Conference Agenda

Over the past fifty years, the concept of narrative has been of increasing scholarly interest across the humanities and social sciences, including educational research. Scholars have described a narrative turn, a narrative boom, even a narrative explosion. Finnish narratologist Matti Hyvärinen has argued that we have had four distinct narrative turns: first in literary theory during the 1960s, then in historiography, later in the social sciences, and finally as a diffuse sociocultural turn. Narrativity has also gained a strong foothold in educational research; it has been applied in a wide range of research areas, from narrative learning to the development of teachers' professional identities.

In this keynote, I argue that we are witnessing another narrative turn. My claim is that we are living in the age of hypernarrativity; a social and cultural condition in which the concept of narrative has broken far beyond its conceptual boundaries and thus become increasingly ambiguous. As narrative has evolved into a fashionable catchword, its theoretical clarity and explanatory power has diminished. Narrative has become an empty signifier, used everywhere and meaning very little. This also has direct consequences for educational knowledge.

The hypernarrative condition is tightly intertwined with the dynamics of the post-truth era. Compelling narratives function less as ways of understanding the world and more as instruments for affirming identities and solidifying worldviews. Social-epistemic bubbles evolve into narrative echo chambers where people gather around a shared narrative, as if around a symbolic campfire. In most extreme cases, these narrative echo chambers develop into conspiratorial rabbit holes.

Yet, as Yuval Noah Harari reminds us, Homo sapiens has always been a post-truth species: large-scale human cooperation has historically relied on collectively upheld fiction like religions, national identities, and economic systems. What distinguishes the 21st-century post-truth condition, however, is the unprecedented technological environment in which narratives now operate. Digital media ecosystems—driven by algorithmic amplification, personalised feeds, and virality—reshape the cultural modes of storytelling. Children and young people are particularly vulnerable to the epistemic vulnerabilities of hypernarrativity.

For education and educational research, the rise of hypernarrativity presents a clear challenge. Understanding the conditions in which knowledge is produced and distributed is crucial. The purpose of this keynote is to map the social, cultural, and epistemic landscapes of hypernarrativity and to consider how to reclaim truthfulness by cultivating narrative literacy in education and educational research.

Academic freedom has long been a cornerstone of democratic societies – but today, it is under unprecedented pressure. These pressures are not confined to illiberal democracies and authoritarian states; they now permeate liberal democracies and welfare states. This keynote explores how the entanglement of politics, education, and science in Europe is reshaping the governance of knowledge. Political co-optation of educational and scientific domains has triggered state interventions in governance structures that once safeguarded openness in higher education. At the same time, interventions from the margins – through social media and other platforms – further destabilize knowledge authority.

The post-Cold War era promised openness through internationalization and cross-border cooperation in higher education across Europe and beyond. Initiatives such as the European Higher Education Area (1999/2010) and the European Research Area (2000) aimed to create a common European space for higher education and research, enabling knowledge and workforce to move freely across borders. Yet, recent geopolitical shocks – including the 2016 and 2024 U.S. elections, Brexit, the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and EU crises, such as the financial crisis – have fueled backlash against globalization and multilateralism, shifting the geopolitics of higher education. This new landscape is marked by illiberal ideologies, democratic backsliding, nationalism, populism, territorial conflicts, and heightened security politics. Consequently, academic freedom and university autonomy have declined across countries with diverse political and democratic systems, unsettling the legitimacy of the post-WWII liberal order.

These dynamics set the stage for a decade in which debates over freedom of speech and academic freedom have intensified – across academia, policymaking, and public discourse – revealing how competing interpretations of ‘freedom’ are mobilized to serve divergent political ends. Strikingly, one notion of freedom is often strategically appropriated to undermine another. This keynote conceptualizes this as a politics of appropriation, where values are repurposed across political registers, distorting their original meanings and turning dissimulation into a tool of governance.

Why does this matter for education researchers? Because these shifts are reshaping the conditions under which knowledge is produced, circulated, and curated. They intersect with the long-running neoliberalization of the sector, deepening constraints on the freedom to teach and pursue knowledge through political pressures, funding dependencies, and performance metrics that increasingly dictate institutional priorities. This erosion of autonomy ushers us into uncharted territory: a new spatiotemporal era in which policies that previously shaped knowledge economies are morphing into a new geopolitics of academic freedom, marked by struggles over truth and contests over who holds the authority to speak.

Empirically, this keynote examines recent policies on academic freedom and open science at both national and EU levels, including infringements on academic freedom and compromises to university openness. Theoretically, it draws on current debates about the shifting geopolitics of higher education and academic freedom. It builds on insights from the World Yearbook of Education 2026: The Shifting Geopolitics of Higher Education: Knowledge, Power, Protest (eds. Katja Brøgger, Hannah Moscovitz, Susan Robertson, and Jenny Lee, Routledge), two international comparative studies funded by the Independent Research Fund Denmark and the EU COST Action ‘OPEN’ under Horizon Europe (grant refs: 0163-00024B, 0163-00025B, CA22121).

In this session, the focus will be on dreaming and envisioning the future of Sámi education. The discussion will explore the current state of Sámi languages and the development needs related to their future, as well as good practices that support the development of future-oriented teaching and learning. The session will also invite participants to imagine and reflect on what future Sámi education could look like, considering questions of language vitality, cultural continuity, and innovative pedagogical approaches.

The discussion will engage with current research on Sámi education and language revitalization, as well as practical teaching approaches developed within Sámi educational contexts. It will also consider broader societal developments, including reflections related to the work of the Sámi Truth and Reconciliation Commission. In this context, particular attention will be given to the need for decolonial approaches in education that strengthen Sámi languages, knowledge systems, and epistemologies.

Furthermore, the session will address questions of sustainable futures in a rapidly changing Arctic region. The Arctic is transforming faster than many other parts of the world due to environmental, social, and cultural changes. These transformations highlight the importance of culturally grounded, resilient, and sustainable educational practices that support Sámi communities and future generations.

An equitable approach will be used to engage with the speakers in preparation for the panel, and the discussion will be co-created collaboratively before the session. The aim is to create a space for shared reflection, dialogue, and collective dreaming about sustainable, decolonial, and culturally grounded futures for Sámi education.

In Quebec, the only French-speaking province in Canada, more than one-third of students are first- or second-generation immigrants (Quebec Ministry of Education, 2025), and initial teacher training in addressing students' ethnocultural diversity varies depending on the university attended (Larochelle-Audet et al., 2013). As in other contexts, taking into account the ethnocultural diversity of students and their families can pose complex challenges, and the level of expertise developed by teachers in this regard varies considerably (Mc Andrew, Audet & Bakhshaei, 2016). Moreover, research had already shown that initial teacher education in this area was uneven, varying not only according to the training program but also according to the university attended (Larochelle-Audet et al., 2013, p. 1).

More broadly, the pluralization of French-language schools in Quebec (Canada) is a relatively recent historical phenomenon, and it appears that this reality has not yet fully entered the collective consciousness. As a result, it is often difficult to convince pre-service teachers of the importance and relevance of learning how to intervene in ethnoculturally diverse contexts, especially when they plan to teach in regions considered to be more homogeneous. Yet, the heterogeneity that now characterizes most classrooms requires future teachers to develop a broader approach to diversity, rather than seeking “turnkey” ways to adapt to students and their families based solely on their origins (Mc Andrew & Audet, 2020). Consequently, principals that may appear theoretical and far removed from practical “know-how”, are put into practice must be made clearer to students. Particular attention must therefore be paid to linking these principles to real-life teaching situations, in order to enable them to develop professional know-how (Schön, 1983; Giddens, 1987) in ethnoculturally diverse contexts.

From a policy perspective, a directive issued by the Ministry of Education in 1998 stipulates that “school staff must be trained to meet the educational challenges associated with the ethnocultural, linguistic and religious diversity of Quebec society” (Quebec Ministry of Education, 1998, p. 32). This directive remains highly relevant today, given that more than one-third of students in Quebec now come from immigrant backgrounds, whether first or second generation. In the same vein, the Reference Framework for Professional Competencies for Teachers identifies Competency 7, “Taking into account the heterogeneity of students,” as a core component of inclusive teaching and as closely linked to intercultural teaching (Quebec Ministry of Education, 2020, p. 62).

Finally, one of the most significant conclusions of the meta-analysis conducted by Mc Andrew et al. (2015) – which drew on 62 research studies carried out over a ten-year period in Quebec on the educational success of students from immigrant backgrounds – was that teacher training in diversity represents a major area requiring sustained and long-term investment. More specifically, Mc Andrew et al. (2015, p. 295) emphasize the need to adapt teaching practices in order to intervene more equitably in diverse contexts, while also preparing all students to live in a pluralistic society. Three key priorities were identified: (A) the construction of complex, non-ethnicizing representation of students from immigrant backgrounds, (B) the development of greater awareness of the role of systemic and school-related dynamics in the success of these students, and (C) the recognition of the contributions of languages and cultures of origin, as well as those of immigrant families to educational success. Taken together, these findings highlight the need to rethink pre-service teacher training, particularly with regard to teaching in ethnoculturally diverse contexts.

Racism is both a social and an educational problem (Bhopal, 2011; UNESCO, 2023). It is a system of social power relations that has developed historically and that reproduces social inequalities and legitimises exclusion (Miles, 1992). This article addresses the question of how reflective skills can be systematically promoted among students training to become primary school teachers in order to enable them to deal professionally with racism in a school context. The theoretical framework is formed by the combination of primary school research, racism research and professional research, in particular reflective research. The starting point is the empirically proven fact that in Germany racism is a reality in schools (Gomolla & Radtke, 2009; Leiprecht & Steinbach, 2015) and manifests itself in structural, institutional and interactional forms, including in primary schools (Nguyen, 2013; Robert et al., 2022). Racism therefore represents a challenge for primary school education that prospective teachers must address professionally. As 'schools of diversity and commonality' (cf. Schorch, 2007), primary schools have the task of preventing discrimination by valuing the individual learning requirements of all children and promoting their developmental potential. This involves reflecting on experiences of implicit and explicit discrimination, overcoming segregation, and establishing equality (cf. Lange & Pohlmann-Rother, 2025).

The complexity of society and the presence of racist discrimination in everyday school life require teachers to have specific professional skills in order to be able to respond appropriately (Scheunpflug, 2021; Taube 2022). Various studies indicate that dealing with racism professionally is not only necessary, but also a central component of professional competence in teacher training (Massumi & Fereidooni 2017; Weis, 2017).

The University of Würzburg is responding to this gap in primary school teacher training programmes with a seminar concept that focuses on reflection as a key professional skill for dealing with racism in primary schools. The aim of the presentation is to introduce the seminar concept and present the initial results of the seminar evaluation. The concept aims to specifically initiate and further develop students' reflective skills. Reflective skills are a key resource, as dealing with racism professionally is not based solely on acquiring knowledge, but in particular on the ability to critically reflect on oneself and others (Ohm & Fashtomi, 2024). Sensitivity to racism is a fundamental prerequisite for successful educational relationships and for building an inclusive school culture (Reich, 2020).

The systematisation of reflective skills according to Franken and Preisfeld (2019) forms the theoretical basis for the seminar concept. This differentiates reflective competence along two dimensions: breadth of reflection and depth of reflection. The breadth of reflection encompasses the scope of knowledge areas that are included in the reflection. The seminar addresses specialist knowledge on racism, subject-specific didactic knowledge on designing discrimination-sensitive teaching situations, and pedagogical knowledge on dealing with racist interactions in the classroom. The depth of reflection describes the complexity of reflective engagement and ranges from factual description to action-oriented reasoning and analytical reflection to critical discourse. The seminar creates learning opportunities that encourage students to move from the descriptive level to an analytical and critical-discursive discussion. They are enabled to compare options for action, reflect on their consequences and embed them in social, historical and normative contexts. In summary, the article shows how the combination of theoretical foundations and didactic implementation can contribute to initiating and promoting critical reflection skills on racism. The results of the evaluation provide initial indications of the extent to which the seminar concept stimulates students' reflection processes and contributes to professionalisation in dealing with racism in primary schools.

Reforms of teacher education usually have the underlying question of the role and function of what makes a ‘good’ teacher. Associated with this question is how government policy agendas address whether teachers should be educated and/or trained as ‘technicians’ or as professionals. In Sweden more profound reform programmes of teacher education are introduced every decade. These reforms are driven by the belief that raising standards within the school system depends on improvement of teacher quality and thereby teacher education/training, overlooking the risk of pushing towards reforms that are simplistic and leading to an ‘atomised’ and fragmented education system. Of course, there is a need of improvement but there is a risk that reforms can be a part of the problem and not a solution, or as Åstrand puts it: “Can fragmentation in teacher education be better understood in the light of the reforms as a fragmenting force rather than the opposite?”.

A related reform, a national professional merit system for teachers was launched in Sweden 2025. The intensions expressed in the proposition was to strengthen the teacher profession and enhance the professional development and structure for career advancement (Prop. 2022/23:45). The merit system is based on individual university credits and consists of four levels bounding from 15 ECTS on level one to a completed PhD on level four. The merits are intended to correlate with salary raise and possibilities for certain positions within the teacher profession. The regulation was welcomed by the Swedish teacher union due to its possibilities to strengthen individual teachers’ agency regarding their professional development, and the direction towards a more transparent system for salaries (Swedish teachers’ union 2025).

However, what constitutes as meriting is strictly regulated by a paragraph (5§) in the regulation (SFS 2025:280) where the government has defined the areas considered valid for the merit system. Included in 5§ is school-subjects, subject teaching methodology, special needs pedagogy, leadership and cognitive science. Pedagogy and educational sciences are two large, intertwined research areas that has been largely excluded as valid areas to study and get credits for in the national merit system. Critique was raised on the narrow focus of the paragraph which exclude research areas so central for the teacher profession (se for example the response on the proposition by the association of Swedish higher education institutions, SUHF 2025 and Swedish teachers’ union 2025). Despite the critique, the paragraph was implemented.

This paper presentation takes its point of departure in an earlier study where we analyse teacher students’ reflection on the broad function of educational setting, belonging and motivation (Neuhaus and Berglund 2024). The students in the study wrote about their situation during the pandemic (2020 - 2021) when university studies were on-line only. The students’ voices on digitalisation, isolation, and their future role as teachers illustrate the importance of belonging and motivation in education. We use the analysis of the students’ reflections to consider educational quality and purpose in relation to the above mentioned 5§ and its possible narrowing of areas in professional development for teachers. The aim was to visualize if areas of importance for teacher students, in relation to relational aspects of their future profession, is covered in the definition of what constitutes as meriting professional development for teachers according to 5§. If not, we asked what falls outside of the research areas defined in the paragraph.

In a longitudinal project (2025–2028), teachers from three Danish lower‑secondary schools collaborate with teacher educators and researchers in subject‑specific video clubs (Sherin & Han, 2024; Sherin & van Es, 2008). The video‑club work centres on core teaching practices (Grossman, 2018; Grossman & Frefel, 2024) within the three largest subject areas—Danish (L1), Mathematics, and Science. Across subjects, the intervention aims to identify, describe, and develop core practices that support meaningful and equitable learning opportunities for all students, drawing on research on student engagement and teacher–student relationships (Cornelius‑White, 2007; Mendez & van Es, 2024).

We investigate two research questions: (1) How do teachers make sense of, and act upon, their participation in video‑based collaborative work? and (2) How does their noticing of core practices (van Es et al., 2014, 2017, 2024) unfold within video‑club interactions?

We employ a sequential design involving multiple qualitative data sources (Mik‑Meyer, 2020). All video‑club sessions are video‑ or audio‑recorded, followed by semi‑structured focus‑group interviews with pairs of teachers from the same subject. Selected interview prompts are mediated by video clips from the video clubs to elicit stimulated recall. This pattern is repeated across three semesters in the three‑year intervention. In the first semester, participants selected a cross‑cutting core practice: engaging the whole class in investigations.

All interview and video‑club audio data are transcribed verbatim. Interview data are analysed inductively using reflexive thematic analysis (Braun & Clarke, 2006, 2022; Braun et al., 2018). Video‑club interactions are analysed deductively using the three components of the noticing framework—Attending, Interpreting, and Shaping (van Es et al., 2024). Analytical processes are iterative: each researcher conducts an initial independent analysis, followed by collaborative cross‑case theme development.

This paper presents findings from the first semester, focusing on teacher interviews and the initial video‑club sessions at each school (eight sessions in total). Extended findings from the second semester will be included in the conference presentation. Across the video clubs, teachers report that collaboratively observing and analysing how teacher actions shape students’ opportunities to learn is highly meaningful. This is reflected in two common initial themes emerging across interviews: teachers value watching themselves on video and discussing their instructional decisions, and the clips help them notice student differences, track student progress, and identify ways to support engagement and learning. Several teachers also note that they gain deeper insight into aspects of their pedagogical reasoning that are typically tacit. In addition, the video clubs appear to strengthen trust and depth in collegial discussions. While teachers do not yet describe broader changes in collaboration within their schools, they report drawing on the video‑club focus areas in their everyday teaching.

Analyses of the video‑club sessions reveal both challenges and opportunities. Initially, the concept of “core practice” was unfamiliar to most teachers. Accordingly, teacher educators and researchers used the term more frequently in the early sessions. Over time, however, the concept became more meaningful to teachers, who increasingly incorporated it into their own meta‑reflections. Across all video clubs, we identified examples of attending, interpreting, and shaping, with a noticeable progression in the extent to which teachers initiated (intended) shaping. Regarding the core practice of engaging the whole class in investigations, we found discipline‑specific differences. For example, science teachers emphasise the role of disciplinary characteristics in shaping their instructional approaches. Nevertheless, they also experience that insights from other subjects broaden their understanding of what counts as productive investigative work. All teachers refer to a deepened understanding of the core practice. Mathematics teachers, for instance, describe video clubs and core practices as “two sides of the same coin” in their efforts to develop mathematics teaching.

uilding on established research on effective teacher professional development, sustainable professional learning is understood as a continuous, workplace-based process situated within learning communities. Such learning involves deliberate and systematic efforts by teachers and schools to identify learning needs, address areas for improvement, and organize professional learning activities accordingly (Desimone et al., 2015; Dogan & Adams, 2020; Guskey, 2014).

Research further suggests that the use of classroom video aligns well with these principles of effective professional learning. The research project Sustainable Professional Learning: Improving the Quality of Classroom Practice through Classroom Videos was therefore deliberately designed to integrate these two strands of research by using systematic video-based inquiry as a core component of teachers’ professional learning. The project aimed to examine how such an approach could be enacted in practice and to explore its potential for enhancing teaching quality within the Icelandic educational context. Video analysis has been shown to foster professional dialogue and to direct attention to instructional practices, particularly in relation to student learning (Klette et al., 2017). Moreover, video analysis can deepen teachers’ understanding of classroom interactions, make otherwise less visible aspects of teaching observable, and support the identification of critical moments in instruction (Jenset et al., 2024). Directing teachers’ attention to specific classroom events in this way is widely recognized as a central component of teacher learning and professional development, often described as learning to notice or purposeful noticing (Barnhart & van Es, 2015).

This presentation synthesizes participants’ accounts of their involvement in the project, with a particular focus on how different components of the project contributed to understanding how teachers’ learning processes manifest through participation. Special attention is given to participants’ initial expectations and their experiences of using video recordings to support the development of their own teaching practice.

Introduction

Across Europe, education increasingly aims to prepare students for complex, uncertain, and socially relevant challenges (Barr et al., 2022). In the Netherlands, Research & Design (R&D) education addresses this aim by engaging secondary school students in open-ended, real-world STEM design projects. Students work collaboratively in small teams during project cycles of approximately ten weeks, concluding with the presentation of project outcomes to external clients. Each project incorporates reflection tasks, which teachers use for feedback conversations.

To bring learning within R&D to a higher level, students need to develop deeper reflection skills. Reflection supports students in making sense of feedback, connecting experiences to underlying concepts, and regulating their learning over time (Moon, 2013). Feedback and reflection are mutually reinforcing processes: feedback invites students to reconsider their actions, while structured reflection supports interpretation and planning of subsequent steps (Carless & Winstone, 2020; Moon, 2013).

Reflection skills do not develop automatically. Their effectiveness depends not only on students’ engagement but also on teachers’ ability to scaffold feedback through dialogue and to create structured opportunities for reflective thinking (Korthagen & Nuijten, 2022). When students learn to reflect, teachers play a key role by facilitating feedback dialogues that prompt students to articulate their thinking, evaluate progress, and plan next steps. Despite its recognised importance, many teachers struggle to enact feedback dialogues and embed reflection meaningfully in everyday R&D classroom practices (Görtzen et al., 2025). Feedback is often reduced to one-way information transmission, while reflective activities remain fragmented or superficial, limiting their educational impact (Korthagen & Nuijten, 2022; van der Kleij et al., 2019).

Strengthening teachers’ facilitation of feedback dialogues and student reflection requires targeted professional development (PD) that bridges knowing and acting by supporting practice-embedded, sustained enactment rather than mere knowledge transmission (Antoniou & Kyriakides, 2013; Louws et al., 2017)

This study addresses these challenges through the design and evaluation of a two-year Collaborative Teacher Reflection (CTR) program aimed at strengthening R&D teachers’ integration of feedback dialogues and student reflection in secondary education. The overarching research question guiding the study was: What elements constitute a professional development program that supports teachers in integrating feedback dialogues with students’ reflection? This contribution examines both the effects and the feasibility of the PD program designed within the broader study.

The CTR intervention

An Educational Design Research (EDR) approach guided the design and evaluation of the CTR program through iterative cycles in authentic educational settings (McKenney & Reeves, 2018). The first stage focused on deriving eight design principles for the PD program grounded in both literature and practice: (1) a psychologically safe learning environment; (2) grounding in teacher practice; (3) experiential and iterative learning; (4) video-supported reflection; (5) collaborative teacher learning; (6) sustained duration; (7) explicit theory–practice integration; and (8) differentiated professional learning.

Based on these principles, the CTR program was developed with a phased structure. As teachers reported limited experience facilitating dialogic feedback, and in several schools reflection practices were largely absent, the first year focused on feedback dialogues as a foundational practice. The second year built on this foundation by adding guidance of structured student reflection tasks. In both years, the program consisted of five collaborative group meetings. It began with a kick-off meeting to establish a psychologically safe learning community and introduce relevant research. Teachers discussed literature, visualised current practices using mind maps, and formulated personal learning goals through laddering interviews. Subsequently, teachers participated in structured CTR meetings in small learning communities of 3–4 teachers, combining video-supported reflection, peer feedback dialogues, and iterative classroom experimentation. The program finished with teachers’ reflections on their professional growth and how theory-informed insights were enacted in practice.

Many universities in non-English native countries are under immense pressure to both use English as a lingua franca while maintaining their country’s language as a working language. Yet there are often few language support systems for staff. Mastering the native language can be seen as an implicit goal for international employees, and communicating in English can be challenging for both national and international employees. Understanding language needs in a bilingual academic environment is crucial for fostering inclusive communication, supporting professional development, and ensuring equitable access to institutional resources.

This exploratory study investigates the language needs of staff at a Norwegian university, focusing on both Norwegian and English as academic languages.

Research Questions

This study investigates how employees at a large European university navigate language demands in an increasingly internationalised higher education sector. While much existing research centres on international staff and English-medium settings, comparatively little is known about the linguistic needs of both majority‑language and international employees within institutions that officially promote parallel or bilingual language use. Addressing this gap, our overarching research question is:

How do university employees articulate their language needs in a bilingual academic environment?

To examine this question in greater depth, the analysis is guided by three sub‑questions:

1. How do Norwegian employees express their needs related to English as an L2?
2. How do international employees express their needs related to English as an L2?
3. How do international employees express their needs related to Norwegian as an L2?

These questions enable a nuanced understanding of the multilingual practices and linguistic expectations that shape employees’ everyday work within a university governed by both national linguistic responsibilities and global academic norms.

Sociolinguistic Perspectives on Inclusion, Power and Majority–Minority Dynamics

Our study applies sociolinguistic perspectives that foreground the power dynamics inherent in multilingual organisations. In universities with high proportions of international staff, national-language speakers often hold structural or social advantages in institutional participation, while international employees may be positioned as linguistic minorities regardless of their academic expertise. Conversely, English-language expectations may place additional demands on majority-language speakers, who are not always conceptualised as having language needs. Concepts such as linguistic capital, gatekeeping, and organisational inclusion help illuminate these dynamics.We explore these concepts and highlight them throughout our analysis.

Educational research is increasingly confronted with complex, ambiguous, and value-laden phenomena in which knowing and acting are closely intertwined. In educational contexts, professional judgment, decision-making, and practice are shaped by subjective orientations, beliefs, and interpretations that are deeply connected to professional identity and ongoing professional learning. These dimensions of professional development cannot be adequately captured through standardized survey instruments alone. At the same time, educational research is expected to generate knowledge that is both methodologically robust and practically meaningful for professional learning and development across the career span. This requires methodological approaches that do not consider subjectivity as a source of bias, but as a central epistemic resource and object of inquiry.

This workshop introduces Q, which comprises methodology, method and data collection technique. It is designed to explore the extent of participants’ diverging and converging beliefs, points of view, or feelings on a given topic. Q can uncover even marginalized opinions that might be ignored or even overlooked by traditional survey methods. It is used to systematically study subjectivity within a group of people in order to gain insight into their motivations and behavior by integrating both qualitative and quantitative procedures in data generation, analysis and interpretation (Brown, 1993; Stenner and Stainton Rogers, 2004). Further, the workshop highlights Q's potential as a didactic and reflexive approach that fosters professional development. Thus, Q offers a distinctive way of linking ‘knowing’ (beliefs, points of views) and ‘acting’ (judgment, decision-making, professional practice).

The workshop addresses methodologically interested scholars in educational sciences, especially teacher educators, practitioners, and researchers interested in (approaches to foster) professional development. Given that many participants are likely to encounter Q for the first time, the workshop is explicitly designed as an introductory yet conceptually grounded format that combines methodological theory with experiential learning. Therefore, it is suitable for both early-career researchers as well as experienced academics. Workshop participants are invited to explore Q both as a research methodology and as a didactic approach that enables reflective work with subjective perspectives in different contexts such as teacher education, induction, and professional development (Kling & Buhl, 2025).

The first part of the workshop offers a concise theoretical introduction to Q. It outlines to most important epistemological assumptions, methodological principles, and procedural steps, including the construction of a Q set (statements), selection of a P set (participants), the Q-sorting process, the logic of by-person factor analysis, and interpretation. Particular attention is paid to Q’s understanding of subjectivity and to its relevance for educational research contexts in which professional orientations and beliefs play a central role (Watts & Stenner, 2012; Kling & Lintner, 2022). Q is thus framed not only as a research method, but also as a reflexive approach that deliberately transforms participants from being research objects into subjects who actively participate in the co-construction of meaning within the research process (Kling & Buhl, 2025).

In the second part of the workshop, participants take part in a guided online Q sort using a free web-based tool. By engaging in the sorting process themselves, workshop participants experience the logic of Q from the position of research participants. The collected Q sorts are analyzed immediately during the workshop, and preliminary factor solutions are generated and visualized.

The final part of the workshop focuses on collaborative reflection, interpretation and discussion. In small groups, workshop participants interpret the emerging factor structures and reflect on their own positioning within these shared patterns of viewpoints. The workshop concludes with a discussion of Q’s potential and limitations as a research and didactic approach in the context of professional development, highlighting its role as a bridge between knowing and acting.

In recent years, following the introduction of China’s New Liberal Arts policy, university English education has gradually shifted from general language instruction toward the development of students’ discipline-specific English proficiency. In response to this trend, many universities have adopted English for Specific Purposes (ESP) as part of broader language-teaching reforms, leading to the transition of teachers from General English (GE) to ESP instruction. This transition has placed pressure on Chinese EFL teachers, requiring them to reorient their teaching practices, reconsider their career trajectories, and renegotiate their professional identities. As a result, questions surrounding teachers’ professional development (PD) have become increasingly important. However, limited research has examined the professional experiences and developmental needs of ESP teachers in the Chinese context, leaving a significant gap in the literature.

The study explores ESP teachers’ professional development through the lens of identity, with particular attention to their lived experiences, challenges, and professional needs. The study adopts Kaplan and Garner’s (2017) Dynamic Systems Model of Role Identity (DSMRI) as its theoretical framework. The DSMRI conceptualises identity as a complex and dynamic system shaped through the interaction of four interrelated components: (1) ontological and epistemological beliefs associated with a professional role; (2) the goals and purposes underlying that role; (3) self-perceptions and self-definitions within the role; and (4) perceived possibilities for action and decision-making. By applying this framework, the study seeks to better understand the dynamic relationship between identity construction and professional development among Chinese ESP teachers.

Accordingly, the study addresses the following research questions:

1. What professional development challenges do Chinese ESP teachers experience during the transition from GE to ESP teaching?

2. How do Chinese ESP teachers perceive and respond to these challenges in relation to their professional identities?

To address these questions, the study adopts a qualitative research approach supported by multiple methods of data collection. A case study design was selected to facilitate an in-depth exploration of teachers’ experiences within a specific institutional context. According to Creswell (2014), case study research enables researchers to develop a detailed understanding of a bounded system through extensive data collection over time.

The research was conducted at a prestigious university located in an inland city in mainland China, referred to in this study as “University Z.” Thirteen ESP teachers currently employed at the university participated in the study. Data were collected from three main sources: interviews, classroom observations, and institutional documents. Semi-structured interviews served as the primary source of data, while observations and documents were used to supplement and triangulate the interview findings. Data collection was conducted across three stages: the pre-stage, ongoing stage, and post-stage. Following data collection, a biographical approach was employed to develop a comprehensive understanding of each participant’s academic, educational, and teaching experiences. Subsequently, thematic analysis was applied to identify and interpret recurring patterns and themes across the qualitative data.

The proposed presentation is about migrant teachers’ professional transition while moving their professional belonging from one national context to another. Professional transition involves a shift in professional belonging to a situation where this belonging is re-contextualised into a new institutional context. For migrant teachers, this involves processes of re-learning institutional structures connected to professional practices in everyday work in school. The study aims at exploring this process by interviews with migrant teachers who have recently re-entered the teaching profession in Sweden.

Sweden has, in an international perspective, well established and formally organized pathways for migrant teachers. However, besides being formally accredited, entering into a profession also concerns institutional norms and values about what a professional is or should be. This especially as the teaching profession can be said to be a strongly normatively driven profession (Scott, 2008). Consequently, obtaining legitimacy within the teaching profession requires more than formal accreditation. For migrant teachers, processes of professional transition take place in the space between the previous professional belonging and being recognized in the new.

The importance of professional integration of migrants is today emphasised in countries throughout Europe (European Parliament, 2016). Even so, it is well known that migrants face higher barriers for establishing themselves in the labour market than their native-born counterparts, and that they are underemployed to a greater extent (OECD 2018). Even if several European policy incentives encourage professional movements and simplified travel across country borders, some areas of professions, such as in healthcare and schools, are still characterized by a low degree of mobility due to national institutional settings and regulations for professional belonging.

The process (and the possibility) of validating former teacher education is often a complex procedure and migrants with a professional background is likely to find themselves in lower positions within their occupational group than their native counterparts, for example, nurses and teachers being validated as assistants in hospitals or schools (Andersson & Osman 2008; Irastorza & Bevelander 2021). As Abbott (ref) amongst others stress, principally, the very idea of professions is in many aspects about inclusion and exclusion – who is accepted as a part of the profession and who is not. Above this, there are also hierarchies within the groups of professions. These are not necessarily based on the same logics as who is included or excluded as part of the profession itself, but construct institutional boundaries for professional recognition.

Professionalism is traditionally understood as something you acquire through higher education and its following competences, by which you gain societal trust to make independent decisions and find solutions to problems that arise in your professional practice (Abbott,1988; Evetts 2006). Professionalism is about enacting professional virtues in a specific occupational context where “common experiences, understanding and expertise, shared ways of perceiving problems and their possible solutions” (Evetts, 2006, p. 134) are enacted. In order to be recognised as part of a profession, these decisions and actions need to be consistent with what is institutionally perceived as desirable and appropriate in the specific context (Scott 2008). In this way of reasoning, migrant teachers with a professional background from another country, have to relearn several institutionally defined conditions for professional recognition through occupational and professional sociali­sation.

In this study of migrant teachers’ professional transition, professionalism is used and comprehended as 1) contextually bounded (hence not universal or manifest), 2) something you enact, 3) dependent on formal regulations, trust and legitimacy, 4) re-produced by professional socialisation in workplaces, but also 5) constantly negotiated and changeable over time and place.

It is the 30th anniversary of VETNET as network 02 at the ECER. Two research workshops are dedicated to this circumstance; one is looking back, one forward.

This second workshop is about VET research, theory, and identity. What makes VETNET a special network? It builds on discussion on the VET Research framework (Nägele & Stalder, 2024), based on discussions on a VET research agenda (Gessler et al., 2017), discussed in last year's research workshop on the VET Research Framework (Moreno Herrera, Nägele, Stalder, Lassnigg, Virolainen & Allais) and a comprehensive comment of Virolainen (2025), or a symposium at the ECER on the future of vocational education and training in Europe (Benke et al., 2022).

This discussion also evolves before the background of continuous changes and reforms in VET policies and practices, at the best informed by research. Changes are promoted by different actors like national governments, the EU, international institutions, industries or technological changes and challenges, like the green transition (Moso et al., 2025; OECD, 2025).

The discussions also evolve before the background of the other 33 ECER networks. Across all networks, except VETNET, the dominant focus lies on learning, and research, with strong emphasis on policy, curriculum, assessment, and quality improvement as core structural concerns. Many networks mention inclusion, equity, participation, leadership, wellbeing, or governance, highlighting education as both a social and institutional practice shaped by communities, families, and collaborative partnerships. Further shared themes address language, interculturality, digital learning, sustainability, citizenship, arts, and diverse methodological approaches, reflecting the field’s broad commitment to understanding educational processes across contexts, identities, and systems.

So, why should people submit their papers to VETNET? Why did you submit your paper to VETNET? What is the shared mission and research interest of those committing to VETNET?

According to our regulations, VETNET is an open network, focusing on high-quality research and mutual learning. It promotes a multidisciplinary approach and enabling discussion between different stakeholders (policy, governance or practice) https://vetnetsite.org/about/vetnet-regulations/.

But, is VET research not primarily educational research (Lassnigg, 2025)? As defined in an OECD report years ago (OECD, 1995): “Educational research and development is a systematic, original investigation or inquiry and associated development activities concerning the social, cultural, economic and political contexts within which educational systems operate and learning takes place; the purposes of education; the processes of teaching, learning and personal development of children, youth and adults; the work of educators; the resources and organisational arrangements to support educational work; the policies and strategies to achieve educational objectives; and the social, cultural, political and economic outcomes of education.” (p. 37).

But what about the "vocational" in VET, often understood as something related to a person’s job, occupation, or practical work skills. Occupations or professions can be an organizing principle, especially in countries where there are "Berufe" (Grollmann et al., 2023; Nägele & Stalder, in press), where initial, continues, and higher VET is also an important driver of innovation at the workplace, besides allowing people sound careers in decent work. Furthermore, VET is often seen to allow students with challenging academic records, early school-leaving or other distractions in their career, (Marhuenda-Fluixà et al., 2022), or to allow refugees access education and work (Stalder et al., 2024) But relying on the concept of “Berufe”, occupations or professions comes to it limits in situations where the labour market is structured along jobs and work-opportunities (Allais et al., 2023) or when informal labour markets play a crucial role in a country.

So, we invite you to discuss with us: What makes VETNET a special network and what could be its focus for the next thirty years?

Response to the question "What makes VETNET a special network and what could be its focus for the next thirty years?" from a a Central European perspective.

The list of references exeeds the allowed limit in conftoool, check here: https://drive.switch.ch/index.php/s/u02ynwgppUdy9hv

Response to the question "What makes VETNET a special network and what could be its focus for the next thirty years?" from a North European perspective.

The list of references exeeds the allowed limit in conftoool, check here: https://drive.switch.ch/index.php/s/u02ynwgppUdy9hv

Response to the question "What makes VETNET a special network and what could be its focus for the next thirty years?" from a Sub-Saharan perspective.

The list of references exeeds the allowed limit in conftoool, check here: https://drive.switch.ch/index.php/s/u02ynwgppUdy9hv

Response to the question "What makes VETNET a special network and what could be its focus for the next thirty years?" from a South European perspective.

The list of references exeeds the allowed limit in conftoool, check here: https://drive.switch.ch/index.php/s/u02ynwgppUdy9hv

Parity of esteem remains a persistent challenge in vocational education and training (VET), particularly in senior secondary contexts where vocational/applied pathways are frequently positioned as secondary to academic routes (McGlynn, Rawoelle 2025). In Victoria (Australia), recent reforms to senior secondary and VET provision have increased expectations that schools implement coherent applied learning cultures and pathways that respond to young people’s transitions amid intersecting pressures (economic volatility, post-pandemic disruption, and rising living costs). Yet applied learning is still enacted unevenly across schools and commonly sits within organisational arrangements that reproduce vocational-academic hierarchies.

