99. Emerging Researchers' Group (for presentation at Emerging Researchers' Conference)
Paper
Selected Historical Models of Educating Vulnerable Young People in the Context of Contemporary Czech Care
Lenka Hessova
Uni of South Bohemia, Czech Republic
Presenting Author: Hessova, Lenka
Due to the high number of young vulnerable people in need, residential care still occupies an important place in the Czech social care system, even though it is often criticised by all. The adoption of Act No. 189/2016 Coll. has renewed the discussion on the current form of institutional re-educational care, which has been ongoing in the Czech Republic for several decades. The widest possible range of educational resources is being sought, and forms of appropriate institutional action are constantly being discussed.
The paper presents my dissertation that contributes to the above-mentioned discussion by turning to the past, as it examines older models and looks for the possible application of some of their elements in the contemporary context of re-education practice. The dissertation presents projects from the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries that were successful in their time. This historical period was chosen as it was a time of all kinds of experiments. A close examination of the older projects shows that their founders often had to face the same challenges that accompany today's institutional re-educational care of a child. The same issues were present and had to be addressed so studying the operation of historical projects can provide examples of good practice in re-education even for today. The dissertation, in the form of qualitative historical research, follows the development of institutional care for at-risk children. The focus is on a detailed description of eight innovative projects created at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries. The paper focuses on Junior Republic (USA), Ford Republic (USA), Little Commonwealth (UK), Baumgarten (Austria), Boys Town (USA), House of Orphans (Poland), Gorky Colony (Soviet Union), and Summerhill (Great Britain) – as these models are only briefly described in Czech scholarly literature.
Looking back and describing successful solutions to care issues in the past can contribute to the current discussion on the effective form of institutional care for at-risk youth in the Czech Republic. To achieve its goals the research relies on the combination of a direct method and a multiple case study. For triangulation, various primary data sources are used. Topics that have emerged in the past relate to the present situation via Standards of Quality of Care (2015), with 17 inspection reports from residential institutions caring for at-risk children, and 17 annual educational plans.
When exploring the history of care for vulnerable young people with focus on selected residential care projects from the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries I ask these questions:
- On what pedagogical concepts were the projects based?
- What elements of successful re-education emerged in the projects?
- What elements of successful re-education were specific to a particular project? Why?
- What elements of successful re-education can work in contemporary residential care education in our country?
To meet these objectives:
- To describe the history of care for vulnerable young people up to the mid-1920s.
- To describe inspiring projects from the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries dealing with the re-education of children and young people.
- To identify common features that made the projects successful.
- To find possible links between inspirational projects from the late 19th and early 20th centuries and current practice in education in residential care
Methodology, Methods, Research Instruments or Sources UsedI chose the historical-pedagogical research design because I want to examine the history of institutional re-educational care with a focus on inspiring models created at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, and I want to trace possible parallels with current practice in residential care in the Czech Republic. I use the direct method of historical research, supplemented by the multiple case study methodology of qualitative research.
In examining the selected projects, I present as detailed a picture as possible, based on information from a variety of sources. The selection criteria to include the projects in the dissertation were: the date of their creation, the fact that they were initiated by an individual, the innovativeness of the project compared to other institutions of the time and the experimentation with elements of self-governance. For a better understanding of the context, the factual data in the research report are also supplemented by the researcher's thoughts and reflections.
In the dissertation I show that the issues that preoccupy educators today were at least equally preoccupying more than a hundred years ago. Several recurring themes are explored in more detail. These are: the founder of the project, the sources of inspiration, the aim of education, the means of education, the environment and organisation, the conditions of admission, the form of self-government, the concept of punishment, the use of the media, the school, life after leaving the institution and the obstacles to the operation of the project. I used these themes to identify the concepts on which the projects were based, the elements that made them successful and were common to all the projects and the elements that were specific to a particular project.
