benefit is expected from technological progress when visually imperceptible scientific processes are made visible with software and hardware systems. Augmented reality combines the real and virtual worlds so that the viewer physically moves in a real environment that contains virtual elements. Consequently, augmented reality offers good conditions for expanding students’ subject-specific knowledge regarding substance-particle concept understanding. When a technology like augmented reality is used in the classroom, the learning environment must be accepted by teachers. Teachers are thus actively involved in the modification of digital learning environments so that they can identify, evaluate, and select digital resources. Teachers’ acceptance, therefore, presupposes an upbeat assessment of the usability of the innovation. Attitudes and self-efficacy can influence digital literacy and, thus, acceptance. The study investigates whether chemistry teachers positively embrace augmented reality and accept them as learning tools. Considering the T(D) Pack model, the teachers’ digital competencies are examined concerning the subject- and media-didactic evaluation of digital media. First, self-efficacy and attitudes of teachers (N = 157) are assessed. After processing the (non-/HMD-)augmented reality learning environment, an acceptance and usability test (N = 122) follows. The data analysis provides reliability and correlation analyses according to classical test theory. The results demonstrated that chemistry teachers saw great potential in using digital media and AR and, in particular, positively evaluated the AR learning environment on the tablet for chemistry teaching. In this context, the analyses revealed significant correlations between attitudes and acceptance.

Exploring private supplementary tutoring in Finnish general upper secondary education

ABSTRACT We examine private supplementary tutoring within the context of Finnish general upper secondary education. Specifically, we focus on profit-driven private preparatory course providers who cater to individual students and their families, aiming to improve applicants’ prospects of gaining access to higher education. We examine this during a time when a recent education policy reform has renewed seeking admission to higher education in Finland, consequently impacting the private supplementary tutoring market associated with it. We draw on Bourdieu’s concepts of field, capital, and habitus as a starting point for discussing the complex dynamics between public and private actors in the field of Finnish general upper secondary education and the role of economic capital. The ethnographic data analyzed for this paper consist of field notes and interviews (n = 58) from three general upper secondary schools, produced in 2019-2020. The study aims to investigate the negotiations between the public and private spheres of education within the everyday practices of Finnish public upper secondary education during an educational policy reform. We conclude that the fields of public and private education are not separate but rather intertwined, and they can become blurred in the everyday life of schools through both temporal and spatial overlaps.

Currículos e alfabetização: entre códigos, desvios e experimentação

ABSTRACT This text is an invitation to join a cartography held during a master’s degree research problematizing the macro policies of curriculum centralization and education regulation, which aim to standardize curricular movements in everyday school life. In the relationship between macro/micro policies, the text presents the statements of teachers and children in conversation networks about the curricular experiences produced amidst the hard lines of literacy policies. These flexible and escaping lines cross the school daily life, in movements that agency life processes, an open and susceptible map to question the effects that literacy, curricula, school and learning concepts can produce in educational processes. The text dialogues with Deleuze and Guattari to think education from an invention perspective and argue that, within the fissures of macro politics, it is possible to create curricular movements intertwined with art signs through experimentation as resistance to reproduction attempts. It concludes (always open to new experiments) that, in everyday school life, between forms and forces, there are life-affirming collective curricular movements in an exercise of thought that opens up to the new, the unthinkable, splitting postulates and inventing other ways of existing, with art.

“Today affecting tomorrow:” researching teenage pregnancy in everyday school life

Resumo: Este artigo analisou o processo de construção e execução de uma pesquisa acerca da gravidez na adolescência com jovens do ensino médio no cotidiano de uma escola pública estadual de Fortaleza-CE, a partir de um estudo qualitativo com base na pesquisa-intervenção. Por meio de um curso de extensão para estudantes secundaristas, desenvolveu-se uma pesquisa na escola em que as próprias jovens da escola pública foram copesquisadoras do tema gravidez na adolescência no cotidiano escolar. Utilizou-se as ferramentas metodológicas de diários de campo, questionário on-line e restituição. Os resultados mostraram que há diferenças nos papéis de mãe e pai na adolescência, dificuldades para a conclusão da vida escolar e prejuízos na inserção no mercado de trabalho, principalmente para as meninas. Portanto, a pesquisa possibilitou problematizar o lugar de representatividade das pautas de maternidade e paternidade fomentando espaços de escuta e dialogicidade na promoção da equidade com estudantes que experienciam a maternidade e paternidade.

THE IMPORTANCE OF ART SUBJECT IN COMPLETE EDUCATION SCHOOLS

This research explores the intersection between art and integral education, seeking to understand how the significant insertion of artistic practices can contribute to the student’s full development in the Brazilian educational context. Based on works by authors such as Gadotti (2009), Cavaliere (2014), and Oliveira (2019), the research highlights the importance of art not only as a discipline, but as a catalyzing tool for expression, creativity and socio-emotional development. The results reveal practical and structural challenges in the effective implementation of artistic practices, as evidenced by the research by Cardoso and Oliveira (2022). The gap between theory and practice highlights the need for a thorough review of educational policies to ensure that art is meaningfully integrated into everyday school life. Legislation at the state level, exemplified by laws in Goiás, signals the search for pedagogical innovation and the need for constant updates to align educational practices with contemporary demands. This legislative dynamism suggests a constant dialogue between theory and practice, emphasizing the importance of a flexible and adaptable approach in implementing artistic practices in comprehensive education. By drawing horizons for a comprehensive education enriched by art, this research contributes to the development of strategies and policies that promote a more complete and meaningful educational experience for students, going beyond the mere transmission of formal knowledge.