99. Emerging Researchers' Group (for presentation at Emerging Researchers' Conference)
Poster
Queer Teachers in a Heteronormative Working Environment
Mario Mallwitz
University of Osnabrück, Germany
Presenting Author: Mallwitz, Mario
‘’Like gender, sexuality is a political category. It is integrated into systems of power that encourage and reward some individuals and activities while oppressing and punishing others“ (Rubin, 2003, p. 73 translated by author).
Sexual and gender diversity receive more and more attention in western societies. While homosexuality was long frowned upon and prohibited (Rubin, 2003), the European Union has been speaking out against discrimination on the grounds of gender or sexual orientation since the early 2000s in Article 21 of its Charter of Fundamental Rights (EU, 2000). But it should not go unmentioned that violence against queer people is still a reality and is practiced in many countries (ILGA-Europe, 2020). Moreover, queer issues have also gained prominence in state educational institutions. In 2010, the Council of Europe called on its member states to take measures in working against sexual discrimination in schools. Also, objective information on gender identity and sexual orientation should be implemented in curricula and teaching materials (Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe, 2010).
Considering the school habitat more precisely, it becomes clear that there is a broad consensus on schools being institutions which are shaped by heteronormativity (Ferfolja & Hopkins, 2013; Hartmann, 2012; Klenk, 2023; Llewellyn & Reynolds, 2021) and that sexual minorities experience discrimination (Schmidt, 2014). Furthermore, queer-hostile insults are an everyday occurrence in schools (Abreu et al., 2021). Consequently, Ferfolja and Hopkins (2013) conclude that sexual and gender diversity is marginalized and silenced in schools.
While academic publications on queer adolescents and young adults have been published in the recent years and more literature on teaching implications can be found on this matter (e. g. Hartmann & Busche, 2018) , the perspective of queer teachers remains largely unconsidered (Llewellyn & Reynolds, 2021).
Internationally, few studies which focus on queer teachers can be found (e.g. Bower-Phipps, 2020; Llewellyn & Reynolds, 2021). With regard to Germany, the study „LGBTIQ* teachers in Germany“ by the Anti-Discrimination Agency (2017) offers information on the topic and focuses primarily on queer teachers' experiences with discrimination and the handling of their sexual orientation and gender identity from a predominantly quantitative perspective. The results are ambivalent, since some teachers are open about their queer identity, others however, are closed out of fear of discrimination.
There is also the possibility of linking queerness to school culture (for example to the school culture theory of Helsper (2008)). From a queer perspective, one could ask how the school cultural order of meaning reacts to queer lifestyles or orientations and whether queer persons with their habitus are able to connect to the individual school culture or remain marginalized.
Following on from this desideratum, the aim of the dissertation is to take a deeper perspective by the use of qualitative analysis. The overarching question of the project is:
What experiences do queer teachers have in a heteronormative work environment in light of their (professional) biography?
Following subquestions are:
Q1. Where and how does sexual orientation or queer gender identity become relevant in the school context?
Q2. From the respondents' point of view, how does the school deal with sexual and gender diversity?
Q3. What is the influence of the individual school culture?
Q4. To what extent are (professional) biographical experiences perceived as a resource or an obstacle?
Methodology, Methods, Research Instruments or Sources UsedTo adequately investigate the object of research, iterative procedures of qualitative social research are meaningful to this project. An explorative analysis or reconstruction of a social reality and action orientations in the school context is to take place within the framework of this research.
To realize this, data is collected in the form of biographical narrative interviews. Dausien (2015) states that biographical research considers the life stories of people who can be assigned to socially marginalized groups, which in the case of this study, are queer people.
The relation of social changes within social practice contexts, is of further interest (Dausien, 2015). This case is about the relationship between an apparent liberalization and acceptance of non-heteronormative lifestyles in society, and the social practice in schools which is considered heteronormative. Thus, the basic assumption of the work at hand is that queer people have specific experiences in dealing with and reacting to their sexual orientation or gender identity over the course of their lives. This may have an influence on how they currently deal with it in schools, as the teachers' own biographical experiences "shape their understanding of their profession [...] their relationship to the school and to the students." (Heinritz, 2017, p. 114, translated by author). In this respect, Dausien (2015) points out ”biographical research enlightened by Bourdieu's critique and by approaches based on power and discourse theory, e.g. following Foucault, is interested in differences and power relations that have an effect on biographical constructions and pass through them“ (p. 172, translated by author).
The documentary method, which is also used in gender research, offers an opportunity for evaluation. It allows access to reflexive and habituated knowledge or knowledge that guides action (Bohnsack et al., 2013). The intended procedure will be guided by Nohl's (2017) instructions to analyze interviews documentarily and should ideally result in a type formation. In doing so, different research groups of the University of Osnabrück will offer the possibility to analyze the material together in order to achieve a higher intersubjectivity and multi-perspectivity.
In accordance with the research interest, the planned sample should include teachers who do not define themselves as cisgender and/or non-heterosexual. These persons should not stand for themselves as individual cases, instead they should represent something: in this case, non-heteronormative actors in the heteronormative institution school.
Conclusions, Expected Outcomes or FindingsDiscrimination based on heteronormative essentialist ideas is still a serious problem in society as a whole and thus also in schools. This was confirmed by various studies. Further studies show a partly queer-hostile school climate and a reticence by numerous queer teachers who are not open about their sexual orientation or gender diversity (Antidiskriminierungsstelle des Bundes, 2017).