This paper reports emerging empirical findings from the Leading Applied Learning Program, a partnership with the Southern Melbourne Department of Education Jobs, Skills and Pathways team, involving leaders from twenty-five secondary schools. The program is designed as an intervention to advance parity of esteem by strengthening leadership capability, building a shared applied learning pedagogy, and reconfiguring whole-school conditions that influence the legitimacy of applied learning (e.g., staffing, timetabling, curriculum planning routines, recognition practices, and community narratives).

Rather than treating parity of esteem as an attitudinal problem solvable through promotional messaging, the study conceptualises esteem as a systemic outcome produced through the organisation of everyday practice: what is valued, resourced, assessed, and publicly recognised. Early program data indicate that parity of esteem is disrupted not only by external perceptions, but by internal school contradictions that position applied learning as “additional” or “residual” work, often vulnerable to timetable compression, staffing instability, and accountability logics privileging academic metrics.

Research questions.

1. How can a CHAT-informed approach support the co-design and implementation of whole-school applied learning practices that advance parity of esteem under senior secondary VET reform conditions?
2. What systemic tensions and contradictions shaping parity of esteem in applied learning become visible through CHAT, and how are these addressed through intervention design?
3. How do CHAT-informed professional learning and leadership frameworks impact leader capacity to legitimise and embed applied learning practices at school level?
4. How do boundary-crossing practices enable leaders to foster applied learning cultures and strengthen opportunities and pathways for young people in their communities?
5. What key enablers and barriers to parity of esteem are identifiable through a CHAT lens, and how do these inform scalable models for system change?

Conceptual framework and international dimension. Cultural-Historical Activity Theory (CHAT) (Engestrom, 1987, 2001) is used to analyse applied learning as historically formed and collectively organised across interacting systems (schools, policy, regional partners, community and pathway stakeholders). This enables parity of esteem to be examined as a question of material practice, including contradictions across tools, rules, division of labour, and dominant definitions of “success.” Boundary crossing extends the analysis by examining how leaders coordinate across academic/vocational domains within schools and across school, system, community relationships. Status hierarchies between academic and vocational/applied pathways are a shared concern across many European VET contexts; this paper contributes a transferable intervention logic and contradiction map for parity of esteem work under reform conditions.

Approximately 95% of 16-year-olds enroll in upper secondary school in Iceland, but only about 20% initially choose vocational programs. However, 31% of all upper secondary school students are enrolled in vocational programs (Statistics Iceland, 2025). This is lower than the OECD average of 44% (OECD, 2023).
Traditionally, vocational students in Iceland have been older than other upper secondary school students, with an average age of 25, compared with 19 for other students (Ministry of Education, Science and Culture, 2014). Still, the number of 16–19-year-old vocational students has increased over the last few years. At the same time, the number of students aged 26 and older has remained high, while the number of students aged 20-25 has declined (Statistics Iceland, 2025), resulting in even greater diversity in students' ages and prior experiences. This is especially important in Iceland, where younger and older students in VET are often taught together.
Also, school practices have recently been changing in many VET programs in Iceland towards: (a) More project-oriented learning, even on an individual basis, and (b) Shorter length of study units, for example, with each unit lasting half a semester (with students taking 3 units at a time) or each unit lasting 3 weeks (with students taking 1 unit at a time).
Considering these changes, this study investigates school practices across three VET programs in Iceland, aiming to highlight their strengths and weaknesses in addressing the needs of an increasingly diverse student population in terms of age and experience.
Bernstein's (2000) code theory underpins the study's theoretical approach. It provides a means to examine the relationships between power and knowledge. This theory is suitable for this study because it offers the researcher a lens for examining and describing power relations within the social environment.
Morais and Neves’s (2004, 2010) pedagogic practice model is used to interpret the findings in this study. The model focuses on how teachers can optimize learning using Bernstein’s concepts of classification and framing. Morais and Neves identified the characteristics of teaching methods used by teachers who create the best conditions for compulsory school students from diverse social backgrounds to acquire science knowledge and skills. Their studies demonstrated that effective school practices can mitigate or eliminate the impact of social background on academic performance. They emphasize the importance of clear boundaries and explicit instructional practices to support student engagement and achievement.
This study also employs the concept of student readiness to account for the diverse age and prior experience of students at the start of their studies. The concept, as defined by Billett (2015a, 2015b), refers to the knowledge, skills, and attitudes students need to address new, often demanding challenges in vocational education.
The main research question of this study is: How do different school practices meet students' needs, considering their level of readiness at the start of their studies?

Contemporary society is marked by ecological, political, and economic challenges at local, regional, and global levels. This so-called new normal is frequently conceptualized through the framework of Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity, and Ambiguity (VUCA). Its underlying drivers include increasing individualization, unrestrained exercises of power, and forms of egoism that may extend to narcissism. At the same time, human beings are not solely autonomous individuals but are inherently and inseparably social actors. While the acquisition of professional competencies remains an essential educational objective (KMK, 2007), addressing the major challenges of the present era requires a stronger emphasis on social responsibility, solidarity, and cooperative practices.

The question is: How can we shape vocational education and training in such a way that learners can acquire the skills they need to meet current and future challenges?

In this context, we present our model of learning in Junior Companies (Reich, 2003; Tamm & Gramlinger, 2006), which is based on two scientific foundations: the African philosophy of Ubuntu (Maringe, 2022) and socioeconomic education (Tafner, 2019) with an action-oriented teaching and learning model (Albers, 2001).

Ubuntu, often described as a form of African humanism (Biney, 2014), is grounded in the understanding that personhood is constituted through relationships and social interaction. This relational conception is succinctly captured in the oft-cited maxim, “A person is a person through other persons” (Mbiti, 1969, 141). Desmond Tutu (1999) similarly places humanity at the centre of Ubuntu philosophy, emphasizing that humaneness, in the Ubuntu sense, emerges only through mutual recognition and appreciation by others. Accordingly, individuals require community in order to realize their full human potential and, at the same time, bear responsibility toward it. Ramose (1999) further elaborates this perspective by arguing that personhood is not an inherent given but a status that must be attained through social integration. In this process, the community assumes a central role as a mediating force that transmits norms and values, thereby catalysing the ongoing development of personality. In this view, Ubuntu challenges the Western philosophical tradition that often elevates individual autonomy above collective well-being, proposing instead that social interdependence is vital to human dignity and fulfilment (Mtebe & Monchena, 2025, 10).

At the same time, this relational ontology reveals clear parallels with the authors’ socio-economic perspective on education, which likewise conceives of individuals as socially embedded subjects whose development is inseparable from communal contexts. According to Tafner (2019), socio-economic education places the human being—embedded within cultural and societal contexts—at its core. From a socioeconomic perspective, economic activities are not viewed exclusively through the lens of academic economics. Instead, a distinction is made between scientific economics and the lifeworld economy. Consequently, social, political, and ethical dimensions are regarded as integral to economic activity and are critically examined in terms of efficiency, responsibility, and meaning. This educational approach advocates for a 'life-serving economy' (Ulrich, 2008), emphasizing both individual responsibility for shaping one’s work and living environment and active integration into economic and societal structures. The collaborative development of this perspective constitutes a central focus of the project and is outlined in this contribution. In doing so, we follow Matthew (2018, 195), who argues “that approaches which conceive of Ubuntu as an unfinished concept—critically reflecting on external influences while engaging with them and advancing the concept independently—are particularly promising”.

Context: Several United Nations agencies mandate the provision of inclusive vocational education and training (VET) for students with special educational needs (SEN). Nevertheless, despite these robust international commitments, empirical evidence supporting inclusive VET remains dispersed across multiple disciplines, national contexts, and thematic areas, resulting in a lack of cohesive synthesis of policies and practices. Therefore, this systematic review intends to ascertain evidence on inclusive VET across four analytical domains: 1) pedagogy, 2) institutional support, 3) school-to-work transition, and 4) digital tools and mental health.

Research Questions:

This systematic review was guided by the following specific research questions:

RQ1: Which pedagogical approaches and life skills are implemented in inclusive learning support for SEN learners in VET?

RQ2: What are the various institutional support mechanisms for SEN learners in VET programmes?

RQ3: What are the various transitional practices for SEN learners in VET?

RQ4: What are the various digital tools used and mental health support offered to SEN learners in VET?

Theoretical Framework:

This review adopts the ecological systems theory framework, primarily based on Bronfenbrenner's (1979) model, to explore the complex factors influencing inclusive VET. This approach facilitates the analysis of how different systems (such as teacher-student interactions and teaching methods), mesosystems (like school-to-work transition programmes and institutional support), exosystems (including VET policies and funding for digital tools), and macrosystems (such as international agreements like CRPD and national disability rights laws) interact to shape the experiences and outcomes of SEN learners in VET. Additionally, the study is guided by critical disability studies, which emphasise the social construction of disability and call for systemic changes rather than focusing on individual deficits. This dual theoretical perspective provides a thorough understanding of both the practical implementation of inclusive VET and the broader societal and policy contexts that either support or hinder true inclusion. The international scope of the review, covering 18 countries, offers a strong empirical foundation for cross-national comparisons and the identification of transferable best practices and systemic obstacles within the European and global VET environments.

This paper begins from a basic yet fundamental question: how can the concepts of vocational excellence and inclusion in VET be meaningfully researched? Both concepts have gained substantial prominence in European VET policies over the past 25 years, yet the exploratory analysis underpinning this contribution demonstrates that neither is clearly or consistently defined. Instead, they are multifaceted, interpreted differently across countries and influenced by diverse theoretical perspectives and stakeholder positions. This conceptual ambiguity complicates any systematic analytical attempt - yet it also offers a unique opportunity to reflect on how research can capture evolving, diffuse and politically loaded concepts.

Building on this starting question, the paper presents and critically discusses a cross-country research approach used to investigate how excellence and inclusion appear in national VET policy documents from the past 25 years and to what extent these can be considered as contradictory or complimentary objectives (Cedefop, 2025). An exploratory analysis of academic and policy-related international research literature was conducted. It shows that the two concepts are sometimes understood narrowly – for example, focusing only on specific target groups or specific institutional dimensions – while broader interpretations view them as essential, mutually reinforcing components of high-quality VET systems. In such holistic understandings, excellence is linked to quality, diversity and innovation, while inclusion relates to equity, participation and ensuring that all learners can succeed (see also e.g. Mironov et al., 2024; Hazelkorn & Klemencic, 2022; Hornby, 2020).

The exploratory analysis resulted in the identification of aspects or attributes that are frequently associated with these concepts and that can be used as ‘signals’ for vocational excellence and/or inclusion when analysing national VET policy documents. To structure these signals, an analytical framework was developed drawing on a refined three-perspective model (socioeconomic/labour-market; epistemological/pedagogical; education system perspectives) that was initially designed to analyse conceptions of VET among different countries and changes in them over time (Cedefop, 2023). For the purposes of this study, it was adapted to focus on selected dimensions and aspects (‘signals’) relating specifically to excellence and inclusion. In addition, the concepts of vocational excellence and inclusion were linked to the ‘orders of justification’ which can be used to understand the different rationales and values that underpin educational practices, policies and stakeholder expectations (see e.g. Berner and Gonon, 2016; Imdorf & Leemann, 2023; Smeplass et al., 2024).

The paper presents this research not only for its empirical insights from the analysis of VET policy documents from 30 countries but also as a reflection on and illustration of the possibilities, challenges and methodological limitations of researching excellence and inclusion in VET. The contribution therefore moves beyond describing findings to critically reflect on what the approach chosen can – and cannot – capture when researching complex and evolving VET objectives across diverse national contexts.

The paper draws on a recently published study conducted by the authors (Cedefop, 2025). Its aim is to critically reflect on the methodology applied, as well as on the limitations and potentials of researching excellence and inclusion in comparative VET studies.

Vocational education and training (VET) is identified by the United Nations as a key instrument for promoting inclusive and equitable quality education within the framework of Sustainable Development Goal 4 (UN, 2026). VET is considered an inclusive education pathway to support vulnerable students across European countries (e.g. Bell et al. 2025; Jørgensen et al. 2021, Aerne & Bonoli, 2023). Since VET teachers are confronted with very heterogenous learning groups with different needs and different educational goals, it is vital to implement inclusive teaching strategies.

In the German VET context, discussions surrounding inclusive teaching often reveal contradictory approaches, leading to various requirements and resulting in a didactic dilemma for teachers, e.g. focus on individual needs versus focus on the overarching characteristics of a vulnerable group. This study addresses two relevant key questions:

1. How is inclusive teaching theoretically framed within increasingly heterogeneous learning groups in Germany?

2. To what extent is inclusive teaching being implemented in VET preparation programmes in Germany?

There are different German VET preparation programmes, all of them focus on VET schools with the aim of preparing young adults to transfer into an apprenticeship or school-based VET system. The young adults often do not have a general school leaving certificate and are not yet of legal age. The students in VET programme can be described as vulnerable in various diversity dimensions, this is evident from recent figures and statistics like the German Bildungsberichterstattung (“Education Reporting”) (Autor:innengruppe Bildungsberichterstattung, 2024).

This study is located in inclusion research and discusses concepts of narrow and broad definitions of inclusion, diversity and heterogeneity (Norwich, 2013). In particular, reflexive inclusion is critically examined regarding the deconstruction of categories of normality and inequality, which argues for a universalist claim to individual support (Budde & Hummrich, 2014).

This creates tension between the need to give special attention to certain groups of learners and the need to treat all learners as diverse individuals and offer them appropriate learning opportunities (Norwich, 2013). Both sides of the inclusion debate derive partly different demands on teachers and their lesson planning. This results in a teaching dilemma in the professional practice of teachers.

This study addresses both positions as well as the (de)construction discourse, which originates predominantly from general education, and highlights their relevance for VET and in the VET preparation programme. Therefore, the considerations of inclusive teaching are compatible with the international discourse, as the findings can be adapted to different education systems and countries.

European education systems, and particularly vocational education and training (VET) systems, are under increasing pressure to support national competitiveness, reduce unemployment, and adapt to digital and ecological transitions — challenges that have led the European Union to more frequently invoke the notion of “excellence” as a driver of innovation and attractiveness (Le Mouillour et al., 2021). In this context, Germany is often cited in French political discourse as an example of a successful VET system, reflecting a broader aspiration to enhance the status and perceived excellence of vocational pathways. However, it is important to acknowledge that the imperative of excellence also applies to the German system, albeit with distinct interpretations and a specific internal coherence (Granato & Moreau, 2019). Indeed, the meaning attributed to “excellence” varies significantly across national contexts.

Understanding a VET system requires taking into account the socio-historical and institutional contexts in which it has emerged and developed (Maurice, Sellier & Silvestre, 1992; Verdier, 2016). Whereas VET represents a recognized and valued component of the educational system in Germany, the concept of excellence in the French education system has historically been associated with the selection of an academic elite (Olympio et al., 2022), while vocational knowledge has been undervalued. This creates a paradoxical situation: VET continues to be socially devalued (Maillard, 2024) and primarily attended by students from disadvantaged academic and social backgrounds (Bonnard et al., 2022), while simultaneously being expected to embody or reveal talent and excellence. The adoption of the notion of excellence in French secondary vocational education is thus both complex and ambivalent (Albandea et al., 2025; Olympio et al., 2021).

In view of the current lack of empirical research on how this notion is interpreted and coherently implemented across countries, a comparative study is essential to explore its meaning within the French VET system. Drawing on an institutionalist approach grounded in the economics and sociology of conventions (EC/SC), this paper examines the nature of valued and certified skills within the French VET system and explores how the notion of “excellence” is constructed in relation to skills formation, understood as a social convention (Boltanski & Thévenot, 2006; Diaz-Bone & de Larquier, 2022; Imdorf & Leemann, 2023; David, 2023). VET systems can evolve along several possible paths (Marhuenda-Fluixá, 2022). How will the French VET system evolve under the injunction to excellence? We hypothesize that the understanding of excellence is more ambivalent in France than in Germany, and that this concept — still in need of clarification — is being operationalised through local initiatives and discourses.

This paper therefore seeks to analyse how the notion of excellence is received within national VET systems and, more specifically, how France and Germany interpret and manage this concept. The reception and understanding of excellence by different VET stakeholders are also explored.

The materiality of authentic scientific practice is frequently underestimated in science education . Unlike scientists who possess precision instruments, primary students’ scientific practice often relies on highly structured "material kits" or simple daily items. Based on empirical observations in Chinese primary science classrooms, this study employs micro-interaction analysis to demonstrate how the body is "assembled" within material practices.

Drawing on Deleuze and Guattari, what a body can do depends on the assemblages it forms (Gatens, 1996). The distinction between human and non-human is less important than how bodies are assembled together, and what relations or capacities this combination constitutes. Pickering’s "mangle" also attempts to show how human powers and material powers intertwine in an interactive and emergent way, revealing the critical role of "non-human actors" (such as experimental kits, light, paperclips) in the Latourian sense in the construction of scientific facts. Just as in authentic scientific practice, in primary science classrooms, we similarly observe: how students' bodies, assembled within specific material contexts, are able to do more scientific things beyond the official script; or are thereby restricted to doing specific things or even unable to do anything; or make students more prone to the risk of data fabrication. In other words, the student's body always dances with and works with material actors. Thus, distinct from bodily essentialism, "what a body can do" and "will do" is understood as a situated, open possibility.

Theoretical concepts such as Latour’s Actor-Network Theory, Pickering’s "mangle," and Deleuze and Guattari’s assemblages (Gatens, 1996) all point to the fact that the body is always situated within material practices, being supported or constrained. What a body can do always depends on the specific situation it inhabits, thereby outlining the body's numerous connections, associations, and assemblages. For instance, a Formula One racing car in a competition is actually a heterogeneous network assembled by maintaining a series of material, bodily, and informational connections; it is full of contingency, and a slight accident can instantly dismantle these associations. This prompts us to realize that many instances of a body's inaction or specific actions are not necessarily attributes of the individual itself—whether regarding thinking or personality—but are assembled within specific socio-material contexts. This urges us to focus on how materiality and its action networks support or hinder students' bodily engagement, rather than viewing bodily engagement merely as a subjective choice of "willingness," but focusing on its "capacity" (can or cannot).

Research Question: In the material practice of primary science classrooms, how are students' bodies "assembled" by material entities (e.g., experimental equipment, material kits)? Specifically, moving beyond the singular focus on "cognition" and "concept mastery" in traditional science education research, this study turns to examine the material basis of scientific practice. Combining typical cases emerging from the classroom, this study reveals:

1. How standardized experimental materials (such as material kits) limit rather than support students' agency in scientific inquiry.

2. As pointed out by Hardahl, the production of phenomena often requires a division of labor, meaning participants need to know and learn different things (Hardahl et al., 2019). The study analyzes how the scarcity of material resources in common group settings in primary science classrooms leads to inequality in bodily engagement at the micro-level (i.e., "bodies with nothing to do").

3. Exploring how students face accusations of "data fabrication" and epistemic risks when the body serves as part of the "experimental apparatus," and how such authentic bodily engagement processes might bring about further learning opportunities regarding measurement uncertainty and the resulting argumentation and explanation construction.

Physics education faces challenges in making abstract concepts relatable for students, resulting in decreased interest and high attrition rates in STEM (McDermott, 2001; Singh & Marshman, 2015). The perceived disconnect between physics content and personal relevance often leads competent students to drop out (Aschbacher & Roth, 2010). To combat this alienation, innovative pedagogical approaches that merge abstract ideas with human stories are essential (Barton & Tan, 2010). Research indicates that project-based learning and storytelling enhance student engagement and connection to the material (Kalender & Holmes, 2020; Tuveri, Sideri & Fadda, 2024).

Storytelling is a vital pedagogical instrument in physics education, adeptly integrating abstract concepts into significant human contexts (Hansson et al., 2019; Tuveri et al., 2024). It enhances student engagement, curiosity, and self-efficacy, as evidenced by various studies across educational levels. For example, storytelling helps make difficult concepts like light (Maharaj-Sharma, 2024) and gravitational waves (Tuveri et al., 2024) easier to understand. It also promotes cognitive and affective development, with techniques like "story mapping" improving students' perceptions of science (Korkmaz, 2011).

Digital technology has enhanced traditional narrative methodologies, creating digital storytelling (DST), a multimedia approach that blends videos, images, music, and interactive aspects into coherent narrative structures (Sadik, 2008). DST fosters interactive learning experiences, highlighting the dual function of storytelling in education as a means for conceptual engagement and communication (Sadik, 2008; Wu & Chen, 2020).

Book trailers, an example of DST, originating as marketing tools in the early 2000s, have evolved into significant multimedia presentations for summarizing and promoting books (Underwood, 2010). In educational settings, they function as projects that improve digital literacy and creativity, enabling students to conceptualize themes and emotions from texts (Grøn, 2014). Research indicates that book trailers foster motivation, creativity, and communication skills while promoting critical literacy and digital competence among learners. By engaging in digital media production, students gain agency and improved attitudes towards science, integrating cognitive and emotional learning alongside historical narratives (Ehret et al., 2016; Tang et al., 2021). The study of creating a book trailer for Marie Curie serves as a significant example for exploring the pedagogical aspects of DST (Yılmaz-Senem & Kösem, 2025). This approach may reshape students' perceptions of scientists, boosting their self-efficacy and motivation. The Biographical Book Trailer Production (BBTP) framework is proposed in this study as a method to humanize physics education by combining biographical storytelling and digital video production.

Undergraduate students internationally struggle with engagement, self-efficacy, and proficiency in academic writing and critical thinking on societal problems impacting people across multicultural contexts. This applied dissertation explores contributing factors to this educational problem using the framework of nested (Neal & Neal, 2013) and networked (Bronfenbrenner, 1994) ecological systems theory. Next, the study examines how the problem of practice manifests in a state university in Hungary. The issue is explored through an empirical needs assessment using a mixed methods approach and convergent parallel design with quantitative and qualitative data sets involving a school-wide survey and focus group interviews with teachers and international students studying in English. Based on the literature review, needs assessment results, and extant data exploring similar constructs, the author develops a holistic theory of learning called DTECC by synthesizing five learning theories into a hybrid holistic model. The framework integrates principles of experiential, transformative, and collaborative learning as well as digital hybrid design and critical theory –– each having positive associations with increasing student engagement, self-efficacy, and proficiency in analytical thinking and writing. For an applied project, the DTECC model is utilized in conjunction with Universal Design for Learning (UDL) and Design Thinking (DT) to develop (1) a curriculum enrichment framework for innovative critical pedagogy in mobile classrooms, (2) a pilot syllabus, and (3) a business plan for an educational consultancy called Intelligence Motion that will implement the curriculum framework across public and private HEIs in the United States and Europe during phase one of a proof-of-concept pilot study.

The primary objective of the needs assessment was to explore to what extent undergraduate international students feel proficient, engaged, and confident in writing academically and thinking critically in English. The primary contributing factor targeted in the needs assessment was classroom pedagogical practice in the university’s micro- and mesosystems.

There were two sets of research questions guiding the needs assessment at the University of Pecs in Hungary. The first group of questions targeted students: (1) What are the reasons international students provide for not feeling engaged, confident, and proficient in academic writing and critical thinking during university coursework? (2) How do international students describe their experiences with academic writing and critical thinking during university coursework? (3) What are international students’ perceptions on the type of curricula, classroom activities, and pedagogy they are exposed to across the disciplines? (4) How do international students view innovative classroom pedagogy (e.g., integration of inquiry-based experiential learning, transformative educational technology, collaborative student-centered learning, problem-based learning, etc.) and the impact it may have on their engagement, self-efficacy, and proficiency in academic writing and critical thinking? (5) How do international students perceive classroom-based academic writing support for decreasing their vulnerabilities and risk factors, and increasing their coping strategies, adaptivity, and productivity?

The second set of research questions targeted educators at the university: (1) What are the reasons teachers provide for international students not feeling engaged, confident, and proficient in academic writing and critical thinking during university coursework? (2) What are teachers’ perceptions of international students’ strengths and weaknesses in academic inquiry and productive skills in English? (3) What are teacher’s perceptions of how they integrate innovative pedagogy (i.e., experiential phenomenon-based learning and problem-based learning, transformative learning, principles of social-cultural constructivism, digital and hybrid design with EdTech integration, and principles of critical pedagogy to connect classroom learning to real-world societal problems) into their courses to engage students and improve their self-efficacy and proficiency in academic writing and critical thinking? (4) How do professors provide classroom-based support for academic writing to decrease students’ vulnerabilities and risk factors, and to increase coping strategies, adaptivity, and productivity in student writing?

In reaction to linguistic inequality relating to multilingualism in Germany’s education system, language pedagogy has become a key component of teacher education in some federal states (Berkel-Otto et al. 2021). While scholarly work on multilingualism in education has brought forward numerous pedagogical approaches, studies show that concepts are not equally implemented in teacher education and school practice (Putjata et al. 2022). However, multilingual learners can only benefit from improved teacher education, if teachers apply what they learned in theory to their teaching practice. Thus, teacher induction holds an enormous potential to bridge theory and practice.

Teacher induction in Germany is organised by the federal states. To obtain an official teaching certificate, teachers need two academic degrees (undergraduate and postgraduate) as well as a teaching degree after 1.5 years of induction. Throughout the induction phase, pre-service teachers teach at a school part-time and attend several weekly seminars at regional teacher induction centres (IC) (König 2013). They are guided by mentors at the school as well as by teacher educators at the IC. Compared to other countries, ICs as institutions and the overall complex structure of teacher induction in Germany can be described as rather unique (Abs & Anderson-Park 2014). Regrettably, there is hardly any empirical research on language education and multilingual pedagogy as a content area of teacher induction in Germany (Böning 2023).

The research project presented in this paper addresses this desideratum in connection to language pedagogy, asking the following research questions:

• How is multilingual pedagogy implemented as a subject area within teacher induction?
• What relevance and meaning does it have for different stakeholders?

Employing a “top-down” research strategy, teacher induction’s curriculum in Germany’s federal state North-Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) and the process of implementation were analysed. In academic teacher education as well as in practical induction, learning about (teaching in) linguistically diverse learner groups is part of the mandatory curriculum. Thus, the federal state’s curriculum is regarded as the curricular macro level and the starting point of analysis. On a meso level, IC’s training plans have been analysed. On a meso level also, interviews were conducted with experts from the field, focusing on institutional knowledge, the conceptualization of multilingual learners and language pedagogy. On a micro level, a survey was carried out with teacher educators to gain a representative picture of how the curriculum is interpreted. The “top-down” research approach of the project is supported by curriculum theory of the intended, implemented and achieved curriculum and its interconnectedness on different levels (macro, meso and micro) (van der Akker et al. 2010). In addition, the linguistic perspective is based on theory on language policy in society and education with a critical focus on language norms and linguistic equality (Johnson 2013).

The overall data speak for a consistent implementation of language education as a subject area of teacher induction in NRW on all analysed levels. However, didactical approaches and methods are oriented towards educational demands of teaching and supporting academic linguistic register of German (such as linguistically responsive teaching and scaffolding). Even though embracing multilingualism and supporting linguistic diversity as a learning objective is a consistent part of the curriculum, multilingual pedagogy is not considered a common-sense strategy of teaching.

The paper will present the results more detailed and discuss them, considering complex curricular dynamics within teacher induction and relating them to academic teacher education as well as international contexts.

The reading skills of young people across Europe are declining (OECD, 2023). This trend is also evident in the Netherlands, where both reading proficiency and enjoyment of reading among children and adolescents have decreased. (Swart et al., 2023). People who struggle with reading face significant disadvantages in our society. Adults with low literacy tend to earn less, experience poorer health, and have shorter life expectancy than those with proficient reading skills. As reading difficulties increase throughout the education system, society as a whole bears the consequences.

One reason cited for the Dutch reading crisis is that language teaching in Dutch schools has become increasingly fragmented into separate components that are disconnected from other subjects (Van Koeven & Smits, 2022). Dutch teaching methods use adapted texts that have been simplified, resulting in an impoverished context and a limited vocabulary (Houtveen et al. 2012).

A promising educational approach to turn the tide in the reading crisis is to work with so-called rich texts. Rich texts contain rich language, are authentic, are of high quality, and encourage reflection and interaction (Burki et al., 2023). They stimulate the reader's imagination and curiosity. Rich texts are authentic and unadapted texts from outside the classroom, such as children's books and newspaper articles (Berardo, 2006; May et al., 2023). From previous research, we know that reading (aloud) and discussing rich texts in the classroom can improve students' reading comprehension (May et al., 2023).

Previous research has shown that weak readers are often offered simplified and impoverished texts, whereas they would in fact benefit from reading rich texts with appropriate support (Brown et al., 2018). However, Dutch teachers are generally not accustomed to using rich texts in their instruction, and it remains unclear what teachers and schools need in order to effectively design reading instruction based on rich texts. We also know little about how working with rich texts in reading education contributes to the reading skills, reading motivation, and reading enjoyment of students.

The research discussed in this article aims to fill this knowledge gap. The first research aim was to asses the experienced benefits for students of a rich-text-based reading approach in terms of reading skills, reading motivation, and reading enjoyment. The second aim of the research was also to gain insight into teachers' sense of competence in working with rich texts, the bottlenecks they experience and what they need in order to use rich texts in their teaching.

This contribution discusses a three-year collaborative design research, in which researchers and teachers worked together to develop, implement, and evaluate rich-text reading approaches in five Dutch primary schools. Data were collected through open classroom observations, student interviews, and teacher interviews.

The results show that both teachers and students experience positive outcomes in reading skills, reading motivation and reading enjoyment by a rich-text reading approach. Furthermore, the study revealed a number of challenges and enabling conditions at the school level that influence the successful implementation of working with rich texts in reading instruction. One challenge, for example, is that preparing lessons with rich texts is relatively time-consuming, because there is less reliance on teaching methods.

Children and adolescents with chronic or severe illnesses occupy a particularly vulnerable position within educational systems, as their right to education is repeatedly challenged by prolonged absences, medical treatment, and psychosocial strain. Hospital school education responds to this tension by creating pedagogical spaces at the intersection of schooling, medicine, and care. Within these spaces, teachers are confronted with complex and often uncertain situations in which pedagogical action must be continuously negotiated under conditions of emotional strain, institutional fragmentation, and shifting responsibilities (Fesch & Müller, 2014; Bakels, 2020). In this sense, hospital schools can be understood as socially condensed sites in which broader societal transformations—such as changing conditions of knowledge production, blurred institutional boundaries, and increasing demands for context-sensitive professional action—become particularly visible.

In this context, educational transitions—from illness to hospital schooling to reintegration into mainstream schools—emerge as critical situations of professional knowing and acting.
Against this background, the paper addresses the following research questions:
(1) Which dimensions of professional competence enable teachers in hospital school settings to translate pedagogical and medical knowledge into responsible action during transitional phases?
(2) How is professional competence enacted in the coordination of transitions, and which forms of knowledge are activated—particularly in collaboration with families and home schools ( (Äärelä, Määttä, & Uusiautti, 2018)?

The study presented here aims to reconstruct the competence requirements that shape pedagogical action in transitional educational contexts such as hospital schooling and to analyse how different forms of professional knowledge are mobilised, negotiated, and transformed into situated action. To address this aim, the study draws on an integrated theoretical framework that combines a competence-theoretical perspective with German-language curriculum theory. The COACTIV model of professional competence serves as a heuristic structure for systematically analysing professional knowledge, beliefs, motivational orientations, and self-regulatory capacities as interrelated dimensions of pedagogical professionalism (Baumert & Kunter, 2006; 2011). This competence-oriented perspective is complemented by a curriculum-theoretical understanding of professional action as a fundamentally reflexive process in which pedagogical responsibility, judgement, and meaning are continuously negotiated in relation to concrete situations (Hopmann, 2007; Künzli et al., 2013). From this combined perspective, hospital school education emerges as a paradigmatic transitional context in which educational action unfolds under conditions of institutional overlap, uncertainty, and vulnerability, making the reflexive connection between knowing and acting a central requirement of professional competence.

Universal Design for Learning (UDL) has become a dominant framework for inclusive education across European and international contexts. With the release of UDL 3.0, the framework signals a significant shift in emphasis—placing stronger focus on learner agency, contextual barriers, and the systemic conditions that enable or constrain participation. While this evolution has been widely welcomed, there remains limited critical interrogation of what UDL 3.0 enables, what it leaves unresolved, and how it is interpreted and enacted within real educational systems.

This workshop invites participants to critically engage with UDL 3.0 as a framework for inclusive education, rather than treating it as a neutral or purely technical solution.

The workshop is guided by a set of critical questions central to inclusive education debates:

• Whose voices are centred, and whose remain marginalised, within UDL-informed practice?

• How does UDL 3.0 challenge deficit-based and medicalised understandings of difference?

• What structural, cultural, and policy barriers persist despite inclusive intentions?

• How can UDL 3.0 be mobilised to support genuine participation and learner agency?

The theoretical framing draws on social models of disability, which locate barriers within educational systems rather than individual learners, and on rights-based perspectives, which position access, participation, and agency as entitlements rather than accommodations. UDL 3.0 is treated not as a finished solution, but as a living framework that must be interrogated, contextualised, and contested in practice.

The purpose of the workshop is threefold. First, it aims to support participants to develop a critical and reflective understanding of UDL 3.0, beyond surface-level implementation. Second, it seeks to connect participants’ lived experiences—whether as educators, leaders, policymakers, or researchers—to the updated framework, making visible tensions between inclusive ideals and institutional realities. Third, it aims to foster empowerment and agency, enabling participants to identify meaningful, context-sensitive actions that advance inclusion within their own settings.

Although the workshop is practice-facing, it is explicitly grounded in inclusive education theory and research, making it suitable for an ECER audience. Its relevance extends across European contexts, as many education systems face similar challenges: standardisation, performativity, digitalisation, and uneven recognition of learner diversity. By interrogating UDL 3.0 collectively, the workshop contributes to European dialogue on how inclusion can be enacted ethically, critically, and systemically.

Inclusive education is a central principle of education policy and reform across Europe and internationally, underpinned by commitments to equity, participation, and the rights of learners. International frameworks such as the UNESCO Salamanca Statement (1994), the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD; United Nations, 2006), and UNESCO’s Education 2030 agenda position inclusion as both a rights-based imperative and an indicator of educational quality. Across many education systems, these commitments have driven sustained efforts to increase the participation of students with disability in mainstream settings, alongside growing expectations that inclusive education should contribute to improved academic, social, and wellbeing outcomes for all learners.

Previous research indicates that inclusive education is associated with positive outcomes for both students with and without disability (Dalgaard et al., 2022; Holzer & Moser Opitz, 2025; Szumski et al., 2017). Less frequently examined in the literature, however, is a fundamental issue underpinning this evidence base: what is actually being evaluated when the effectiveness of inclusive education is assessed. Much of the existing research infers effectiveness primarily through placement-based comparisons, typically comparing outcomes for students placed in mainstream versus specialist or segregated settings. While such analyses are important for understanding system-level patterns and policy effects, they offer limited insight into the pedagogical and instructional practices that may be responsible for observed outcomes.

Scholars have increasingly drawn attention to this gap in the evidence base underpininning inclusive education practices. Koutsouris et al. (2023) argue that inclusive pedagogies are often fragmented and under-theorised, particularly in secondary school contexts, while Norwich (2013) highlights the dominance of “thin” empirical accounts. Similarly, systematic reviews of inclusive education approaches such as Universal Design for Learning (UDL) and co-teaching demonstrate substantial variation in how practices are defined, operationalised, and reported, limiting the interpretability and transferability of outcome findings (Ok et al., 2017; Vembye et al., 2024; Zhang et al., 2024).

In response to these concerns, the aim of this systematic review is to synthesise and assess empirical evidence on the effectiveness of inclusive practices in school settings, with a focus on their reported impact on student outcomes.This review examines how inclusive practices are defined, operationalised, supported, and evaluated across studies, and how these practices are linked to learner outcomes.Although much of the empirical literature on inclusive practices continues to focus on students with disability, this review adopts a broader conceptualisation of inclusion concerned with educational practices that support participation, learning, and engagement for all students. Disability status was therefore not used as an inclusion or exclusion criterion. Instead, studies were selected based on their explicit engagement with inclusive practice and their reporting of student outcomes, allowing the review to examine how inclusion is enacted and evaluated across diverse learner groups and school contexts.

Drawing on a systematic review and appraisal of empirical studies published since 2015, the review synthesises research conducted in primary and secondary school contexts that explicitly reports learner-related outcomes associated with inclusive practices. By identifying patterns, gaps, and limitations in the existing evidence base, this review contributes to international debates about how inclusive education can be more effectively conceptualised, researched, and enacted, and how evidence on inclusive practices can better inform educational policy, professional learning for educators, and school improvement across diverse educational contexts.

Inclusive education in Croatia, as a member of the European Union, has a decades-long history. During this period, Croatia was among the first countries in the world to ratify the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. Nowadays inclusion extends to all children, including, for example, those belonging to cultural minority groups, children at risk of poverty, and children in alternative care systems, among others. In Croatia, the legislative framework ensures that students with special educational needs (SEN) receive curricular and professional support, as well as pedagogical and didactic accommodations. Approximately 85% of students with SEN in primary schools are included in inclusive educational settings in Croatia (School e-Repository, 2025).

