Projects / Programmes
Systemic aspects of educational strategies and encouraging social inclusion in education
January 1, 2015
- December 31, 2018
| Code |
Science |
Field |
Subfield |
| 5.01.00 |
Social sciences |
Educational studies |
|
| Code |
Science |
Field |
| S285 |
Social sciences |
Social pedagogy |
| Code |
Science |
Field |
| 5.03 |
Social Sciences |
Educational sciences |
education, the education system and policies; compulsory education; higher education; teacher education; inclusiveness; marginalized children and youth; vulnerable families and individuals; emotional and social learning; experience of learning
Researchers (10)
| no. |
Code |
Name and surname |
Research area |
Role |
Period |
No. of publicationsNo. of publications |
| 1. |
06565 |
PhD Bojan Dekleva |
Criminology and social work |
Researcher |
2015 - 2018 |
689 |
| 2. |
39244 |
PhD Florian Klauser |
Interdisciplinary research |
Junior researcher |
2016 - 2018 |
17 |
| 3. |
18389 |
PhD Urban Kordeš |
Interdisciplinary research |
Researcher |
2015 - 2018 |
300 |
| 4. |
16082 |
PhD Janez Krek |
Philosophy |
Researcher |
2015 - 2018 |
429 |
| 5. |
19638 |
PhD Irena Lesar |
Educational studies |
Researcher |
2015 - 2018 |
244 |
| 6. |
11611 |
PhD Mojca Peček Čuk |
Educational studies |
Researcher |
2015 - 2018 |
350 |
| 7. |
21371 |
PhD Špela Razpotnik |
Criminology and social work |
Researcher |
2015 - 2018 |
500 |
| 8. |
50601 |
Nika Šušterič |
Educational studies |
Junior researcher |
2017 - 2018 |
32 |
| 9. |
05263 |
PhD Pavel Zgaga |
Philosophy |
Head |
2015 - 2018 |
981 |
| 10. |
13902 |
PhD Darja Zorc Maver |
Educational studies |
Researcher |
2015 - 2018 |
287 |
Organisations (1)
Abstract
Systemic Aspects of Education Strategies and Encouraging Social Inclusion in Education are two interconnected fields. We study these fields from two perspectives: (a) education as a system connected to the institutionalisation of contemporary societies, the state constitution, globalisation, the balance of power, etc., and (b) encouraging social inclusion, which is derived from the fact that education as a process takes place through subjective relationships that are conditioned both by the personality of the individual and by the fact that individualisation, socialisation and inculturation take place within social contexts.
The research goals are:
A. forming the conceptual foundations of education strategies and systemic changes in compulsory and higher education;
B. forming the conceptual foundations of inclusion of marginalised children as well as vulnerable families and individuals, and of new models of professional work in these fields;
C. examining the experience of learning from the perspective of empirical phenomenology.
The established research goals and content dictate an approach with mixed, qualitative and quantitative methods, e.g. review of relevant literature, analysis of (policy) documents, critical discourse analysis, methods of philosophical argumentation (the conceptual backgrounds of leading paradigms, value contexts, etc.), theoretical, comparative, descriptive and causal non-experimental methods of pedagogical research, etc.
The empirical research of social exclusion includes all subjects of the research in all phases. The fundamental methodological principle will be an orientation towards the life circumstances of the subjects of the research. We shall use open and semi-structured interviews, observation with participation, action research, focus groups, secondary analysis of databases, the phenomenological case study, etc.
Importance to the development of science is foreseen in the following horizons:
- conceptualisation of the education act and contribution to a theory of educational behaviours;
- development of higher education studies as an interdisciplinary field in Slovenia and contributing to international discussion;
- analysing the system of teacher education and its effects on the quality of the education;
- analysing concepts of inclusion in education in general and within teacher education;
- building upon existing studies of the position of vulnerable pupils;
- substantiating new aetiological explanations and topologies of social exclusion;
- analysing the mechanisms of the reproduction of social exclusion;
- broadening the understanding of processes of learning and the construction of knowledge with findings on experiential modalities;
- validating the existing theories of cognitive and learning styles;
- facilitating findings that can be translated into the improvement of education strategies;
- developing key competences in the area of social and emotional learning;
- developing of categorial apparatus; etc.