While some qualitative studies can be found internationally, studies that focus on queer teachers in Germany from this research perspective are lacking, and therefore constitute a research desideratum. Based on this, common experiences of queer teachers will be reconstructed by means of biographical interviews, to gain a deeper understanding of a social phenomenon. With the help of reconstructive analyzes, it will be determined how the professionalism of a queer teacher is shaped in a heteronormative institution. In doing so, it is important to consider to what extent specific challenges exist, what the influences on an open or closed approach to queer identity are, and if the individual life history is influential. Another question is to what extent one's own habitus is congruent with the respective school cultural demands. The experienced influence of the respective school culture thus represents a further matter of investigation. The theoretical assumptions of queer theoretical aspects set the framework of the intended analyses. In this sense, normalization processes are emphasized and critically questioned. Looking at the expected results, it can be stated that queer teachers are affected by discrimination to varying degrees and that this may also be related to the individual school culture.The overall aim of the study is to provide actionable implications for schools so that they become discrimination-free spaces for queer people, where they can feel safe and comfortable.
ReferencesAntidiskriminierungsstelle des Bundes. (2017). LSBTIQ*-Lehrkräfte in Deutschland: Diskriminierungserfahrungen und Umgang mit der eigenen sexuellen und geschlechtlichen Identität im Schulalltag. Antidiskriminierungsstelle des Bundes.
Bohnsack, R., Nentwig-Gesemann, I., & Nohl, A.‑M. (Eds.). (2013). Die dokumentarische Methode und ihre Forschungspraxis: Grundlagen qualitativer Sozialforschung (3., aktualisierte Aufl.). Springer VS. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-531-19895-8
Bower-Phipps, L. (2020). Responding to Heteronormativity: Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Asexual Preservice Teachers’ Dreams and Fears. Current Issues in Education, 21(1).
Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe. (2010). Recommendation CM/Rec(2010)5 of the Committee of Ministers to member states on measures to combat discrimination on grounds of sexual orientation or gender identity.
Dausien, B. (2015). „Biographieforschung“ – Reflexionen zu Anspruch und Wirkung eines sozialwissenschaftlichen Paradigmas. BIOS – Zeitschrift Für Biographieforschung, Oral History Und Lebensverlaufsanalysen, 26(2), 163–176. https://doi.org/10.3224/bios.v26i2.19674
Europäische Union. (2000). Charta der Grundrechte der Europäischen Union.
Ferfolja, T., & Hopkins, L. (2013). The complexities of workplace experience for lesbian and gay teachers. Critical Studies in Education, 54(3), 311–324. https://doi.org/10.1080/17508487.2013.794743
Hartmann, J. (2012). Institutionen, die unsere Existenzbestimmen: Heteronormativität und Schule. Aus Politik Und Zeitgeschehen: Sozialisation, 62(49-50), 34–41.
Hartmann, J., & Busche, M. (2018). Mehr als Sichtbarmachung und Antidiskriminierung. Sozial Extra, 42(5), 21–25. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12054-018-0073-8
Heinritz, C. (2017). Biographische Aspekte der Lehrerpersönlichkeit. In P. Loebell & P. Martzog (Eds.), Wege zur Lehrerpersönlichkeit: Kompetenzerwerb, Persönlichkeitsentwicklung und aktuelle Herausforderungen in der Lehrerbildung (pp. 114–127). Verlag Barbara Budrich.
Helsper, W. (2008). Schulkulturen als symbolische Sinnordnung und ihre Bedeutung für die pädagogische Professionalität. In W. Helsper, S. Busse, M. Hummrich, & R.-T. Kramer (Eds.), Springer eBook Collection Humanities, Social Science. Pädagogische Professionalität in Organisationen: Neue Verhältnisbestimmungen am Beispiel der Schule (pp. 115–148). VS Verlag für Sozialwissenschaften.
International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association Europe. (2020). EU LGBTI STRATEGY 2020-2024 Key EU legislative and policy initiatives for LGBTI rights in Europe and beyond.
Klenk, F. C. (2023). Post-Heteronormativität und Schule: Soziale Deutungsmuster von Lehrkräften über vielfältige geschlechtliche und sexuelle Lebensweisen. Verlag Barbara Budrich.
Llewellyn, A., & Reynolds, K. (2021). Within and between heteronormativity and diversity: narratives of LGB teachers and coming and being out in schools. Sex Education, 21(1), 13–26. https://doi.org/10.1080/14681811.2020.1749040
Nohl, A.‑M. (2017). Interview und Dokumentarische Methode: Anleitungen für die Forschungspraxis (5. Auflage). Springer Fachmedien Wiesbaden. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-658-16080-7
Rubin, G. (2003). Sex denken: Anmerkungen zu einer radikalen Theorie der sexuellen Politik. In A. Kraß (Ed.), Edition Suhrkamp: Vol. 2248. Queer denken: Gegen die Ordnung der Sexualität (Queer Studies) (1st ed., pp. 31–79). Suhrkamp.