Today, inclusive education is an indispensable topic in teacher education. The European Agency for Special Needs and Inclusive Education (2012) states that the core competencies of teachers in inclusive education include: valuing student diversity, providing support to all learners, collaborating with others, and engaging in professional development. The teaching process should be flexible, through the use of diverse instructional materials, techniques, and teaching strategies that can address the wide range of students’ educational needs. What’s more, teachers are expected to apply Universal Design for Learning, that is, a curriculum design approach that accommodates learners with diverse needs equally well, regardless of SEN status, gender, abilities, cultural or linguistic background. For such a heterogenous population, it is necessary to implement inclusive teaching practices, such as differentiation and personalization (Lindner & Schwab, 2020).

Personalized instruction is a teaching approach in which instruction – including content, pace, methods, assessment – is tailored to the unique needs, abilities, and interests of each student (Shemschack & Spector, 2020). Differentiation is, on the other hand, a didactic strategy that enables teachers to respond to the diverse needs of heterogenous student groups (Nusser & Gehrer, 2020). It can be implemented through various approaches, including co-teaching, instructional methods, and provision of individualized feedback and support.

Research show that teachers feel more prepared to teach SEN students and differentiate their instruction when they hold positive attitudes toward inclusive education (Savolainen et al., 2020). However, teachers in mainstream inclusive classrooms often work with highly diverse groups of students, meaning that differentiation may become an additional source of stress if they do not feel adequately prepared (Pozas et al., 2023). Nevertheless, when students perceive teaching as more inclusive, their perception of school wellbeing and social inclusion is more positive, as well as academic self-concept (Alnahdi et al., 2022). Yet, studies exploring students’ perceptions of inclusive teaching in mainstream classrooms are lacking (Lindner et al., 2019).

There have been found some differences between Maths and German teachers with students’ perception of Maths teachers being that they more frequently use inclusive teaching practices (Schwab et al., 2019). One study found that female students, younger students and SEN students perceive inclusive teaching practices as being more frequent (Durán-Martinez et al., 2024).

This study aimed to validate the Croatian ITPS-S and to investigate how SEN and typical students perceive teachers’ inclusive practices across gender, grade level, and subject.

We asked:

1. Does the Inclusive Teaching Practices Scale – Students’ version (ITPS-S) retain its two-factor structure in the Croatian context, and does this structure demonstrate measurement invariance across students with and without SEN, across students’ gender, grade and teachers’ subject?

2. Do students’ SEN status, gender, and grade level influence their perceptions of teachers’ inclusive practices?

3. Does the subject taught by the teacher (Croatian vs. Maths) affect students’ rating of inclusive teaching practices?

By identifying strengths and gaps in inclusive teaching, the study supports evidence-based improvements in education aligned with European principles.

This paper presentation addresses the question of which professional competences are currently considered essential for inclusive education professionals across Europe, based on the results of an international e-Delphi study undertaken to update the European Profile for Inclusive Education Professionals. The presentation focuses on the outcomes of the consensus process and their implications for research, policy, and professional education, rather than on the study protocol itself.

The central research question guiding the study is: What core and emerging competences should define the professional profile of inclusive education professionals in contemporary European education systems? This question reflects the need to revisit existing competence frameworks in light of significant changes in European and international educational contexts, including increasing learner diversity, expanded inclusion agendas across educational sectors, digitalisation of teaching and learning, and growing attention to wellbeing and mental health.

The paper is situated within a theoretical framework of inclusive education as a rights-based, systemic, and dynamic process. Inclusion is conceptualised as extending beyond individual learner support to encompass institutional cultures, inter-professional collaboration, and policy-level action. The competence concept is understood as an integrated combination of knowledge, skills, attitudes, and professional values, aligned with competence-based approaches to professional learning and teacher education widely adopted across Europe. This framework draws on international human rights instruments, particularly the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, as well as European policy commitments to equity, participation, and lifelong learning.

From a methodological perspective, the study employed an international e-Delphi design involving experts from multiple European countries and diverse professional roles, including researchers, teacher educators, policy representatives, and practitioners from different educational sectors. The Delphi process consisted of multiple iterative rounds combining quantitative rating of competence statements with qualitative feedback. Participants evaluated the relevance of proposed competences using a nine-point scale, with consensus determined through predefined statistical criteria based on median scores and interquartile ranges. Levels of agreement across rounds were examined using Kendall’s coefficient of concordance, while qualitative comments were analysed thematically to identify emerging themes and areas of conceptual refinement.

The paper presentation foregrounds the results of the Delphi process, presenting the final set of agreed competence domains and highlighting key areas of continuity and change compared to the original European Profile. Particular emphasis is placed on competence areas that gained strong consensus across countries, as well as on newly articulated or substantially strengthened domains. These include working systemically for inclusion, addressing learner and professional wellbeing, responding to digital transformation including the use of AI, and extending the competence profile to contexts such as higher education and lifelong learning.

The intended purpose of the presentation is to contribute to international scholarly and professional debates on inclusive education by offering an empirically grounded, consensus-based competence framework with clear European relevance. The paper aims to demonstrate how international expert agreement can support shared reference points for professional development while remaining sensitive to national and local contexts. By presenting results derived from cross-national collaboration, the paper highlights both common priorities and contextual diversity in understandings of inclusive professionalism, thereby supporting future research, policy development, and professional learning initiatives at European and international levels.

Access to inclusive and accessible teaching and learning materials is a prerequisite for equitable participation in education for learners with and without disabilities (UN 2008, Art. 24). In parallel with ongoing digitalisation processes, digital textbooks are increasingly used in European school systems and are often associated with enhanced learning opportunities through multimodality, interactivity, and individualization (Totter et al., 2023). However, these benefits can only be realised by all learners - particularly students with disabilities - if digital textbooks are designed to be consistently accessible. In addition, recent legal developments, such as the European Accessibility Act and corresponding national legislation (e. g. Germany: Barrierefreiheitsstärkungsgesetz), mandate the production and use of accessible digital educational materials (Marcus-Quinn, 2022).

Beyond technical implementation, the pedagogical and didactic design of accessible digital textbooks is of central importance. Universal Design for Learning (UDL) provides a well-established framework for the inclusive design of educational materials (UNICEF 2019). Originating in the United States and initially developed in the fields of architecture and product design, UDL was transferred to educational contexts in the 1980s. The framework assumes learner diversity as a starting point and aims to reduce learning barriers while maximizing educational participation for all learners (Meyer et al., 2014). UDL promotes the provision of multiple learning options aligned with learners’ individual needs and is structured around three core principles: (1) multiple means of engagement, (2) multiple means of representation, and (3) multiple means of expression (CAST 2024). These principles are directly applicable to the design of teaching and learning materials, including digital textbooks (Lanners, 2020; UNICEF, 2019; Wibowo et al., 2022).

To investigate the current state of digital textbooks in Europe, the Erasmus+ project Digital Education Material (DEM) was initiated (DEM 2026). The project consortium combined interdisciplinary expertise from schools and higher education institutions, including partners from Luxembourg (project coordination), Germany, Austria, and Italy, representing inclusive education, subject didactics (mathematics and geography), media education, and accessibility studies. Between 2023 and 2025, DEM conducted the first systematic evaluation of digital mathematics and geography textbooks used in primary and lower secondary education across four European countries. The overarching aim was to assess the quality of accessibility in existing digital textbooks and to generate sustainable impulses for future development. The project pursued three main objectives:

1. Systematic analysis of selected digital textbooks with regard to technical accessibility and subject-specific didactic quality
2. Development of a prototype for an accessible digital textbook
3. Provision of guidelines to support the sustainable production of accessible digital textbooks.

Building on the main objectives and results of the DEM project, this contribution focuses on ECER Universal Design for Learning as an important framework for the design of digital textbooks and deals with both current implementation practices and future possibilities for systematic realization.

Ageism—understood as the set of stereotypes, prejudices, and discriminatory behaviors directed at people on the basis of their age—is one of the most pervasive yet, paradoxically, least questioned forms of exclusion in contemporary society. It is also an intersectional phenomenon that combines with other axes of exclusion such as sexism, homophobia, and classism. The education system, through school textbooks and the hidden curriculum, functions as a powerful agent of socialization that frequently perpetuates reductionist and pathologizing visions of aging, shaping how younger generations perceive older adults and how students envision their own futures. Schools are therefore central to challenging stereotyped images of old age and fostering more inclusive and diverse representations of older people.

Ageist stereotypes vary in content and valence depending on the life domain to which they are applied, and they may differ across age groups and genders (de Paula Couto et al., 2022). Traditionally, age stereotypes have been treated as a single, predominantly negative construct; however, research shows that they are multifaceted, complex, and domain‑specific (Kornadt & Rothermund, 2011). From this perspective, it is possible to distinguish between descriptive and prescriptive stereotypes (Rothermund & de Paula Couto, 2024). Descriptive stereotypes refer to attributes used to portray how older people are—whether in relation to their physical characteristics, social status, or behavior. These descriptive stereotypes may be negative, especially with regard to health (Kornadt et al., 2016) or cognitive abilities (Dorgnier et al., 2022; Levy et al., 2022), but they may also be positive, as older adults are often considered “cooperative, considerate, patient, and sociable” (Carlson et al., 2020, p. e351), in the domains of family relationships and life experience (Kornadt et al., 2016). Prescriptive stereotypes, by contrast, encompass social beliefs and expectations concerning how older people should be and how they ought to behave (Rothermund & de Paula Couto, 2024).

Likewise, employing a markedly condescending tone, simplified vocabulary, and basic grammatical structures when interacting with older adults—commonly referred to as elderspeak—devalues them by presuming lower competence and increases the likelihood that they will encounter dismissive or disrespectful attitudes. Consequently, old age is frequently stigmatized as a phase of dependency or decline, reinforced through a visual aesthetic that accentuate loneliness, exclusion, and fragility—rather than depicting older adults as integrated into the workforce and acting as fully functional members of society.

As a primary agent of socialization, the education system is not age‑neutral. Implicit representations, preconceptions, and stereotypes about aging and older people directly influence students’ education by transmitting cultural values and norms that shape intergenerational interpretations from an early age (Gutiérrez Moret & Mayordomo Rodríguez, 2019). In primary education, the textbook remains a key reference tool in the classroom; auditing the representations and imagery of older people in these materials therefore enables intervention at a crucial stage to prevent ageism and promote positive intergenerational relations.

The aim of this paper, in the framework of the Research Project PID2023-150704OB-I00: “Linguistic Ageism in Older Adults' Digital Communication: Towards a New Inclusive Language” funded by the Spanish Ministry of Innovation, Science and University and by ERDF, EU. is to analyze the presence of ageism in Spanish primary‑education textbooks and, on that basis, propose a set of editorial and pedagogical best practices to reduce this form of discrimination in educational contexts. To this end, we identify and quantify the presence of linguistic and visual manifestations of ageism in a representative sample of Spanish primary‑education textbooks, and we analyze the discursive and visual mechanisms that reproduce ageism in these materials, as well as the intersectionality of ageism with other forms of discrimination (sexism, homophobia, ableism, racism, classism) and the documentation of the hidden curriculum.

The practices and processes that practitioners believe will enable access to school can frequently constrain such access (Rix, 2025). It has, for instance, long been realized that even seemingly obvious and widely adopted approaches such as the use of images or simplifying language are problematic (E.g: Crisp & Sweiry, 2006). The contested nature of simplification was seen as an important area for research in the 20^th Century. For example, there were those who argued that it does not enhance comprehension, as measured by ability to answer questions, retain information over time, and recall important aspects of content (Chalke 1958; Klare 1963), whilst others claimed that simplified texts can increase comprehensibility (Tweissi 1998). The issue of language simplification has tended to focus upon adults reading a range of simplified texts; young people who are learning to read; people with English as an Additional Language (EAL); and a range of individuals with identifiable learning difficulties. The issue of images has been a separate strand of research. For example, how the use of tables and graphs can affect exploratory learning (Velic & DeCaro, 2025) and how abstract and concrete visual representations can affect science education (Zheng et al, 2022). Both simplified language and images have also been explored in connection with assessment and examinations at all levels of education.

Evidence from the United Kingdom, suggests that teachers working with a diverse and complex learning population, provide simplified language materials to their students (Barnard & Burgess, 2001; Rix, 2004, 2006), using images alongside less-complex language. They use these materials at times across the whole class and at others with a range of pupils, including those with learning difficulties and those who have EAL (Rix, 2006). A more recent study from Finland (Zi, 2021) reported text-modification strategies used by the teacher participants working with students in a second language. The desire to simplify is also encouraged through guidance on plain language and ‘good writing’ in textbooks or on websites. These often recommend writing shorter words in shorter sentences, paragraphs and sections, using only essential technical words, and positive, active, personal language. It is not uncommon for guidance to teachers to advocate readability formulas too (e.g: the Fog index, the Flesch Reading Ease index and the Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level score) which are available within Microsoft Word, and have been recommended for decades in textbooks (eg Lewis, 1990; Ellington & Race, 1993) and more recently on websites (https://readable.com/; https://textinspector.com/).

Despite the evidence of the use of these materials, much of which is anecdotal, there is virtually no research into teacher-produced materials and how they are used in everyday classrooms. The author of this paper is one of the few researchers to have done work in this field and this was in the United Kingdom in the early 2000’s. The importance of such a potentially prevalent approach is underlined by the variability that is evident across classrooms too, with teachers often using seemingly contradictory approaches (Huang, 2021) or not sticking to their own teaching plans (Capel et al, 2019). In this context the author was very interested when he heard anecdotally that the approach and the lack of research was also evident in Norway, where he is teaching.

This paper reports on a pilot study that aims to consider:

• Do teachers in Norway use teacher-produced materials?
• Who do teachers use teacher-produced materials with?
• What form do these materials take?

Rising international and national migration has led to new challenges within European classrooms. As ongoing challenges remain and students with a migration background persistently score persistently lower in academic testing and well-being surveys, teacher students need to be prepared to teach in, for, and about cultural diversity within their initial teacher education (ITE). Teacher educators (TEs) need to meet this needs, both through the design of ITE curricula but also through its implementation. Intercultural education in ITE can prepare student teachers for culturally diverse environments, e.g. to foster cultural awareness and understanding through knowledge of power-dynamics, promoting intercultural dialogue and inclusion (e.g., Deardorff, 2009; Rapanta & Travão, 2021). Research has shown that student teachers need to be able to employ practical skills, such as communication and relationship building skills (e.g., Deardorff, 2009; Romijn et al., 2020), as well as have knowledge, awareness and the reflectivity to be able to navigate culturally diverse environments successfully when entering teaching profession (e.g., Dervin & Hahl, 2014; Hachfeld et al., 2015; Metsäpelto et al., 2024). However, the understanding of such concepts can differ between TEs (e.g., Hahl & Löfström et al., 2016).This underlines the importance of investigating TE's perspectives of and approaches to the topic of cultural diversity in ITE. Nonetheless, their perceptions and approaches to this topic are often overlooked in research, with studies focusing on student teachers' experiences or the impact of interventions. We aim to fill this research gap in this study by answering the following research question:

How do teacher educators perceive and approach the preparation of student teachers for culturally diverse classrooms?

By investigating how TEs conceptualise and enact diversity-related teaching, we deepen our understanding of their positionalities within rapidly changing sociocultural and institutional contexts. Importantly, this research highlights that effective preparation of student teachers for cultural diversity cannot be understood as an individual pedagogic endeavour but as situated within institutional structures. As such, this study offers relevant insights for TEs, faculties, and policy makers seeking to develop legislation, curricula, and support structures.

Finland, which despite a rich multicultural history has only relatively recently seen international immigration on a larger scale, has long been lauded in Europe for it's education system. However, despite Finland maintaining good results in PISA, it also has the highest disparity in academic outcomes between students with and without an immigration background in Europe (e.g., Pulkkinen et al., 2024). This underlines the importance of preparing student teachers for cultural diversity, positioning our study in a fast-changing educational landscape requiring of TEs to adapt to new needs and situations.

This study employs reflective thematic analysis to investigate interview data from 20 TEs working in ITE programmes in Finland. We identified four overarching themes relating to the state and scope of student teachers’ preparation for cultural diversity, TEs’ preparedness to address these topics, and how discomfort can be used to challenge beliefs and initiate development. TEs expressed the need for more institutional support for professional development and peer-collaboration to navigate knowledge gaps and sociopolitical challenges. Furthermore, TEs highlighted the need for more practical teaching experiences in culturally diverse contexts in ITE.

As changing demographic and cultural contexts remain an European-wide phenomenon, our findings offer valuable insights into the often overlooked TE perspectives and approaches, as well as the challenges and opportunities when developing ITE to meet the needs of this new educational landscape. It offers insights and suggestions for TEs, faculties, and universities in Europe and beyond.

One of the aims of inclusive education is to bring diverse groups of pupils together within common learning communities. Although inclusive education is often discussed within the framework of special education, broader ethical and philosophical perspectives highlight that inclusion also concerns social categories such as social class, gender, and ethnic background (Tomlinson, 2017; Huilla et al., 2024). Educating all kinds of pupils under the same roof compels some schools and teachers to adapt their pedagogical practices and may require fundamental changes in how teachers understand their work and professional responsibilities (ibid).

Against this backdrop, I ask: how teachers describe their ideal study group? Theoretically, I draw on the Bourdieusian tradition and analyse the classed and normative dimensions that shape Finnish teachers’ preferences.

Howard Becker’s (1952) classical study showed that teachers held strong, shared notions of an ideal pupil—one who behaved properly and possessed adequate academic skills. Such pupils were easier to teach and enabled teachers to succeed, whereas pupils from lower social positions posed more challenges. The ideal also carried strong moral judgments regarding both pupils and their parents. In another influential study, Merrilee K. Finley (1984) demonstrated that when ability grouping was introduced, teachers actively competed to teach higher-track groups. Less experienced or part-time teachers were assigned to lower tracks, typically composed of pupils struggling with academic demands. Later large-scale American quantitative studies similarly show an unequal distribution of teachers across schools: more experienced and qualified teachers tend to apply to advantaged schools located in well-off neighbourhoods (Goldhaber et al., 2015).

European discussions on inclusive education show similar dynamics (Lindner et al., 2023; Huilla et al., 2024). It is not trivial for teachers who the pupils they teach are. Teachers have preferences. In Finland, subject teachers consider heterogeneous groups the most challenging teaching environments. Diversity in pupils’ backgrounds and academic readiness is perceived as a greater challenge than class size or pupils’ motivation (Kärnä & Rautopuro, 2013). In other words, teachers often prefer homogeneous groups. The Finnish education system carries implicit expectations grounded in a white middle-class norm. While some teachers overlook classed dynamics, others express a willingness to work with more disadvantaged groups (Huilla et al., under review). These preferences shape where teachers choose to work, which neighbourhoods they consider attractive, and what types of classes they want to teach (see also Keane et al., 2023).

Teachers’ descriptions and expectations have real life consequences. Studies across various European contexts indicate that teachers perceive and treat pupils differently depending on their backgrounds (Stevens & Vermeersch, 2010; Tarabini et al., 2022; Kneppers, 2023). The characteristics attributed to pupils often contain underlying classed elements, even when framed as psychological. Discourses of ‘ability,’ ‘skills,’ or ‘talent’ obscure the social conditions through which these qualities develop. Social class, ethnic minority status, and gender easily fade from view in school cultures dominated by psychological explanations. From a Bourdieusian perspective (Bourdieu & Passeron, 1990; Bourdieu, 1986), this constitutes symbolic violence: when pupils’ social realities and families’ capitals are not recognised, schools may inadvertently reproduce social positions. Inclusive education can therefore be seen as a way to counter symbolic violence. Its central ideal—seeing all pupils as equally valued and prestigious regardless of background or academic readiness—challenges the white middle-class norm embedded in European education systems (e.g. Tarabini et al., 2022; Kneppers, 2023).

To summarize, the aim of this study is to critically analyze how teachers describe their ideal study group and what kinds of normative and classed assumptions these descriptions shape.

Introduction and Problem Statement Recently, the role of education in the Republic of Kazakhstan has been strengthened due to growing global competition. Consequently, the government has focused on supporting gifted and talented youth through the establishment of Nazarbayev Intellectual Schools and the "Daryn" center (MES RK, 2010). However, despite this focus on giftedness, the specific phenomenon of underachievement among gifted students remains perplexing and has not been widely investigated within the Kazakhstani context (Vostrokolenkova, 2007).

Often, students labeled as gifted demonstrate low academic performance and may drop out (Reis & McCoach, 2000). The main problem is grounded in the variety of definitions of underachievement, which complicates identification (Baum, Renzulli & Hebert, 1995). In Kazakhstan, teachers may misunderstand the notion of underachievement due to a lack of specific knowledge, leading to inappropriate educational support. While one school in the East Kazakhstan Region has extensive experience working with gifted students, the issue of underachievement specifically has not been studied there. International research highlights the necessity of considering cultural features and school values when defining underachievement (Gallagher, 2005).

Purpose and Research Questions The purpose of this study is to explore teachers’ understanding and perceptions of the phenomenon of underachievement among academically gifted students, and their beliefs regarding how these issues can be improved in one school in the East Kazakhstan Region.

The research questions are:

1. What is teachers’ understanding of the term underachievement among academically gifted students?

2. What are the factors affecting gifted students’ underachievement from the teachers’ perspective?

3. What are teachers’ attitudes toward gifted underachievers?

4. What strategies do teachers believe are useful to improve underachievement?

Theoretical Framework This study applies Social Constructivism as the epistemological lens. This paradigm allows for examining participants’ daily experiences, personal viewpoints, and attitudes in the local context (Creswell, 2012). As knowledge is constructed through interaction, the meaning of gifted underachievement in this study is explored based on teachers’ responses and the specific school culture.

Literature Review Summary Literature indicates that while there is no universal definition, underachievement is often viewed as a discrepancy between potential and performance (Siegle & McCoach, 2010). Factors influencing this include individual aspects like self-efficacy and motivation (McCoach & Siegle, 2003a), family dynamics, and school-related factors such as curriculum suitability and teacher attitudes (Reis & McCoach, 2000). Strategies for reversal often involve collaboration among stakeholders and curriculum modification (Rimm, 1997; Renzulli & Renzulli, 2010).

Significance There is a dearth of studies in Kazakhstan focused on this phenomenon. This research contributes to evaluating teachers’ awareness, which may lead to better identification and support for gifted underachievers (Moltzen, 2004). The findings may assist school administrators and policymakers in developing professional development programs and intervention plans to prevent the loss of student potential.

According to the OECD (2023), addressing heterogeneity within inclusive education constitutes a central task of schools. Inclusion is a multifaceted concept that extends beyond the joint teaching of students with and without disabilities to encompass further dimensions of heterogeneity, such as gender, migration background, and individual talents (OECD, 2023; UNESCO, 2024). Consequently, a wide range of partly contradictory definitions of school inclusion coexist in the literature (e.g., Göransson & Nilholm, 2014; Grosche, 2015). Across these approaches, three core elements emerge as particularly relevant for the present study: diversity, understood as the appreciation of heterogeneous learning groups; individuality, referring to the consideration and valuation of individual characteristics and needs; and community, defined as unconditional participation and belonging within a social collective.

Teachers are frequently attributed a key role in the implementation of inclusive education. However, empirical findings regarding the relevance of teachers’ orientations toward inclusion remain inconsistent. While some studies highlight the importance of teachers’ attitudes toward inclusion (e.g., Heyder et al., 2020; Lenkeit et al., 2024), other studies fail to confirm such associations (e.g., Garrote et al., 2020). Two issues are particularly relevant when interpreting these findings.

First, previous research has predominantly focused on attitudes toward inclusive schooling (Lüke et al., 2021), rather than on a broader inclusive stance. Although the terms attitude and stance are often used interchangeably (Collins Dictionary, n.d.), they differ conceptually. Attitudes refer to evaluations of a specific object (Eagly & Chaiken, 1993), whereas a stance denotes a broader, value-based orientation that guides perception and judgment across situations (Kurbacher, 2008). While attitudes are primarily affective, a stance is more cognitive in nature and involves conscious reflection on moral, ethical, and cultural values, which is fundamental to taking responsibility (Kurbacher, 2008).

Second, many existing instruments conceptualize inclusion narrowly as the joint teaching of students with and without special educational needs. This approach risks neglecting broader dimensions of heterogeneity emphasized by the OECD (2023) and UNESCO (2024). To address this research gap, the present study aims to develop and validate a new measurement instrument assessing (pre-service) teachers’ inclusive stance based on a broad understanding of inclusion.

Building on the discourse on inclusion and Kurbacher’s (2008) conceptualization of stance, an inclusive stance is defined as the conscious recognition of diversity, individuality, and community as values that guide teachers’ role understanding and behavior. Kurbacher (2008) argues that holding certain values does not necessarily result in corresponding behavior. This assumption provides the rationale for analytically distinguishing between value orientation and role understanding (as a prerequisite for action) in the operationalization of inclusive stance. Accordingly, the developed instrument operationalizes inclusive stance along three dimensions (diversity, individuality, community), each assessed from two perspectives: value orientation and role understanding.

Against this background, the study addresses the following research questions:

1. Can the theoretically assumed factor structure of the inclusive stance instrument be empirically confirmed? To what extent is inclusive stance expressed in this study?

2. To what extent is there a relationship between a teacher's value orientation and their understanding of their role?

Furthermore, a teacher’s inclusive stance can be assumed to be related to their conviction regarding inclusive learning settings. Teachers who value heterogeneous learning groups, individual student characteristics, and unrestricted participation in a community, and who feel responsible for these aspects, are more likely to view inclusive learning settings as desirable. This results in the third research question, which is also used to validate the instrument.

3. Is an inclusive stance positively associated with attitudes toward an inclusive school system?

Internationally, many countries continue to face challenges in ensuring inclusive school environments that support the engagement and educational success of newly arrived migrant students (OECD, 2019; Schachner et al., 2018). Early support in learning the language of instruction can improve learning outcomes and well-being; however, teachers feel they lack the necessary professional skills to support migrant students (Alisaari et al., 2022; Volknant & Licandro, 2024), or only seldom utilize co-teaching to develop this expertise (Taajamo et al., 2025; OECD, 2025). In culturally and linguistically diverse classrooms, versatile instruction and collaboration among teachers with varied professional backgrounds can enhance teaching effectiveness (Dooly & Llompart Esbert, 2025; Sing & Jeannin, 2018). Although co-teaching approaches have been commonly applied to teaching students with special needs (see e.g. Friend & Cook, 1993; Barron & Friend, 2024), their potential to support the engagement of newly arrived students remains largely unexplored. As robust experimental designs are still needed to examine co-teaching’s impact (see De Weerdt et al., 2025), in this presentation, a co-teaching intervention is carried out to examine co-teaching's effectiveness in supporting newly arrived students’ lesson engagement.

With increasing migration, newly arrived students face additional educational transitions, such as changing school levels or programs, which are critical points for student engagement and well-being (Singh et al., 2022). For migrant students, transitions propose simultaneous challenges with both building new social networks and learning the increasingly complex language of schooling. In Finland, these transition processes are particularly salient as a growing number of migrant students enter the education system through preparatory education (prep-ed) (Vipunen, 2025). In prep-ed, new arrival youth focus on learning the language of instruction during their first academic year, and from there, they gradually transition to lower secondary school (Finnish National Agency for Education, 2015). Supporting this transition requires providing lower secondary level subject teachers with resources for linguistically and culturally inclusive pedagogy. This support is essential for promoting positive engagement as they invite newly arrived students into their classrooms.

Students’ engagement at school emerges gradually, from one lesson to the next. Lesson engagement highlights a distinct contextual dimension of student engagement by capturing how engaged students are in specific learning situations (Pöysä, 2020). Similarly to the overall student engagement, lesson engagement can also be seen as a tripartite construct with affective, behavioral and cognitive aspects of engagement (see Appleton et al., 2008; Fredricks et al., 2004). Considering the highly malleable nature of lesson engagement, teacher collaboration has the potential to increase teaching efficacy (Sasson & Malkinson, 2021; Satterlee Vizenor & Matuska, 2018) thereby fostering increased lesson engagement among new arrivals. Previously, the lesson engagement of mainstream students has been connected to the subject being studied (e.g., Vasalampi et al., 2021), time of lesson (e.g. Martin et al., 2015), types of learning activities (Heemskerk & Malmberg, 2020), teachers’ emotions (Pöysä et al., 2025), classroom organization (Pöysä et al., 2019), and emotional support from teachers (Pöysä et al., 2018; Pöysä et al. 2019). Against this backdrop, co-teaching offers a promising instructional structure through which teachers can enhance these dimensions of instruction, yet its potential for supporting newly arrived students’ lesson engagement has remained unexplored. To address this gap, the present study conducts a co‑teaching intervention in which prep‑ed and subject teachers collaborate to deliver high‑quality instruction for newly arrived students. The study is guided by the following research question: How does students’ affective, cognitive, and behavioral lesson engagement vary by teachers’ quality of collaboration during lessons?

Inclusive education seeks to ensure equitable learning opportunities for all students, regardless of individual abilities or educational needs. Within inclusive school environments, physical education (PE) plays a key role in promoting physical health, psychosocial wellbeing, social interaction, and positive self-perception. For students with special educational needs (SEN), participation in PE lessons is particularly important, as it supports motor development, emotional stability, and self-confidence.

Despite its potential, research and school practice indicate that students with SEN often encounter psychological and physical barriers in PE lessons. Limited motor coordination, reduced endurance, fear of failure, and negative comparison with peers may lead to decreased motivation and low self-esteem. These challenges frequently result in passive participation or avoidance of physical activity, undermining both educational and health-related outcomes. From a health education perspective, there is a need for pedagogical approaches that actively support motivation, wellbeing, and positive self-concept among students with SEN.

This action research study investigates how cooperative learning strategies support interpersonal communication and social adaptation among newly admitted Grade 7 students. Conducted at the Nazarbayev Intellectual School of Science and Mathematics in Karatau district of Shymkent, Kazakhstan, this research contributes to broader European and international discussions on student-centred pedagogical practices by demonstrating how cooperative learning strategies can support newly admitted students’ social adaptation and the development of interpersonal relationships.

In Kazakhstan, students enter Nazarbayev Intellectual Schools from diverse educational, regional, and socio-cultural backgrounds starting from Grade 7. For many learners, this transition is accompanied by social stress, limited peer interaction, and difficulties in building interpersonal relationships.

The formation of students’ interpersonal relationships remains a challenge in contemporary education systems. Although learning is often described as a social process, in practice many students struggle to communicate effectively, particularly when they enter unfamiliar school environments. Social isolation, misunderstandings among peers, feelings of insecurity, and a reluctance to engage in collaborative work are common features of classroom life and frequently contribute to a negative psychological climate and declining learning motivation. When these social dynamics are overlooked, the adaptation process can become a source of stress rather than growth.

International research on cooperative learning has demonstrated its effectiveness in developing students’ social skills, interpersonal communication, and ability to work collaboratively. In particular, the works of David W. Johnson and Roger T. Johnson (2009) emphasize cooperative learning as an effective approach that enhances not only academic achievement but also social, personal, and communicative skills. Studies by Slavin (1995) highlight that certain modifications of cooperative learning, which incorporate intergroup competition, can increase students’ engagement and motivation. In contrast, Kagan’s (Kagan, n.d.) structural approach to cooperative learning focuses on helping students perceive one another as equal partners rather than rivals, thereby fostering harmonious interpersonal relationships. Additionally, researchers studying Singapore’s (2014) educational practices conclude that cooperative learning positively influences collaboration, critical thinking, and communication skills.

This study addresses the following research question:

- Which teaching strategies support students’ learning as equal partners within learning environments grounded in trust and cooperation rather than competition?

To address these questions, a qualitative research approach was adopted involving 15 students Grade 7 from 1 class. A Peer Relations Questionnaire collected at the beginning of the academic year indicated that 80% of newly admitted Grade 7 students required psychological and pedagogical support in adapting to the new school environment. This study responds to this challenge by examining whether cooperative learning strategies can reduce social isolation and promote meaningful peer interaction.

Research has increasingly highlighted the pivotal role of homeroom teachers in school life (Sapir & Mizrahi-Shtelman, 2024). Homeroom teachers hold a central role in leading their class toward change; they contribute to students’ empowerment and success, influence their academic performance, and establish classroom social justice and equal opportunities so that students can control their lives as independent members (Liew et al., 2010) regardless of their background. In countries where homeroom teachers’ role is significant, such as Israel, the homeroom teacher’s role is managerial, educational, and social, with a commitment to fulfill his/her obligations to the students, class teachers, and students’ parents (Oved & Raichel, 2025). However, research on homeroom teachers is scant—particularly on their empowerment practices in the context of students who are under survival threat of home relocation/demolition.

Empowerment is understood as “a philosophy that creates an atmosphere in which individual students are supported by the classroom community to take responsibility for their lives in trying to meet their needs within learning settings” (Sullivan, 2002, p. 2). McQuillan (2005) discussed three kinds of student empowerment: academic, i.e., developing the ability, confidence, and motivation to succeed academically; political, whereby students enact formal or informal power and influence in the school context; and social, the dimensions of which include, e.g., dialogues between teachers and students in which everyone feels that they can speak and that all voices will be respected.

Psychological empowerment, as conceptualized by Zimmerman (1995), centers on individuals’ internal sense of control, perceived competence, and belief in their capacity to influence their educational trajectories and broader life circumstances. Christens (2012) extended empowerment theory to highlight the relational components in the psychological dimension: collaborative competence (interpersonal relationships to create group membership, solidarity, and collective capacity), bridging social divisions (through trust and mutual relationships among diverse groups or social identities), and facilitating others’ empowerment. Drawing on empowerment theory (e.g., Zimmerman, 2000), this study seeks to understand the empowerment practices aimed at supporting students who live under ongoing threat of displacement and demolition.

In the context of the threat of displacement/demolition of homes, as addressed in the present study, research has found that children face a wide range of risks to their development from their physical environment (e.g., lack of electricity and basic living amenities) and lack of supervision and relationships that affect their development, health, and well-being (Marey- Sarwan et al., 2020). This constant threat of home demolition/displacement is found in Palestinian Arab unrecognized villages (UVs) in the Negev of Israel, defined as "Bedouin settlements that are deemed illegal and, as such, are constantly threatened by the state’s efforts to make them disappear" (Hall, 2014, p. 147). The Israeli government does not recognize these villages (Abu-Rass & Yiftachel, 2012). Their specific status in the country—they are citizens—differentiates them from illegal immigrants or refugees, who might otherwise share certain experiences of poverty and marginality.

The people in UV live under difficult conditions. The government denies them basic services and infrastructure, such as running water, electricity, health institutions, and access roads (Rotem & Gordon, 2017). Most of these people live in tents and barracks built from cheap materials because the Israeli authorities refuse to grant them permission to construct permanent living structures (Abu-Rass & Yiftachel, 2012). A large number of homes that have been built without government permission are demolished every year by Israeli authorities, some more than once (Al-Said, et al., 2018).

Using two case studies of homeroom teachers—one local and one non-local—the study aims to examine the empowerment practices they enact and how their positionalities shape these practices.

This participatory mixed-methods study focussed on the learning and coping strategies used by children in a German primary school during the COVID-19 home-schooling period. While educational research has increasingly provided national and international data on the pandemic in general (cf. Helm et al. 2021, Bujard et al. 2021), the perspectives of primary school children have often been overlooked (cf. Budde et al. 2021). Therefore, the aim of our research was to look specifically at the children’s perspectives on home-schooling phases during COVID-19 lockdowns and the related challenges, as well as coping strategies used by the learners themselves during this time of crisis and instability.

The main research question asked: How do school beginners (age 6 to 7) navigate the challenges between classroom teaching and home-schooling?

A participatory research approach was chosen. According to Von Unger (2014) and Eßer et al. (2020) participatory research approaches are characterised by the involvement of actors as researchers in order to describe and changing social reality as well as measures for the individual and collective empowerment of the partners. As is appropriate to a study involving children, ethical considerations were given priority (Bertram et al. 2015).

Theoretically, the study combined social constructivism, where school is viewed as being constructed through local practices ("doing school"), with a relational understanding of agency (cf. Eßer et al. 2020). Children were regarded as competent actors who actively shape their social environment (cf. Hüpping/Büker 2019). The primary aim was to make children's voices heard through a participatory research approach grounded in the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and New Childhood Studies. Different theoretical frameworks were therefore combined: including the social constructivist perspective, where a setting, in this case a school is continuously constructed in and through local practices, i.e. where activity is produced and adapted by the actors involved in the sense of doing school. The lens of relational understanding of agency was also employed, where specifically, school was understood as a network of relationships, characterised by the diverse interactions of the school community of actors - adults as well as children.