Due to the Covid 19 situation, I decided to link good practice from the past with the present, using theoretical requirements for current re-education practice. These requirements are represented by the Quality Standards of Childcare in School Facilities for the Performance of Institutional and Protective Education and Preventive Educational Care (Pacnerová et al., 2015). This is a legally binding document issued by Czech Ministry of Education. Another objective link to the present, used in the dissertation, is the publicly accessible inspection reports of the Ministry of Education and Culture of the Czech Republic from visits to 17 institutions in 2020.
Conclusions, Expected Outcomes or FindingsThe key factors for the projects of the past that may still be viable today are the active approach of the facility managers in raising funds, giving more responsibility to the residents (shared responsibility model), more rigorous development of financial literacy, developing the facility culture by spending time together, aftercare support for former residents, and making full use of modern technology.
I conclude the dissertation by looking at two models of re-education established at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries that have survived their founders and are still functioning today. They represent two very different approaches to the search for good practice in residential education for young people at risk. Summerhill's way of providing freedom, which can only be controlled by living, is described. But also, the organised and disciplined approach of today's Boys Town, which still builds on the legacy of Flanagan's call to faith, hope, leadership, and love.
ReferencesBernfeld, S. (1921). Kinderheim Baumgarten. Bericht uber einen ersthaften Versuch mit neuer Erziehung. Berlin: Judischer Verlag.
Cervinkova-Riegrova, M. (1887). Ochrana chude a opustene mladeze. Rozhledy po lidumilstvi v Evrope. Praha: Spolek Ochrana opustenychch a zanedbanych divek.
Dekker, J.H. (2009). Children at risk in history: a story of expansion. Paedagogica Historica, 45(1–2), 17–36. Retrieved from: https://doi.org/10.1080/00309230902746206
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Francke, A. H. (1867). Faith´s Work Perfected: Francke’s Orphan House at Halle, (English translation by W.L. Gage). New York: Anson D F Randolph
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George, W. R. (1909). The Junior Republic: Its History and Ideals. New York/London: D. Appleton and Company.
Hessova, L. (2022): Vybrane modely prevychovne institucionalni pece o dite z prelomu 19. a 20. stoleti v kontextu soucasne ceske etopedicke praxe: historicko-pedagogicky vyzkum. Dissertation. Univerzita Karlova.
Higginbotham, P. (2017). Children´s Homes: A History of Institutional Care for Britain´s Young. Barnsley: Pen & Sword History.
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Jacobi, J. (2009). Between charity and education: orphans and orphanages in early modern times. Paedagogica Historica, 45(1–2), 51–66. Retrieved from: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/00309230902746396
Kamp, J. M. (2006). Kinderrepubliken: Geschichte, Praxis und Theorie radikaler Selbstregierung in Kinder- und Jugendheimen (pdf print). Retrieved from: http://paed.com/kinder/kind/kinderrepubliken.pdf
Kasper, T. (2008). Nemecke vychovne ustavy – analyza reformne pedagogickeho konceptu a priklad Svobodne skolni obce v Litomericich v mezivalecne CSR. Praha: UK.
Neill, A. S. (2015). Summerhil. Pribeh prvni demokraticke skoly na svete. (Czech translation by V. Jurek). Praha: PeopleComm.
Oursler, F., & Oursler, W. (1949). Father Flanagan of Boys Town. New York: Doubleday &Company.
Pacnerova et al., (2015). Standardy kvality pece o deti ve skolskych zarizenich pro vykon ustavni a ochranne vychovy a preventivne vychovne pece. (Czech Standards). Retrieved from:
Pecha, L. (1999). Kruta Poema Makarenko-jak ho nezname. Doplnek: Brno.
Reilly, H., & Warneke, K. (2008). Father Flanagan of Boys Town. A Man of Vision. Nebraska: Boys Town Press.
Riis, J. A. (1890). How the other half lives. Studies among the Tenements of New York. New York: Charles Scribner´s Sons.
Toth, S. A. (2019). Mettray. A History of France's Most Venerated Carceral Institution. Cornell University Press.