99. Emerging Researchers' Group (for presentation at Emerging Researchers' Conference)
Poster
Exploring Education as a Complex System in the Digital Age: the Case of Translator Education
Karolina Levanaitė
Vilnius University, Lithuania
Presenting Author: Levanaitė, Karolina
The major aspiration of this study is to explore the epistemological implications for educational change in the digital era. This theoretical positioning paper focuses on the case of translator education and the onset of machine translation (MT) which has a major impact on translator competence acquisition. Various studies have been carried out exploring different MT-related aspects, such as the assesment of automated translation quality, the development of translators‘ post-editing competence and technological skills. In addition, the European Masters in Translation (EMT) – a partnership network of the European Commission and higher education institutions – launched the Translator Competence Framework in 2022. This framework is considered to be fully in line with the EU priorities for higher education and has become one of the leading reference standards for educating translators throughout the EU and beyond (EMT Translator Competence Framework (2022)). Hence, attempts to redefine translator competencies in the digital age are obvious and well-supported.
On the other hand, little has been said about the position that MT has undertaken within translator educators‘ views towards knowledge and knowledge acquisition. Are translator educators epistemologically and theoretically equipped to keep up with the new reality of uncertainty that this technological advancement is bringing along? The major aim of this study, therefore, is to outline novel epistemological and theoretical approaches that could possibly enable translator educators to address this paradigmal shift and foster educational change.
The breakthrough of AI-based technologies and task automation has fostered a paradigmal shift in a variety of fields ranging from as far as medical sciences and economics to cognitive sciences and humanities. Among the latter, translation studies have become a preeminent example of task automation as MT, particularly neural MT which has been dominating the industry for the last five years, is significantly altering the nature of translation processes and translators’ tasks. Not only does it raise concerns regarding the future of translation as a profession, but it also plays a pivotal role in the entire concept of translator competence (Pym (2011), TAUS (2017), Munoz (2017), Risku (2020)). Two decades ago, Pym (2003) pointed out that the main tasks of translation had included communication between people and not machines; however, today this divide is no longer so clear. Translation as a form of human-computer interaction (O’Brien (2012)) urges translator educators to fundamentally reconsider their study programmes (Orlando (2016), Kenny (2020), Gonzáles-Davies (2017)). Nonetheless, translation theorists and practitioners are not always open to the epistemological aspect of translator education and often stick to the linear-transmissionist ways of teaching. Given the context of the MT dominance and the paradigmal shift it has fostered, translator education should open up to novel epistemological and theoretical approaches that embrace this new reality.
Methodology, Methods, Research Instruments or Sources UsedThe design of this study relies on qualitative research methodology implemented in two steps: 1) thematic analysis and 2) concept mapping.
There are several underlying theoretical and methodological assumptions provided by researchers of translator education: translation as human-computer interaction (O‘Brien (2012), O‘Hagan (2019)), situated cognition (Risku (2020)), emergent translator competence development (Kiraly (2015)), co-emergent learning (Massey (2019)), emergent curriculum (Doll (1993)), etc. The notion of emergence is rooted in the complex systems theories which have only scarcely been applied in educational research. Educational sciences are well positioned to make a significant contribution in adopting complexity approach because for decades complex systems' research has been evolving around notions that are central to educational research too, such as "conceptual change, knowledge transfer, representational forms, technological scaffolding and support for enhanced learning, sociocultural dimensions of learning environments, and so on" (Jacobson and Willensky 2006, 13).
Therefore, firstly, this study employs thematic analysis (Braun and Clarke (2021)) to explore scientific literature referring to the epistemologies – currently adopted or yet to be – among translator educators as well as the approach of complex systems theories and its application in educational research.
Secondly, this research endeavours to provide a concept map (Novak (1995)) of the underlying notions deducted from the thematic analysis of the relevant literature. The concept map will provide an extensive overview of the epistemological aspects of translator education as well as how they do or do not connect to each other and support the educational practices deducted from thematic analysis. Eventually, this concept map is expected to provide substantial grounds for further empirical research into the educational futures of translator competence development as intended by the author of this study.
Conclusions, Expected Outcomes or FindingsDue to the MT dominance and the technological paradigmal shift translator educators are encouraged to fundamentally reconsider their study programmes and translator competencies to be developed. However, it is not clear how this should be done as translator educators are not always open to the epistemological aspect of translator education and often stick to the linear-transmissionist ways of teaching.
This study draws its conclusions by shedding light on the complex systems approach and its adoption in translator education suggesting a new perspective for the long-standing social constructivist paradigm. Epistemology of complexity thinking expands translator educators‘ views of knowledge acquisition and encourages them to break free from linearity, reductionism (ex., within study programmes) and expectations of predictability and lean on to openness, self-organisation and emergence (Lewin (1993), Holland (1998), Cilliers (2002)). Kiraly‘s (2015) model of translator competence as an emergent phenomenon illustrates that extensively and is an explicit example of how the epistemology of complex systems – emergentist epistemology for that matter – could be adopted in translator education.
The long-standing paradigm of social constructivism, which has been vastly applied in the field of translator education has been focusing on social situatedness and knowledge construction through interaction. With technologies – MT in the case of translation – coming into play and from a post-modern perspective, this interaction and knowledge construction has been questioned by alternative conceptual pathways that embrace authentic experiential learning, situated cognition, connected learning, translator competence emergence, etc.
The concept map of this research is expected to outline how these epistemological and theoretical concepts relate to each other and how they are related to the respective translator competencies as provided by the EMT, thus, highlighting the chances of educational change in the area of translation.
ReferencesBraun, V., Clarke, V. 2021. Thematic Analysis. A Practical Guide. London: Sage Publications.
Cilliers, P. 2002. Complexity and Postmodernism: Understanding Complex Systems. London: Routledge.
Doll, Jr. W E. 1993. A Post-Modern Perspective on Curriculum. New York: Teachers College Press.