The study traces how school beginners in Germany coped with learning demands in times of instability and crisis, when normal schooling was interrupted. It demonstrates the different creative coping strategies owned by the children, but also points to the high relevance of school as a social interaction space (Hummrich, 2015) in addition to being an essential learning and educational space for children. Data from this study suggest that children value the notion of ‘school’ beyond merely a place to learn. This study argues that educators and policy makers should give greater consideration to the school’s role in children’s social development and well-being when planning for alternative education, not only in times of crisis. Besides the presentation of empirical findings of the children`s own perspectives at a specific time of educational instability, the research team take a critical look at their own research approach and their original claim of enabling participatory research and taking children's agency seriously.

Against the backdrop of current multiple crises and society's demand to continue strengthening children's (school) well-being in line with children's rights (the three Ps: protection, provision, and participation) in the future and not to lose sight of this, the presentation also draws on empirical findings and reflections to make current references to childhood and learning in times of crisis.

This paper examines student voice within educational systems through the experiences of children designated as at risk, particularly those experiencing social, emotional, behavioural, and educational marginalisation, and those living in alternative care. Drawing on doctoral research in Educational Psychology conducted in Maltese nurture centres and residential care settings, and informed by Jacques Rancière’s political philosophy, the paper interrogates how dominant educational practices and rights-based discourses can fail to meaningfully engage the voices of children most vulnerable to exclusion.

The paper argues that educational systems often operate through a deficit-oriented logic that categorises children at risk as non-compliant, dysregulated, incompetent, or difficult to teach. Within this framework, student voice is selectively recognised. Children whose communication fits normative expectations are more likely to be heard, while those whose expressions emerge through refusal, withdrawal, anger, silence, or disruption are frequently rendered unintelligible. As a result, children at risk may be positioned less as speaking and rights-bearing subjects, and more as objects of intervention, surveillance, assessment, and remediation.

Using Rancière’s concepts of the police order, equality, and dissensus, the paper explores how schooling regulates who is permitted to speak, what forms of expression are considered legitimate, and how educational and psychological assessment practices can contribute to the silencing of marginalised children. Diagnostic and educational categories, while often intended to secure support, may also narrow how children are seen and heard when complex lived experiences are translated primarily into individual deficits.

Empirical material is drawn from a qualitative case study with seven boys aged 8 to 15 attending nurture centres in Malta, all of whom were living in residential care. These settings provide alternative educational provision for children experiencing significant relational, emotional, behavioural, and educational risk. Using an adapted Mosaic and Reggio Emilia-informed approach, the research engaged children through photography, drawing, child-led tours, play, informal conversations, and observation, enabling forms of expression beyond conventional verbal participation. The findings show how children at risk often communicate distress, agency, moral reasoning, and resistance through actions that schools may interpret as disruption, failure, or incapacity.

The paper reconceptualises student voice not simply as a procedural right granted or facilitated by adults, but as a political act that emerges when children challenge the terms of their own exclusion from educational meaning-making. Through the concept of dissensus, it argues that some behaviours commonly understood as problematic can also be read as claims to equality, recognition, and relational justice, particularly when conventional avenues for participation are unavailable, unsafe, or ineffective.

The paper concludes by outlining implications for Educational Psychologists and educational practice more broadly. It calls for a shift away from gatekeeping practices that prioritise categorisation and risk management, towards relational, reflexive, and ethically grounded approaches that recognise children at risk as already capable social actors. By centring lived experience, resisting premature deficit labelling, and remaining open to forms of expression that disrupt normative schooling practices, education systems can move closer to genuinely inclusive and rights-respecting practice.

Background, objective and conceptual framework

Nowadays, young Europeans are expected to complete education at least at the upper secondary level in order to establish themselves in work and society (OECD, 2022). Those who fail to meet such expectations are generally subject to measures aimed at bringing them back into mainstream education (Nouwen, 2016). Research has commonly focused on identifying factors behind, and interventions addressing, school failure (e.g. González-Rodríguez, 2019), while knowledge about how young people themselves perceive their situation remains relatively scarce. However, listening to these young people’s accounts may offer valuable insights into the complex interplay between contextual factors and individuals’ sense-making and agency. Such insights can also contribute to rethinking policies and practices aimed at supporting children and young people at risk of early school leaving and social exclusion. Existing research drawing on narratives from students attending alternative learning provisions indicates that physically, and psychologically safe and supportive environments foster a sense of belonging and promote re-engagement with education (e.g. Byrne & Smyth, 2010; Laundal & Solberg, 2022; O’Gorman, 2016).

This article revisits interviews with 57 young Swedes attending the Introductory Programme (IP), either due to incomplete grades from compulsory school or because of recent migration. Our objective is to deepen the understanding of how young people who do not qualify for upper secondary education make sense of and navigate their past, present, and future trajectories.

The Swedish context

According to Swedish legislation, including all children in regular classes is the main principle. In 2025, 2% of students in the nine-year compulsory school received special support exclusively in separate groups and/or individually. Performance-oriented curriculum reforms during the 2010s introduced earlier grading and more extensive national testing. Requirements for eligibility to national upper secondary programmes were significantly raised. Since then, between 12 and 17 percent of 16-year-olds have lacked eligibility for a vocational or academic upper secondary programme—high in an international comparison (Schmid, 2020).

The Introductory Programme (IP) is offered to young people with insufficient grades from compulsory school and/or those who recently migrated to Sweden, with the aim of helping them gain eligibility for upper secondary education. The IP provides more teacher support, smaller groups, and individualised instruction than mainstream education. Transitioning to a national upper secondary programme or adult education is often a long process, particularly for students enrolled in the two tracks on which we focus: Individual Alternative (IA) and Language Introduction (LI).

Conceptual framework

We understand the relationship between structure and agency in education as a connection between the institutionalised life course and subjective biographies (Evans, 2002; Walther, 2015). Young people’s paths and choices unfold within a field of uneven power relations where interactions and pragmatic considerations take shape (Hodkinson & Sparkes, 1997). We depart from a categorisation of educational trajectories from Walther’s (2015) research on European youth, where the remedial and intermediate trajectory refers to students who have experienced interruptions in schooling and face limited choices. IA students’ trajectories more often fell into the remedial category, whereas LI students’ trajectories more often fell into the intermediate category.

Sense-making and agency are central concepts in the analysis of the informants’ narratives. Sense-making focuses on how people interpret events and construct meaning—workable stories that allow them to navigate uncertainty and guide action (Weick, 1995). Young people’s understandings of themselves and their circumstances are not only cognitively and individually grounded, but also relationally and affectively constituted. Emotions form an important basis for agency (Barbalet, 2001; Covington, 1984): they influence whether young people believe they can learn and develop, whether they perceive themselves as agentic subjects, and how they view their future.

The concept of multiliteracies has a prominent position in the Finnish National Core Curriculum for Basic Education (EDUFI, 2016) as a transversal skill covering all subjects taught in basic education grades 1-9. It entered the curriculum in the renewal process in 2014, but there has been very little empirical research to examine in what form this theoretical and pedagogical concept has been adopted in the curriculum or how it is implemented in teaching. In this presentation, we approach the topic from the perspective of early foreign language education, when children enter formal schooling and encounter a new textual world of the familiar first language(s), and the new resources provided by the new language starting upon entry to school in grade 1. The aim of this presentation is to investigate the practical application of the concept of multiliteracies in early foreign language education by examining the curriculum, teacher beliefs, and their interrelations.

In the past few decades, research-based understanding of language and language learning has moved from psycholinguistic, formalist, and monolingual views to sociolinguistic, dialogic, and multilingual ones (Block, 2003; May, 2019). This has led to quite radical re-conceptualizations of language as a resource rather than a structure or skill (e.g. Makoni & Pennycook, 2007; Wei, 2011) and literacy as multiliteracies (The New London Group, 1996), which extends the idea of literacy as the ability to read and write written texts to the multiple means and modalities of communication.

The Douglas Fir Group’s (2016) framework for second language acquisition emphasizes that additional language learning occurs at the micro (social activity), meso (social institutions), and macro (ideological structures) levels, which interact and permeate each other to form a complex, dynamic, and non-linear context within which language learning is negotiated. In this study, we focus on the macro and micro levels. The macro level in our investigation equals the administrative level in the form of a formal written curriculum. The curriculum forms the basis of education by presenting the aims and contents of education. Furthermore, societal changes, new scientific openings and educational innovations permeate to teaching and learning practices through curricula (Vitikka et al., 2012). The most recent Finnish curriculum reform in 2016 (Halinen et al., 2015) drew on latest research in the field of education in forming seven transversal competencies cutting across all subjects. One of these competencies is multiliteracies, the focus of this study. Research has shown, however, that theoretical thinking does not automatically transfer into curricula (Westbury, 2008) and therefore it is crucial to take a close look at how the concept of multiliteracies in question is visible in the curriculum.

Secondly, we focus on the micro level, which in our study is represented by teachers’ understanding of the concept of multiliteracies in their practical work in the classrooms, i.e. we examine teachers’ beliefs. As language teaching and learning is largely dependent on teacher (and learner) beliefs of the means and goals of learning languages (e.g. Basturkmen, 2012; Fillmore & Snow, 2000), it is vital to understand how conceptualizations emerge and how they are connected to and reflected in teaching and learning practices.

The research questions the study aims at answering are:

1. In which ways is the concept of multiliteracies taken up in the curriculum for early foreign language education in Finland?
2. What kind of beliefs on the concept of multiliteracies can be identified among teachers of early foreign language in Finland?
3. How are these beliefs connected to the understandings of the multiliteracies concept in the curriculum?

This study presents the envisioned ideals and the lived realities of three teachers teaching a foreign language to first graders. In the research context of this study, Finland, the first foreign language can be taught either by a subject teacher (language teacher) or a class teacher. The Finnish National Core Curriculum for Basic Education states that foreign language teaching in the early years should awaken a positive attitude towards language learning by emphasizing the joy of learning, diverse ways of learning, and multimodality (EDUFI, 2016). Interaction, activity-based tasks, games and play, music, drama, and movement are highlighted as some of the key ways of learning. Regarding the learning environment, the curriculum notes that the entire school building and its surrounding areas can be used for learning, and that versatile learning environments can support different ways of learning and encourage students’ curiosity to learn. In addition, the curriculum states that the learning environment supports development of multiliteracy when pictures, movement, sounds, and different didactic tools are incorporated in teaching (EDUFI, 2016).

The teachers who are in focus of this study participate in a larger project focusing on multiliteracy in early foreign language learning and teaching. One of the key factors of multiliteracies is multimodality, which includes spatiality as one of the modes for meaning making (Cope & Kalantzis, 2009). In literacy research, there has been a “spatial turn” that has led researchers to describe and analyse literacy practices in specific social spaces such as schools (see Mills & Comber, 2015). Spaces and places are also closely connected to teaching and to the possibilities of using the teaching premises in different, innovative ways (Frelin et al., 2025; Mills & Comber, 2013). As Mills and Comber (2013: 647) note, space and place are relational and dynamic; because they are socially produced, they can also be contested, reimagined, and remade. Therefore, learning can occur in different ways, in different settings, at different times, and with different materials. This study focuses on the physical, material, spatial, and temporal settings, both imagined and realistic, to highlight the possibilities and challenges teachers face when planning and implementing teaching of foreign languages.

All teachers participating in this study teach a first foreign language (English or German) to first graders, but they work in three very different contexts. One of the teachers is a class teacher, who teaches their class every day, while the other two are subject teachers, who meet their students only once a week. The three contexts range from a small village to a big city; each located in different regions of Finland. Two of the schools are old, more traditional buildings, whereas one is more recently built. Group sizes also vary, ranging from 12 to 23 students.

This study applies a multimethod approach to address the following research questions:

1) What space-related dreams, realities, and challenges emerge in the teachers’ visual and verbal accounts?

2) In what ways does the lived experience of space correspond to teachers’ ideals of teaching a foreign language to first graders and does it enable teaching in multimodal, joyful and versatile way?

Educational learning environments across Europe are increasingly shaped by tensions between innovation, wellbeing, and policy-driven implementation. In recent decades, many school systems have invested in innovative open and flexible learning environments intended to support student-centred pedagogies, inclusion, and learner agency (Benade, 2019; Morris & Imms, 2025). Yet current shifts in educational discourse and governance indicate a renewed inclination toward more traditional classroom models, often justified by concerns about structure, attention, classroom management, and learning outcomes (Sasson et al., 2021; Charteris et al., 2025). These developments raise urgent questions about how space, pedagogy, and wellbeing interact in everyday educational practice and how spatial choices implicitly shape educational culture.

Against this backdrop, this symposium responds to the shared research question: How can spatial understandings of agency and wellbeing, across teachers and learners, inform the design, use, and evaluation of learning environments? Rather than treating learning environments as static containers or functional infrastructure, the symposium conceptualises them as socio-spatial and pedagogical ecologies that are continuously produced through embodied and affective engagement with space, professional practice, and institutional conditions (Carvalho & Yeoman, 2021; Mulcahy et al., 2015). While innovative learning environments have been widely promoted, research consistently shows that spatial redesign alone does not automatically lead to pedagogical change (Imms & Byers, 2017; Woolner et al., 2018). Moreover, empirical insight into how teachers and learners actually experience, negotiate, and produce learning environments remains fragmented across disciplinary boundaries, limiting both the explanatory power of educational research and the practical usability of design and policy frameworks.

As a result, design intentions, pedagogical realities, and wellbeing ambitions may become misaligned. The symposium therefore aims to move beyond binary debates (e.g., closed classroom vs open learning landscape; structured vs flexible; stimulating vs calming) by critically examining what lies in between: the nuanced spatial gradients and micro-practices through which agency and wellbeing are enacted (McPherson & Saltmarsh, 2017). This “in-between” is approached as an interdisciplinary research space, where socio-material and spatially informed perspectives become essential for developing more refined understanding, translation, and professional learning.

Bringing together four complementary papers from Denmark, Australia, Finland, and Belgium, the symposium explores the intersection of teacher and student agency, learner wellbeing, and learning environment design through empirical and methodological lenses. Bøjer examines design-based training and participatory approaches that position teachers as active co-makers of learning environments (Bøjer & Brøns, 2022), while Mahat highlights teacher-led (micro)inquiry as a situated mechanism for developing spatial competency and professional agency during spatial transformation (Lai et al., 2020; Mahat et al., 2024). Niemi offers fine-grained video-based insight into how students enact agency through embodied and spatial practices in open and flexible learning environments (Mondada, 2019; Niemi et al., 2024). Stevens contributes an architectural lens on affective spatial experience, proposing that students’ affective descriptions of teaching spaces can be mobilised as spatial intelligence to enrich learning environment evaluation and professional dialogue (Castilla et al., 2017; Desmet, 2018; Stevens & Balendonck, 2026).

The contributions collectively address three interconnected thematic lines:
(1) Affective and experiential dimensions of learning environments;
(2) Teacher spatial literacy, agency and competence as professional knowledge; and
(3) Translational and participatory approaches that connect spatial evidence to professional learning, design processes, and evaluation, particularly in the context of shifting European education policies.

The symposium concludes with a designerly synthesis that connects key concepts (i.e., agency, affect, wellbeing, spatial literacy) and the protagonists involved in learning environment projects into a shared “blueprint”. This artefact captures cross-paper insights, unresolved tensions (e.g. structure vs. openness), and emerging research questions (e.g. integrating affective spatial evidence into evaluation; developing tools for teacher spatial literacy; responding to policy shifts).

As education systems respond to accelerating social transformations, including shifting pedagogical paradigms, increasing learner diversity, and post-pandemic reconfigurations of schooling, educational environments have become a critical yet under-examined dimension of professional practice (OECD, n.d.; UNESCO, 2025). While many schools are transitioning to innovative and flexible learning environments, teachers’ capacity to work productively with spatial change remains uneven (Imms & Mahat, 2021). Spatial competency, that is, the ability to perceive, interpret, and intentionally mobilise the affordances of physical learning environments in support of pedagogical aims (Mahat & Loh, 2024), continues to be marginal within dominant models of professional learning (Mahat, 2025). This paper argues that teacher-led (micro)inquiry provides a powerful, context-responsive approach to developing spatial competency under changing conditions of education (Mahat & Bradbeer, 2024). Characterised by small-scale, iterative cycles of observation, experimentation, reflection, and adaptation, (micro)inquiry is embedded in teachers’ everyday practice (Cochran-Smith & Lytle, 2009; Timperley et al., 2007). Unlike standardised or externally imposed professional development, spatial (micro)inquiry positions teachers as active agents responding to the socio-material conditions of their classrooms and schools (Biesta et al., 2015; Fenwick et al., 2011). Empirically, the paper draws on mixed-methods case studies of three schools in Melbourne, Australia undergoing spatial transformation. Using teachers’ reflective accounts and artefacts generated through collaborative inquiry, it illustrates how (micro)inquiries enable teachers to examine how spatial arrangements mediate learning, participation, inclusion, and wellbeing: how layouts shape collaboration, how movement and visibility influence student agency, and how material affordances interact with pedagogical intent. Through repeated cycles of inquiry, teachers develop heightened spatial awareness and adaptive expertise, allowing them to align space-use with evolving learner needs, institutional expectations, and broader social change. Importantly, this process supports professional agency by legitimising teachers’ situated knowledge and capacity to reconfigure space rather than merely adapt to it, and hence contribute to the development of spatial competency, supporting more coherent and intentional responses to new learning environments. The paper concludes by discussing implications for professional learning frameworks, school leadership, and teacher education. It argues that embedding spatial (micro)inquiry within professional learning infrastructures is essential for enabling teachers to navigate the tensions between innovative educational environments, accountability pressures, and the changing purposes of schooling. In doing so, the paper contributes to Network 06 debates on educational environments by foregrounding teacher agency and practice-based inquiry as key responses to contemporary social and spatial transformations in education.

Biesta, G., Priestley, M., & Robinson, S. (2015). The role of beliefs in teacher agency. Teachers and Teaching, 21(6), 624–640. Fenwick, T., Edwards, R., & Sawchuk, P. (2011). Emerging approaches to educational research: Tracing the socio-material. Routledge. Imms W. & Mahat M. (2021) Where to now? Fourteen characteristics of teachers’ transition into innovative learning environments. In W. Imms & T. Kvan (Eds), Teacher Transition into Innovative Learning Environments (pp. 317-334). Springer. Mahat, M. (2025). Developing teachers’ spatial competency: A tripartite model of professional learning and development. In H. Stokes & McLean Davies, L. (Eds.). Critical Conversations in Teacher Education: Contemporary Perspectives from Australia (pp. 63-79). Emerald. Mahat, M. & Bradbeer, C. (2024). Teacher-led inquiry in school learning environments: Setting the context. In M. Mahat & C. Bradbeer (Eds.). Teacher-led inquiry in School Learning Environments: Leading by Example (pp. 1-10). Emerald. Mahat, M. & Loh, C. E (2024). Teachers’ changing perspectives of their spatial competencies: A case study of professional learning in Singapore. Teaching and Teacher Education, 152(2024), 104797. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2024.104797 OECD. (n.d.). Future of education and skills 2030. OECD Publishing. UNESCO Institute for Statistics Education Data and Statistics Commission. (2025). Education data and statistics. UNESCO Institute for Statistics.

Across the world, schools are increasingly built or retrofitted with flexible, activity-based designs intended to support innovative pedagogies. Research indicates that such environments can promote learning outcomes, inclusion, and student agency by enabling more personalised and collaborative learning (Benade, 2019; Morris & Imms, 2025). However, these spaces also require new teaching and learning strategies (Duthilleul et al., 2021; Lai et al., 2020), a change often assumed to follow automatically from spatial redesign. Yet research and practice consistently show that new spatial layouts and pedagogical visions do not, in themselves, lead to changes in practice (Imms & Byers, 2017; Woolner et al., 2018). This paper addresses this gap by investigating how teachers’ spatial competences can be developed through design-based and participatory approaches. Drawing on Martin’s (2002) and Lackney’s (2008) concept of environmental competence, spatial competence is understood as the ability to perceive and shape the learning environment as an active and responsive element of teaching practice. Teachers with spatial awareness and competence can act as spatial agents who deliberately use space to support learning. Although the need for such competences is increasingly recognised (Leighton, 2021; Mahat et al., 2024), they remain largely absent from teacher education and school building processes (Bøjer & Brøns, 2022). Empirically, the paper draws on three Danish case studies: 1) a primary school (2018); 2) a teacher training pilot project (2020–24); and 3) an ongoing diploma course for teacher professionals (2020-). The paper presents concrete design-based methods and participatory approaches that support collaborative reflection, experimentation, and professional learning, enabling teachers to develop new understandings of the space-practice relationship. Methodologically, the paper is grounded in socio-spatial perspectives on education (Carvalho & Yeoman, 2021; Mulcahy et al., 2015), viewing learning environments as dynamic constellations shaped by physical design, pedagogical values, school organisation, and student motivation (Gislason, 2018). The case studies combine Research through Design (Frayling, 1994) and Action Research (Wolkenhauer et al., 2017), using design processes and educational practices as means of inquiry. The paper concludes that teachers should be understood not merely as users but as active co-makers of the learning environment. Supporting teachers in this role requires deliberate training in spatial awareness and competence. Across the case studies, design-based and participatory methods fostered active reflection and exploration of the space-practice relationship, contributing to practice-based knowledge, experiences, and ultimately teacher spatial agency.

Benade, L. (2019). Flexible learning spaces: Inclusive by design? New Zealand Journal of Educational Studies, 54(1), 53–68. Bøjer, B. H., & Brøns, M. G. (2022). How co-design can contribute to the ongoing development of hybrid learning spaces by empowering the users. In Hybrid learning spaces (pp. 45–60). Springer. Lai, C., Huang, Y. X., & Lam, T. (2020). Teachers’ socio-spatial practice in innovative learning environments. Cambridge Journal of Education, 50(4), 521–538. Leighton, V. (2021). Envisaging teacher spatial competency through the lenses of situated cognition and personal imagination to reposition it as a professional classroom practice skill. Teacher Transition into Innovative Learning Environments, 249–275. Mahat, M., Hurn, B., & Bradbeer, C. (2024). Putting teachers’ “spatial competency” on the professional learning map: An environmental scan. The University of Melbourne. Morris, J. E., & Imms, W. (2025). Flexible furniture to support inclusive education: Developing learner agency and engagement in primary school. Learning Environments Research, 28(2), 223–248. Woolner, P., Thomas, U., & Tiplady, L. (2018). Structural change from physical foundations: The role of the environment in enacting school change. Journal of Educational Change, 19(2), 223–242.

Open and flexible learning spaces are widely promoted as enabling autonomy, collaboration, and engagement (e.g. Benade, 2018; Sassoon et al., 2021; Wiklund-Engblom et al., 2025), yet relatively little is known about how these pedagogical expectations are actually enacted, negotiated, and appropriated by students in situated learning activities. Based on a video-based study of students’ learning interactions in Finnish schools, this study examines how students’ agency is enacted through everyday classroom practices as they unfold within, and in relation to, open and flexible spatial arrangements. Drawing on multimodal conversation analysis (e.g. Mondada, 2019) of video-recorded classroom situations, the study examines how students use movement, positioning, bodily orientation, and material resources to manage participation, attention, and social relations. The analysis shows that agency is not merely a matter of individual choice or freedom, but is continuously negotiated through interactional work: claiming and reshaping space, creating temporary boundaries, withdrawing or engaging, and adapting to the presence and availability of peers and teachers (McPherson, A. & Saltmarsh 2017). Empirically, the paper analyses, among other cases, an episode from a fifth-grade mathematics lesson in which a group of students collectively constructs a temporary “math hut” using mattresses and pillows in order to work together on fraction tasks. This case illustrates how pedagogical intentions related to collaboration and concentration become spatially materialised—and transformed—through students’ own spatial actions, and how a learning environment is actively produced in the course of ongoing instructional activity. While not foregrounding wellbeing as a separate analytical category, the study highlights how conditions for comfort, focus, and emotional security emerge as part of these agentive spatial practices, and how open configurations may both enable and constrain students’ possibilities for participation. By making students’ embodied and interactional spatial practices visible, the paper contributes empirical insight into how agency is lived and produced in open and flexible learning spaces. It argues that video-based methodologies offer a powerful resource between educational research, pedagogical practice, and learning space design by revealing how pedagogical expectations are enacted, negotiated, and reworked in everyday classroom activity, and and how students create opportunities to resist, reshape, and reinterpret these expectations in practice.

Benade. L. (2018). Being a Teacher in the 21st Century. Singapore: Springer. Leighton, V. (2021). Envisaging teacher spatial competency through the lenses of situated cognition and personal imagination to reposition it as a professional classroom practice skill. Teacher Transition into Innovative Learning Environments, 249–275. 275. McPherson, A. & Saltmarsh, S. (2017). Bodies and affect in non-traditional learning spaces. Educational Philosophy and Theory, 49(8), 832–841. Mondada, L. (2019). Contemporary issues in conversation analysis: Embodiment and materiality,multimodality and multisensoriality in social interaction. Journal of Pragmatics, 145, 47-62. Sasson, R., Yehuda, I., & Magen-Nagar, N. (2021). Teachers’ classroom management and student behaviour in innovative learning environments. Teaching and Teacher Education, 103, 103347. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2021.103347 Wiklund-Engblom, A., Bergström, B. & Lindfors, M. (2025). Exploring teaching practices in an innovative learning environment: A pragmatic view on the student-centred ideal in future classrooms. Postdigital Science and Education. https://doi.org/10.1007/s42438-025-00570-

Learning environments are increasingly recognised as central to students’ wellbeing, engagement, and learning (Barrett et al., 2015). Yet in both educational discourse and practice, physical learning environments are still frequently discussed through sharp dualities: classroom versus open learning landscape; stimulating versus calming; structured versus flexible. Such binary framings obscure the actual “in-between” spatial conditions where agency and wellbeing are often negotiated in everyday teaching and learning. This paper argues that these polarised interpretations are partly rooted in limited spatial literacy among educational professionals, leading to reduced vocabulary and restricted capacity to interpret the didactic potential embedded in space (Stevens & Balenonck, 2026). Positioned at the intersection of educational research and architectural design, this paper proposes that students’ affective descriptions of learning spaces can be mobilised as architectural design intelligence. Rather than treating affective language as subjective impression, the study examines it as experiential spatial evidence that can enrich how learning environments are designed, used, and evaluated (Castilla et al., 2017). The paper addresses the research question: How can students’ affective descriptions of learning spaces be interpreted as architectural knowledge relevant to agency and wellbeing? This question is timely within current European debates on learning environment design, including tendencies to revert to traditional classroom models and critiques of open learning landscapes (Charteris et al., 2025; Page & Anderson, 2024). Methodologically, the study draws on a qualitative corpus of short written reflections collected from higher education students describing how their teaching spaces (aulas) feel during learning activities. The analysis follows a two-step process. First, affective descriptors (e.g., calm, oppressive, energising, chaotic) are identified and coded, supported by affect-oriented approaches from design research (Desmet, 2018). Second, these affective terms are spatially anchored through references to architectural conditions such as light, scale, enclosure, acoustics, materiality, and spatial organisation. This interpretive approach links affect not to preference, but to spatial qualities and tensions. Findings reveal recurring affective patterns that transcend typological labels of “traditional” or “innovative” space. Students articulate key tensions—openness versus safety; stimulation versus overload; flexibility versus disorientation—suggesting that the quality of learning environments resides in nuanced spatial gradients rather than in fixed design categories. The paper concludes by proposing affective spatial analysis as a reflective tool to help educators and designers move beyond binaries, strengthen spatial literacy, and develop richer, more actionable discussions on learning environments that support agency and wellbeing.

Barrett, P., Davies, F., Zhang, Y., & Barrett, L. (2015). The impact of classroom design on pupils’ learning: Final results of a holistic, multi-level analysis. Building and Environment, 89, 118–133. Castilla, N., Llinares, C., Bravo, J. M., & Blanca, V. (2017). Subjective assessment of university classroom environment. Building and Environment, 122, 72–81. Charteris, J., Frelin, A., & Grannäs, J. (2025). Respatialisation in schools: Redesigning spaces and reimagining pedagogy. Oxford Review of Education. Desmet, P. M. A. (2018). Measuring emotion: Development and application of an instrument to measure emotional responses to products. In M. Blythe & A. Monk (Eds.), Funology 2: From usability to enjoyment (pp. 391–404). Springer. Geitz, G., Donker, A., & Parpala, A. (2023). Studying in an innovative teaching–learning environment: Design-based education at a university of applied sciences. Learning Environments Research. Morris, J., & Imms, W. (2022). Designing and using innovative learning spaces: What teachers have to say. IUL Research, 3(6), 7–25. Stevens, R. & Balendonck, S. (accepted for publication). The Teacher’s Rider: A Speculative, Identity-Based Method for Integrating Pedagogical Insight into the Architectural Design of Learning Environments. Archnet-IJAR

Across educational research, participatory, co-designed and youth-led methodological approaches have gained increasing prominence, with growing efforts to engage young people as collaborators in research that directly impacts their lives (Habib et al., 2024; Cuevas-Parra, 2020). Within these approaches, compensating young people for the time they give to research activities is recognised as ethically necessary (Afkinich et al., 2020), most often through vouchers or symbolic payments. While these practices move away from extractive research models, they also raise less frequently examined questions about how labour, value and benefits are configured within the research process - questions that intersect with wider European debates regarding youth labour, where access to paid work remains uneven and tied to socio-economic disadvantage (ILO, 2024).

This paper addresses two related research questions: What happens when young people’s participation in education research is organised through paid employment? And how do wages enter into knowledge production by reconfiguring research relations? Conceptually, our analysis draws on Gillen’s (2019) Power in the Room to explore how paid work structures educational activities and outcomes. Through his analysis of the Baltimore Algebra Project, a youth-run cooperative in which mathematical learning is organised through paid work, Gillen treats wages as a structuring condition under racialised capitalism that reorganises educational work and gives material weight to young people’s intellectual labour, particularly for those positioned precariously within racial capitalism (Robinson, 2019). In the context of education research, where funds are fiercely surveilled by university systems and structures, paying young people through waged labour raises questions about the nature of work, value and just rewards. Certainly, the payment of wages can be seen as ethically suspect because productive labour under racial capitalism is organised through the exploitation of the worker as they produce commodities that hold surplus value for those in power (the white capitalist). Yet this labour may also operate as a form of collective inquiry that has use-value for young people and their communities (Williams, 2011). Thus, we offer an analysis of paid participation as a condition that intervenes in unequal conditions of participation and recognition, while bringing into view different logics of value within educational research.

The paper draws on the Very Local Maths project (https://verylocalmaths.org.uk/), conducted in collaboration with a community centre in Manchester. Inspired by the Funds of Knowledge approach (Moll et al.,1992), which foregrounds the cultural resources of students from disadvantaged backgrounds, the project explored ‘community mathematics’, understood as mathematics emerging beyond formal schooling and connected to young people’s lives and experiences. Seven young people (13-16) took part in the project, most of whom identified as Black, neurodivergent and struggling with their participation in formal schooling. Over six monthly workshops, they were employed as co-researchers and paid an hourly wage to participate in the research.

The analysis draws on video recordings and written artefacts produced during the workshops, focusing on two episodes from our fourth workshop, where payment shifted from a background condition to an explicit object of negotiation. In the first episode, co-researchers explored how their labour might be valued if the project ran next year, considering factors such as travel costs, changes in minimum wage, or the university’s financial capacities. The second episode centres on a collective discussion about how young people were using their wages, drawing attention to how payment circulated within the group and shaped possibilities and relations within and around the project.

The paper contributes a situated reflection on wages as a research device and their effects within educational research, highlighting payment as more than a practical or ethical arrangement supporting participation. This reflection makes visible how economic arrangements enter into research practices, supporting a more reflexive engagement with the conditions of educational knowledge production.

Research Questions & Objectives

This study investigates hidden dropout—a critical yet under-researched phenomenon where students remain physically enrolled but become psychologically and academically disengaged. Focusing on junior high schools within Yi ethnic townships in Western China, the research addresses two pivotal questions: What are the multi-level causal mechanisms that drive hidden dropout within a culturally distinct, marginalized indigenous community? And how can meaningful, culturally responsive interventions be designed to restore educational engagement and dignity, rather than merely enforcing physical attendance?

The objectives are threefold: (1) to identify and typologize the manifestations of hidden dropout; (2) to analyze its causal factors across interconnected ecological systems; and (3) to propose and preliminarily evaluate intervention strategies that are grounded in local culture and responsive to systemic inequities.

Theoretical Framework

This research employs an integrated theoretical framework to unravel the complexity of hidden dropout.

Bronfenbrenner's Bioecological Model serves as the foundational lens, framing student disengagement as the outcome of dynamic interactions across multiple systemic levels: from the microsystem of classroom and family dynamics, through the mesosystem of home-school cultural disconnection, to the exosystem of policy implementation gaps, and ultimately to the macrosystem of broader cultural norms and values.

Critically extending this model, Cultural Mismatch Theory interrogates the structural incongruence and conflict between the standardized, state-mandated curriculum and the indigenous Yi value systems, traditions, and worldviews.

Together, this combined framework moves beyond conceptualizing dropout merely as an individual deficit, instead positioning it as a process of sociocultural negotiation and a systemic issue of educational justice. Consequently, the study situates itself within broader global debates concerning inclusion, cultural rights, and the purpose of schooling in pluralistic societies.

Methodological Orientation & Contribution

To address these questions, the study adopts a critical ethnographic approach grounded in the aforementioned theoretical framework. This methodology is chosen for its strength in uncovering the lived experiences, cultural meanings, and systemic contradictions that underlie phenomena like hidden dropout. Conducted in the Liangshan Yi Autonomous Prefecture—a region emblematic of the intersection between poverty, cultural distinctness, and state-led educational campaigns in China—the research generates nuanced, context-rich insights.

This approach has enabled the research not only to identify and typologize expressions of disengagement but, more importantly, to trace their genesis across the bioecological strata and through the lens of cultural mismatch. By mapping these mechanisms, the study proposes and argues for intervention strategies that are genuinely culturally responsive. Therefore, its primary scholarly contribution lies in developing and illustrating a transferable, ecologically-grounded model for understanding and addressing student disengagement in marginalized, cross-cultural settings.

European/International Dimension & Scholarly Significance

This research engages directly with pressing European and international educational agendas by advancing theoretical dialogue, informing pedagogical practice, and providing evidence for policy deliberation. Specifically, it contributes to the application and refinement of ecosystem models within indigenous and Global South contexts by integrating the critical lens of cultural mismatch, thereby enriching the analytical tools available for understanding educational equity. In doing so, it informs practical efforts to design inclusive pedagogies that sustain rather than marginalize minority cultures—addressing a key priority for both EU and OECD educational policy aimed at effectively serving diverse learner populations. Consequently, the study provides timely evidence for ongoing policy discussions on balancing universal education goals with cultural integrity, thereby supporting the pursuit of UN Sustainable Development Goal 4 (Quality Education) and aligning with the EU's strategic objectives of promoting equity, social cohesion, and successful integration.

By centering the concepts of cultural negotiation and systemic interdependence, the study offers a robust framework with relevance for understanding educational disengagement in diverse intercultural settings globally.

Migration has been a crucial global phenomenon, affecting individuals and societies for many years. According to the most recent report, as of 2020, migrants constituted 3.60% of the world's population, with an estimated 281 million (McAuliffe & Oucho, 2024). In recent years, emigration from Türkiye has also been noticeably rising in parallel with the global trend. Turkish Statistical Institute (2025) reports showed that 151,000 Turkish citizens left the country in 2024. Migration is not only a physical move; it's a process that starts long before the departure. Migrants' experiences in the pre-departure phase are unique. Due to various individual and non-individual factors, each person experiences a different process. And, they may face multiple challenges during the pre-departure phase. They experience pre-departure stress due to some challenges such as quitting jobs, arranging new accommodation, and completing detailed legal processes (Tabor & Milfont, 2011), financial factors such as high costs, recurring payments, and exchange rates (Khanal & Gaulee, 2019), getting accurate information (Khanal & Gaulee, 2019), pre-migration concerns about loneliness, unfamiliar food, accommodation quality, language barriers, and potential (Brown & Aktaş, 2011).

Mental health is a critical concern for prospective migrants, as it both influences the decision to migrate and shapes how individuals experience the pre- and post-departure processes. Research indicates that migrant candidates may experience increased levels of depression and anxiety symptoms (Sancak et al., 2023). These symptoms may either precede migration and motivating individuals to leave, or emerge as a result of the psychological demands of preparing for migration. Also, pre-departure emotional states, cognitive styles, and psychological resources are closely linked to post-migration adjustment. Studies demonstrate the role of pre-migration resources as well. Higher levels of pre-migration resources, such as self-esteem, body image, and social and school competence, were associated with lower acculturative stress and homesickness and higher loneliness and emotional or behavioral problems (Tartakovsky, 2007). Also, under-met expectations were found to be related to depression (Rogers & Ward, 1993) and having no clear goals and poorly planned migration was found to be related to mental health issues (Chou, 2009). How individuals interpret the meaning of migration itself also plays a key role in their psychological well-being during settlement (Bürgelt et al., 2008). Together, these findings suggest that psychoeducation and psychological preparation in the pre-departure period may serve a protective function. In line with this, migrant workers have emphasized the need for pre-departure programs that go beyond practical information and include structured mental health support (Regmi et al., 2020).