99. Emerging Researchers' Group (for presentation at Emerging Researchers' Conference)
Paper
Discourse Systems in History of Education and its Transnational Transmission: Semantic Analysis of German and Chinese Textbooks (1794-1948)
Wei Luo
University of Hamburg, Germany
Presenting Author: Luo, Wei
The role of history of education as an organizational framework for educational knowledge has been pivotal in the creation and diffusion of educational knowledge. However, there remains a gap in empirical research concerning the semantic structure of history of education knowledge and its transnational transmission. This study addresses this gap by employing complex network science and natural language processing techniques to construct semantic networks for history of education textbooks in German and Chinese. The goal is to explore the early development of the discourse system within the field of "history of education" and investigate the aspects of stability and variability in the process of transnational transmission.
Methodology, Methods, Research Instruments or Sources UsedTo achieve this, a comprehensive collection of 125 history of education textbooks published in Germany from 1794 to 1933 and 59 history of education textbooks published in China from 1901 to 1948 was systematically compiled. Subsequently, a computer-processable full-text corpus with a total word count of approximately 25.8 million was created through optical character recognition. The study utilizes distribution-based semantic proximity metrics to reconstruct the semantic networks between high-frequency words in the two corpora.
Conclusions, Expected Outcomes or FindingsThe results indicate that the semantic networks of both German and Chinese history of education textbooks exhibit similar overall topological structures, comprising around six interrelated conceptual core categories.
For instance, German history of education textbooks encompass key categories, including the institutional foundation of education centered around "school and teacher," family education with "child and parent" as the core, curriculum and teaching emphasizing "student and teaching," philosophical and religious category focusing on "human and spirit," and a category labeled "educational theory," with "education and pedagogy" at its core. These categories are intricately linked by historical elements at the heart of the network, establishing the foundational discourse system in German history of education textbooks. Remarkably, this methodology unveils connections between categories, challenging preconceived notions present in German history of education. Notably, terms like Bildung and Pädagogik, traditionally emblematic of German pedagogy, do not hold a central position in the network.
Further comparative analysis reveals an isomorphism between the semantic categories of Chinese and German history of education textbooks, with differences in local topological structures, such as historical categories not occupying a central position but being connected to specific semantic categories. Additionally, China's distinctive educational institutions, figures, and ideas are embedded in specific positions in the network.
In the next phase, the study plans to introduce time and social dimensions to examine the dynamic mechanisms of knowledge structure replacement in history of education textbooks, along with the social background (or institutional conditions) of history of education knowledge producers. The methodological framework proposed by this study offers a new approach for researching discourse systems in pedagogy from a comparative perspective.
ReferencesErdmann, D., & Vogel, K. (Hrsg.) (2021). Erziehungswissenschaft aus der Distanz: empirische Studien (Erziehungswissenschaftliche Studien). Göttingen: Universitätsverlag. doi:10.17875/gup2021-1586
Gonon, P. (1999). Historiographie als Erziehung. Zur Konstitution der pädagogischen Geschichtsschreibung im 19. Jahrhundert. Zeitschrift für Pädagogik, 45(4), 521–530. pedocs.
Jörg-W. Link (2021). Geschichte der pädagogischen Historiographie (utb-Titel ohne Reihe). Studienbuch Erziehungs- und Bildungsgeschichte (S. 31–51). Verlag Julius Klinkhardt. https://elibrary.utb.de/doi/10.36198/9783838557083-31-51 [Stand: 27.10.2021].
Manza, J., Sauder, M., & Wright, N. (2010). Producing Textbook Sociology: European Journal of Sociology. Archives Européennes de Sociologie, 51(2), 271–304. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. doi:10.1017/S0003975610000135
Oelkers, J. (1999). Die Geschichte der Pädagogik und ihre Probleme. Zeitschrift für Pädagogik, 45(4), 461–483.
Prondczynsky, A. von (1999). Die Pädagogik und ihre Historiographie. Umrisse eines Forschungsfeldes. Zeitschrift für Pädagogik, 45(4), 485–504.