EMT Translator Competence Framework. 2022. Directorate-General for Translation, Brussels, 21 October 2022. Retrieved from: https://commission.europa.eu/news/updated-version-emt-competence-framework-now-available-2022-10-21_en
Gonzales-Davies, M. 2017. A Collaborative Pedagogy for Translation. L.Venuti (ed.) Teaching Translation. Programs, Courses, Pedagogies. Routledge, London and New York.
Holland, J. H. 1998. Emergence: From Chaos to Order. Reading, MA: Helix Books.
Jacobson, M.J., Willensky, U. 2006. Complex systems in education: scientific and educational importance and implications for the learning sciences. The Journal of the Learning Sciences, 15(1), 11-34.
Kenny, D. 2020. Technology in Translator Training. In: Minako O'Hagan (ed.) The Routledge Handbook of Translation Technology. London and New York: Routledge, 498-515.
Kiraly, D. 2015. Occasioning Translator Competence: Moving Beyond Social Constructivism Toward a Postmodern Alternative to Instructionism, Translation and Interpreting Studies, 10(1): 8-32.
Lewin, R. 1999. Complexity: Life at the Edge of Chaos. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
Massey, G. 2019. Learning to learn, teach and develop co-emergent perspectives on translator and language-mediator education. InTRAlinea (2019). Retrieved from: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/342477074_Learning_to_Learn_Teach_and_Develop_Co-emergent_Perspectives_on_Translator_and_Language-mediator_EducationDoll (1999)
Munoz, M. 2017. Looking toward the future of cognitive translation studies. Schwieter, J.W., Ferreira, A. (eds), The Handbook of translation and cognition, 555-572, Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley and Sons.
Novak, J. D. 1995. Concept mapping: A strategy for organizing knowledge. In S. M. Glynn & R. e. a. Duit (Eds.), Learning science in the schools: Research reforming practice, 229-245. New York: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc.
O‘Hagan, M. 2019. Introduction: Translation and technology: Disruptive entanglement of human and machine. O'Hagan, M. (ed) The Routledge Handbook of Translation and Technology, Routledge.
O’Brien, S. 2012. Translation as human–computer interaction, Translation Spaces, 1:101–122.
Orlando, M. 2016. Training 21st Century Translators and Interpreters: At the Crossroads of Practice, Research and Pedagogy. Berlin: Frank & Timme GmbH.
Pym, A. 2003. Redefining Translation Competence in an Electronic Age. In Defence of a Minimalist Approach, Meta 48(4):481.
Pym, A. 2011. What technology does to translating. Translation and Interpreting 3(1): 1-9.
Risku, H. 2020. Cognitive Approaches to Translation. Sociocognitive Translation Studies: Processes and Networks.
TAUS. 2017. The Translation Industry in 2022. A report from the TAUS Industry Summit, Amsterdam, March 22-24.
99. Emerging Researchers' Group (for presentation at Emerging Researchers' Conference)
Poster
Accessible Pathways to Higher Education in the Netherlands: Students’ Perceptions of the Opportunities to Reach Higher Education
Benthe van Wanrooij, Louise Elffers, Monique Volman
University of Amsterdam, Netherlands, The
Presenting Author: van Wanrooij, Benthe
In most other European countries, educational expansion has taken place over the past decades. Yet, inequalities in pathways to higher education remain (Marginson, 2016). This is the case in the Netherlands as well – students’ social background still influences the travelled pathways to higher education. Students whose parents did not go to higher education, disabled students or students with a bicultural background are less likely to enter higher education right after secondary education (Van den Broek et al., 2022). Rather, they more often follow a so-called "indirect" route to higher education, using alternative pathways to reach their aspirations.
In the Dutch stratified educational system, students’ educational track placement in secondary education is crucial. The pre-academic tracks give direct access to higher education, whereas vocational secondary education tracks prepare students for post-secondary vocational education. Students from less privileged backgrounds are more frequently selected into these vocational secondary education tracks in their transition from primary to secondary education, independent of students’ performance (Kloosterman et al., 2009). Therefore, they more frequently have to “stack” diplomas before gaining access to higher education (Visser et al., 2022), by gaining multiple diplomas in secondary education or moving from post-secondary vocational to post-secondary academic education. These pathways are longer, and students in these pathways more often drop-out or face obstacles - having to traverse multiple transitions. Even when these students are part of the pre-academic tracks in secondary education, they are more likely to self-select on their path to higher education (Vietze et al., 2022). This means they decide not to go for the highest level of higher education, even though they are qualified to do so. The differences in travelled pathways to higher education are not the result from differences in educational performance, and are considered unjust from a meritocratic point of view. .
The Dutch educational system does not put up additional barriers for students from various social backgrounds, and is supposed to provide equal pathways to higher education. The educational system and the barriers that are part of it – for example, the entry requirements to post-secondary education – are similar for all students. To find out why students who face the same formal conditions in reality differ in their pathways to higher education, this study aims to uncover students’ perceptions of the path to higher education. Students from various social backgrounds might differ in their perceptions of the opportunities and obstacles on the path to higher education (Merton, 1995). Students from less privileged backgrounds could anticipate or experience different obstacles (Voigt, 2007), or see different opportunities as (un)available to them (Schoon & Lyons-Amos, 2016). Identifying students’ perceptions, and possible differences in them, could help us improve our knowledge as to why some students within the same opportunity structure nonetheless differ in their pathways to higher education (Whitty et al., 2015). The aim of this study therefore is to find out what students’ perceptions of the opportunities and obstacles on the path to higher education are, and whether these perceptions differ between students from various social backgrounds.