Given the increasing number of migrants, the migration process, which varies according to individual variables and conditions, deserves to be examined multidimensionally. To represent the multifaceted nature of pre-migration experiences, this study incorporates several theoretical stances. Push and pull theory (Lee, 1966) helps interpret participants' fundamental migration decisions, relative deprivation theory (Stark, 1984) facilitates the interpretation of the mechanisms of some factors in migration decisions, and ecological systems theory (Bronfenbrenner, 1977) provides a framework to understand the interaction between the systems they are part of and their migration decisions and processes. Drawing on this multidimensional theoretical framework, this study aims develop an understanding of how Turkish emigrant candidates experience their pre-departure period.

The growing plurality of religious belongings has become an ordinary condition of contemporary schooling (Knauth, 2008; Vestrucci, 2023). It challenges school systems not only at an organizational level, but also at a deeper one, calling into question education as a practice of coexistence, recognition, and the construction of a shared horizon (Bano et al., 2020; Goodman, 2012). Schools are required to engage with differences that permeate students’ lived experiences, relationships, implicit curricula, and forms of participation in school life (Ahmed & Gaztambide-Fernández, 2015; Haynes, 2023), making reflection on how such differences are acknowledged or silenced unavoidable.

Within this framework, the central issue is not the presence of religion in school spaces per se, but institutional responses to its plurality. Strategies based on the neutralization or symbolic removal of the religious dimension, historically associated with secular arrangements of schooling (Farrow, 2004), risk producing institutional indifference that does not eliminate asymmetries but makes them opaque (Benhabib, 2005; Lee, 2017). The absence of overt dialogue may therefore coincide with a failure to engage educationally with difference, leaving tensions unaddressed and shaping students’ experiences and teachers’ practices (Davis, 2010; Zilliacus, 2013).

Against this backdrop, the concept of reasonable accommodation offers a useful lens for analysing school practices (Bribosia et al., 2010; Griffiths, 2016). Beyond its legal origins and association with special educational needs (de Asís Roig, 2016), it can be understood as a way for schools to mediate between common rules and concrete situations, avoiding assimilation and fragmentation (Hill KC & Valero-Estarellas, 2024). In educational settings, it takes the form of everyday micro-decisions affecting students’ participation in school life (Beaman, 2012). When such decisions rely primarily on individual initiative, they risk uneven responses and shift the management of pluralism from institutional responsibility to personal sensitivity.

School autonomy represents a crucial node within this tension. When reduced to a bureaucratic margin, it remains a largely unquestioned backdrop. When embraced as a space for educational decision-making, it brings to the surface value-laden choices orienting school action (Urgate et al., 2022). Autonomous decisions related to religious pluralism may expose schools to symbolic conflicts and public contestation, particularly when they challenge implicit notions of cultural normality (MacMullen, 2009). In such moments, schools become sites of confrontation between competing conceptions of educational justice, secularism, and civic coexistence.

Religious pluralism thus emerges not as an issue for emergency-driven responses, but as a structural challenge exposing the limits of secular frameworks centred on neutrality. Practices of reasonable accommodation and the exercise of school autonomy point to the need for a post-secular understanding of schooling (Fabretti, 2013), in which educational responsibility toward religious difference is institutionally assumed rather than neutralized.

Building on these premises, the paper focuses on Italian school system. Over recent decades, Italian schools have experienced growing cultural and religious heterogeneity, while school autonomy, introduced in the early 2000s, has expanded local responsibility for educational decision-making. More recently, the introduction of reasonable accommodation into the Italian legal framework (Law 62/2024) has reshaped how religious difference is recognized and negotiated in public schools.

Located in Lombardy, this study aims to answer the following questions:

• How everyday school practices contribute to making religious pluralism an object of educational recognition, or conversely, of institutional invisibilisation;
• How school autonomy is interpreted and enacted by educational actors in managing religious pluralism, particularly in relation to practices of reasonable accommodation and the tensions they generate.

This empirical focus is not intended as a merely local case, but as a vantage point for engaging with broader European and international debates on how public schools negotiate religious pluralism within non-confessional education systems.

In recent years, educational research has increasingly focused on the conditions under which knowledge is produced, thereby encouraging a reflection on knowledge production that is not only methodological but also sensitive to power relations, temporality, and context. In this process, the circle of knowledge producers has expanded considerably. Alongside universities and public institutions, organizations, commercial actors, and data-based technologies are increasingly involved in knowledge generation and decision-making processes. This development entails the privileging of certain forms of knowledge, while others are marginalized or rendered invisible. Against this backdrop, the present contribution positions itself within this discourse by discussing responsive and participatory research approaches in qualitative research from an educational science perspective.

The discussion draws on experiences and findings from the collaborative research project MIRASTO. Migrant Self-Organizations and Social Pedagogical Continuing Education. The project is funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research and the European Union through the ESF Plus funding programme and is conducted in close cooperation between several German universities (Frankfurt, Oldenburg, and Braunschweig) and migrant self-organizations (MSOs). The responsive study aims to examine the relationship between organization and biography with regard to social pedagogical continuing education in migrant self-organizations in Germany and, based on the findings, to develop modules and materials for diversity-sensitive training in (social) pedagogical fields of practice.

The project focuses on continuing education programmes targeting newly immigrated academics who have acquired pedagogical qualifications and/or professional experience in their countries of origin. MIRASTO does not address MSOs merely as objects of investigation or fields of practice, but as actors who actively co-produce scientific knowledge. In this sense, the project explicitly seeks to explore responsive and participatory research approaches and to critically reflect on their potentials and limitations. Central to this endeavour are the perspectives of those individuals and organizations who shape and participate in the examined processes of continuing education and professionalization, and whose experiences, interpretations, and interests often remain marginalized. This approach not only holds the potential to provide participants with an empowering space within scientific knowledge production, but also to transform the relationship between knowledge production and society and to respond to key challenges of contemporary knowledge regimes in times of multiple, overlapping crises.

Engaging with the concept of epistemic violence enables a power-critical reflection on the conditions of knowledge production. Scholars such as Spivak (1988) and Haraway (1988) have pointed to hegemonic knowledge orders and the powerful positioning of knowledge, thereby making visible whose perspectives are systematically marginalized and which power asymmetries are reproduced within knowledge regimes. The disruption of these relations of power and violence, and their translation into power-critical research practice, can be facilitated through participatory research approaches. Such approaches primarily aim to strengthen the participation of social actors in scientific knowledge production, thereby implementing democratic principles within research practice and reflecting on—and potentially reducing—power asymmetries between academia and practice (von Unger 2014; Terhart & Proyer 2023). Participatory research enables the integration of diverse research perspectives across institutional and systemic boundaries, opening up new forms of knowledge production in which scientific, practical, and experiential knowledge are not hierarchically separated but are related to one another in a dialogical manner (von Unger 2014).

At the same time, the contribution critically reflects on the limitations and tensions inherent in participatory research approaches.

In an era of increasing political polarization across Europe, and with 122 million refugees worldwide (UNHCR, 2025) questions of social justice and solidarity have become central to public discourse and educational practice (Reeskens and Van der Meer, 2019).

Immigration remains one of the most discussed issues in contemporary European societies, with immigrants consistently identified as among the most "undeserving" groups (Van Oorschot, 2006; Heuer & Zimmermann, 2020). This positioning raises fundamental questions of equity and inclusion that extend into educational settings where teachers and administrators make daily decisions affecting immigrant students and families. While groups like the elderly are widely viewed as deserving of support, immigrants face persistent stigmatization regardless of their contributions (Reeskens & Van der Meer, 2019). According to self-interest theory, individuals with vulnerable socioeconomic positions perceive immigrants as economic competitors and threats to welfare resources, leading to opposition to immigration (Green, 2007; Cooper & Burchardt, 2022). These perceptions influence policy implementation (Knotz et al., 2022), affect social integration (Ratzmann & Sahraoui, 2021), shape boundaries of "social membership" in welfare states (Kymlicka, 2015), and may manifest in educational inequalities through attitudes, assessments, and resource allocation.

Political ideology adds complexity to understanding these attitudes and their educational manifestations. Political orientation significantly influences how citizens—including educators—conceptualize social justice, solidarity, and resource distribution (Wulfgramm & Starke, 2017). Right-wing contexts emphasize individual responsibility and conditional solidarity, often framing immigrants as burdens (Attewell, 2021). Left-wing environments promote redistribution and equality, yet support for immigrants' welfare rights remains discussed—the "progressive's dilemma" (Goodhart, 2004; Eger & Kulin, 2022). Understanding these dynamics is essential for developing migration-sensitive pedagogical approaches that challenge rather than reproduce inequalities.

This study addresses the research questions of how perceptions of deservingness affect Europeans’ attitudes toward immigration and, in particular, whether this relationship, at the individual level, is conditional on the political orientation at the country level.

Our findings reveal important patterns for social justice in diverse societies and schools. First, negative deservingness perceptions strongly predict negative immigration attitudes across Europe, suggesting moral judgments about welfare dependency extend to immigrants—including in schools. Second, country-level political orientation significantly moderates this relationship: the association between deservingness and immigration attitudes is stronger in left-leaning compared to right-leaning countries. This counterintuitive finding suggests that in progressive contexts where welfare support is generally higher (Wulfgramm & Starke, 2017), deservingness considerations play a particularly important role in determining solidarity boundaries.

Patterns vary across European regions: left-leaning countries demonstrate moderate deservingness perceptions with relatively positive immigration attitudes, while right-leaning countries show consistently negative attitudes toward deservingness and immigration. In between are the centrist political countries with more positive deservingness perceptions and immigration attitudes.

However, within left-leaning contexts, individual variations in deservingness perceptions have particularly strong effects, suggesting that conditional solidarity operates powerfully even in progressive environments—with direct implications for how schools address diversity and inclusion.

These patterns reflect a collective factor: individual attitudes are formed within broader social, cultural, and political environments (Bratman, 1999; Anderson, 2006; Bicchieri, 2006). The political context of a country creates conditions that shape how deservingness perceptions translate into immigration attitudes, with significant implications for educational inclusion and equitable migration policies.

This research contributes to Network 07's focus on social justice and intercultural education by illuminating mechanisms of marginalization and exclusion in contemporary Europe and translating insights into actionable implications for school development and educational practice.

Hackathons have been widely promoted as participatory design spaces fostering innovation, creativity, and collaborative problem-solving across diverse domains, including education. Originally rooted in grassroots, countercultural programming communities, hackathons have since undergone significant professionalisation, increasingly embedded within corporate and governmental frameworks. This paper examines hackathons as instruments of neoliberal governance, questioning their purported inclusivity and democratising potential. Drawing on two case studies – the hackathon organised by the Department for Education (DfE) in 2023 and OakHack, organised by Oak National Academy in 2023, the analysis reveals how hackathons often serve as performative exercises that prioritise technical feasibility, corporate interests, and public relations over genuine participatory engagement and educational transformation.

The historical trajectory of hackathons reflects their evolution from informal, community-driven gatherings to highly stylised events aligned with market-oriented objectives. This transformation illustrates the co-optation of grassroots innovation within neoliberal economic structures, where hackathons function as cost-effective mechanisms for extracting creative labour without long-term commitments. Both case studies exemplify how these dynamics unfold. Although framed as a teacher-centric initiative aimed at fostering educator involvement in EdTech innovation, the DfE hackathon was predominantly led by non-educational experts from the FacultyAI (the data analytics company that conducted the data modeling which contributed to Brexit) rather than by the National Institute of Teaching, a secondary co-organiser. The budget allocation and organisational priorities further underscored the marginalisation of educational concerns, privileging technical development over pedagogical relevance. Similarly, the majority of hackathon participants at OakHack were EdTech startups.

The analysis identifies several themes. First, the hackathons’ discourse maintained an overwhelmingly positive tone, systematically downplaying negative findings and technical shortcomings. Despite the fact that many use cases failed to meet expectations, the narrative emphasised superficial successes, reflecting a broader tendency toward optimism bias inherent in EdTech discourse. Second, the events were marked by a strong techno-deterministic orientation, with AI positioned as an inevitable and beneficial force in education. Rather than critically engaging with educators' concerns – such as the reliability of AI systems – issues like algorithmic hallucination were reframed as trust deficits to be managed rather than substantive risks to be addressed. This approach translated complex educational and social challenges into narrowly defined technical problems, sidelining critical pedagogical questions in favour of technical efficiency and scalability. Third, while the DfE and Oak National Academy promoted an image of inclusivity, the events exhibited characteristics of “participation washing.” Teacher and student involvement was largely limited to roles resembling focus groups or product testers rather than genuine co-design partners. Efforts to foster diversity were superficial, with little clarity on what constituted meaningful diversity beyond assembling participants from different backgrounds. Moreover, the short duration of the hackathon, often celebrated as a catalyst for innovation, constrained the depth of engagement, reinforcing hierarchical power dynamics between EdTech developers and educational practitioners.

This study illustrates how hackathons function less as genuine participatory design spaces and more as performative showcases that align with neoliberal governance logics. Their primary utility often lies in symbolic displays of innovation and inclusivity, serving public relations objectives rather than fostering substantive educational change. This paper interrogates the extent to which government-led hackathons achieve their stated goals of democratising technology development in education. By examining the power dynamics, institutional interests, and techno-solutionist assumptions embedded in hackathon practices, the paper questions whether such formats genuinely promote inclusive participation or merely reproduce existing inequalities under the guise of innovation.

The occasion of the 15^th anniversary of research network 8 (nw8) of Health and Wellbeing Education at the European Educational Research Association (EERA) raises the question of which topics characterizes this field of education within the embedded space of EERA. Network 8 was established in 2010 and has been functioning as a research network at EERA from 2011 and onwards, first titled Research on Health Education, and from 2019 Health and Wellbeing Education, the change in the title argued as a result of the growing numbers of papers addressing topics such as school wellbeing, mental health and psychological wellbeing. This paper draws on topic modelling analysis of abstracts submitted to nw8 at the European Conference of Education Research (ECER) in the period of 2011-2024, and the results are discussed in light of previous research on health and wellbeing education as well as current debates on issues within the broader field of education research. This includes research related to the scholarship and collaborations in publications authored by nw8 members (Simovska & McNamara 2015; Leahy & Simovska 2017; Leahy & Simovska 2018; Dadaczynski, Carlsson & Gu 2022; McLellan, Faucher & Simovska 2022; Ruge, Torres & Powell 2022; Carlsson, Torres & Mickelsson 2024; Sandmeier & O’Toole 2026; Faucher, Lahournat & Lopez-Cevallos, 2026). One issue concerning the broader field of education research within the EERA context has been raised in a paper by Deleye et al. (2025), discussing the most important research topics that have been addressed in EERA’s three decennia. Wellbeing and Mental-Health is together with a range of other topics described as a supertopic addressing societal challenges, and the authors find a stark growth of such topics in the EERA abstract corpus. At the same time, they note the decline of abstract topics focusing on teaching and learning, finding that the growing focus on societal challenges is having a strong impact on the content and type of educational research, fulfilling demands providing research that is directly useful to policy. An example of this is the growth in health and wellbeing education research drawing on wellbeing measurements, useful in relation to policies such as “OECD’s Wellbeing Framework” emphasising the need for such measurements, as well as research focusing on students developing healthy habits, useful in relation to policies such as “OECD’s Future of Education and Skills 2030/2040” where the description of practical and physical skills is aimed at developing healthy habits. Such habits are thus seen as essential to well-being, which mirrors a general tendency in policy of taking an individualistic view of well-being. The topic modelling analysis of abstracts in nw8 ECER abstracts database offers a window to reflect upon patterns as well as emergences and potential issues in health and wellbeing education research within the European educational research field, hereunder the relation between policy and research. The aim of the paper is to provide a critical appreciation of research developments within the field of health and wellbeing education, exploring which abstract topics have evolved over time in nw8, which topics are increasingly being addressed, and which topics have gradually declined in interest over time. Based on the findings it will discuss what factors might have determined the rise (or decline) of health and wellbeing education research topics, what remains unrepresented and in which ways the analysis can inform future directions of health and wellbeing education research and support central stakeholders in the field.

Schools are increasingly expected to support students’ well-being as an integral part of their educational mission. The Health Promoting Schools (HPS) approach frames this work as a whole-school endeavour, requiring alignment across curriculum, teacher professional development, school governance, supportive environments and community partnerships (World Health Organization, 1984; IUHPE, 2021). The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) offer a coherent lens for connecting learning with health promotion priorities. Yet, moving from frameworks and ambitions to day-to-day practice depends on how teachers enact them. Active, student-centered methodologies have emerged as essential tools for translating this principles into practice (UNESCO, 2017). Storytelling is one such pedagogy, with potential to combine cognitive and emotional engagement and to nurture more inclusive classroom climates (Dunn & Cherup, 2023). However, while the benefit for stundets are well documented, less is know about the psychological and contextual facilitators or barriers for teachers. This study aims to explore teachers' perception of storytelling and to identify the organizational and individual factors associated with teachers’ use of storytelling.

Healthy schools play a critical role in shaping healthier aging by integrating health, well-being, and learning through whole-school approaches (Vilaça et al., 2025). Health Promoting Schools (HPS) are increasingly positioned at the intersection of educational quality, public health, and long-term societal sustainability. Within educational research, the HPS approach can be understood as a whole-school, systems-oriented framework that conceptualises schools as learning organisations capable of shaping not only academic outcomes but also life-course trajectories of health, well-being, and social participation (WHO & UNESCO, 2021a; Dadaczynski et al., 2020). This perspective is particularly relevant in the context of population ageing, as European policy frameworks increasingly emphasise that active and healthy ageing is strongly influenced by conditions and competencies developed early in life (European Commission, 2021).

The theoretical framework underpinning this study draws on three complementary strands of literature. First, the whole-school approach conceptualises health promotion as an organisational process rather than a set of discrete interventions (Vilaça et al., 2019). Health is embedded across school culture, leadership, curriculum, professional practices, and partnerships with families and communities (Suwankhong & Liamputtong, 2025; Vilaça et al., 2019). From this standpoint, schools function as complex social systems in which structural conditions, professional learning, and participatory practices interact to support sustainable change (Driessen-Willems, 2023; Elsayed, 2025). Second, the study is informed by life-course and health literacy perspectives, which emphasise that childhood and adolescence are critical periods for developing cognitive, social, and emotional competencies that underpin health, agency, and participation across adulthood and older age (Sawyer et al., 2012; Rueskov, 2025). Health literacy, action competence, and relational skills cultivated in school settings are increasingly recognised as foundational resources for active ageing, influencing individuals’ capacity to manage health, engage socially, and adapt to changing life circumstances over time (Hansen et al. (Eds.), 2025). Third, the framework integrates an educational professionalism lens, highlighting the role of teachers and school staff as key agents in mediating policy, practice, and student experience (Vilaça et al., 2025). Research shows that sustained professional development, collaborative learning, and reflective practice are central to effective implementation of whole-school approaches and to the institutionalisation of health promotion within schools (Dinnen et al., 2024; Schiff et al., 2023). In this sense, HPS contribute not only to student outcomes but also to healthier working environments and professional well-being, reinforcing schools’ capacity to act as sustainable organisations. Conceptualised as learning organisations, HPS aim to embed health promotion across school culture, leadership, curriculum, professional practice, and community partnerships rather than through isolated interventions (Suwankhong & Liamputtong, 2025; Driessen-Willems, 2023). Furthermore, although life-course and health literacy research highlights childhood and adolescence as critical periods for developing competencies that influence well-being, participation, and active ageing in later life (Sawyer et al., 2012; Rueskov, 2025; European Commission, 2021). This contribution of school-based health promotion to active and healthy ageing is rarely explored within educational research designs. There is therefore a need for longitudinal, context-sensitive educational research.

Based in this background, this research examines how the systematic application of whole-school approaches within HPS contributes to organisational change, pedagogical practices, and the development of student competencies associated with healthier futures and active ageing. Therefore the main research aims are:

1. To examine how HPS principles and SHE tools are interpreted and operationalised by multidisciplinary school teams over time;

2. To identify changes in school organisation, health education practices, and professional collaboration associated with the implementation of the whole-school approach;

3. To explore teachers’ and school staff’s perceptions of the contribution of health promotion practices to students’ long-term competencies linked to active ageing (e.g., health literacy, agency, participation);

4. To analyse enabling factors and barriers influencing the sustainability of whole-school health promotion processes.

It has been established that young people and adults with disabilities, and particularly those with chronic conditions, receive very little support for sexual health issues, despite there being a strong link between sexual health and well-being (Moller et al 2024). Young people with the chronic muscle-wasting condition Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD), who are predominantly male, are living longer due to new treatments and advances in multi-disciplinary care (Birnkrant et al 2018) , and they have reported that sexual health is important to them. According to the UN Sustainable Development Goal 3, by 2030 there must be ‘universal access to sexual and reproductive health-care services including for family planning, information and education, and the integration of reproductive health into national strategies and programmes’ (SDG3, UN 2015). Despite this, there is a prevalent misconception that people with disabilities are asexual and therefore do not need to be taught about sexual health (Bonder et al 2021). These ‘false ideologies’ around the lack of sexual needs of people with disabilities reinforce the stigma that people face and increase the likelihood of poor self-esteem and mental health problems (Bonder et al 2021). Furthermore, newly introduced Relationships and Sex Education (RSE) Guidance for Schools in the UK (2025) does not discuss issues affecting disabled pupils nor does it offer them any specific guidance. Young people with DMD have reported that RSE lessons are often not relevant to them (Hoskin et al 2024).

Young people with DMD therefore have nobody to discuss their sexual health questions with and are often left to find out information on their own. There is very little published on DMD and sexual health, but a review of literature about people with chronic conditions that encompassed 114 studies found many professionals lack confidence and avoid discussing sexual health with people with chronic conditions and rarely initiate conversastions about it (McGrath et al 2021). A recent Danish study of young adults with neuromuscular conditions reported that both professionals and parents were often reluctant to raise what they believe to be false hopes of relationships or parenthood in the aim of protecting them (Moller et al 2024). These barriers can decrease the self-esteem of young adults with DMD and lead them to internalise the attitudes around them, as well as increasing the risk of STDs where individuals engage in sexual activity without access to sexual health services (Hoskin et al 2024). Despite all of these challenges, young men with DMD have reported both an interest and success in finding a partner and having sexual intercourse (Hoskin et al 2024).

This is the first part of a two-part project that will co-create support and information for young people with DMD. In the first part, we will develop a co-created consensus on what good sexual health looks like for people with DMD and identify the key enablers and disablers of this vision. Using this information, Part 2 of the project will co-create a peer-led training programme to be run in schools and the community.

The research questions for Part 1 of this project are:

1. What does good sexual health look like for young people and adults with DMD?
2. What enables and disables good sexual health for young people and adults with DMD?

And for Part 2:

1. What does a co-produced relationships and sexual health programme of peer training look like for young people with the chronic condition Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy?

We are currently conducting Part 1 of this study and my presentation will talk about emerging findings from Part 1 of the project. I will also share ideas and proposals for Part 2.

The objective of this paper is to explore the configurations of teacher subjects and subjectivities within a national initiative to improve the implementation of “Health, sexuality and family education” in Danish primary and lower secondary schools.

In scholarly literature on school-based sexual health education (SE), the teacher’s role and responsibilities are central points of interest. The teacher takes a position of a ‘critical variable’ (Mulcahy, 2011) in terms of implementing successful sexuality education, which is why many initiatives aimed at improving sexual health and wellbeing involve teachers as main facilitators of change (Janssens et al., 2020). The ‘controversial’ nature of curricular topics specific to sexuality education often entails particular attention paid to teachers’ inner experiences or personality traits which are understood to support or impede the implementation. These include factors such as teachers’ personal beliefs (Lockhart et al., 2025), comfortability (Cumper et al., 2024; Walker et al., 2021) and attitudes and willingness to teach (Bruno et al., 2025; Cohen et al., 2012).

Thus, the significance of the teacher, including their subjectivities, is well established. However, so far, little attention has been paid to how sexuality education policies and practices are not only facilitated by, but may also be generative of, particular teacher subjectivities.

With this paper, I aim to explore this issue by attending analytically to the generative effects of a national initiative to improve the compulsory topic “Health, sexuality and family education” in Danish primary and lower secondary school. My research question is:

How are particular teacher subjectivities configured in the initiative, and which implications (and possible tensions) emerge with their embedded logics of ‘teacher responsibility’ and ‘teacher choice’?

The paper contributes new knowledge that nuance European scholarly debates on the implementation of health, sexuality and wellbeing curricula, particularly by addressing the challenges of teaching sensitive topics such as gender, sexuality and diversity.

Theoretically, the study draws on a material-semiotic framework, inspired by scholars such as Mol (2008), Law (2008) and Mulcahy (2012), allowing for an analysis of the national initiative as “a performative knowledge practice constituted and enacted by people and tools in complex collectives or assemblages” (Mulcahy, 2012, p. 132).

Furthermore, it draws on recent material-semiotic and posthumanist analyses of sexuality education which have encouraged a movement away from humanist, individualist and essentialist ideas of the teacher as a detached agent of change (Cardell & Lindgren, 2024). In this line of thought, sexuality education is conceptualised as a situated and contingent practice, produced by heterogenous assemblages involving a multitude of human and non-human actors (Planting-Bergloo et al., 2022). This implies that difficulties with implementation of sexuality education cannot be understood as individual, nor immaterial, but rather as related to fragility or instability of the capacity of the working assemblages. This approach facilitates bottom-up explorations of how practices do not only produce local versions of sexuality education, but also continuously generate the objects, spaces, and subjects involved in them (Alldred & Fox, 2019). In line with Fenwick (2015), Kiær et al. (2024), and Mol (2008) ideas of teacher ‘responsibility’ and ‘choice’ are not understood as inherent individual qualities or capabilities, but rather as situated capacities entangled in practice.

This study investigates how temperament-sensitive seating of students in the classroom influences learning effectiveness and engagement during classroom activities in the middle school.

According to psychoanalytic and psychodynamic approaches to education, learning could be effective only by taking into consideration unconscious dynamics, anxiety regulation, and rational position or their sitting in the classroom (Britzman, 2011; Youell, 2006). Students' seating positions also influence perceived safety and patterns of interactions (McCorskey and McVetta, 1978; Wannarka and Ruhl, 2008). Temperament is known as a biologically grounded and relatively stable disposition that is connected with emotional reactivity, effortful control, and classroom engagement (Rothbart, 2007; Zentner and Bates, 2008). This educational research also takes into consideration associations between temperament and academic behavior (Keogh, 2003; Thomas and Chess, 1977).

The research question of this study:

How do temperament-sensitive classroom seating arrangements function as mechanisms of effective containment, influencing middle school students' learning effectiveness and engagement during classroom work?

General objective of this research was to examine how temperament-sensitive classroom seating arrangements function as mechanisms of effective containment and contribute to middle school students' learning effectiveness, engagement and emotional comfort during classroom work.

Specific objectives:

- to identify differences in learning effectiveness and on-task behaviour across homogeneous, heterogeneous and random seating arrangements for students with different temperament types.

- to explore students' affective and subjective experience of classroom seating in terms of emotional safety, anxiety regulation and comfort with participation.

- to analyze psychoanalytical processes (e.g., containment, acting-out and peer co-regulation) emerging in classroom with different seating configurations).

- to examine teachers' perception of the role of seating arrangements in managing classroom affect, behavioral dynamics and learning engagement.

International large-scale assessments (ILSAs) such as TIMSS, ICCS, PIRLS, ICILS, PISA, and TALIS provide critical insights into educational outcomes and inequalities across diverse national contexts. They are widely used to monitor trends, enable international comparisons, and inform educational policy and practice (Johansson, 2016). At the same time, ILSAs function as laboratories for methodological innovation, supporting research that links individual outcomes to institutional and systemic conditions (Strietholt & Scherer, 2018). This symposium brings together recent research drawing on multiple ILSAs and is organized into five interrelated thematic sessions addressing digital transformation, civic education, educational inequality, student engagement and well-being, and methodological challenges in international assessment research.

The first thematic area focuses on digital competencies and emerging technologies in education. Drawing on ICILS, TALIS, and TIMSS, papers examine cross-national variation in technology and AI integration, the role of teacher characteristics and professional learning, and how digital provision and pedagogical use relate to achievement and inequality, including disparities linked to socioeconomic background and early tracking.

The second thematic area addresses civic attitudes, values, and engagement among young people. Using ICCS data, contributions explore students’ intentions to participate politically, their attitudes toward minorities, immigrants, and gender equality, and how school experiences relate to tolerant dispositions and engagement with social and environmental issues.

The third thematic area examines structural inequalities and contextual effects in education systems. Papers investigate how school composition, segregation, and socioeconomic context shape achievement and well-being across countries, including intersectional patterns by gender, immigrant background, and socioeconomic status. The session also addresses systemic resource inequalities through evidence on mathematics and science teacher shortages and their unequal distribution across schools.

The fourth thematic area focuses on students’ attitudes, motivation, and psychosocial factors. Contributions examine long-term gender gaps in reading behavior and achievement, the relationship between teacher gender and student outcomes, and trends in test-taking motivation relevant for interpreting achievement changes.

The fifth thematic area is explicitly methodological, with papers analyzing item-level features of achievement scales, participation and sampling standards, and the measurement of socioeconomic status, highlighting how technical choices shape conclusions about trends and inequality.

Socio-economic disparities in academic achievement have been repeatedly reported in the past (Coleman et al., 1966; Mullis et al., 2023). Accordingly, the continuous monitoring of these disparities is an important objective of international large-scale assessment studies. An established approach to efficiently measure students’ socio-economic background is to ask them about the number of books at home (Hanushek & Woessmann, 2011). Recently, however, doubts have been raised as to whether this variable is still a valid indicator of socio-economic status (Heppt et al., 2022; Schwippert, 2019). As printed books can be replaced by digital alternatives such as e-readers, audiobooks, or tablets, their absence no longer necessarily indicates lower levels of prosperity, education, and appreciation of reading. Conversely, owning books despite numerous digital substitutes could indicate a particular level of affluence and appreciation of reading. Against this background, the present contribution examined if the number of books at home changed in the period from 2001 to 2021. Furthermore, the development of the relationship between the book variable and parental education, as well as academic achievement was investigated. To examine these research questions, data from N = 429,292 students from 18 (predominantly Western) countries that participated continuously in the Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS), conducted every five years from 2001 to 2021, were used. The samples from the participating countries were drawn in such a way as to be representative. In addition to the number of books, which was measured using an ordinal 5-point scale, the highest level of education attained by the parents and the students’ reading literacy were included in the study. The results showed that, across all countries, the proportion of households with more than 100 books declined between PIRLS 2001 and 2021. The difference between 2001 and 2021 was statistically significant. However, country-specific trend patterns emerged: More specifically, twelve countries saw a decrease of the proportion of households with more than 100 books, five countries showed a rather stable development, and one country saw an increase. Regardless of this, both, the correlations with parents’ educational attainment and with academic achievement showed a slight, statistically non-significant increase across all countries, with similar patterns emerging in the different countries, but also some notable differences in terms of the strength and variation of the relationships. Overall, the results suggest that the number of books remains a valid indicator of students’ socio-economic background. Limitations and implications for future research are discussed.

Coleman, J. S., Campbell, E. Q., Hobson, C. J., McPartland, J., Mood, A. M., Weinfeld, F. D., & York, R. L. (1966). Equality of Educational Opportunity. US Government Printing Office. Hanushek, E. A., & Woessmann, L. (2011). The Economics of International Differences in Educational Achievement. In E. A. Hanushek, S. Machin, and L. Woessmann (Eds.), Handbooks in Economics, Vol. 3 (pp. 89-200). North-Holland. Heppt, B., Olczyk, M., & Volodina, A. (2022). Number of Books at Home as an Indicator of Socioeconomic Status: Examining its Extensions and their Incremental Validity for Academic Achievement. Social Psychology of Education, 25(4), 903-928. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11218-022-09704-8 Mullis, I. V. S., von Davier, M., Foy, P., Fishbein, B., Reynolds, K. A., & Wry, E. (2023). PIRLS 2021 International Results in Reading. Boston College, TIMSS & PIRLS International Study. https://doi.org/10.6017/lse.tpisc.tr2103.kb5342 Schwippert, K. (2019). Was wird aus den Büchern? Sozialer Hintergrund von Lernenden und Bildungsungleichheit aus Sicht der international vergleichenden Erziehungswissenschaft. Journal for educational research online, 11(1), 92-117. https://doi.org/10.25656/01:16789

This study examines the relationship between reading demand and performance in science items in the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) in Finland, focusing on changes between 2012 and 2022. Reading demand was defined as the combined number of words, scientific terms, symbols, and visual elements in each item, following Mullis, Martin, and Foy (2013). The analysis included 38 science items common to both assessment cycles. In addition to reading demand, item characteristics such as content area, response format, competence, and difficulty level were considered (OECD, 2017). Results show that Finnish students’ science performance declined significantly during the period, with the largest decreases observed in items with medium and high reading demand. Of the 38 tasks analyzed, 30 showed a statistically significant decrease in solution rates. While reading demand was associated with overall item solution rates, items with higher reading demand tended to have lower solution rates. Changes in performance were not clearly linked to reading demand alone. Among the examined other item characteristics, response format emerged as the most influential factor: open-ended tasks and complex multiple-choice items exhibited the largest declines, whereas simple multiple-choice items showed smaller changes. Performance differences were also examined by reading proficiency and immigrant background. Students with weaker reading skills experienced steeper declines in solution rates compared to those with stronger skills, although changes occurred across all reading demand categories. Immigrant students performed worse overall than their native peers, but their performance changes were smaller, likely because their initial solution rates were lower. The findings highlight the importance of reading literacy in science education and indicate that item characteristics, including reading demand, have a complex relationship with performance trends. However, the reading demand measure used here does not fully capture the unique linguistic features of Finnish, which may affect the actual cognitive demands of the items. These results have implications for assessment design and curriculum development, particularly in supporting students with lower reading proficiency and diverse linguistic backgrounds.

OECD. (2017). PISA 2015 Assessment and Analytical Framework. OECD Publishing, Paris. Mullis, I. V. S., Martin, M. O., & Foy, P. (2013). The impact of reading ability on TIMSS mathematics and science achievement at the fourth grade. Boston College.

In PISA 2022, mathematical reasoning was defined for the first time as one of the mathematical processes in addition to the three problem-solving processes assessed in earlier cycles. According to the PISA Mathematics Framework (OECD 2023, 27) “mathematical reasoning (both deductive and inductive) involves evaluating situations, selecting strategies, drawing logical conclusions, developing and describing solutions, and recognizing how those solutions can be applied”. In this presentation, we examine how expected student actions for mathematical reasoning have been operationalized in PISA mathematics items. About half of the reasoning items were new and half were used in earlier PISA cycles, where they were defined as measuring one of the three problem-solving processes. In PISA 2022, these so-called trend items were redefined as reasoning items. Therefore, we investigated if there were differences in how the new and the trend items measured reasoning. We also analysed Finnish students' performance in the reasoning items and how this performance is related to mathematics’ lessons activities in fostering reasoning. A detailed examination of the PISA 2022 framework shows that the definition of reasoning process category emphasizes drawing conclusions, justification, and critical analysis. We found that expected student actions described in the framework could be divided into three main categories: (1) argumentation (including producing justification, producing evaluation of justification, selecting justification), (2) selecting or producing the result of the reasoning (conclusion), (3) explaining the meaning. The new reasoning items developed for the PISA 2022 study emphasized argumentation, especially the production of justifications. In contrast, the trend items emphasized producing or selecting the result of reasoning. Overall, reasoning measured in PISA is implicit rather than explicit. Only in three of the trend items, students were asked to give justification. In two items, students needed to interpret the given situation and explain the meaning. The Finnish students' performance in items requiring justification was lower than in items involving selecting the result of reasoning. In addition, the performance aligned well with the proficiency levels of each trend item, but in the new items the students showed greater variation by proficiency level of the items. The Finnish students' experiences in activities that would foster reasoning in mathematics lessons were clearly fewer than the OECD average and they were not related to students’ performance in reasoning items. Based on the results, it appears that the measurement of reasoning and the activities that promote it should be further developed in the PISA study.

OECD. (2023). PISA 2022 mathematics framework. In PISA 2022 assessment and analytical framework. Paris, France: OECD Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1787/7ea9ee19-en

Sub-paper had to be withdrawn.

.

In many education systems, schools are judged primarily by final exam results, with high scores often taken as indicators of quality. Yet this view is limited: some students enter with a strong educational background, while others begin at a lower level. Without distinguishing prior knowledge from progress made during schooling, outcomes may be misinterpreted and the actual contribution of schools overlooked.

The theoretical framework draws on value‑added models of school effectiveness (Hanushek & Rivkin, 2010; Koedel & Betts, 2011), which emphasize the importance of separating students’ initial achievement from the contribution of schools to subsequent progress. This approach is widely used in European educational research to promote fairer evaluation of school performance. Rather than focusing only on raw results, it highlights growth indicators, as reflected in policies in the UK, the Netherlands, Belgium, and Ireland (Timmermans & Thomas, 2015; Leckie & Goldstein, 2019; Brown, McNamara & O’Hara, 2016).