Prondczynsky, A. von (2009). Historische Bildungsforschung: Auf der Suche nach dem systematischen Ort der Bildungsgeschichte. In M. Caruso, H. Kemnitz & J.-W. Link (Hrsg.), Orte der Bildungsgeschichte (S. 15–29). Bad Heilbrunn: Klinkhardt.
Rule, A., Cointet, J.-P., & Bearman, P. S. (2015). Lexical shifts, substantive changes, and continuity in State of the Union discourse, 1790–2014. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 112(35), 10837–10844. doi:10.1073/pnas.1512221112
Tenorth, H.-E. (2010). Historische Bildungsforschung. In R. Tippelt & B. Schmidt-Hertha (Eds.), Handbuch Bildungsforschung (3., durchgesehene Auflage, pp. 135–152). VS-Verlag.
Wiegmann, U. (2008). Pädagogikgeschichtliche Gesamtdarstellungen, Quellenbände und Periodika. Berlin: Bibliothek für Bildungsgeschichtliche Forschung. http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:0111-pedocs-40816 [Stand: 13.11.2020].
99. Emerging Researchers' Group (for presentation at Emerging Researchers' Conference)
Paper
Towards an Education of the Senses (EoS): An alternative pragmatic view on STEAM
Alexander Pessers, Charlotte Sermeus, Paul Niebroer
KU Leuven, Belgium
Presenting Author: Sermeus, Charlotte;
Niebroer, Paul
This abstract is based on a a PhD project to be conducted by three researchers from the KU Leuven. The PhD Project is interdisciplinary, bringing together the fields of Pedagogy, Arts and the Sciences. In doing so it hopes to make connections that go beyond just an enriched curriculum, and that are to be found in the very fiber of the different disciplines. It is this what a pragmatic view on STEAM entails, to avoid a bifurcation between the Sciences and the Arts and see them both as sensory ways of being in and getting to know the World.
The starting point of this research project is not to investigate the efficiency and effectiveness of STEAM education as a vehicle for the acquisition of predefined learning outcomes. Rather this project aims to investigate how STEAM, as a composition of science and arts, carries the potential to reconsider it through the lens of an Education of the Senses (EoS). Approaching STEAM as an educational design that activates students' imaginative engagement with the world and with the future, and that allows the student and the teacher to get away from a predefined understanding of it. Theoretically, this project builds further onto the sociological approach of Bruno Latour (2018), starting from the claim that today’s environmental and social problems are a consequence of the irreversible destruction we ourselves have brought to the world we inhabit through our post-enlightenment endeavours. Hence, what we take away from Latour is that we will have to learn to relate to the world differently. Investigating this new form of learning is precisely what we want to perpetuate with our refashioning of STEAM.
As Dutch educationalist Gert Biesta (2006) asserts, to find sustainable pedagogical answers to these ecological and social issues, it is thus needed to look at educational practices through a different lens. To do so, we want to distance ourselves from education as being singularly associated with 'learning', as often happens, by rethinking ‘the school’ as a place where one is allowed to start relating to the world and society in the face of daring challenges. The school is then an intermediary space where efficiency logics are held at a (relative) distance to make way for questions such as "what is the subject under study trying to say to me?" (Vansieleghem, 2021). In this way students may develop a caring sensitivity to said world.
To realise such a world-oriented approach of education, this research project wants to look at a more general educational reconceptualization of pedagogy that goes beyond the limits of instrumentalist logic, on the basis of pragmatic ideas such as those of the educationalist scholar John Dewey and the importance he places on practice-bound learning through experiencing.
Drawing on pragmatic frameworks linked to experiential learning, particularly influenced by John Dewey, our focus extends beyond conventional socialization, emphasizing an education centered on familiarity with and sensitivity to significant matters. Building on this, our second objective [RO2] takes a practical turn, aiming to conceptualize education as an 'Education of the Senses' (EoS). This involves developing protocols and maxims, integrating the efficacy of lab and studio practices through an ArtScience co-creation. Such a convergence of scientific and artistic methods contributes to the formulation of a comprehensive EoS thinking framework. In pursuit of our third objective [RO3], we aim to devise a concrete curricular design for a radical reimagining of STEAM education rooted in EoS. This design, crafted collaboratively with field practitioners, aims to offer a practical and applicable STEAM solution for Flemish schools, with broader implications for addressing global environmental and social challenges.