Methodology, Methods, Research Instruments or Sources UsedThis study uses a cross-sectional, quantitative research design. Students at various ages in the educational pathway before entering higher education are surveyed. These are students in year 7, which in the Netherlands is the last year of primary school, as well as in year 9 and year 11. Given the tracked nature of the Dutch educational system, students at various ages have or have not been placed in a specific track. Looking at students’ perceptions at various ages in the educational pathway helps us to see whether differences between these ages exist, and whether track placement might play a role in development of these perceptions.
A new questionnaire has been developed to test students’ perceptions based on previous literature and insights from a previous qualitative study the authors did. The questionnaire has been piloted in several rounds in focus groups with students. Their feedback was used to improve the questionnaire. In the questionnaire, students are asked about their educational aspirations and expectations and the educational path they expect to follow and how feasible this trajectory they perceive this trajectory. Further, we touch upon obstacles such as financial barriers or perceived parental support.
In each age-category, between five hundred and a thousand students are included, in all tracks of secondary education as well as throughout all provinces of the Netherlands. Questionnaires are administered in school classes across the Netherlands in Spring 2023. The data will be analysed using multi-level structural equation modelling, to account for the nested nature of the data.
Conclusions, Expected Outcomes or FindingsWe expect to find differences among students from various social backgrounds in the perceptions of the path to higher education. The perceived options available to them are likely to differ, even though the formal options are similar. These differences in perceptions of the obstacles and opportunities might relate to students’ educational aspirations and expectations: the more opportunities students perceive on their path to higher education, the more feasible reaching a higher education level will be. We are curious to find whether these differences are visible from students from various social backgrounds – first-generation students, disabled students as well as students with a bicultural background – and if so, at which points. These outcomes can be of great information into why students from various social backgrounds differ in their pathways to higher education. During the ECER Emerging Research Conference, we will be able to portray our first results and are happy to discuss the first interpretations of these analyses.
ReferencesKloosterman, R., Ruiter, S., De Graaf, P. M., & Kraaykamp, G. (2009). Parental education, children’s performance and the transition to higher secondary education: Trends in primary and secondary effects over five Dutch school cohorts (1965-99). British Journal of Sociology, 60(2), 377–398. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1468-4446.2009.01235.x
Marginson, S. (2016). The worldwide trend to high participation higher education: Dynamics of social stratification in inclusive systems. Higher Education, 72(4), 413–434. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10734-016-0016-x
Merton, R. K. (1995). Opportunity Structure: The Emergence, Diffusion and Differentiation of a Sociological Concept, 1930s-1950s. In F. Adler & W. S. Laufer (Eds.), The Legacy of Anomie Theory (pp. 3–78).
Schoon, I., & Lyons-Amos, M. (2016). Diverse pathways in becoming an adult: The role of structure, agency and context. Research in Social Stratification and Mobility, 46, 11–20. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rssm.2016.02.008
Van den Broek, A., Termorshuizen, T., & Cuppen, J. (2022). Monitor beleidsmaatregelen hoger onderwijs 2021-2022. Research Ned.
Vietze, J., van Herpen, S. G. A., Dias-Broens, A., Severiens, S. E., & Meeuwisse, M. (2022). Self-selection from higher education: A meta-review of resources for academic decision-making of mainstream and underrepresented students. Research in Post-Compulsory Education, 27(3), 454–477. https://doi.org/10.1080/13596748.2022.2076057
Visser, D., Lemmens, A., Magnée, C., & Dillingh, R. (2022). Stapelen in het voortgezet onderwijs. Centraal Planbureau.
Voigt, K. (2007). Individual choice and unequal participation in higher education. Theory and Research in Education, 5(1), 87–112. https://doi.org/10.1177/1477878507073617
Whitty, G., Hayton, A., & Tang, S. (2015). Who you know, what you know and knowing the ropes: A review of evidence about access to higher education institutions in England. Review of Education, 3(1), 27–67. https://doi.org/10.1002/rev3.3038
99. Emerging Researchers' Group (for presentation at Emerging Researchers' Conference)
Poster
Women’s Knowledge and Attitudes about Sexual Violence and Possibilities for Prevention, Education, and Support Interventions in this Area
Marlena Mitka
Doctoral School of the University of Silesia in Katowice, Poland
Presenting Author: Mitka, Marlena
Sexual violence and harassment are widely recognised as globally significant and widespread human rights problems. According to estimates by the World Health Organization, 35% of women worldwide report having experienced either physical or sexual violence by a partner or sexual violence by a friend, family member, acquaintance, or stranger. Studies around the world estimate that between 14 and 25% of adult women have been raped during their lifetime (Levinson, 1989; Koss, Heise, Russo, 1994; McCloskey, Williams, Larsen, 2005). Sexual violence is an umbrella term covering a range of unwanted and unwelcome sexual behaviours that violate a person’s basic safety and dignity, values, and autonomy. The consequences of sexual violence range from individual and interpersonal to societal factors. Sexual violence is a problem deeply rooted in social, cultural, and religious norms. It should also be regarded as a public health problem, it means that it is the responsibility of the community of educational institutions to prevent it. In addition, furthermore, sources of knowledge concerning such a vast topic as sexuality should be reliable and correct because a person’s sexual identity is built on these foundations.