Research on language acquisition in school contexts (Baker, 2011) further underscores the role of instructional environments and pedagogical practices in shaping outcomes. This is especially relevant in multilingual education systems, where language development depends not only on individual ability but also on teaching quality and the broader learning context.

The aim of this study is to evaluate the contribution of Nazarbayev Intellectual schools (NIS) to students’ development in Kazakh and Russian by comparing entry scores obtained in the Grade 7 selection test with exit scores achieved in the Grade 12 external summative assessment. NIS is the flagship of Kazakhstani education. Admission is highly competitive, with on average 10 applicants per place, and only the strongest students succeed (Nazarbayev Intellectual schools, 2024). The schools admit talented, motivated students with the goal of fostering their growth into critical thinkers and independent learners. NIS campuses are located across Kazakhstan (Toybazarova & Nazarova, 2018).

This study addresses two research questions:

1. To what extent do entry scores reflect students’ initial Kazakh and Russian language proficiency at admission to NIS?
2. To what extent do exit scores reflect the schools’ contribution to language development?

The first question examines students’ starting point, highlighting how selection test results capture prior knowledge rather than the effect of schooling. The second investigates how Grade 12 external assessments, aligned with international benchmarks, reflect cumulative progress and the added value of schools by distinguishing between initial ability and growth achieved through instruction.

Together, these questions allow for a more accurate evaluation of school effectiveness in language development. By comparing entry and exit scores, the study shows why it is important to look beyond raw results. It also connects to wider European discussions about fair assessment, multilingual education, and how schools can be judged not only by final exams but by the progress they help students make.

A large body of international research has consistently documented positive associations between family socioeconomic background and academic achievement. Meta-analytic evidence generally indicates small to moderate effect sizes, suggesting that SES is a meaningful, though not deterministic, contributor to students’ learning outcomes (Harwell et al., 2017; Liu et al., 2022; Korous et al., 2022). At the same time, substantial variation exists in the reported magnitude of SES effects. While some large-scale syntheses report correlations in the moderate range (r ≈ .22–.28; Liu et al., 2022), others identify considerably weaker associations, particularly when controlling for various individual and school-level factors (Kim et al., 2019; Song & Tan, 2025). These findings suggest that SES effects are shaped not only by family-level resources but also by broader institutional, cultural, and policy environments.
Beyond differences in performance levels, prior research has also examined how socioeconomic inequalities relate to students’ developmental trajectories. Longitudinal and cross-cohort analyses indicate that although students from higher SES backgrounds consistently outperform their lower SES peers, socioeconomic background often shows limited influence on the rate of development over time. Instead, early differences tend to emerge at the beginning of schooling and remain relatively stable across subsequent grades, resulting in largely parallel developmental trajectories (Liu et al., 2022). This pattern suggests that schooling may neither substantially compensate for nor increase initial SES-related gaps in many educational systems.
Cross-national evidence highlights particularly strong SES effects in several European countries, including Hungary. According to recent PISA reports, Hungary belongs to the group of education systems in which students’ socioeconomic background explains a markedly larger share of variance in academic performance. In mathematics, for example, SES accounts for approximately 25% of performance variance in Hungary, compared to an OECD average of around 15% (OECD, 2023). These findings indicate pronounced educational inequalities and underline the importance of examining SES-related processes within the Hungarian context in greater depth.
Socioeconomic inequalities in educational outcomes are especially consequential when they concern fundamental learning-related abilities. Cognitive skills have been shown to play a central role in shaping individual life chances, income distribution, and long-term economic growth (Hanushek & Woessmann, 2008). Among these skills, inductive reasoning occupies a key position. Inductive reasoning supports learning across domains by enabling individuals to detect regularities, form generalizations, and transfer knowledge to new situations (Klauer & Phye, 2008). It is closely related to fluid intelligence and has been identified as a strong predictor of academic achievement (Perret, 2015; Van Vo & Csapó, 2022).
A large-scale study in Hungary has demonstrated substantial SES-related differences in students’ inductive reasoning between Grades 1 and 8, with children from more advantaged family backgrounds consistently achieving higher levels of performance and these differences remaining largely stable across grade levels (Molnár, 2025). However, this evidence is based on cross-sectional designs and relies on a narrow SES indicator, namely parental education alone (Molnár, 2025). Consequently, little is known about whether socioeconomic background influences not only the level but also the rate of development of inductive reasoning when examined within a longitudinal framework and using a more comprehensive conceptualization of SES.
Addressing this gap, the present study examines the longitudinal development of students’ inductive reasoning from Grades 3 to 7 and investigates how differences in socioeconomic background are associated with initial levels and growth trajectories across primary and lower secondary education.

In the TIMSS (the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study) 2023 computer-based assessment, student process data was provided along with other achievement and context questionnaires data. Process data (e.g., response time) provide empirical evidence about the cognitive states and behaviors that occur while working on a test item and that influence how the measured construct(s) translate into item performance (Goldhammer & Zehner, 2017). By revealing underlying response mechanisms beyond the test score, these processes provide evidence supporting the validity of intended interpretations of test scores. This source of validity evidence is emphasized in the Standards for Educational and Psychological Testing (American Educational Research Association, American Psychological Association, and National Council on Measurement in Education, 2014). Examining response processes in TIMSS, as a large-scale assessment, provides valuable insights into the cognitive processes underlying item responses and contributes to a better understanding of the meaning and interpretation of test scores.

There are various approaches to examining response processes, but mixture item response theory (IRT) models have been widely used due to their strengths. Mixture IRT models combine features of traditional IRT models with latent class analysis (LCA) and assume the presence of hidden subpopulations in the data (Sen & Cohen, 2019), which makes them especially useful for examining students’ distinct response strategies. Huang, Luo, and Jeon (2025) reviewed previous models within the mixture IRT framework for studying item-response strategies and proposed a new response time-based mixture IRT model. They grouped existing approaches into two categories: examinee-level mixture models (e.g., Jeon & De Boeck, 2019) and examinee-by-item-level mixture models (e.g., Nagy & Robitzsch, 2021). While examinee-level models assume that test-takers employ the same response strategy throughout the assessment, examinee-by-item-level models allow test-takers to switch between response strategies (Huang et al., 2025). The examinee-by-item-level mixture model proposed by Huang et al. (2025) assumes the presence of multiple latent classes, including one regular ability-based class (modeled using a two-parameter logistic [2PL] IRT model) and one or more non-ability-based secondary classes (e.g., rapid guessing, knowledge retrieval), and incorporates response times to predict examinee-by-item class membership. This modeling approach allows examinees to switch between response strategies across items, which is likely in practice, as they may use different strategies depending on item properties (e.g., difficulty, complexity) or other factors (e.g., fatigue, lack of motivation).

In this study, we aim to explore which response strategies eighth-grade students use when responding to TIMSS 2023 mathematics items in Türkiye and Finland, two countries with similar average mathematics achievement. We apply a response time-based mixture IRT model proposed by Huang et al. (2025) to both easy and difficult item groups to examine potential differences in response processes across item difficulty levels.

This paper presents a large-scale institutional research project examining the drivers of student literacy growth in Kazakhstan. The study focuses on students in Grades 3, 4, and 7 across 13 schools within the BI Education network and aims to identify student-, teacher-, and family-level factors associated with literacy development over an academic year. While literacy outcomes are a central concern in international education systems, there remains a need for context-sensitive, data-informed approaches that move beyond cross-sectional achievement measures.

The study is guided by a value-added framework and contemporary models of school effectiveness, which emphasise growth-oriented assessment, instructional quality, and the role of home learning environments. Rather than relying solely on end-point achievement scores, the project examines literacy development longitudinally by administering equated initial and final literacy assessments. This approach allows for the estimation of student growth “beyond what might be expected,” accounting for prior achievement and contextual factors.

The research addresses three core questions:
(1) What student-level, teacher-level, and parental factors predict growth in literacy achievement across Grades 3, 4, and 7?
(2) To what extent do pedagogical practices and classroom-level variables explain variation in literacy growth after controlling for student background characteristics?
(3) How can value-added analysis be used to identify classrooms demonstrating high, moderate, and low contributions to student literacy growth?

The conceptual framework integrates multilevel models of learning with value-added analysis to capture the nested structure of educational data (students within classes, classes within schools). Student literacy growth is conceptualised as an outcome influenced by instructional practices, school organisation, and family-level support. The study also incorporates follow-up qualitative querying of selected classrooms to contextualise quantitative findings and explore pedagogical practices associated with higher-than-expected student growth.

The international relevance of this research lies in its methodological contribution and its focus on literacy development within a rapidly reforming education system. By combining psychometrically robust literacy assessments, multilevel modelling, and value-added analysis, the study offers an evidence-informed framework applicable to other education systems seeking to strengthen literacy outcomes through growth-oriented evaluation rather than high-stakes accountability alone. Findings are expected to inform both policy and practice by highlighting effective pedagogical and organisational conditions for literacy development.

Over the last decades, many countries invested in the development of induction initiatives and programmes, with the aim to support teachers in the early years of their career. Many teachers struggle in these years, resulting in high dropout rates, sometimes up to 30% (OECD, 2025). There is an urgent need for systemic interventions to enhance early-career teachers’ well-being and professional growth. This is a necessary step in battling the high attrition rate during the induction period, and work towards a more sustainable education workforce.

This symposium combines insights from a range of studies that report on initiatives and programmes during the induction period in 4 countries: Australia, the Netherlands, Belgium, and Finland The symposium aims to uncover the type of learning of early-career teachers, and distill ingredients for successful induction programmes, in order to support schools, school-university partnerships, and starting teachers’ coaches/supervisors. ‘Successfulness’ in this context is conceptualized as supporting teachers’ professional growth, wellbeing and commitment, and ultimately avoid burnout and dropout during the first years of teaching and beyond.

In addition, induction programmes can also go a step further, and are an invaluable part of school improvement and an impulse for the quality of teaching. Early-career teachers not only need to grow professionally, but they also can be seen as resources (e.g. März & Kelchtermans, 2020), since they are a fresh pair of eyes, bring recent academic insights with them, and are often closer in age to students than their experienced colleagues. Recent studies have shown that teachers are more likely to retain when they feel that they are supported in their agentic endeavors, and feel that they can contribute to developments in their schools.

Each presentation provides in-depth insights into the nature and content of early-career teachers’ learning and development, and highlights catalysts and barriers to their development. The symposium combines experiences from 4 countries, each presenting data from their own – and thus different – contexts. This discussant addresses underlying patterns throughout the presentations and distills catalysts and barriers

Session Overview:

The Chair (5 min) starts by contextualising the objectives of the session and introducing the various studies. Then, presenters from 3 / 4 countries deliver focused 15-minute presentations each, offering headline findings related to early-career teachers’ learning and development during the induction period. These presentations will include a critical analysis of identified gaps and priorities within their respective contexts. The Discussant will take the analysis beyond the borders of the individual countries and actively engage the diverse experiences and perspectives present in the audience. The symposium closes with a dialogue with the audience, in which we reflect on the value and potential of induction programmes, from the perspective of (a) early-career teachers’ growth, and (b) school / educational development.

The following questions are central in the symposium:

Descriptive questions:

• How can schools and universities work together in providing induction experiences that help prevent attrition of early-career teachers?
• How do induction programmes account for the diversity among early-career teachers, such as age, first- or second-career teachers, type of contract, cultural diversity?

Analytical questions:

• What are catalysts that help early-career teachers grow, learn, develop?
• How can we understand barriers in enacting induction programmes, and how might these be dealt with?
• How can induction programmes work to encourage early-career teachers’ full potential as a resource in the school?

Together, the studies offer insights relevant to international debates on how induction can function as a lever for sustainable teacher retention.

Induction is widely recognised as a critical mechanism for supporting early-career teachers’ professional growth, wellbeing and retention, particularly given persistently high attrition rates in the first years of teaching (e.g. Sullivan, et al., 2022). Traditionally, induction has been conceptualised as a structured transition into full-time, ongoing teaching roles, supported through activities such as mentoring and professional learning (Mansfield & Gu, 2019), and the development of professional and non-professional networks (März & Kelchtermans, 2020). However, contemporary labour markets are increasingly characterised by early career teachers entering the profession through alternative pathways, such as part-time employment, casual relief teaching and short-term contracts (Rowe et al., 2026). Research has yet to adequately examine how induction responds to this growing diversity among early-career teachers (Reupert et al., 2023). Drawing on critical human resource management theory, this study conceptualises induction as a social and organisational process that can support teachers’ professional growth, sense of belonging and long-term commitment to the profession. This paper reports findings from a large-scale Australian survey examining early-career teachers’ access to and experiences of induction. Data were collected via an online survey of 824 teachers currently working in Australia, administered between September 2024 and June 2025. Participants were recruited through social media and teacher organisations. The survey gathered information on demographic characteristics, employment arrangements, and participation in a range of induction activities, including onboarding, socialisation, professional learning and enabling supports. Descriptive and inferential analyses were conducted to identify patterns of access to induction across different employment types. The findings reveal significant inequities in induction provision. While 75% of early-career teachers reported receiving some form of induction, one quarter received none. Teachers employed in part-time, casual or short-term roles were significantly less likely to access induction than those in full-time, ongoing positions. Where induction was provided, it most commonly focused on initial onboarding activities. Fewer teachers, particularly those in casual or part time employment reported access to professional learning, sustained mentoring or enabling supports such as mentoring and additional relieftime. Only around 40% of participants experienced an induction that integrated multiple elements associated with effective induction. These findings suggest that current induction practices risk reinforcing workforce inequities and may inadvertently contribute to early-career teacher attrition, particularly among those in non-standard forms of employment. The paper argues for more inclusive and flexible induction frameworks that recognise workforce diversity, support early-career teachers’ growth and wellbeing, and position them as valuable contributors to school development.

Mansfield, C., & Gu, Q. (2019). “I’m finally getting that help that I needed”: Early career teacher induction and professional learning. The Australian Educational Researcher, 46(4), 639-659. doi:10.1007/s13384-019-00338-y März, V., & Kelchtermans, G. (2020). The networking teacher in action: A qualitative analysis of early career teachers' induction process. Teaching and Teacher Education, 87, 102933. doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2019.102933 Reupert, A., Sullivan, A., Tippett, N., White, S., Woodcock, S., Chen, L., & Simons, M. (2023). An Exploration of the Experiences of Substitute Teachers: A Systematic Review. Review of Educational Research, 00346543221149418. doi:10.3102/00346543221149418 Rowe, E., Sullivan, A., Tippett, N., Simons, M., Grist, E., Reupert, A., . . . White, S. (2026). Precariously employed early career teachers and induction policies: a critical policy study. Journal of Education Policy, 41(1), 45-63. doi:10.1080/02680939.2025.2580975 Sullivan, A., Down, B., & Johnson, B. (2022). Early Career Teachers' Work. In D. Mayer (Ed.), International Encyclopaedia of Education (4th ed.): Elsevier.

This contribution reports on a study that aimed to gain insights into early-career teachers’ self-esteem during their first years of teaching. 91 early-career teachers (ECTs) were included, who were involved in induction programmes, containing elements such as professional coaching and collaborative reflection sessions (Helms-Lorenz, 2020). Burke and Stets (2009) described self-esteem as an evaluation of one’s own professional identity, comprised of self-appreciation on the job and one’s performance as a teacher in general. Self-esteem not only affects the ability of ECTs to survive the first teaching years, but also affects their well-being, professional development, and lifelong learning. One of the major questions is how ECTs develop their self-esteem, and which experiences affect how it is formed. The ECTs completed semi-structured journals halfway through the first year of their induction in secondary education. Questions included: How would you describe yourself as a teacher at this moment (in general)? Was this image of yourself subject to change in the previous months and what affected this change? Next to self-esteem, we coded positive experiences with pupils, powerful moments in the classroom and meaningful feedback from colleagues or supervisors, and/or perceived professional development opportunities; and negative interactions with, for example, pupils, colleagues, school leaders and/or parents which were not in line with their current self-esteem. Results show that ECTs differed in their self-esteem, ranging from seeing themselves as innovative and ambitious about improving educational practices, to doubting their ability to become ‘good’ teachers. We found that the latter group was vulnerable to dropping out. More than half of the ECTs reported high self-esteem, while approximately one-tenth low self-esteem. ECTs with high self-esteem often reported positive experiences that boasted their self-esteem (i.e., continuous experiences), while those with low self-esteem frequently reported negative (i.e., discontinuous) experiences, undermining their self-esteem. One-third of the ECTs reported both high and low self-esteem, and they perceived their experiences as both continuous and discontinuous. This means that almost half of the ECTs in our study reported a high/low or low self-esteem, often caused by negative experiences with, for example, pupils and direct colleagues. Considering the predictive value of self-esteem (Crocker & Park, 2004), it is likely that those ECTs are vulnerable to teacher drop-out. Specific coaching and mentoring might help to support early-career teachers to deal with experiences that potentially affect their self-esteem in a negative way, in order to create more continuous experiences.

Burke, P.J., & Stets, J.E. (2009). Identity theory. Oxford: Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195388275.001.0001. Crocker, J., & Park, L.E. (2004). The Costly Pursuit of Self-Esteem. Psychological Bulletin, 130 (3):, 392–414. https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-2909.130.3.392. Helms-Lorenz, M. (2020). Begeleiding Startende Leraren 2014-2019. Eindrapportage. University of Groningen. [Supervising Beginning Teachers 2014-2019. Final report].

The teacher shortage poses a major challenge for education world wide, creating an increasing need for sustainable recruitment and retention of teachers. Second career teachers (i.e. professionals transitioning from another field) are often seen as a potential solution (Troesch & Bauer, 2017), but their specific trajectories and support needs remain underexplored (van Breugel, 2021). This study examines their motivation, induction, and retention in secondary education, aiming to provide insights into how second career teachers can be supported and retained in education. This qualitative study focuses on twelve second career teachers in secondary education. Eight respondents participated in two semi-structured interviews, and four participated once due to early departure or retirement. The interviews were analysed using thematic coding (Miles & Huberman, 1994). The thematic analysis highlighted four central themes: motivation, induction, retention, and development over time. Choosing to enter education appeared to be driven by a combination of intrinsic and extrinsic factors, with societal engagement playing the most decisive role. Only four second career teachers assessed the induction as fully positive, while most experienced it as insufficient—although they did find more informal support among colleagues. Retention was primarily influenced by passion for the subject, connection with students, and a supportive school team. Attrition was most often linked to inadequate support, salary issues, and a mismatch with the education system. The second interview round showed that those who stayed developed increased self-confidence and stronger collegial relationships, despite ongoing workload pressures and new internal school challenges. The results partially align with existing literature (e.g. Thomas et al., 2019). This study emphasizes that the success of second career teachers depends on a context that supports autonomy, connectedness, and competence. There is a significant need for differentiated induction, a realistic onboarding process, and structural appreciation (Coppe et al., 2021). This research offers valuable insights for policy and practice, but further study into the sustainable potential of second career teachers remains necessary.

Coppe, T., März, V., Coertjens, L., & Raemdonck, I. (2021a). Transitioning into TVET schools: An exploration of second career teachers’ entry profiles. Teaching and Teacher Education, 101, 103317. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2021.103317 Miles, M., & Huberman, M. (1994). Qualitative data analysis: An expanded sourcebook. (2nd ed.). Sage. Thomas, L., Tuytens, M., Moolenaar, N., Devos, G., Kelchtermans, G., & Vanderlinde, R. (2019). Teachers’ first year in the profession: The power of high-quality support. Teachers and Teaching, 25(2), 160–188. https://doi.org/10.1080/13540602.2018.1562440 Troesch, L. M., & Bauer, C. E. (2017). Second career teachers: Job satisfaction, job stress, and the role of self-efficacy. Teaching and Teacher Education, 67, 389–398. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2017.07.006 van Breugel, K. (2021). Een succesvolle start in het voortgezet onderwijs met zij-instroom. https://www.voion.nl/media/4187/zo-geef-je-zij-instromers-een-goede-start.pdf

Recent international trends are alarming: the teaching profession and teacher education are attracting fewer individuals, while an increasing number of teachers are leaving the profession (e.g., Wrona et al., 2025), resulting in teacher shortages also in vocational education (e.g., Stellmacher et al., 2020). In the field of teaching and teacher education, it is therefore essential to better understand what attracts individuals to the teaching profession and what deters them from it in Europe. This multimethod study investigated Finnish vocational pre-service teachers’ commitment to the teaching profession, focusing on motivations for teaching as well as other individual and social factors. The participants (N = 365) were enrolled in vocational teacher education, and most of them were already working as teachers. Around two thirds of the participants were women (64.4%), with an average age of 45.4 years (SD = 7.8), and 2.8 years of teaching experience (SD = 5.0). Datasets were collected through an online questionnaire that included structured questions about teaching motivations according to the FIT-Choice (Factors Influencing Teaching Choice) framework (Goller et al., 2019; Watt et al., 2012), and both structured and open-ended questions related to commitment to teaching (Leijen et al, 2021; Watt & Richardson, 2008). The datasets were analysed using structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) and qualitative thematic analysis. The quantitative results show that overall, vocational pre-service teachers are fairly strongly committed to teaching. Notably, self-related values (intrinsic values and perceived teaching abilities), along with job security are positively related to commitment to teaching. Conversely, commitment is lower when the teaching career is perceived as a fallback option. The qualitative findings also highlight the importance of self-related values, such as intrinsic interest in teaching, and further show how sociocultural aspects related to the work environment and the nature of work both promote and hinder commitment to a significant extent. Specifically, commitment to teaching is largely affected by teacher autonomy and supportive relationships within the work community – and their absence as well. The study provides valuable insights for policy makers, vocational institutions and vocational teacher programs, on how to make teaching careers more attractive and to enhance teachers’ retention in Finland and across Europe. The study highlights that during the induction phase, it is essential to recognise teachers’ key motivations and to support their fulfilment within the sociocultural working environments of VET, which play an important role in retaining motivated and committed vocational teachers.

Goller, M., Ursin, J., Vähäsantanen, K., Festner, D., & Harteis, C. (2019). Finnish and German student teachers’ motivations for choosing teaching as a career. The first application of the FIT-Choice scale in Finland. Teaching and Teacher Education, 85, 235–248. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2019.06.023 Leijen, Ä., Pedaste, M., & Baucal, A. (2021). Assessing student teachers’ agency and using it for predicting commitment to teaching. European Journal of Teacher Education, 45(5), 600–616. https://doi.org/10.1080/02619768.2021.1889507 Watt, H. M. G., & Richardson, P. W. (2008). Motivations, perceptions, and aspirations concerning teaching as a career for different types of beginning teachers. Learning and Instruction, 18(5), 408–428. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.learninstruc.2008.06.002 Watt, H. M. G., Richardson, P. W., Klusmann, U., Kunter, M., Beyer, B., Trautwein, U., & Baumert, J. (2012). Motivations for choosing teaching as a career: An international comparison using the FIT-Choice scale. Teaching and Teacher Education, 28(6), 791–805. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2012.03.003 Wrona, S., Gajderowicz, T., & Jakubowski, M. (2025). How to keep teachers in a profession in times of budget shortages? European Journal of Teacher Education, 48(1), 178–199. https://doi.org/10.1080/02619768.2025.2454635

Across many contexts, knowledge-producing actors privilege standardised indicators, large-scale comparative data, and “evidence-based” approaches frequently grounded in cognitive science, behavioural research, and big data analytics (Brooks, 2021; Hordern, 2023; Mayer & Mills, 2021). The growing dominance of measurable competencies and quantifiable outcomes may marginalise more interpretive, theoretical, and philosophical forms of inquiry (Colgan & Maxwell, 2020; Furlong, 2013). Typically, these forms of knowing attend to meaning, value, and ethical judgement. These tensions are particularly evident in initial teacher education (ITE). Advocates argue that ITE does not merely transmit technical skills, it shapes how future professionals understand knowledge, authority, responsibility, and the purposes of education itself (Winch 2012). Teachers are expected to exercise ethical discernment, engage with plural worldviews, and respond thoughtfully and imaginatively to complex social challenges. Theoretical and philosophical foundations have traditionally supported such capacities by fostering critical reflection, normative reasoning, and attentiveness to the social and political conditions of schooling (Brennan & Canny, 2023). Yet these foundations are increasingly reconfigured if not altogether lost within policy environments oriented toward demonstrable impact and “what works” effectiveness (Biesta, 2007; Biesta, 2011; Biesta, 2022). Across Europe, competency-based frameworks are becoming central to teacher education reform. The Common European Principles for Teacher Competences and Qualifications (European Commission, 2005) and the European Skills Agenda (European Commission, 2020) promote outcomes-oriented models. In the Australian context, the TEEP core content framework and associated media articles explicitly claimed less focus on theory and philosophy of education (Teacher Education Expert Panel, 2023). A marginalisation of normative and philosophical inquiry raises concerns about the long-term intellectual resilience of the teaching profession (Colgan & Maxwell, 2020). The concerns, however, are not merely curricular, but also generational loss. If philosophical engagement becomes progressively marginalised in ITE, future teachers may be less equipped to navigate ethically complex terrains such as, sustainability education, culturally plural classrooms, contested histories, artificial intelligence, and democratic disagreement (Biesta, 2022; Morin, 2001). The generational erosion of philosophical foundations may therefore weaken the profession’s capacity to respond thoughtfully to precisely the crises that policy frameworks seek to address. Yet, despite the potential of philosophical foundations for equipping teachers to address complex societal and educational challenges, there remains a notable gap in empirical understanding of how philosophy of education is actually positioned within contemporary initial teacher education (ITE) (Brennan & Canny, 2023; Winch 2012). While competency-based reforms have increasingly shaped ITE globally, prioritising measurable outcomes and technical skills, little is known about whether, and to what extent, philosophical inquiry is being sustained, marginalised, or reconfigured in response to these pressures. This lack of insight represents a critical blind spot. Without examining the current conceptualisation, presence, and valuation of philosophy of education in ITE, we cannot fully assess the risks of generational loss or the profession’s long-term capacity to engage thoughtfully with emerging crises. This presentation contributes to this international conversation by reporting on the findings from a Philosophy of Education Society of Australasia (PESA) funded research project investigating whether and how philosophy of education is conceptualised, present and valued within contemporary ITE.

Teaching practicum constitutes a central arena for student teachers’ (STs) professional learning across European teacher education systems, where theoretical preparation intersects with the contingencies of classroom practice. Mentoring plays a decisive role in this process, shaping how STs learn to interpret, negotiate, and respond to teaching realities. While European research increasingly promotes educative, dialogic, and partnership-oriented mentoring, empirical studies continue to report persistent tensions arising from hierarchical relations, institutional accountability, and asymmetries of experience between teacher educators and STs (Hobson & Malderez, 2013; Hobson, 2016). These tensions raise questions about how mentoring is actually enacted in practice, and how teacher educators position themselves while mediating STs’ engagement with teaching reality during practicum.

This paper examines mentoring as a relational and discursive practice, focusing on how teacher educators position themselves in relation to STs and teaching reality. The study addresses two research questions:
(1) What mentoring positionings are manifested in the relations between teacher educators, student teachers, and teaching reality during practicum?
(2) How do university-based teacher educators (UBTEs) and school-based teacher educators (SBTEs) employ these positionings differently?

The objective is twofold: first, to make visible the often tacit relational work through which mentoring mediates STs’ learning to teach; second, to contribute a conceptual framework that supports reflective and ethically grounded mentoring practices within European teacher education.

The study is theoretically grounded in Positioning Theory (Harré & van Langenhove, 1999), which conceptualises social interaction as dynamically constituted through positions, speech acts, and storylines. Positioning theory foregrounds how rights, duties, and responsibilities are discursively negotiated in situated interactions, offering an analytic alternative to static notions of role (Davies & Harré, 1990; Harré et al., 2009). To capture the substantive focus of mentoring, Positioning Theory is integrated with the teaching (didactic) triangle from the German Didaktik tradition (Kansanen & Meri, 1999; Friesen, 2018). When reconfigured for practicum, the triangle comprises the teacher educator, the student teacher, and teaching reality (Jyrhämä & Syrjäläinen, 2011), enabling analysis of pedagogical relations, content relations, and didactic mediation as interdependent dimensions of mentoring.

The study offers important implications for European teacher education. By conceptualising mentoring as situated positioning within a mentoring triangle, the paper provides a transferable analytic framework for examining mentoring across diverse European contexts characterised by varying degrees of professional autonomy, accountability, and partnership models. The findings underscore the need for mentor education that foregrounds relational reflexivity, ethical judgment, and awareness of shifting power dynamics, supporting teacher educators in navigating mentoring positionings self-knowingly to enhance STs’ professional learning across Europe.

From a European perspective, visual arts education in the Nordic countries has many common features and comparable educational systems, although previous research (Lindström, 2009) has pointed to epistemological differences with implications for subject content and research orientations. In the case of Sweden and Finland, these similarities are historically grounded: Finland formed part of Sweden for more than six centuries, resulting in shared linguistic and cultural traditions. Today, Finnish is one of the larger minority languages in Sweden, while Swedish remains an official language in Finland, with approximately five per cent of the population identifying as Finnish Swedes.

A further common denominator is that visual arts is a minor school subject in both countries, which presents persistent challenges regarding recruitment to teacher education and access to qualified subject teachers. In Finland, this is particularly evident in Swedish-language teacher education, where a double marginalisation occurs: the programme offered in Swedish is considerably smaller than its Finnish-language counterpart, while the subject itself occupies a limited curricular space. Consequently, some students complete parts of their studies in Finnish, while others pursue education at Swedish universities, even though such qualifications do not automatically confer subject-teacher eligibility in Finland.

Against this backdrop, the present study examines educational pathways within Swedish-language visual arts teacher education programmes in Sweden and Finland. The aim is to identify similarities and differences in programme structure, content, and eligibility requirements, and to explore their implications for potential mutual study paths across national borders. The study asks: How are programmes and courses structured in the two contexts? What shared values and priorities emerge, and where do they diverge? In what ways do these similarities and differences enable or constrain mobility and mutual recognition within teacher education?

In conclusion, the study situates visual arts teacher education within broader European discussions on lifelong learning and professional mobility. Recent OECD analyses emphasise that mid-career learners are more likely to engage in education when opportunities align with life circumstances and lead to tangible outcomes, supported by flexibility, recognition, and strong engagement mechanisms (OECD, 2025). Read through this lens, visual arts teacher education appears not only as initial preparation, but as part of a wider ecology of continuing professional learning, where institutional structures, language, and disciplinary status shape teachers’ capacity to upskill, reskill, and sustain professional agency over time.

The knowledge gained from previous investigations and research projects (Darling–Hammond, 2012; De Vicente, 2006; Perrenoud, 2004) yielding the most promising international findings on teacher training (Day, 2018; Helen, 2011; Latorre & Blanco, 2014; Vaello, 2009) forms the basis of this research proposal which focuses on the field of professional teaching ethics. While in recent years the pairing of university training and professional ethics has generated great research interest at the national and international levels, most of the studies undertaken in this regard call for the need to incorporate the teaching of ethics into academic curricula to train fully-fledged and responsible professionals (Torquemada & Loredo, 2021), a basic requirement for achieving a just and inclusive society.

Focusing on teaching professionals, UNESCO sets the goal of achieving quality education (SDG 4, which is the framework for this project), and this implies having well-prepared and committed professionals. The training of ethical teachers or committed leaders is thus in the spotlight of the scientific community (Bonifácio et al., 2025; Bolívar & Pérez, 2022). There is a growing awareness of the importance of professional ethics in higher education and the need for a more systematic and in-depth approach to its teaching. Our project aims to contribute to this effort.

The project is titled Training for Ethical Leadership in the Teaching Profession: Diagnosis and Analysis and it has been funded by the Vice-Rectorate for Research and Transfer of the University of Granada, Spain. This research project cannot be disconnected from its social context, the Faculty of Education, Economy, and Technology (FEET) of Ceuta, affiliated with the University of Granada, whose instruction includes future teachers responsible for the education of Spain’s next generations, that is, future citizens who should be committed, responsible, creative, innovative, solidary... Thus, this study questions whether faculties of education are fostering generations of teachers capable of acting with integrity and responsibility.

We are concerned with the issue of professional teaching ethics. Within ethics, we focus on a cornerstone: the moral authority and leadership as a proactive attitude required by future teachers to carry out their profession. Situated in the sphere of teaching leadership, moral authority or ethical leadership is conceived as the attitude with which future teachers will face their profession, that is, the skill to exercise their future profession from an attitude of service to others and from professional integrity –from a sense of a job well done–. Day (2018) points out that this moral authority “is more than the application and knowledge of techniques and skills, it includes a sense of care and social justice for all members of the community” (p. 52).

Our general objective is to assess whether ethical leadership competence can be a factor in the selection of future teachers, in line with the current work of the Conference of Deans of Education of Spain. To this end, we have established the following specific objectives:

1. Identify the ethical leadership profile of student teachers without practicum experience and their attitude toward teaching.
2. Determine the ethical leadership profile of student teachers with practicum experience and their attitude toward teaching.
3. Design a professional ethics intervention program for students completing their practicum.
4. Implement the ad hoc training plan on teaching ethics during the practicum for Education Degrees.
5. Analyse whether there has been a change in ethical attitudes from the beginning to the end of the practicum period after student participation in the intervention program.

This line of study is an innovative proposal in the context of Spanish universities. It is necessary to include parameters of responsibility that guarantee commitment to training and to society, as required by international bodies (Buxarrais, 2021).

Poor teacher wellbeing is linked to increased stress and absenteeism, higher rates of burnout, higher organisational costs and greater intention to leave the profession, which according to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), is as high as one in three resigning teachers having under five years of experience (OECD, 2025). Early career attrition significantly impacts student achievement, engagement, overall wellbeing and the climate in early childhood education centres and schools and also adds a significant financial burden to education systems (McCuaig et al., 2021).
Considering the interconnected nature of personal, professional, and systemic challenges faced by teachers, understanding and addressing teacher wellbeing is imperative, never more-so than during the current poly-crises confronting education systems globally. Our proposition is that mandating the inclusion of evidence-informed teacher wellbeing content in initial teacher education (ITE) programs will enhance the preparation of pre-service teachers (PSTs) and better equip them for the realities confronting them as they transition to become early career teachers.
ITE programs in Australia must meet accreditation standards and address the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers (Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership, 2022a). Because teacher wellbeing is not included as a professional standard that must be addressed, it is therefore left to providers to determine if and how they approach the topic. Consequently, PSTs being introduced to teacher wellbeing knowledge and skills varies around the nation. The development of a lifelong learning mindset, as advanced in the UNESCO and International Task Force on Teachers for Education 2030 Global report on teachers (2024), is considered a protective strategy, achieved via a shared definition of professional skills and knowledge to guide teacher education and development (OECD, 2005). Despite these aspirations, there is similarly wide diversity of program content in Europe due to local contexts and institutional controls (Caena, 2014).
The research was grounded in a holistic understanding of wellbeing, as defined by the World Health Organisation (WHO), which encompasses not only the absence of disease but also the ability to cope with stress, work productively, and contribute to one's community (WHO, 2021). The framework also draws on Indigenous ways of knowing, being, and doing, ensuring that the integration of wellbeing is culturally appropriate and inclusive (AITSL, 2022b).
The aim of this paper is to examine how the integration of teacher wellbeing into initial teacher education (ITE) programs can be done effectively to reduce early career teacher attrition, improve system sustainability and improve educational outcomes for students. We examine and draw upon European policy and practices in wellbeing education in ITE and the ways in which some European countries where they have introduced professional standards for teachers have incorporated wellbeing into ITE programs (for instance, Estonia) (Kutsekoda, 2018; Pedaste et al., 2019). We also consider the situation in Ireland where wellbeing has been embedded within the higher education sector (of which ITE is a subset), with three approaches being utilised: mandatory content, elective content and via curricular infusion (Byrne & Surdey, 2021; Surdey & Byrne, 2024).
The European context provides valuable insights and potential strategies for integrating teacher wellbeing into ITE programs in Australia and beyond against a backdrop of poly-crises, such as climate change, societal reactions and responses to terrorism, and shifting global allegiances.
Length: up to 600 words (currently 533

Introduction

Across Europe, adult and continuing education (ACE) plays a central role in lifelong learning, labour market integration, and social participation (OECD, 2021; Cedefop, 2025). European policy documents emphasise adult educators’ key role in securing educational quality. Over the past two decades they have been framed as a critical pillar of adult education systems (Ioannou, 2023). At the same time, however, their initial education and continuing professional development have received limited systematic policy attention, resulting in weakly structured career pathways and insufficient professional recognition.

Employment structures in ACE remain fragmented in many European contexts. Research points to heterogeneous qualification routes, limited career prospects, and a high prevalence of freelance or part-time work (Milana et al., 2018). In several countries, adult educators combine teaching with other professional activities and lack stable institutional affiliation (Ioannou, 2023). Similar patterns are visible in Germany, where a substantial share of ACE staff work on a free basis (Martin & Schrader, 2021).

