Unit:
Department of Early Childhood EducationLibrary of the School of Education
Author:
Kosmidou Evangelia
Dissertation committee:
Μαρία Σφυρόερα, Αναπληρώτρια Καθηγήτρια, ΤΕΑΠΗ, ΕΚΠΑ
Αλεξάνδρα Ανδρούσου, Καθηγήτρια, ΤΕΑΠΗ, ΕΚΠΑ
Βασίλειος Τσάφος, Καθηγητής, ΤΕΑΠΗ, ΕΚΠΑ
Σοφία Αυγητίδου, Καθηγήτρια, Τμήμα Φιλοσοφίας & Παιδαγωγικής, ΑΠΘ
Δόμνα-Μίκα Κακανά, Καθηγήτρια, ΤΕΠΑΕ, ΑΠΘ
Ελένη Κατσαρού, Καθηγήτρια, ΦΚΣ, Πανεπιστήμιο Κρήτης
Πέτρος Χαραβιτσίδης, Επίκουρος Καθηγητής, ΤΕΑΠΗ, ΕΚΠΑ
Original Title:
Ήταν τελικά η Κούκλα; Προσεγγίζοντας την εκπαιδευτική πράξη με την αξιοποίηση της μεθόδου των Persona Dolls μέσα από το πρίσμα του εκπαιδευτικού ως αναστοχαζόμενου επαγγελματία στο πλαίσιο μιας συνεργατικής έρευνας δράσης
Translated title:
Was it the Doll after all? Approaching educational practice using the Persona Dolls method through the lens of the teacher as a reflective professional in the context of a collaborative action research
Summary:
Recently, the dialogue on managing student diversity has particularly concerned the scientific and educational community in Greece and internationally. In our country, major changes in the composition of student population as well as the growing demand for social justice bring teachers face to face with a new reality that challenges established perceptions and practices and often makes them feel confused and uncertain. The need to keep up with it puts the issue of their professional learning and development in the spotlight. In order to manage the challenges that often arise, teachers seek to be trained in new methods and techniques. However, in many cases, the training options offered do not seem to contribute to bridging theory with pedagogical practice and, therefore, do not help them to meet the complex challenges that arise every day in their classrooms.In the field of managing diversity in school, the Persona Dolls method is becoming increasingly known as an effective new approach, especially appropriate for young children. However, the research data we have available on how it is used inside classroom and on the potential theoretical and methodological issues that arise when teachers try to integrate it into their educational practice are not sufficient. In the context of this doctoral research, nine teachers, participating as action researchers together with the researcher-facilitator and her two critical friends attempt to explore the possibilities and challenges arising from using the Persona Dolls method in approaching issues of heterogeneity and discrimination. The method is exploited as research hypothesis in the context of a training and research program based on reflective models for education which is designed to support their action. As teachers’ opinion is considered important, we also believe it is necessary to explore their overall involvement in the program as well as the ways in which it is intertwined with the evaluation of the research hypothesis.The research data are drawn from different sources and are analysed through thematic analysis, using elements from grounded theory as well. The results show that teachers' participation in the research program - through their involvement in the collaborative action research processes - challenged their educational beliefs and teaching practices, promoting changes in the way they approach their practice and their role in the educational process. Evaluating the Persona Dolls method is linked to this reframing. It highlights the main difficulties and dilemmas the teachers encountered, the kind of support they consider important in their attempt to adopt the method and the perspectives they acknowledge in their effort to approach their educational practice through the lens of the reflective professional.
Main subject category:
Education
Keywords:
Anti-bias education, Teacher training and professional development, Collaborative action research, Persona dolls, Reflective practices, Communities of practice and learning
Number of references:
385