This Ph.D. project will examinate women's knowledge and attitudes toward the broader issue of sexual violence. The study will assess the relationship between knowledge and attitudes and socio-demographic characteristics (age, place of residence, marital status, level of education, and professed faith). In the designed research, I would like to explore women’s beliefs, attitudes and behaviours related to the acceptance of modern myths about sexual aggression, norms and beliefs about the use of violence. Introduced into the scientific discourse, the concept of the ‘rape myths’, was intended to identify, clarify, and explore false beliefs about rape and the victim’s reactions to rape. These beliefs were intended to emphasise sexual aggression and sexual violence committed against women. Rape myths – which contain elements of blaming the victim, absolving the perpetrator, and minimizing or rationalising sexual violence - perpetrate sexual violence against women (Payne et al. 1994).
In addition, with the help of expert interviews, the study will also explore the possibilities of effective preventive, educational, and support interventions in the area in question. Investigating the knowledge and attitudes of the women's community and the possibilities for preventive, educational, and support interventions in the area of sexual violence is of the utmost importance for the implementation of appropriate measures to prevent sexual violence, which is helpful in many undertakings ( e.g., development of specialist training, preparation of training programs on sexual and anti-violence education addressed to a wide and diverse group of recipients, promotion of educational, prophylactic and assistance actions, establishing rules of conduct towards victims-survivors of sexual violence, creation of appropriate intervention classes for perpetrators of sexual crimes).
In the conceptualization of the research project, three main research problems were identified.
The quantitative research posed two main problems:
- What is the level of women's knowledge and their attitude concerning sexual violence?
- What are the possible preventive, educational, and assistance interventions related to sexual violence?
Substituted one main question for the qualitative research:
- What are women's views on sexual violence and the possibilities of preventive, educational, and supportive interventions?
Methodology, Methods, Research Instruments or Sources UsedThe research will be divided into two stages. The first stage will use a diagnostic survey method, one of the most frequently used research methods in the social sciences. Within the discussed method, the leading way of data collection will be the questionnaire technique and measurement with the scaling (estimation) technique. I will focus only on adult women because women experience greater fear of sexual violence than men and engage in more ‘safety management’ behaviours. Moreover, research shows that girls and women are more likely to experience sexual violence. Young women aged 16-24 are widely recognized as the group at greatest risk of experiencing sexual assault. That is why I want to examine the level of knowledge (among others: preventive, educational, and support interventions aspects) and attitude (among others: belief in rape culture and rape myths) of Polish women on sexual violence.
In the following part of the research, a technique will be applied, thanks to which correct preventive educational and assistance activities addressed to a diverse group of recipients will be identified and characterized. The possibilities that should implement in Poland will be examined and will present alternative activities related to the discussed subject. To obtain detailed information in this area, in my research, I will use expert interviews with specialists (among others: therapists, psychotherapists, psychologists, sexologists, researchers, educators, social workers, and activists).
In the second stage, I will conduct focus surveys. It is a method of collecting qualitative data to dig deeper into a topic, to get to the unaware and unobvious. In focus group research, in a group discussion, the internalized influences of cultural factors and the value system of the social groups to which participants belong and based on which they modify their behaviour are strongly reinforced and easily manifested. By identifying a community of traits, beliefs, and motivations, the qualitative approach gives access to the thought processes and emotions of the subjects. Supporting quantitative research with the material obtained in focus makes the overall area comprehensible. In my study, the diagnostic survey method will be the main method, but the focus research will be a parallel method - one that helps interpret the results of the survey.
Conclusions, Expected Outcomes or FindingsThe scientific literature shows that women’s educational level exerts a protective effect concerning sexual violence (Jewkes, Levin, Penn-Kekana, 2002; Karamagi, Tumwine, Tylleskar, Heggenhougen, 2006). However, some studies show little association between educational level and exposure to violence (Michael, Tom, Feng, Fred, et al., 2003). Age, level of education, income, and religion may be significant predictors of attitude toward victims (Nagel, Matsuo, McIntyre, Morrison, 2005). Furthermore, some research suggested that individuals with more fundamentalist religious convictions hold a more negative attitude toward victims of sexual violence (Sheldon, Parent, 2002). Poland is an appropriate selection of a country for the analysis, as it has a unique set of religious, socio-cultural, and demographic characteristics, which make the problem of sexual violence more complex and possibly harder to combat compared to other countries.
Furthermore, various meanings of sexual violence are represented and reproduced in public spaces. As such, there is a particular kind of ‘public knowledge’ about sexual violence, which often conveys false information that trivializes the sexual violence experience, excuses the perpetrators, and besmirches the survivors. This ‘public knowledge' can influence women’s attitudes toward sexual violence and harassment (Powell, Henry, 2017). In terms of possibilities for prevention, education, and support about sexual violence, studies show that effective sex education is of great importance for avoiding gender-based violence (Michielsen, Ivanova, 2022). Other activities concern issues of social and family policy.
ReferencesAyala, E. E., Kotary, B., & Hetz, M. (2015). Blame Attributions of Victims and Perpetrators: Effects of Victim Gender, Perpetrator Gender, and Relationship. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 33(1), 94-116.
Bittner, M., & Wittfeld, M. (2017). Pedagogical relationships in times of sexual violence: constituting intimacy and corporality at the limits. Ethnography and Education, 13(2), 254–268.
Bongiorno, R., Langbroek, C., Bain, P. G., Ting, M., & Ryan, M. K. (2020). Why women are blamed for being sexually harassed: The effects of empathy for female victims and male perpetrators. Psychology of Women Quarterly, 44(1), 11–27.