Despite these structurally insecure conditions, empirical studies—particularly from Germany—indicate that adult education is often a consciously chosen profession. Educators report strong intrinsic motivations, especially the desire to share knowledge and support learners, alongside high job satisfaction as an indicator of high professional well-being (Autorengruppe wb-personalmonitor, 2016). This constellation reflects a paradoxical professional context: precarious employment coexists with strong commitment. Yet, the interplay between working conditions, motivational processes, and instructional practice remains underexplored.

The Job Demands–Resources (JD–R) model (Bakker & Demerouti, 2007, 2017) provides a suitable framework to analyse such ambivalent contexts. By distinguishing between health-impairment processes and motivational processes, it explains how job and personal resources foster work engagement, which in turn predicts well-being and performance outcomes. Work engagement—usually defined as vigour, dedication, and absorption (Schaufeli et al., 2002)—has been linked to commitment, satisfaction and job performance in schools (Hakanen et al., 2006; Admiraal & Kittelsen Røberg, 2023), but has rarely been examined in adult education or connected to instructional quality (e.g. Reiter & Kuper, 2024).

Against this backdrop, this study applies the motivational pathway of the JD–R model to ACE. We examine how work-related resources (e.g., cooperation, feedback, career prospects) and personal resources (e.g., self-efficacy, enthusiasm) are associated with work engagement, and how engagement, in turn, relates to job satisfaction and cognitive activation as a core dimension of instructional quality and an indicator of job performance.

Instructional quality is commonly conceptualised as a multidimensional construct comprising classroom management, socio-emotional support, and cognitive activation (Klieme et al., 2009). Given the voluntary and heterogeneous nature of adult learning contexts, we argue that cognitively demanding and reflective learning opportunities are central (Desimone & Garet, 2015). For this proposal, we therefore focus on cognitive activation while acknowledging the broader multidimensional framework of instructional quality.

Using data from the German TAEPS study and structural equation modelling, we address two questions: (RQ 1) How are work-related and personal resources associated with work engagement among ACE teaching staff? (RQ 2) To what extent does work engagement mediate the relationship between these resources and (a) job satisfaction and (b) cognitive activation?

Simulation-based learning has become a prominent pedagogical approach in teacher education, particularly within clinical and practice-based models that emphasize experiential, reflective, and interaction-driven learning (Grossman et al., 2009). Clinical simulation relies on carefully designed scenarios enacted by professional actors and facilitated by trained educators, creating structured opportunities for novice and practicing teachers to engage with complex professional situations in a safe, reflective environment (Dotger & Chandler-Olcott, 2022).

Existing research in teacher education has largely focused on the micro-level of simulation practice, examining instructional design, facilitation strategies, emotional engagement, and reflective processes within the simulation workshop itself. While this body of work has substantially advanced understanding of pedagogical interaction in simulation, considerably less attention has been paid to the organizational and leadership conditions through which simulation quality is produced, stabilized, and sustained over time.

Drawing on perspectives from practice-based teacher education (Daniels & Varghese, 2020), professional learning (Darling-Hammond et al., 2017), and communities of practice (Patton & Parker, 2017), this study approaches simulation quality not solely as a function of individual pedagogical competence, but as an outcome constituted across interacting levels of professional practice and organizational organization. In this view, quality emerges through the alignment between micro-level professional interactions and macro-level infrastructures, including leadership practices, professional development pathways, shared professional language, and institutional norms. Thus, the study addresses the following research question: How is the quality of clinical simulation-based learning in teacher education constituted through the interplay between micro-level professional practices and macro-level organizational conditions?

To examine this question, the paper integrates findings from two complementary empirical phases conducted within a large-scale national simulation program in teacher education (blinded). Phase A focused on the micro-level of simulation practice and explored how facilitators and professional actors enact, negotiate, and reflect upon their roles during simulation workshops. Phase B extended the analytical lens to the macro-level, examining how simulation center directors conceptualize, develop, and support facilitator–actor collaboration within organizational, managerial, and policy frameworks.

By integrating these two perspectives, the study contributes to European and international debates on quality in teacher education, practice-based learning, and educational leadership. It positions clinical simulation as a professional practice whose effectiveness is shaped not only by pedagogical interaction, but by the organizational conditions under which such interaction is made possible and sustainable.

Teacher shortages have persisted in Iceland for several decades. Concurrently, increased emphasis on strengthening education quality led to the 2008 reform, which extended teacher education from a three-year bachelor’s degree to a five-year master’s degree programme. Although this reform aimed to enhance professional preparation, it was followed by a decline in the number of graduates (Jóhannsdóttir & Björnsdóttir, 2018). From 1998 to 2007, an average of 16.8% of teachers lacked formal teacher education. Although this proportion declined in the following decade, it has risen again since 2020, now exceeding 18%. Comparable trends have been observed in other European countries, where teacher shortages and educational reforms often result in fluctuations in the number of qualified graduates.

Teacher shortages in Iceland are linked to both a limited supply of qualified graduates and the high number of certified teachers who do not enter or remain in school teaching (Eyjólfsson & Jónsson, 2017). Policy responses have primarily emphasised expanding distance education within teacher education programmes (Jóhannsdóttir & Björnsdóttir, 2020). These alternative pathways tend to attract older students than traditional on-campus programmes. This is reflected in European statistics showing that the average age of teacher education graduates in Iceland is considerably higher than in most other European countries (Hauschildt et al., 2018). Older students are more likely to combine studies with paid employment and family responsibilities, which may limit their ability to fully engage with academic and practicum requirements (Jóhannsdóttir & Björnsdóttir, 2022).

In 2019, further measures were introduced to increase enrolment and graduation rates and to strengthen the link between teacher education and professional practice (Sigurðsson et al., 2023). One such measure allows students to undertake a paid internship during the final year of their master’s programme while simultaneously attending on-campus courses designed to ensure coherence and progression in learning (Wiese et al., 2024). Students may earn 30 ECTS credits while working as teachers in a position formally defined as having 50% employment. The internship aims to enhance professional readiness, support the transition into teaching and contribute to teacher retention (Stjórnarráðið, n.d.).

While this arrangement aligns with research emphasising the importance of integrating theory and practice in teacher education (Darling-Hammond et al., 2005; Hammerness, 2014), it has coincided with notable changes in student pathways into teaching. The number of students enrolled in the integrated five-year compulsory school teacher education programme has declined. In contrast, the share of students entering teacher education after completing a prior bachelor’s degree increased from 11% to 42% between 2014 and 2020 (Jóhannsdóttir & Björnsdóttir, 2021). As a result, many students entering paid internships have completed relatively little formal teacher education before assuming teaching responsibilities, compared with students in integrated programmes.

Recent data further suggest that, despite the internship being designed as part-time employment, many student teachers work full time during their final year of study (Gísladóttir et. al., 2023). This raise concerns that student teachers—particularly older students with family responsibilities—may experience substantial pressure as they combine full-time teaching, academic coursework and caregiving obligations.

This study draws on research on work–family balance and competing time demands in higher education. It utilises survey data from Icelandic master’s-level student teachers to examine how work and family responsibilities influence experiences during paid internships. The study investigates whether decisions to undertake full-time teaching are primarily student-driven or shaped by expectations from employing schools facing teacher shortages. It also examines whether experiences differ across student groups based on family responsibilities and programme type, such as enrolment in an integrated five-year programme or entry following a prior bachelor’s degree.

Since 2010, Teacher Educators and Education departments within the English context faced a wide range of challenges, ranging from changes to policy directives, as well as funding cuts and changes to the Teacher Education landscape via market reviews (Department for Education (DfE), 2021), as well as new requirements for accreditation processes, the rise of apprenticeships, and ongoing scrutiny via inspectorates. Teacher Educators often, due to their complex roles within this changing landscape, find that it is difficult to navigate their own career development as well as contributing effectively to the Higher Education (HE) sector, and as a result feels that they become marginalised within the HE sector.

Teacher educators play a crucial role in the educational landscape, serving as key actors in sustaining and advancing high-quality education (Meeus et al., 2018). They are widely regarded as the core of teacher education through their responsibility for designing, implementing, and evaluating curricula, pedagogical approaches, teaching practices, and educational development (Hadar & Brody, 2017). As the quality of teachers depends fundamentally on their education and training, increasing scholarly and policy attention has been directed toward teacher educators’ roles in educational practice, research, and policy since the early 1990s (Flores, 2018). Despite this attention, the profession continues to be described as hidden (Snoek et al., 2011), poorly defined (Ping et al., 2018), or insufficiently understood (Kaasila et al., 2023).

Teacher educators’ work is inherently diverse and complex, encompassing a wide range of tasks, responsibilities, and challenges that require specific combinations of knowledge, skills, and professional dispositions (Ping et al., 2018). Such diversity may generate tensions and conflicts, as individuals are required to navigate multiple and sometimes competing expectations and standards (Kelchtermans et al., 2018). One way to conceptualize and structure this complexity is through the notion of professional roles (Meeus et al., 2018).

In their influential review, Lunenberg et al. (2014) identified six professional roles of teacher educators. A professional role is defined as a “personal interpretation of a position based on expectations from the environment and on a systematically organized and transferable knowledge base” (p. 6). As teachers of teachers, teacher educators are expected to educate future teachers and support their professional development by modelling exemplary teaching and learning practices. However, their expertise cannot be reduced to practical experience alone. Consequently, teacher educators are also expected to fulfil the role of researcher, generating new knowledge for themselves and others while supporting their own professional learning through research engagement. In addition, teacher educators may act as coaches, guiding and supervising student teachers during teaching practicums; as curriculum developers, constructing coherent teacher education curricula grounded in theoretical and practical insights; as gatekeepers, monitoring access to the teaching profession through assessment and evaluation; and as brokers, mediating between teacher education institutions and schools by fostering collaboration, partnerships, and alignment between theory and practice.

This study examines how these professional roles are articulated in teacher educator job advertisements. Job advertisements are formal documents that provide insight into employers’ expectations regarding qualifications, experience, skills, and professional responsibilities (Kim & Angnakoon, 2016). The analysis of job advertisements is a well-established approach for examining professional expectations, labour market dynamics, and recruitment trends (Harper, 2012). The guiding research question is:

• How are professional roles portrayed in teacher educator job advertisements: what do the roles entail and how are they emphasized in the advertisements?

This study responds to the call to provide greater insights into what it means to be a teacher educator (Richter, Brunner, Richter 2021). By analysing professional roles in job advertisements, it contributes to a deeper understanding of the profession, illustrates the expectations placed upon it, and provides insight into how it is conceptualized. It serves as a valuable addition to the existing body of literature on teacher educators, which has primarily focused on their self-perceptions as professionals (Richter, Brunner, and Richter 2021).

In this paper, we report on data from our survey of the university Initial Teacher Education (ITE) sector in England, concerning responses to questions about perceptions of workload and research. Our survey collects responses annually (since 2021) from approximately 12% of the cohort, and includes questions on a variety of topics, with Likert scale and text responses. Here, we report on three interconnected areas with potential impacts on the future of teacher education in England, and with pertinent findings for other nations, including research expectations and opportunities, workload, and the extent to which university leaders understand ITE.

This paper focuses on the work of initial teacher educators. Initial Teacher Education (also sometimes known as pre-service teacher education) and those who work within this sector have been identified as being under-researched (Ellis et al., 2013). Research on teacher educators is limited, likely because most studies in Initial Teacher Education are conducted by ITE academics themselves, who predominantly focus on their students and educational settings rather than examining their own professional experiences. Where research does develop, it tends to take the form of ‘insider research’.

We consider three tensions in the ITE sector:

Workload: there are data to suggest that workloads for individual academics working in this sector are high and, importantly, intense in nature (Clapham et al., 2023; Murray & Kosnik, 2011). The current ITE system in England, like those in other countries, such as Australia and the USA, has high demands in terms of teacher educator workloads and accountability (Cochran-Smith, 2021).

Research: Research insights into Initial Teacher Education and the systems and people that support this vital stage in the profession are of particular importance during a decade long recruitment and retention crisis in teaching (McLean et al., 2024). Morris et al. (2023) report distinct challenges for researchers working in ITE, citing particular circumstances affecting their roles and ‘opportunities for engaging with and conducting research’ (Morris et al., 2023, p. 57).

Expectations: Ellis et al. (2013) found that teacher educators were driven to focus their time on the quality assurance of school partnerships and pastoral support of students and that workload management was generally unsuitable for taking into account the unique requirements of teacher education. Oancea et al. (2021) also found that universities may be reluctant to invest in teacher education research, perhaps through a lack of understanding of the importance and relevance of such research and possibly through a lack of funding available for this work.

To address the gap in our understanding of ITE academic work, we decided it was essential to explore the experiences of those involved in ITE in England through a longitudinal study, taking a pragmatic research approach, that began with an initial survey in the 2021/22 academic year (Wood & Quickfall, 2024) with subsequent surveys each year since. The theoretical framework for this research was based on Spencer's work (2013) on omission, trivialisation and condemnation of teacher educators and their work. From this basis, we developed our own conceptual framework of the current situation in English ITE as a perfect storm, with challenges around time and capacity to undertake research, high workloads and low expectations from some university leaders, making their own research ambitions very difficult to achieve. Issues of omission, trivialisation, and condemnation in the sector and more widely in the government add a further set of challenges to this group in terms of being heard, valued, and included.

This study investigates how classroom discourse fosters dialogic interaction in secondary English lessons, focusing on students’ speaking engagement and cognitive strategies. While dialogic teaching is widely recognized as enhancing reasoning, collaboration, and participation, there is limited research on how these interactions naturally occur in everyday English lessons. Alexander (2020) argues that dialogic teaching harnesses classroom talk to engage students’ interest, stimulate thinking, and support argumentation, treating dialogue as an essential learning tool rather than incidental to teaching. Wegerif (in press) frames dialogic education epistemologically and ontologically, emphasizing that knowledge emerges through interaction and dialogue, highlighting the need to examine authentic classroom talk to understand co-construction of ideas and cognitive development.

Research on classroom discourse supports the importance of participation in learning. Cazden (2001) shows that patterns of teacher and student talk shape engagement, and Walsh and Li (2016) highlight collaboration and co-construction as central to learning outcomes. Mercer (2004) proposes sociocultural discourse analysis, emphasizing language as a social tool for thinking, problem-solving, and knowledge construction. Applied research, such as Chow et al. (2023), shows that dialogic teaching interventions improve vocabulary and phonological awareness in young ESL learners, demonstrating how structured dialogue impacts learning. Yet there remains a gap in understanding dialogic interaction in routine secondary English lessons, especially in multilingual, non-Western classrooms. This study addresses this gap by examining features of classroom discourse, student participation, and cognitive strategies during everyday lessons.

The theoretical framework combines sociocultural theory (Vygotsky, 1978) and dialogic teaching frameworks (Alexander, 2020; Wegerif, in press; Mercer, 2004). Sociocultural theory views learning as socially mediated, where interaction with teachers and peers supports cognitive growth. Dialogic teaching frameworks identify features of productive talk, including exploratory dialogue, reasoning, uptake of peers’ ideas, and co-construction of knowledge. Together, these approaches enable analysis of micro-level discourse while situating findings within broader educational and cognitive theory.

To ensure the European and international relevance of this study, the findings and implications are positioned beyond the national classroom context. While the study is conducted in a secondary English classroom in Kazakhstan, the principles of dialogic teaching, patterns of classroom talk, and student cognitive strategies have applicability across European education systems and multilingual classrooms. Insights from this research can inform teacher professional development, classroom interaction practices, and dialogic pedagogy policies in other countries, highlighting strategies to enhance participation, reasoning, and collaboration in diverse cultural and linguistic settings.

Over the past decades, research on student engagement has expanded substantially, establishing engagement as a key construct for understanding academic achievement, school completion, and student well-being. Despite this extensive body of work, the field remains characterized by significant conceptual fragmentation. In particular, engagement, disengagement, disaffection, and related constructs are used inconsistently across theoretical traditions, and disengagement is frequently treated as the simple opposite or absence of engagement. This conceptual ambiguity complicates cross-study comparisons and limits the development of coherent theoretical explanations of school dropout.

The aim of this paper is to provide a critical theoretical review of how student engagement and disengagement have been conceptualized in the literature and to clarify their role in explanations of school dropout. The guiding research question is: How have engagement and disengagement been theoretically conceptualized in research on schooling, and how can their relationship be better understood in relation to dropout processes? This question is addressed through three interrelated analytical foci: (1) how major theoretical traditions define and frame engagement and disengagement; (2) where conceptual overlaps, tensions, and gaps emerge across these traditions; and (3) what unresolved theoretical issues remain in accounting for diverse trajectories leading to school dropout.

The paper examines key theoretical frameworks that have shaped research on engagement and dropout, including multidimensional models of engagement, motivational and self-system theories, person–environment fit perspectives, and dual-process approaches. Rather than reviewing these theories in isolation, the analysis focuses on their underlying assumptions about student participation, withdrawal, agency, and development over time. Within this framework, engagement is conceptualized as a multidimensional pattern of behavioral, emotional, and cognitive participation in school-related activities, while disengagement is treated as a distinct process characterized by withdrawal, negative emotional experiences, and maladaptive forms of participation. Crucially, engagement and disengagement are not assumed to be mutually interconnected; rather, they may co-occur, evolve differently over time, and interact dynamically with individual characteristics and contextual conditions. For this reason, particular attention is paid to the ways in which disengagement is conceptualized-whether as low engagement, as a qualitatively distinct process, or as a negative school-related condition-and to the implications of these choices for understanding dropout.

Building on this critical synthesis, the paper argues that much of the existing literature implicitly insufficiently capture the heterogeneity of students’ educational trajectories. The review highlights the potential of dual-process perspectives, especially when combined with multidimensional and developmental approaches, to address some of these limitations by conceptualizing engagement and disengagement as related but not mutually exclusive processes.

Supervision of undergraduate thesis writing is a core academic practice with substantial consequences for students, supervisors, universities, and society. Agricola, Prins, van der Schaaf, and van Tartwijk (2021) show that supervisors’ pedagogical decisions during thesis meetings are directed toward supporting student understanding, revealing supervision as a dynamic, interactive, context‑specific practice. Bradshaw, O’Sullivan, and Creaven (2025) further describe supervision as a continual negotiation of academic identity shaped by institutional structures, personal values, and relational demands. The significance of supervision is especially clear in research by Mårtensson and Söderström (2024), who demonstrate that different supervisory emphases—such as support, control, content focus, process orientation, and supervisory format—relate distinctly to student outcomes including timely completion, deep learning, scientific curiosity, and thesis quality. From the student perspective, Roberts and Seaman (2018) find that students value supervisors who are supportive, empowering, communicative, and aligned with their research interests, while concerns often center on power dynamics and inconsistent guidance.

Yet, the empirical research base—particularly from the supervisor’s perspective—remains comparatively limited and dispersed across disciplines and national contexts. Besides, the fragmentation in theoretical usage is highlighted by Bradshaw et al. (2025) while Agricola et al. (2021) and Freeman et al. (2020) observe that methodological transparency and paradigm articulation are often limited in studies of academic supervision. These perspectives bring out the need for theoretically explicit syntheses that illuminate how supervisors conceptualize and enact their roles. This review therefore asks: Which theoretical and methodological patterns characterize empirical qualitative studies on supervisors’ perspectives on undergraduate thesis supervision, and what gaps and opportunities emerge from a systematic scoping of this literature? Addressing this question involves four objectives: to conduct a systematic search for published, peer‑reviewed empirical literature on supervision of undergraduate thesis from the supervisor perspective; to chart the range of aims, theories, and methodologies used in these studies; to analyze characteristics of theory use via the notion of “theory work” (Hamann & Kosmützky, 2021); and to appraise methodological characteristics using the Approach‑Based Model that distinguishes Big‑Q qualitative from small‑q qualitative research (Nicmanis & Spurrier, 2025).

Two conceptual frameworks guide the analysis in this review, each addressing a different dimension of how research on supervisors’ perspectives is constructed and justified. The first is a theory‑work lens, which draws on Hamann and Kosmützky’s (2021) articulation of three core dimensions of theory work in higher education research. This lens enables a systematic examination of how studies position themselves theoretically by considering: (i) the range of theories they mobilize—whether they rely on broad, universal theories or highly contextual, case‑specific conceptual tools; (ii) their mode of engagement with theory, including whether theory is being tested, applied, modified, or built; and (iii) the degree of epistemic autonomy demonstrated, that is, whether studies develop theoretical contributions independently or primarily borrow from adjacent fields.

The second framework is an alignment lens, which evaluates the coherence between a study’s stated (or implied) ontological and epistemological commitments and its methodological choices, data collection strategies, analytic procedures, and interpretive claims. This lens is informed by Nicmanis and Spurrier’s (2025) distinction between interpretive Big‑Q qualitative approaches, which are grounded in explicit paradigmatic commitments, and method‑driven small‑q qualitative approaches, which treat qualitative methods primarily as technical tools. The alignment lens is particularly relevant in this field because many studies on undergraduate thesis supervision rely on interviews, thematic analysis, or discourse‑oriented methods while omitting explicit paradigm statements. Such omissions create uncertainty about whether methodological choices are philosophically grounded or merely procedural.

Together, these two frameworks allow the review not only to map theoretical and methodological patterns but also to interrogate the conceptual coherence and scholarly positioning of the field.

.

The rise of Large Language Models (LLMs) has fundamentally altered knowledge production in higher education, with over 80% of students now integrating AI into academic tasks (Xia et al., 2024; Fundación Ayuda en Acción, 2025). This widespread adoption, often lacking critical algorithmic or ethical awareness, necessitates a total reappraisal of traditional asynchronous written assessments (Vieru & Petrea, 2015; Francis et al. 2025). While some institutions have responded reactively through bans or proctored exams, this catalyst demands a holistic, integrative approach (Chan, 2023). Aligning with the European Higher Education Area’s emphasis on transferable competencies, AI serves as an urgent driver for redesigning pedagogical methodologies and fostering critical AI literacy within the university space.

This paper presents the design, theoretical foundations, and methodological approach of an ongoing research project. The study aims to analyze the uses and ethical perceptions of generative AI among Education students to evaluate its impact on assessment processes and propose pedagogical strategies that foster critical literacy and institutional debate. The study is part of a funded project (Rethinking the quality of training for Education students in the era of generative artificial intelligence - IA-EduProf) by the National Distance Education University (UNED, Spain) within the call for Teaching Innovation Projects for Teaching Innovation Groups (GID2016-47). It is explicitly situated within higher education, aligning with formative assessment frameworks and internal quality assurance. It seeks to articulate adapted responses capable of combining digital literacy and ethical reflection through curricular redesign and the continuous improvement of training programs for education professionals.

The research is grounded in theoretical frameworks such as Selwyn (2021) and Watters (2021), who advocate for a critical educational technology perspective over technological determinism, allowing AI to be analyzed not as a neutral process but as an opportunity to enhance student agency. The study of uses and ethics is framed by the guidelines of UNESCO (Giannini, 2023) and Tai et al. (2023) regarding algorithmic literacy and educational justice, as well as the theory of assessment as a social practice (Bearman et al., 2020), seeking tasks that transcend the mere generation of automated products. Finally, the project aligns with Luckin’s (2018) vision of adaptive human intelligence, placing critical thinking and pedagogical design at the center of the curricular transformation demanded by the new landscape of quality higher education.

Methodologically, the project adopts a mixed-methods research approach, following the principles of Creswell and Creswell (2018). This allows for the integration of the precision of quantitative usage patterns with the depth of qualitative ethical perceptions (Teddlie & Tashakkori, 2009). This design is based on the concept of methodological triangulation and the pursuit of complementarity (Greene, 2007), ensuring a holistic understanding of AI's impact.

It is expected that this research facilitates a reconfiguration of evaluative praxis, providing clear criteria for transitioning toward authentic assessment models with high resistance to algorithmic replication. Beyond AI detection, the anticipated impact lies in strengthening student commitment and agency by proposing tasks that connect with their future professional identity and reduce the automated nature of assessment. Ultimately, the integration of critical literacy into the curriculum will enable future educators to develop strategic autonomy and sound ethical judgment, consolidating a pedagogical redesign proposal that rigorously addresses the demands of new digital scenarios.

The rapid expansion of artificial intelligence (AI) in higher education has become a key concern across education systems, particularly in relation to teacher education, quality assurance, and ethical governance. Although AI is increasingly positioned in European policy discourse as a driver of innovation, inclusion, and competitiveness, research continues to demonstrate fragmented and uneven integration of AI into pedagogical practice and teacher preparation (Kalnina et al., 2024; Chan & Hu, 2023; Guan et al., 2025). Despite growing interest in AI-enhanced education, there remains a lack of empirical research examining the factors that shape pre-service teachers’ attitudes, intentions, and actual use of AI in learning and teaching contexts (Bearman et al., 2023).

Teachers play a central role in developing learners’ AI literacy through the responsible integration of AI tools into educational practice. However, recent evidence suggests that only a small proportion (15%) of learners acquire knowledge about AI from teachers, while most exposure occurs through informal channels such as social media (OECD, 2025). Teacher educators, therefore, emphasise the importance of fostering AI literacy and promoting critical engagement with AI-generated content to ensure ethically and pedagogically sound implementation (Prilop et al., 2025). At the same time, research indicates that AI tools can enhance learning outcomes and teaching strategies for pre-service teachers, for example, by supporting personalised learning and facilitating the assessment of pedagogical content knowledge (Al-Shammari & Al-Enezi, 2024; Blonder et al., 2025).

Alongside these benefits, significant concerns remain regarding ethical issues, data privacy, and the potential for AI to reinforce existing educational inequalities (Mohebi, 2025). Qualitative evidence suggests that pre-service teachers often lack a sufficient understanding of AI fundamentals and ethical principles necessary for the meaningful integration of AI into education (Guan et al., 2025). Moreover, there is a risk that over-reliance on AI tools may undermine the development of essential pedagogical skills, critical thinking, and human relationships in teaching and learning processes (Ziying et al., 2026). These tensions highlight the need for continued, context-sensitive research on the use of AI in teacher education.

The proposed study contributes to this debate by examining pre-service teachers’ engagement with AI tools within the Latvian higher education context. Latvia represents a particularly relevant European case, as many pre-service teachers simultaneously study and work in schools—an increasingly common situation across European countries facing teacher shortages and flexible qualification pathways. This dual role places pre-service teachers at the intersection of higher education policy, school practice, and digital innovation, making their experiences especially informative for comparative European analysis.

The study aims to explore pre-service teachers’ experiences, habitual practices, and attitudes toward AI use in the study process, with a focus on perceived benefits, academic and ethical risks, and impacts on learning quality and professional skill development. The research is guided by the following questions:

RQ1: What AI tools do pre-service teachers use in the study process, and for which habitual learning practices are they most commonly applied?

RQ2: What attitudes do pre-service teachers hold toward the use of AI tools in higher education?

RQ3: What benefits and academic or ethical risks do pre-service teachers perceive in relation to AI use in their studies?

Conceptually, the study draws on European and international AI literacy frameworks (OECD, 2025), research on digital competence in teacher education, and emerging European scholarship on generative AI in pedagogical contexts (Prilop et al., 2025). By situating empirical findings within these shared frameworks, the study contributes to European-level discussions on how teacher education programmes can support ethically grounded, pedagogically meaningful, and socially responsible integration of AI.

Over the past 25 years, scholarly interest in the transfer of professional development (PD) results into practice and the measurement of its effectiveness has increased significantly. Several influential models have been developed, including Kirkpatrick’s evaluation framework (1956/2016), Guskey’s model of PD effectiveness (2000), Baldwin and Ford’s transfer model (1988), and Sims et al. (2023) IMTP model. Baldwin and Ford (1988) conceptualize transfer as the sustained application of learning in the workplace, emphasizing the interaction between individual characteristics, training design, and work environment support as key facilitating factors. Sims et al. (2023) model aims to measure the impact of teacher professional development through student outcomes by identifying testable indicators and focusing on specific PD interventions (insight, motivation, techniques, and practice). Although different models and frameworks are developed and applied to characterize effectiveness of PD programs and practices, consensus related to effective PD have not reached yet, and measuring its impact remains problematic (Nīmante et al, 2025).

While these models provide a conceptual foundation, they also highlight that transfer is a multi-level and multi-dimensional process, involving cognitive, behavioral, affective, and technical outcomes (Lai, 2020). For PD to generate long-term added value, organizational conditions and systemic support are essential (Hughes et al., 2020). However, despite extensive theoretical development, the measurement of transfer effectiveness remains fragmented, with limited consensus on indicators, methods, and levels of analysis (Blume et al., 2010).

Existing studies demonstrate that PD outcomes are often assessed at the individual level, while organizational and longer-term impacts are less consistently measured. This lack of empirical synthesis and standardized measurement approaches complicates both evaluation and policy-level decision-making. As Boylan et al. (2023) argue, transformative professional learning requires grounding not only in theory but also in systematic evaluation practices. Therefore, further empirical research is needed to explore how PD results are transferred into practice and how transfer effectiveness is understood and measured across different contexts and countries.

Research addresses two main questions:

RQ1 What have been used in practice to determine transferring results of professional development into practice?

RQ2 How is transfer effectiveness measured?

The concept of the ‘expert teacher’ is an international phenomenon with many advanced systems investing in a formal designation, partly explained by education systems profound need to recruit and retain the best teachers, providing a career structure, maintaining their classroom impact and developing other teachers in the system. This research closely examines the purposes and structures of these evolving models in each national context, especially the history of their impact on teachers’ professional status and significance for the future, it traces global influences and the challenges of governance and political control of such designations. It provides an innovative, international typology, categorising and analysing the phenomenon of the models

The concept of the ‘expert teacher’ has a significant history, developing into an increasingly global phenomenon [Goodwyn, 2024]. The USA can celebrate having the longest running and only consistent, model, The Highly Accomplished Teacher, developed in the 1970s, it has an exemplary history. The international nature of the phenomenon is partly explained by the need systems have to recruit and retain the best teachers [Burge, P, Lu, H and Phillips, W., 2021], and to provide them with a meaningful and high status career structure. Such a structure maintains their impact in the classroom and, in some designations, on the development of other teachers in the system, often helping to repair the quality of struggling teachers. {Goodwyn. 2022, 2024]

There are many notable examples of the phenomenon, from around the world, with the Advanced Skills Teacher [AST] in Australia [over 30 years] [Ingvarson LC, 1998, 2009, 2013 & 2014) and The Highly Accomplished Teacher [HAT]in the USA [28 years] [Gitomer DH 2007 & 2008] being the most established. However, some models have disappeared – the AST in England 1997-2013, the Chartered Teacher in Scotland only lasted 7 years [McCormac Review 2011]. There are new developments, the Chartered teacher in England and the Highly Accomplished Teacher in Australia, now 6 years in development [Goodwyn, 2024]. Singapore is evolving an elaborate structure of Leading and Master teachers with several career pathways.

This research examines the history of the purposes and structures of these evolving models and their successes and challenges in each national context. It traces global influences, for example the adoption of the HAT designation in Australia, being adapted from the USA, the Chartered model beginning in England just as it is abolished in Scotland [Author, 2024]. These changes are part of the challenge of governance and political control of such designations and their relative stability or fragility. The overall findings are synthesised in a typology, which categorises the models and provides an analytical framework.

Ontologically, the research adopts a critical realist perspective [Sayer, 1992, 2012, Archer et al 1998] examining the history of the expert teacher concept as fundamentally concerned with structural, systemic improvement, a potentially emancipatory and future oriented project for the agentive teaching profession in each system that can challenge racial inequalities. Epistemologically it adopts a phenomenological stance towards ‘expert teaching’ as a designation, drawing on the emergent field of expertise studies [Dreyfus & Dreyfus, 1998, Ericsson et al, 2012]. It is notable that there are always relatively newer models, for example ‘The Extended Teacher’ from Norway, ‘The Chartered Teacher’ in England, the Expert Teacher Network in Chile and the Korean ‘Master Teacher’, all of which show influence from previous models in other jurisdictions and demonstrate global trends and local adaptations.

In contemporary knowledge societies, access to scientific knowledge and research data is becoming increasingly significant (Stehr, 2023). Science is therefore not only challenged to generate new knowledge, but also to make it accessible, usable and socially meaningful. In this context, the Open Science movement (UNESCO, 2021) promotes transparency, accessibility and participation, principles that are also firmly anchored in European research policy, particularly within Horizon Europe. Open access to publications and research data is understood as a key prerequisite for democratic knowledge production, following the principle “as open as possible, as closed as necessary” (European Commission, 2026).

Educational science plays a central role in this debate, as it is fundamentally concerned with the pedagogical mediation, contextualisation and transfer of scientific knowledge (Diederichs & Desoye, 2023). Against this background, the paper explores the potential of games as a form of science communication and knowledge transfer. Games are increasingly discussed as innovative tools for communicating complex scientific issues to broader audiences (Ouariachi et al., 2017; Asplund, 2020). Serious games, in particular, aim to combine learning objectives with playful elements (Schrader, 2022), enabling users to engage cognitively and emotionally with complex topics.

However, the use of games becomes especially challenging in the field of Holocaust education. While games may offer new forms of access and engagement, their use in remembrance culture is highly contested (Tillmann, 2023). Critics warn against trivialisation, inappropriate representations and ethically problematic forms of immersion (Frasca, 2000). Research emphasises that serious games addressing the Holocaust must be grounded in scientifically validated sources, clearly distinguish between fiction and historical reality, and follow explicit ethical and educational guidelines (Schwarz, 2023; Zimmermann, 2023).

This paper addresses these debates by examining an exploratory teaching project situated at the intersection of Open Science, science communication and adult education. The guiding research questions are:
How can open research data be translated into serious games for remembrance work in adult education? What tensions emerge between openness, ethical responsibility and playful design when working with Holocaust-related research data?

By focusing on adult education, the paper highlights a learning context that is often overlooked in discussions of Holocaust education and serious games, despite its relevance for lifelong learning and democratic remembrance cultures.

Open research has become a central paradigm in contemporary educational research, driven by growing demands for transparency, reproducibility, and societal relevance. These practices include open access to publications, preregistration, open methodologies, and the sharing of data and analytical code throughout the research lifecycle. In education, they support cumulative knowledge building, enable replication and secondary analysis, and strengthen the empirical basis of policy and practice.

The adoption of open research principles in education is closely aligned with the FAIR data principles (Wilkinson, 2016), which emphasize that research outputs should be findable, accessible, interoperable, and reusable. In this context, research data—particularly administrative records generated by Educational Management Information Systems (EMIS)—have become a cornerstone for advancing scientific knowledge and informing public policy. EMIS data provide comprehensive population coverage, high temporal granularity, and relatively low costs for secondary research, making them especially valuable for large-scale and longitudinal educational studies.

However, the reuse of administrative educational data is often limited by tensions between the public interest in data openness and the ethical and legal obligations imposed by data protection frameworks such as the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) (EU, 2016). Educational research relies heavily on personal and sensitive data, including demographic information, academic records, behavioral traces, and institutional data. These risks are heightened by the involvement of minors and vulnerable populations and by the high-dimensional, linkable nature of contemporary educational datasets (Fazendeiro et al., 2025; Ferrão et al., 2022, 2023). Consequently, unregulated data sharing may lead to re-identification risks and potential harm.

Data anonymization plays a critical role in enabling open research in education while mitigating these risks. Anonymization refers to a set of technical and organizational measures designed to irreversibly prevent the identification of data subjects under reasonably foreseeable conditions (Sweeney et al., 2018; Prasser et al. 2020). Unlike pseudonymization, anonymization aims to eliminate both direct and indirect identification risks, and thus constitutes not only a technical safeguard but also a methodological and ethical requirement for responsible data sharing within Open Science frameworks.

This article reflects on the practical challenges of preparing, anonymizing, and documenting sensitive educational data for reuse in accordance with Open Science and FAIR principles. Drawing on microdata from the Brazilian National Student Performance Exam (ENADE) and the RAIDES database, provided by the Portuguese Directorate-General for Education and Science Statistics (DGEEC), the study explores the trade-offs between data anonymization and analytical utility in real-world administrative datasets. Special emphasis is placed on the impact of anonymization decisions on the interpretability and inclusiveness of educational data.

The findings indicate that widely used anonymization techniques, including advanced methods such as (ε, δ)-Differential Privacy (Dwork & Roth, 2014; Bild et al., 2018) may introduce subtle yet significant biases. Although the overall statistical structure of the data may appear to be preserved, these techniques can disproportionately suppress or distort minority groups and rare categories, particularly across racial, socio-economic, or institutional dimensions. Such distortions pose substantial risks for equity-oriented research, as the omission or misrepresentation of underrepresented populations in anonymized datasets can result in misleading analyses and compromised evidence-based policy decisions.

These results indicate that the transition toward FAIR-compliant educational data infrastructures cannot rely solely on technical solutions. Rather, it requires sustained and structured dialogue among researchers, data infrastructure providers, and domain experts to ensure that anonymization practices uphold both scientific validity and social inclusivity. We contend that the active involvement of domain experts in the interpretation of anonymized data is essential to prevent privacy-preserving technologies from inadvertently compromising the educational equity and social justice goals they are intended to advance.