Methodology, Methods, Research Instruments or Sources UsedThe main research methodology will follow a theoretical hourglass trajectory. Roughly summarised, this process will start from the current approach of STEAM, and conceptually address the model’s shortcomings. In this way, a new vision on education will be formulated as an Education of the Senses. Starting from that Education of the Senses, a new curricular implementation of STEAM packages can then be designed in line with the vision that was set out in EoS; from STEAM, to EoS, to STEAM, or in other words we are moving from STEAM, to STEAM, through a lens of an Education of the Senses.
As stated, in order to genuinely stay true to concrete practices and to recognise the added value of practitioner expertise, this main research will moreover be underpinned by practitioner research. Concretely this practitioner research will take place in STEM project classes with pupils aged 16 or above during two school years with regular contact intervals . In this way, the design will be developed in collaboration with students and teachers from STEM fields as co-researchers qnd co-creators. The practitioners and doctoral researchers will together engage in investigating, discussing and designing lab and studio practices in several lessons during hours reserved by schools to work on STEM. More concretely - by taking into account the research data collected by the researchers in the primary research - they will together think about and develop both an Education of the Senses and, based on this, what a redesign of STEAM might look like in practice. This means that the teachers and students will actively be participating in the field study as well as the design of EoS, in line with the ethics of practitioner research (de Vugt et al., 2017). Our conception of what might indicate valuable STEAM practices are not only theoretically derived and practically tested, but are also deducted from observational fieldwork in artisitic studio practices and scientific laboratory environments. More specifically, through the analysis of these studio and lab practices, the researchers will then shape the framework for an Education of the Senses; by investigating what happens in these studio and lab practices, the researchers will stipulate protocols; which procedures, (hidden) rules and relationships are at the core of such practices that make them educational? These protocols in turn make it possible to formulate core maxims for an Education of the Senses to be realised.
Conclusions, Expected Outcomes or FindingsIn this proposed research endeavor, we embark on a transformative journey to reimagine STEAM education beyond the conventional paradigms. Departing from the typical scrutiny of STEAM's efficiency, our project places a novel emphasis on Education of the Senses (EoS). The overarching objective is not merely to ascertain predetermined learning outcomes but to delve into the profound potential of STEAM as an immersive, imaginative experience that transcends traditional boundaries.
The theoretical foundation, rooted in the sociological insights of Bruno Latour, propels us to confront the dire consequences of irreversible environmental degradation and social upheavals resulting from our post-enlightenment pursuits. In response to these challenges, we posit that education must cease to be a mere repository of predefined knowledge and embrace a paradigm shift. Gert Biesta's call for sustainable pedagogical answers prompts us to view education as an intermediary space—a realm where efficiency logics yield to profound questions about the subject under study and the world's entreaties.
Practitioner research, a cornerstone of our approach, actively involves students and teachers in shaping an EoS and crafting a new STEAM curriculum. The interdisciplinary lens we adopt, transcending traditional disciplinary boundaries, seeks inspiration from studio and laboratory practices. This unique perspective encourages a cross-disciplinary pollination, challenging doctoral researchers to venture outside their comfort zones and discover innovative insights.
As we weave together theoretical insights and real-world practices, this research envisions a future where STEAM emerges not as a rote pursuit of knowledge but as an immersive, transformative journey—an Education of the Senses that fosters a deep, caring sensitivity to the world and its challenges.
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Duurzaam onderwijs: visie en ambities. (2022). KU Leuven.
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Vansieleghem, Nancy; 2021. The Point of Study Practices Is to Discover the Kind of Questions That We 'Also' Should Ask. Philosophy and Theory in Higher Education; 2021; pp. 107 - 118
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