Brownmiller, S. (1993). Against our will: Men, Women, and Rape. New York: Fawcett Columbine.
Dodge, A. (2015). Digitizing rape culture: Online sexual violence and the power of the digital photograph. Crime, Media, Culture: An International Journal, 12(1), 65–82.
Eaton, A. A., & McGlynn, C. (2020). The Psychology of Nonconsensual Porn: Understanding and Addressing a Growing Form of Sexual Violence. Policy Insights from the Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 7(2), 190–197.
Henry, N., & Powell, A. (2016). Technology-Facilitated Sexual Violence: A Literature Review of Empirical Research. Trauma, Violence, & Abuse, 19(2), 195–208.
Henry, N., Powell, A. (2017). Sexual violence in a digital age. London: Palgrave Macmillan.
Jeglic, E. L., & Calkins, C. (Eds.). (2016). Sexual Violence. Cham: Springer.
Jewkes, R., Levin, J., & Penn-Kekana, L. (2002). Risk factors for domestic violence: findings from a South African cross-sectional study. Social Science & Medicine, 55(9), 1603–1617.
Koss, M. P., Heise, L., & Russo, N. F. (1994). The Global Health Burden Of Rape. Psychology of Women Quarterly, 18(4), 509–537.
Michielsen, K., Ivanova, O. (2022). Comprehensive sexuality education: why is it important? Brussels: European Parliament.
Nagel, B., Matsuo, H., McIntyre, K. P., & Morrison, N. (2005). Attitudes Toward Victims of Rape. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 20(6), 725–737.
Payne, A. C., Whitehurst, G. J., & Angell, A. L. (1994). The role of home literacy environment in the development of language ability in preschool children from low-income families. Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 9(3-4), 427–440.
Sheldon, J. P., & Parent, S. L. (2002). Clergy’s Attitudes and Attributions of Blame Toward Female Rape Victims. Violence Against Women, 8(2), 233–256.
Stanko, E. (1990). Everyday violence: How women and men experience sexual and physical danger. Glasgow and London: Pandora.
99. Emerging Researchers' Group (for presentation at Emerging Researchers' Conference)
Poster
The impact of Community-based Education Initiatives on the Educational Trajectories of Ethnic Minority Youth
Blansefloer Coudenys1, Noel Clycq1, Orhan Agirdag2
1University of Antwerp, Belgium; 2Ku Leuven, Belgium
Presenting Author: Coudenys, Blansefloer
Across Europe many education systems struggle with continuous and strong performance inequalities between students with and without a migration background (Hadjar and Gross, 2016). Despite many often well-meant (top-down) policy actions to tackle these inequalities the latter seem quite persistent. What remains particularly puzzling in this regard is that ethnic minority students are generally highly motivated to perform well in education, yet their educational outcomes remain, on average, low. This is also known as the achievement-motivation paradox (Hadjar & Scharf, 2019; Mickelson, 1990; Salikutluk, 2016). Much time and effort have been spent researching this paradox and the causes of these inequalities, focusing on theories around the reproduction of inequality, capital theory and deficit thinking theory (Agirdag, 2020; Dewitt & Van Petegem, 2001; Triventi et al., 2022). Yet, this research has mostly focused on mainstream education institutions, examining, among other things, the role of the curriculum (Civitillo et al., 2017; Clycq, 2017; Van Praag et al., 2016), teacher-student relations (Charki et al., 2022; Nouwen & Clycq, 2019) and teaching practices (Agirdag et al., 2014; Pulinx et al., 2017). The role and the agency of the ethnic-cultural minoritized communities to overcome themselves the inequalities they are most affected by has been mostly overlooked. In addition, research in education initiatives beyond the boundaries of the mainstream institutions which produce or reproduce these existing inequalities has been limited until now, and the resources present in these alternative forms of education which exist next to the mainstream schools are thus missed. My PhD project shifts this focus and aims to study in what ways bottom-up initiatives, taken by ethnic minority communities themselves, can reverse educational inequalities. These community based educational spaces (CBES) are educational initiatives set up by ethnic minorities, often to supplement mainstream education. It touches upon the idea that learning through public education is insufficient to ‘succeed’ and become adequately qualified in the knowledge society and that there are resources present in ethnic minority communities that mainstream education is not aware of or is unable to tap into. By establishing CBES these resources can become ‘unlocked’ and applicable to support the achievement of educational goals. However, even though CBES have been around for years the current state of the art does not reveal if these CBES indeed support minority youth in increasing their educational success in (mainstream) education.
This research aims to move beyond gaps in the current state of the art by linking theories on community-based educational spaces (CBES) with impact and evaluation research through the concepts of capital and resources. This will enrich and strengthen our understanding of the reasons why CBES are established, which types can be discerned and what their impact is on the performances, well-being and identity construction of youngsters. This leads to the following objective this project aims to examine: to understand the mechanisms underlying the impact of CBES by studying the ways resources become unlocked and applied by stakeholders in their interactions in CBES and mainstream public schools. Hence, the research question for this part of my doctoral thesis is: how do stakeholders experience their role in CBES, what interactions take place, and how do pupils use the resources made available in CBES?