Significance for science
The social context of education in contemporary globalised societies is subject to divergent and conflicting pressures that encourage permissiveness in relation to children and young people, while at the same time being dominated by mechanisms of selection and exclusion. In this context, we will:
- conceptualise the education act and develop a theory of educational behaviours relevant both to the Slovenian context and to the context of contemporary globalised societies in general by referring to the value system of human rights and the modern achievements of the ethical and political seeking of principles of tolerance and solidarity;
- develop a framework for contemporary studies of higher education as an interdisciplinary field in the Slovenian research sphere and contribute to international discussion, particularly with a new conceptualisation of the relationship between centres and peripheries in the context of the transfer of higher education policies (“policy travel”) and their impact on systems and institutions;
- analyse the system of teacher education and its operation, including in the international context, as well as its effects on the quality of the education process;
- analyse concepts of inclusion in the educational process;
- research the beliefs of higher education teachers with regard to the implementation of the principle of inclusion in the pedagogical process, an aspect that is overlooked in Slovenia and rarely researched abroad, and thus reconceptualise inclusion in teacher education;
- build upon existing studies of the position of vulnerable pupils by studying attitudes towards the school from the perspective of the pupils themselves;
- substantiate new aetiological explanations and topologies of social exclusion and critically evaluate existing support networks, with a particular emphasis on educational contexts and social care;
- conceptualise the synergetic multidisciplinary responses of professions in the areas of the accumulation and overlapping of diverse problems and causes of social exclusion;
- analyse the mechanisms of the reproduction of social exclusion and the intersections of specific aspects of exclusion and the development of categorial apparatus;
- critically analyse and evaluate the prevailing discourse of parenting, individual responsibility and the reflexive project of the self, and on this basis reflect on the role of the existing system of education and social care as well as on the relationship to the constructs of “social groups at risk”;
- through empirical phenomenological research, broaden the understanding of processes of learning and the construction of knowledge with findings on experiential modalities, improve the methodological instruments in the field of idiographic phenomenological research, supplement or further validate the existing theories of cognitive and learning styles and facilitate findings that can be translated into the improvement of education strategies, including learning to learn, self-regulation processes and individualised forms of learning;
- with new research data and insights, contribute to the creation of European key competences in the area of social and emotional learning, and verify the supposition that the introduction of social and emotional learning increases factors of protection while reducing factors of risk and the emergence of deviant forms of behaviour.
Significance for the country
Due to social and economic as well as technological changes, contemporary societies are subject to extraordinarily rapid and profound changes, influencing the education of children and young people, the way of establishing families and their operation, as well as the opportunities that are offered to schools and other institutions with regard to achieving their goals. Ongoing theoretical and empirical research in this field, reflection on practices and the reconceptualisation of key categories on which these practices are based, as well as seeking and proposing solutions, are therefore the central tasks of the research group, which, in its conclusions, will directly contribute to the modernisation and quality of the education system in Slovenia. In the international context, research undertaken to date has demonstrated that such solutions cannot simply be transferred from one system to another. Therefore, while engaging with international discussion and various practices, the research group will draw from the specifics of Slovenian society and seek solutions appropriate to it. In this regard, we will devote particular attention to two levels of the education system: compulsory and higher education. We will therefore:
- contribute to the creation of cultures that are more predisposed to the process of inclusion in schools and other institutions. Slovenia has devoted significant financial resources to overcoming obstacles, particular those faced by people with special needs. However, the findings of certain research undertaken to date indicate that the results achieved by these investments are rather modest. The findings of our critical analysis will contribute to the more efficient use of resources for helping marginalised children and young people.
- with new findings, encourage the development of professionally argued foundations for the (trans)formation of teacher education programmes that will, in a quality way, equip teachers for working in inclusive classrooms. The results will be applicable to the preparation of study material at faculties of education and other related faculties in Slovenia, and to the ongoing professional retraining of teachers and professional staff.
- in the area of vulnerable individuals and families, develop new models for professional work that will take into account the needs of this population, while also reflecting contemporary socio-pedagogical orientations: life space interventions, partnership co-creation, a holistic approach, drawing from existing strengths, and non-intrusiveness. The new practices will thus be based in their living space and on the evidence established by the research.
- analyse the collected testimonies of individuals and families as well as data on current practices, and define their effects on children, parents and families. On this basis, we will develop models of new practices and communicate them to professional staff from this field.
The findings obtained will be included on all levels of the higher education of future professional staff in the area of social inclusion, while also being useful for planners and executors of policies in the field of education in general, and in responses to social exclusion in particular.
Most important scientific results
Annual report
2015,
2016,
2017,
final report
Most important socioeconomically and culturally relevant results
Annual report
2015,
2016,
2017,
final report