Methodology, Methods, Research Instruments or Sources UsedTo formulate an answer to the research question we are making use of previously collected survey data from approximately 2500 pupils across 60 primary schools across the whole of Flanders (collected in 2021). In this survey pupils and teachers were asked about their experiences with CBES (including attendance and type of classes they followed/know) and in the survey of the pupils math achievement and school belonging were also measured. This allows me, in partnership with a postdoc researcher specialised in quantitative research, to analyse this data in depth to understand the impact of CBES attendance on educational outcomes.
We are also currently use a further stakeholders’ evaluation of the impact of CBES: A theory driven stakeholder evaluation design is applied in this part of the research to execute a process evaluation of CBES and assess their impact on various educational outcomes. This methodology offers a deeper understanding of the mechanisms leading to the success or failure of CBES. The TDSE primarily aims to grasp why certain initiatives seem effective, by acknowledging the perspectives, experiences and behaviours of the stakeholders involved (Chen, 2015). The assumption is that when stakeholders’ experiences overlap, the effectiveness of the initiative is higher as they all work towards similar goals applying similar resources and strategies. Rather than a pre-post comparison of input and output measures, the processual nature of the initiative is the focal point. The stakeholders that will be interviewed/ will be part of focus groups are the organisers (e.g. community representatives and management of CBES), the implementers (e.g. teachers or tutors) and the target groups (pupils).
Conclusions, Expected Outcomes or FindingsWe already have preliminary results based on the first quantitative analysis: We now know that community-based education initiatives are widely attended by ethnic minority youth and that these pupils perceive CBES as helpful for their future in general. Pupils also indicated that they attend these community initiatives to learn about their culture, heritage language and religion. This result mirrors the literature and subscribes to the role CBEI play in enabling minoritized communities to explore and strengthen their knowledge and feelings of belonging to their ethnic-cultural heritage. However, the results of this first analysis also showcase that teachers within the mainstream schools are rarely informed or even aware of the existence of these initiatives or the important role these play in their pupils’ lives. Additionally, what teachers think CBES do or provide (such as practicing Dutch or socio-emotional learning) is very different than what students actually attending these CBEI indicate they do or learn within these education initiatives. These results already have several implications for social policy regarding tackling the ethnic achievement gap in education as they showcase that a first and important step to take towards creating an expanded educational space which includes CBEI, is to create greater awareness of the existence of these community initiatives.
I am currently conducting the qualitative analysis with different CBES to create an understanding of the resources present in these spaces. Expected outcomes of this study are in line with what was found in the first quantitative study: That there are several streams of impactful resources present in community-based education initiatives which could be highly useful to influence the ethnic achievement gap in education. Yet, that more research and a greater cooperation between CBES and mainstream education institutions is imperative to reap the benefits of these resources and tackle the ethnic achievement gap.
ReferencesAgirdag, O., Jordens, K., & Van Houtte, M. (2014). Speaking Turkish in Belgian Primary Schools: Teacher Beliefs versus Effective Consequences. Bilig - Turk DunyasI Sosyal Bilimler Dergisi, 70, 7-28.
Bodvin, K., Verschueren, K. & Struyf, E. (2018), School counsellors’ beliefs regarding collaboration with parents of students with special educational needs in Flanders: Parents as partners or opposites? British Educational Research Journal, 44(3), 419-439.
Calarco, J. M. (2011). “I Need Help!” Social Class and Children’s Help-Seeking in Elementary School. American Sociological Review, 76(6), 862–882.
Chen, H.Y. (2015). Practical Program Evaluation. Theory-Driven Evaluation and the Integrated Evaluation Perspective. 2nd Edition. London: Sage.
Civitillo, S., Schachner, M., Juang, L., Van de Vijver, F., Handrick, A., & Noack, P. (2017). Towards a better understanding of cultural diversity approaches at school: A multi-informant and mixed-methods study. Learning, Culture and Social Interaction, 12.
D’Angelo, A., Paniagua, A. & Ozdemir, A. (2011). BME Children in London: Educational Needs and the Role of Community Organisations. Middlesex University: London.
Downey, D. B., & Condron, D. J. (2016). Fifty Years since the Coleman Report: Rethinking the Relationship between Schools and Inequality. Sociology of Education, 89(3), 207–220.
González, N., Moll, L. C., & Amanti, C. (2006). Funds of knowledge: Theorizing practices in households, communities, and classrooms. New York: Routledge.
Hadjar, A., & Gross, C. (2016). Education systems and inequalities: International comparisons. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
Hadjar, A., & Scharf, J. (2019). The value of education among immigrants and non-immigrants and how this translates into educational aspirations: a comparison of four European countries. Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies, 45(5), 711-734.
Lee, J. & Zhou, M. (2017) Why class matters less for Asian-American academic achievement, Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies, 43:14, 2316-2330.
Merry, M. S. (2016). Equality, Citizenship, and Segregation: A Defense of Separation. New York: Palgrave Macmillan.
Mickelson, R. A. (1990). The Attitude-Achievement Paradox Among Black Adolescents. Sociology of Education, 63(1), 44-61.
Nouwen, W., & Clycq, N. (2019). The Role of Teacher–Pupil Relations in Stereotype Threat Effects in Flemish Secondary Education. Urban Education, 54(10), 1551-1580.
Van Praag, L., Stevens, P. A. J., & Van Houtte, M. (2016). ‘No more Turkish music!’ The acculturation strategies of teachers and ethnic minority students in Flemish schools. Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies, 42(8), 1353-1370.
Valenzuela, A. (1999). Subtractive schooling: US-Mexican youth and the politics of caring. Albany: State University of New York Press.
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