Since ECER 2024 in Nicosia, the interactive webapp EduTopics: ECER provides interested users access to information on the contributions to ECER since 1998 (Christ et al., 2025a). In 2025, the webapp EduTopics was updated with additional functions based on feedback from the audience in Nicosia, general users and the national representatives and link convenors of the EERA networks. In 2025, EduTopics provided the basis for several contributions at ECER 2025 in Belgrade, was presented at EARLI 2025 in Graz and was used for various publications as well, we were able to gather additional feedback on its design and functionality. Meanwhile, the presentations beyond ECER with other (inter-)national organizations opened up new collaborations regarding the inclusion of data of other conferences on educational research in EduTopics. The resulting transformation from EduTopics: ECER to a cross-national, cross-conference webapp simply called EduTopics, its new design and functions are the focus of this presentation.

EduTopics contains data and manipulable visualisations on the authors, countries of affiliation, EERA-networks and themes for n > 30,000 contributions from ECER (exact number of contributions from other sources are to be determined). The themes of the contributions were identified by applying the computer linguistic machine learning approach topic modelling – more specifically latent Dirichlet allocation (LDA, Blei et al., 2003) – which identifies word and document clusters in large literature corpora (Blei & Lafferty, 2009; Vayansky & Kumar, 2020). A hierarchical approach to topic modelling enables the identification both of broader, overarching supertopics and more detailed smaller subtopics similar to super- and subcategories in qualitative content analysis. By aggregating the resulting (sub- and super-)document-topic-weights in regard to the aforementioned covariates (i.e. authors, countries, networks), the thematic foci and trends of authors, countries and networks can be identified, visualized, interpreted and compared. Additionally, users can upload own singular texts or entire corpora to determine the latent topics of the text(s) based on the topics of ECER, the EERA-network most relevant to the uploaded text and contributions with similar content.

The general development process of the webapp is ongoing but each version is uploaded separately to ensure the replicability and reproducibility of the results of research papers utilizing the app (for 2024 see Christ et al., 2024; for 2025 see Christ et al., 2025b). New functions of the 2026 version of EduTopics (see Christ et al., 2026) include:

• A new global settings menu to apply consistent filters to the entire conferences and their dataset. Options for filtering include for example years and data source (i.e. conference).
• The option to search the super- and subtopics for specific terms and visualize the term-topic-weights β.
• A search function to rank the contributions regarding multiple super- and subtopics. This enables users to determine documents which are relevant to a mixture of specific topics such as contributions with high document-topic-weights γ for a specific content-related AND method-related topic.
• The option to show the specific topic related measures of single contributions including the bibliographic covariates.

Additionally, future developments are discussed such as the development of a community platform to enable a community-led approach to the qualitative aspect of topic labelling or the development of a data and modelling pipeline to include additional data sources.

Demonstrating knowledge does not indicate that the student actually knows. In educational institutions, students' knowledge is typically assessed through measurable parameters compared to predetermined standards. The question, then, is: how can teachers discern their students' thinking and learning processes, understand them, and respond effectively and accurately in ways that will deepen their thinking?

Edmund Husserl (1938-1985) sought to establish phenomenology as a "science of phenomena" - a discipline investigating what presents itself to consciousness. He founded phenomenology as distinct from other sciences, which rely on scientific theoretical assumptions, aiming to redirect focus from factual information about objects to their essence, within the framework of lived experience (Erlebnis). Husserl argued that true seeing occurs only in an immediate and unmediated way and thus, wanted to recognize this primary seeing as knowledge. Following this, he developed the phenomenological reduction, a method that suspends the natural attitude, meaning all scientific, philosophical, cultural, and everyday assumptions, as well as the question of the existence of the object in space and time. One of the central methods of the reduction is 'bracketing' (Einklammerung). It means putting the object in brackets, thereby isolating it and setting aside the usual judgments of consciousness. It also allows us to shift our attention from the object itself to the way it appears in our consciousness in the moment of lived experience.

Theatre maintains a special relationship with lived experience and phenomenological reduction. Unlike other art forms, theatre typically works with the physical bodies of live actors on stage. In fact, it is a medium designed to transmit performative knowledge embodied in their bodies. Hence, theatre works with the actor's vitality and material presence - in short, with life itself. Its principal achievement is not merely to represent the world but to participate in it, enacting a negotiation between consciousness and the density of lived existence in the present moment. Additionally, just as Husserl suspends doubt about the world, theatre involves an essential condition known as the "suspension of disbelief," which entails temporarily setting aside skepticism about what is presented on stage and accepting it as real. In both cases, the observed phenomenon is temporarily released from the conditions that usually bind it to the world as a merely existing thing. In other words, theatrical performance is itself a mode of phenomenological inquiry.

Theatre, beyond being an artistic form, serves as a distinctive educational medium for learning diverse content. Through this practice, participants represent their inner feelings outwardly in real time, focusing on processes that encourage them to explore, create, experiment, and discover. The fields of knowledge in which theatre is used span from language, history, and literature to less predictable areas like the exact sciences. Role-playing practices, improvisation, and collaborative creation are used to dramatize historical events or bring to life scientific phenomena. These practices are not necessarily aimed at perfecting acting skills but are rather focused on liberating participants from preconceptions, developing creativity, and fostering spontaneous, authentic expression. Hence, students must engage with complete physical and mental presence, incorporating their body, voice, and diverse modes of self-expression. This requires spontaneous, attentive, and uninhibited action and reaction, unrestrained by basic assumptions about their familiar social dynamics or preexisting knowledge.

Theatrical pedagogy transforms knowledge into a subject of embodied inquiry that requires students' personal interpretation of the material. Through this embodied process, knowledge becomes integrated into students' lived experience and may motivate them to action. Moreover, the theatrical practice of suspending everyday assumptions, akin to Husserl's phenomenological reduction allows new dimensions of somatic, affective, and intersubjective knowledge to emerge, making students' understanding visible to teachers.

School and the museum are commonly perceived as two profoundly different institutions. The former is primarily intended for children, is often noisy and crowded, and presupposes regular attendance; the latter is associated with an adult audience, with quiet contemplation, and with occasional visits. Despite these differences, this paper proposes an analogy between the two. Rather than following the extensive literature on museum education (Falk and Dierking 2012; Hein 1998; Hooper-Greenhill 2007), which tends to emphasize the unique challenges of such education, I turn to the writings of the philosopher and curator Boris Groys (2008) to argue that there are significant structural similarities between school and museum, and that these similarities offer important insights into the relationship between institution and “newness”, as well as into the role of the teacher.

Both the school and the museum have long been criticized as outdated, rigid, and irrelevant institutions. Just as the school has been the target of a persistent discourse of “deschooling” (Illich 2000), the museum has faced, at least since the early twentieth century, accusations of being a “graveyard of art” (Groys 2008, 24): an unnecessary gatekeeper separating art from the public, which must be dismantled in order to allow new and free art to emerge (Crimp 1993; Malevich 1971). One influential defense of the school, following Hannah Arendt (1961), maintains that the school is necessary to introduce the new generation to what has value in the world. Schooling is indeed conservative, but this conservatism is precisely what allows novelty to appear as novelty. In a parallel argument, Groys claims that “only the museum gives the observer the opportunity to differentiate between old and new, past and present… only the museum can serve as the site of systematic historical comparison that enables us to see with our own eyes what really is different, new, and contemporary” (2008, 21). While the museum cannot prescribe what the new should look like, it nevertheless provides a negative criterion – a sense of how the new should not look (27).

Within this analogy, the teacher does not correspond to the artist but to the curator. Like the curator, the teacher does not create new objects or values, but mediates between artistic artifacts and an audience, placing them within a structured space in ways that provide context and meaning (Groys 2008, 43). The etymology “curation” is linked to care and cure: the curatorial process, Groys writes, “cures the image’s powerlessness, its inability to present itself” (46). Yet this healing is also a pharmakon in Derrida’s (1981) sense – both cure and poison – since curatorial mediation inevitably intervenes in the image, altering it by embedding it within a particular narrative.

The importance of the curator, and by analogy the teacher, becomes especially clear in light of the internal logic Groys identifies in modern art: that of “equal aesthetic rights for all artworks” (2008, 14). This logic is expressed in the ongoing expansion of what can count as art, as ever more objects and modes of representation are recognized as legitimate. In practice, however, inequality among images persists, and hierarchical value judgments continue to exclude certain forms of expression from the recognized art world. Good art, therefore, is art that works toward aesthetic equality under conditions of inequality. Correspondingly, the curator’s task is to remind the public of “the egalitarian projects of the past” from which we can “learn to resist the dictatorship of contemporary taste” (Groys 2008, 22). In the “conclusions” section, I draw on these insights to reconsider the school as an institution and to rethink the educational role of the teacher.

Philosophy of education occupies an uneasy position within the field of educational studies, as well as (academic) philosophy in general. Unlike empirical educational research, it does not proceed by way of methodological protocols designed to secure verifiable findings, and unlike general philosophy, it cannot rely solely on internal conceptual coherence to justify its claims. Its object—education—is irreducibly practical, situated, and historically contingent. Yet philosophy of education approaches it through conceptual reflection rather than direct intervention. This tension has long accompanied the discipline, often without being thematized explicitly, shaping both how philosophy of education is practiced and how it is received (Biesta, 2014a; 2015).

As a result, philosophy of education finds itself confronted with a question that is as persistent as it is difficult to answer: how do (philosophical) concepts in education genuinely relate to educational reality? On the one hand, philosophical inquiry risks appearing detached, producing concepts that remain abstract and insufficiently responsive to the concrete situations of teaching, learning, and institutional life. On the other hand, attempts to secure relevance by aligning philosophical reflection too closely with practice or policy threaten to dissolve the distinctiveness of philosophical inquiry altogether. Between these poles, philosophy of education struggles to articulate what gives its work consistency as a form of conceptual inquiry that is neither arbitrary nor merely expressive or descriptive.

This difficulty is not simply a matter of disciplinary insecurity, but points to a deeper problem concerning the nature of philosophical speculation itself. If philosophy of education cannot clarify how its speculative activity is constrained, oriented, and rendered answerable to educational situations, it remains vulnerable to the charge of being “mere speculation” in the narrow sense of the term—free-floating thought lacking determinate consequences. What is at stake, therefore, is not whether philosophy of education should speculate, but how it can do so in a way that establishes a meaningful and responsible relation to educational reality.

Building on the speculative philosophy of A.N. Whitehead and Isabelle Stengers, this article reflects on the nature of speculative-educational thinking, both with regards to the way in which its concepts relate to educational reality, as well as what the broader public implications are for its thinking. Isabelle Stengers described speculative philosophy as a disciplined and situated practice of thinking which does not produce abstract systems or universal principles, but treats philosophical concepts as interventions that enter into concrete situations and affect how those situations can be thought. Concepts are thus neither representations of (educational) reality nor norms imposed upon it, but propositions offered to situations in order to open new possibilities of understanding. For philosophy of education, this reconceptualization is decisive. It allows philosophical inquiry to remain speculative without becoming arbitrary, and to relate to educational reality without collapsing into empirical or policy-oriented forms of knowledge. Speculative philosophy grounds philosophical consistency not in foundational claims, but in an obligation to remain answerable to the situations it addresses. In foregrounding responsiveness, hesitation, and revisability, it offers philosophy of education a way of articulating its relevance as a distinct form of conceptual inquiry attuned to the openness and unpredictability of educational practice itself (cf. Biesta, 2014b; cf. Meirieu, 2021).

This paper explores the relation between temporality, ways of knowing, and education by asking how different modes of knowing are sustained by, and in turn enact, distinct temporal orientations. Drawing on Heidegger, Byung-Chul Han, and recent work in philosophy of education, I contrast dominant forms of knowing—such as knowing-that and knowing-how—with a less foregrounded mode: knowing by acquaintance. Whereas propositional and skill-based knowledge align with punctual or progressive temporalities oriented toward presence, accumulation, and improvement, knowing by acquaintance depends on duration, repetition, and return. It is sustained through lingering with singular things, texts, and persons over time.

The paper develops this claim through three educational sites: the school as a space of scholé, post-critical and thing-centred practices, and Derridean deconstruction understood not as negation but as an affirmative practice of repetition. In each case, education is shown to foster forms of knowing that exceed instrumental use and resist closure, inviting direct, singular encounters that transform both the learner and what is learned. By articulating these practices, the paper offers a substantive account of education as autotelic, while opening a path beyond narrow logics of progress without lapsing into anti-critical or anti-progressive positions.

This special session is dedicated to two major publications by international scholars well known to participants of recent Emerging Researchers Conferences (ERCs) and European Conferences on Educational Research (ECERs): the recently published Handbook on Geographies of Education (Elgar Handbook in Education) and the forthcoming Bloomsbury Handbook of Communities, Families and Organisations in Educational Research (2027).

Both Handbooks bring together contributions that are central to EERA Network 14, including research on schooling in rural and urban settings, place-based and place-conscious education, school related transitions within a life course perspective, as well as family education and parenting. Many of the contributing authors are current or former Network 14 convenors or reviewers and have presented their work at recent ERCs and ECERs, including ERC/ECER 2026.

Silvie Rita Kučerová, a long-standing Network 14 convenor, Peter Kraft, one of the keynote speakers at ECER 2026, and Laurence Lasselle, Link-convenor of Network 14 will provide an overview of both Handbooks.

The session will begin with a presentation of the Handbook on Geographies of Education by Peter Kraft and Silvie Rita Kučerová, who are co-editors of this authoritative and widely acclaimed volume. Their presentation will highlight how the Handbook explores the geographical dimensions of education, offering insights into the dynamic interactions between spatial processes and education.

In the second part of the session, Laurence Lasselle, the lead editor of the forthcoming Bloomsbury Handbook of Communities, Families and Organisations in Educational Research will introduce this new volume. Originating from the celebration of EERA Network 14 in 2025, this Handbook explores how various contexts – social, cultural, geographical – both shape and are influenced by the dynamic relationships between communities, families and organisations. It examines the complexities and nuances of these relationships and their impact on educational development.

In traditional classrooms, learning materials often become the main focus rather than tools for understanding the world (Engeström, 2015). Engeström (1991) identified the problem of school encapsulation, where education fails to equip students with the skills needed for real-world challenges, leading to alienation from their schoolwork. To address this, he proposed an expansive learning process, suggesting that “the object of school learning should be radically widened to include the context of criticism, discovery, and application of the given contents.” This approach seeks to go beyond institutional boundaries by creating networks of learning from below. It involves educators, students, parents, and stakeholders in transforming practices through conflict analysis rather than top-down reforms. The focus is on confronting contradictions and harnessing collective insights. Yet, a key question remains: can schools be motivated to undertake such transformation? As Artiles (2011) notes, changing the traditional education system is challenging.

There has been increasing interest in opening schools, encouraging student influence on societal issues, and expanding learning environments. However, few studies focus on students’ learning processes starting genuinely from their ideas. Often, students are seen merely as information providers, with adults shaping the learning activities and limiting student agency. This adult control risks overlooking something crucial (Kokko, 2025). A recent study by Erstad et al. (2025) highlighted that formal education systems face major challenges in engaging students with urgent issues affecting their future amid rapid change and social problems. Currently, education worldwide struggles with issues like rising absenteeism and a growing sense of irrelevance, indicating that traditional solutions are insufficient (see i.g. McGorry et al., McPherson et al, Salmela-Aro, 2022)

Three decades later, it may be time to explore the expansive learning approach and its potential to break down school encapsulation through Change Laboratory (CL) interventions (Virkkunen & Newhamn, 2013) grounded in cultural-historical activity theory (CHAT) and conducted in school settings. The CL intervention method is a participatory analysis and design approach grounded in CHAT and aiming at fostering expansive learning and transformative agency (Sannino & Engeström, 2017). First formulated and implemented in 1995, the CL method was created to tackle complex challenges within activity contexts that demand innovative solutions. Since then, it has been applied in over 30 countries across diverse settings, including education, workplaces, and communities.

The key concept in this study is expansive de-encapsulation of the school. Expansive de-encapsulation “seeks to expand the object and motive of school learning and school instruction, not only in terms of geographic and social space but also in terms of substantive contents and ethical-political commitments” (Engeström et al., 2023, p. 128). In prior research, an analysis method for investigating the expansive de-encapsulation of school was developed (Engeström et al., 2023, p. 128). In line with this method, expansive de-encapsulation can be identified with the help of the following criteria: 1) It is based on the students’ own initiatives, concerns and interests, formulated and pursued in dialogue and collaboration with instructors and other stakeholders. 2) It takes shape in longitudinal collective efforts that go beyond short-term individual self-interests and are connected to the advancement of the common good. 3) It seeks critical dialogue with and anchoring in the contents and forms of regular instruction in school subjects. 4) It initiates and maintains durable partnerships between the school and the surrounding communities, including various activity systems that are oriented toward the promotion of human flourishing and the common good.

This study investigates the following research question:

What types of expansive de-encapsulation actions were taken in students’ projects produced in two CL interventions, and how were these actions generated?

Positive pedagogy can be situated within a humanistic and pragmatic-activist perspective. It draws on the achievements of New Education and Critical Pedagogy, as well as insights from other social sciences. At its core lies the assumption that education should foster students’ potential while simultaneously supporting their well-being (Cabanas & Gonzalez-Lamas, 2022). Positive pedagogy links learning and school experiences with positive emotions and the cultivation of students’ strengths. In this approach, school is envisioned as a space for engaging, meaningful activities, alongside the deliberate development of positive interpersonal relationships and social-emotional competencies (Seligman & Csikszentmihalyi, 2000).

In international academic discourse, positive pedagogy is increasingly recognized as a framework for building resilience and promoting social engagement. Its interdisciplinary character offers substantial opportunities for research and for designing practical interventions in schools and other educational settings aimed at enhancing adolescent participation and well-being, while also addressing disadvantage and social exclusion. This perspective is particularly important for the growing prevalence of mental health problems among young people. In 2021, mental health difficulties affected 19% of boys and 16% of girls aged 15–19 across Europe, while in Poland mental disorders were reported in 10.8% of children and adolescents aged 10–19 (UNICEF, 2021). These data underscore the urgent need to prioritize mental health support within educational systems. Despite this, positive pedagogy remains marginally represented in Polish educational practice and research.

This study aims to provide a preliminary identification and analysis of how the principles of positive pedagogy are implemented in schools among students aged 12–15, with particular emphasis on their impact on student well-being, the development of individual potential, and the enhancement of aspirations and social participation. In addition, the study seeks to contribute to the body of knowledge on positive pedagogy by examining possibilities for its institutional implementation in order to increase the effectiveness of educational practices. Another objective is the development of research tools suitable for investigating positive pedagogy in school settings.

The study addresses two research questions:

1. Which areas of positive pedagogy are implemented in the education of students in grades 6-8 in Polish primary schools, and how are these practices perceived by teachers and students?

1. Is there a correlation between the implementation of positive pedagogy and indicators of students’ perceived well-being, educational potential, academic aspirations, and social participation?

Data are collected using four questionnaires. The theoretical framework guiding the construction of the research instruments is Martin Seligman’s PERMA model. Although originally developed to examine individual well-being across various life domains, the PERMA model has been widely adapted and applied in educational research.

The research was carried out within the framework of the project funded by the Ministry of Science and Higher Education entitled “School on Plus! Elements of Positive Pedagogy in Polish Schools from the Perspectives of Students and Teachers” (MNiSW/2025/DPI/35). The study received positive approval from the University Ethics Committee (39-2024/2025).

This paper examines the early-stage implementation of the newly introduced Life Skills (Gyvenimo įgūdžių) education programme in Lithuania, with a focus on teacher curriculum design, digital participation, and professional preparation. Life Skills education was formally introduced into the national curriculum in 2023 as a transversal and interdisciplinary subject aimed at strengthening learners’ personal, social, civic, and digital competences. The subject integrates previously fragmented areas such as social-emotional learning, health education, prevention programmes, and civic competencies, while granting schools and teachers a high degree of curricular autonomy.
The introduction of Life Skills created a distinctive pedagogical context: teachers were required to design lesson content, pedagogical strategies, and assessment approaches in the absence of established subject traditions or detailed methodological guidance. This situation positioned teachers not merely as curriculum implementers but as active curriculum designers, making it a particularly relevant case for examining how European policy frameworks related to digital competence and digital participation are enacted in practice.
The study is guided by the following research questions:
RQ1: How do teachers enact the role of curriculum designers when implementing the Life Skills education programme?
RQ2: How are digital tools and technologies integrated into Life Skills lessons to support the aims of the programme?
RQ3: How does structured teacher preparation and iterative professional reflection influence teachers’ readiness, confidence, and curriculum design practices?
The primary objective of the paper is to explore how teachers translate curriculum-level intentions into concrete pedagogical practices when implementing a new interdisciplinary subject. Specifically, the study investigates how digital technologies are used to support communication, learner autonomy, and participation, and how professional learning processes shape teachers’ pedagogical decision-making over time.
The theoretical framework is grounded in the understanding that digital participation has become a fundamental condition for full participation in contemporary society, as articulated in European Union and international policy documents. From this perspective, education systems—and teachers in particular—play a central role in operationalising normative commitments to digital inclusion through everyday curriculum work. The study draws primarily on the European Digital Competence Framework for Citizens (DigComp 3.0), which defines the knowledge, skills, and attitudes required for meaningful digital participation in daily life, learning, and work. DigComp 3.0 is technology-neutral and emphasises contextual, purposeful, and ethically grounded use of digital technologies, making it especially relevant for analysing digital practices in non-ICT subjects such as Life Skills.
The analysis is further informed by European competence-based frameworks, including LifeComp and Digital Citizenship Education, which frame learning as a holistic process encompassing personal development, social responsibility, and active participation. Together, these frameworks provide an analytical lens for examining how policy-level commitments to digital competence and inclusion are adapted and enacted through teachers’ curriculum design decisions.
Methodologically, the study adopts a qualitative, longitudinal design conducted between May 2024 and May 2025. Empirical data consist of teacher-developed Life Skills lesson plans collected across three consecutive implementation cycles, complemented by focus group discussions with participating teachers. Lesson plans are analysed as professional artefacts that reveal pedagogical intentions and interpretations of curriculum goals, while focus groups provide insight into teachers’ reflective reasoning, perceived challenges, and professional learning needs. Qualitative content analysis is used to examine the pedagogical purposes of digital technologies, and thematic analysis is applied to focus group data.
The paper contributes to European and international debates on curriculum innovation, teacher agency, and digital participation by offering an empirically grounded account of how abstract policy frameworks are translated into classroom practice. By focusing on a newly introduced subject, the study provides insights relevant to education systems facing similar curriculum reforms and highlights the importance of sustained professional support to ensure coherent and equitable enactment of digital competence and Life Skills education.

Research-Practice Partnerships (RPPs) are increasingly discussed as a promising approach to bridging the persistent gap between educational research and practice (Schlicht-Schmälzle et al. 2024). Within the international and European discourse, RPPs are conceptualised as long-term, problem-oriented and capacity-building collaborations characterised by mutuality, shared ownership, and rigorous inquiry (Coburn et al. 2013; Farrell et al. 2021). Recent studies point to a structural tension between these normative aspirations and the realities of contemporary research funding regimes, which are predominantly short-term, project-based, and output-oriented (Henrick et al. 2017; Fischer-Schöneborn & Ehmke 2023; Schlicht-Schmälzle et al. 2024). This tension becomes particularly visible in the initiation phase of partnerships, where roles, expectations, problem definitions, and power relations are still being negotiated. While the evaluation of RPPs has gained increasing attention, empirical insights into how such partnerships are initiated and stabilised under these conditions remain limited.

This paper draws on the German BMBFSFJ-funded joint project TOBIS – Transprofessional Organisational Development: Innovative Cooperation between School Authorities on Digital Change and OER/OEP. TOBIS provides a structured network for initiating and accompanying RPPs with school authorities across Germany. Thirty school authorities participate, organised into three governance-related networks (rural, urban, and private school authorities, ten each) and three cross-cutting thematic networks focusing on OER/OEP, governance, and transprofessional collaboration. The project responds to the need for actively shaping digital transformation in education (Giannoutsou et al. 2023) and to the changing role of school authorities in times of datafication and digitalisation of schooling (Jarke & Breiter 2019). While traditionally responsible for “external” school matters such as infrastructure and equipment (Avenarius & Füssel 2010), school authorities in Germany increasingly shape “internal” dimensions of school development, especially in the context of educational technologies and digital transformation (Forum BD 2020, Hermstein 2021; Rau & Geritan 2021). At the same time, they operate within complex constellations of stakeholders and power relations, facing financial constraints, political expectations, and limited pedagogical expertise.

While TOBIS conceptualises school authorities, media centres, school leadership, and functional roles in schools as interrelated practice partners within RPPs, the study takes seriously that such roles are not given, but negotiated. Building on role-oriented RPP research (Sjölund et al. 2022) and boundary-crossing perspectives (Hartmann & Decristan 2018), the analysis therefore examines how these actors position themselves—and are positioned by others—during the initiation of collaboration, and how these positionings shape emerging forms of partnership.

In TOBIS, the initiation of RPPs is supported through approaches as design-based research (DBR) and traditions of design-oriented educational research (DBRC 2003; McKenney & Reeves 2018). Yet, rather than applying DBR as a classical cycle of intervention and refinement, the project mobilises design-oriented processes as a means of partnership formation (Getenet 2019, Grunau & Gössling 2020). Through participatory workshops, shared problem-framings and project ideas related to digitalisation and OER/OEP (UNESCO 2019) were developed and specified collaboratively with the project partners. This led to the initiation of two OER-focused RPPs: “OER Support”, aiming at the individual support of schools in revising and developing quality-assured OER-compatible materials, and “OER Information”, focusing on the co-development of information materials for school authorities, which evolved into the design of a needs-assessment instrument to explore schools’ engagement with OER. In both cases, DBR-oriented activities functioned as a translational and mediating logic, enabling heterogeneous actors to negotiate shared goals, responsibilities, and time frames, thereby creating initial conditions for sustained research-practice collaboration.

Against this background, the contribution addresses the following research questions:

• Which possibilities and challenges lie in using DBR-oriented design processes for initiating and sustaining Research-Practice Partnerships under project-based funding conditions?
• How do these processes shape early partnership dynamics between researchers and school authorities, e.g. regarding power and equality?

Research-practice partnerships (RPPs) have emerged as a cooperative approach to strengthening connections between educational research and professional practice. By combining practical school experience and scientific insights, RPPs are assumed to contribute to school development and educational advancement. However, partnerships across institutional and professional boundaries carry the risk of entailing tensions regarding roles, authority, and participation (Euler, 2024).

While distinguishing features of research-practice partnerships have been widely discussed (e.g. Farrell et al., 2021), the processes through which participants’ roles, authority, and participation are brokered in cooperation remain underexplored. In order to evaluate the workings and quality of RPPs, it is eminently relevant to understand these role arrangements. To conceptualize such negotiations, this study refers to positioning theory (Harré & van Langenhove, 1999) which illustrates that positions can be transformed in the course of interaction and thereby differentiates from the static notions of roles. Therefore, positioning theory provides a useful analytical lens for examining how individuals position themselves and others within collaborative partnerships such as design-based research (DBR). DBR is characterized by iterative and sustained cycles of collaboration aimed at developing practically relevant innovations (Mc Kenney & Reeves, 2019; Euler, 2024). These iterative processes create room for negotiation and transformation over time, shaping how roles, expertise, and participation are positioned throughout the process of a DBR project.

Against this background, this study addresses the following research questions:

1. How do researchers and practice partners position themselves and each other within design-based research partnerships?
2. In what ways are positioning processes accomplished through interactional and communicative practices?
3. How do positioning processes change over the course of a DBR project, and how do these changes shape participants’ roles and participation?

Based on positioning theory, there are three relevant background conditions affecting interactions and simultaneously constituting one another: positions, storylines, and illocutionary forces (Harré & Moghaddam, 2015). Through practices such as storytelling, sharing competences and knowledge or assigning responsibilities, participants put themselves and others in certain positions, hence legitimizing utterances and actions. In partnerships between university researchers and teachers, positioning processes resulting from interactions are particularly conspicuous as different forms of professional expertise collide. While teachers contribute extensive practical knowledge, researchers bring theoretical and methodological expertise to the project. Additionally, positioning processes are shaped by different working cultures which are reflected in diverging time management, communication styles and approaches.

During the collaboration, initial positionings may be challenged and thus re-arranged. The process of repositioning can cause major changes within a partnership concerning participation, engagement, and competences. Consequently, focusing on positioning processes enables a systematic perspective on how cooperations develop within DBR and how repositioning shapes opportunities for learning and capacity building among partners.

To demonstrate the interactional dynamics between university and school experts, this study resorts to a jointly developed project (DiPoSa; Schroeder et al., 2025), in which an interdisciplinary university team cooperates with expert teachers from primary schools in inclusive settings. Given the specific structural conditions shaping research-practice partnerships in the German education system, exploring the interplay of different institutional and professional cultures gains special relevance for understanding positioning processes within RPPs.

Background and objectives

This paper examines contradictions that emerged from Participatory Action Research (PAR) in and around Manchester (UK) examining how to build solidarities across diverse population needs. The Collective Communities Action (CCoAct) project brought together 36 academic and community leads (L) from charities, grassroots movements, and third-sector organisations working with racially, gender, and class diverse non-dominant populations. Building on previous work with Pakistani communities during COVID-19 where PAR activities created spaces for transforming individual experiences of inequalities across education, health and environmental concerns into collective resistance (Christinaki et al., 2025; Choudry et al., 2024), the team designed 3 workshops (W1-W3) to explore how solidarity functions within and between communities and academic researchers working towards social change.

However, what emerged were profound tensions within our (the team's) research practice itself. Despite emancipatory intentions (Farrell et al., 2021), our approach reproduced the very power imbalances we sought to challenge. Through reflexive analysis, I examine how the project team's understanding shifted from attempting to build solidarity with communities to recognising that solidarity must be enacted in the research process itself.

The project team hypothesised that diverse non-dominant (Choudry, 2024) groups, despite different experiences, might share underlying structural conditions of oppression often unrecognised in their narratives. However, what emerged were conflicts within community approaches to collective action and between the project team and participants. Here, I differentiate between tensions, subjective experiences of impossibilities, and contradictions, systemic tensions within and between activities (Sannino, 2008). I ask:

How do contradictions within research-practice partnership activities reveal the need for solidarity to function as both the object of inquiry and the mediating process for equitable community-university partnerships?

By analysing tensions that emerged within our practice and between team and community leads, I demonstrate how working through these impossibilities requires enacting the very solidarity we sought to study, contributing methodological insights for global researchers working with non-dominant communities beyond deficit frameworks.

Theoretical Framework

The analysis synthesises Engeström's expansive learning framework with Bourdieu's field theory and collective perezhivanie. Engeström (2015) identifies contradictions as the driving force of development in activity systems, not simply interpersonal conflicts but historically accumulating structural tensions creating double bind situations where following existing rules makes the object impossible to achieve. Engeström's (2013) expansive learning framework provides seven types of learning actions: questioning, analysing, modelling, examining, implementing, reflecting, and consolidating; plus two recent additions: organising initial ideas and resisting (Hyrkkö & Kajamaa, 2025), revealing how contradictions manifest.

However, Cultural Historical Activity Theory (CHAT) alone cannot fully capture how power operates through legitimacy, which knowledge is recognised as valuable in particular social spaces. Bourdieu's field theory (1990) becomes necessary. Within the academic field, university researchers hold dominant positions because their forms of knowledge (theoretical, published, peer-reviewed) are recognised as legitimate. Community organisations operate with what I term non-dominant capital (Choudry, 2024): expertise essential for real-world problems but unrecognised within academic hierarchies. CHAT identifies that contradictions existed; Bourdieu explains why: our research embedded field structures positioning community knowledge as data rather than expertise (Tuck, 2009).

I draw on collective perezhivanie (Black & Choudry, under review) to understand how the team experienced and worked through contradictions. Perezhivanie refers to lived emotional experience where current ways of being are inadequate and qualitative change becomes necessary (Vasilyuk, 1988; Vygotsky, 1994). Collective perezhivanie extends this from individual psychotherapy to joint research-practice activity, recognising personal conflicts as subjective experiences of structural contradictions. When our team felt uncomfortable with workshop lead roles, this was experiencing the contradiction between academic knowledge production norms and participatory solidarity, showing how working through impossibilities collectively required enacting the very solidarity we sought to study.

The emerging practices of application of artificial intelligence (AI) in education create not only challenges for teachers and teacher trainers, but also a paradoxical situation: the scope of AI tools suggested to schools exceeds the institutional and teacher professional capacity to select tools that would serve the purpose of digital didactics and would enhance teaching and learning practices. Digitally competent schools, teachers and students as foreseen in EU DigCompOrg (Kampylis et al., 2015) and DigCompEdu (Redecker, 2017) frameworks are supposed to be competent to select digital technologies (including AI supported solutions) which enhance digital didactics. However, the advent of AI highlighted new challenges which are not exactly related with the didactics as such. Safety and data protection issues along with the European AI Act risk categories establish new areas of responsibilities that can hardly align with the school or teacher competences. These new areas are interdisciplinary, requesting contributions from collaborative efforts from education, law, media literacy, ethics, informatics and more. This combination of expertise and research experience may be found in research and academic institutions.

The aim of this analytic research is to establish methodological guidelines which would facilitate the schools and the teachers in informed decision – making during the process of selecting AI tools for digital didactics. The research focuses on the question which didactical, legal, ethical and technological criteria should be taken into account before selecting the proper AI tools for school education.

International research and practice show that AI tools can be used for multiple purposes in education, such as being used as assistants in preparing teaching materials, monitoring learners’ progress, and creating individualised learning (Bagherimajd & Khajedad, 2025). However, the “black box” nature of AI means that traditional criteria for evaluating and selecting digital technologies for learning, teaching and assessment are insufficient and get even more complicated. Research confirms that despite of advances in research of AI in education, there are still significant gaps related to defining clear and well-founded criteria that would go beyond the assessment of technical parameters (Luckin & Cukurova, 2019), include ethical aspect, responsibility for using the obtained data (Pedro et al., 2019) and clear legal regulations regarding data privacy (Holmes et al., 2022). Foster et al. (2023) highlight that school leaders are basing their selection of EdTech solutions (also running on AI) on colleague recommendation, internet searches, and education websites, but the tendency is that a significant number are also turning to research. Thus, researchers (Madanchain & Taherdoost, 2025) suggest a new decision - making criteria for AI tools in digital education which are supposed to leave schools and teachers well-informed about the technical, legal, ethical and didactical characteristics of the AI tools. Along with concerns about educational equity and AI-generated content for tailored learning experiences, transparency in AI operations is found to be essential for acceptability. Moreover, the authors claim that systematic re-evaluation is required for AI tools used in education, which may be a very heavy or unbearable workload for schools and teachers. However, if these decision - making criteria are underestimated, the authors predict the challenges stemming from the lack of standardised criteria for selecting AI tools.

Having a set of criteria identified and emphasised by different researchers, this paper introduces research-based guidelines for the AI tool selection that is being introduced by Vytautas Magnus University in Lithuania, serving as an instrument and support system for teachers and school administration when it comes to the critical and targeted tool selection.The paper invites teacher trainers at universities and researchers in education to discuss how schools and teachers should be supported in making informed decisions on the selection of AI tools for digital didactics.

In the context of artificial intelligence and information technology, computational thinking (CT) has become a core competence necessary for adapting teaching and learning. CT can be seen as a thinking process that is essentially about using knowledge, methods, and attitudes to solve problems in life and find solutions through computer science concepts and digital tools. The development of CT in education shows a shift from its adoption in information technology-related education toward discipline-related education (Kafai & Burke, 2013; Palop et al., 2025). This indicates that CT education in primary schools extends beyond IT teachers and should be undertaken by teachers across disciplines. Moreover, the cognition level of educators’ CT competence has a direct impact on the quality of education and the subject matter they teach (Yadav et al., 2014). Therefore, understanding teachers' CT competence and their ability to teach CT is crucial not only for improving subject teaching effectiveness but also for informing European and international educational reforms aimed at fostering sustainable, future-oriented education systems. Some European teachers are already engaged in classroom activities and have covered several competencies that show high potential for introducing CT components with less burden on teachers (Mannila et al., 2014). Previous research has established that there are few empirical studies with quantitative methods on the cognition level of CT educators’ assessment in this field, while quantitative studies have problems such as small sample size and insufficient reliability and validity of scales (Kong et al., 2020; Tang et al.,2020). However, available research about the assessment of subject teachers’ CT competence from teacher and school characteristics remains limited. Research gaps are related to the operational assessment of the current state and influencing factors of teachers’ CT cognitions and their CT integration into their classrooms when focusing on a wide range of school subjects (STEM, social sciences, and humanities). This research mainly solves the problem of in-service primary school teachers’ CT competence assessment. To address these problems, a reliable and valid scale has been developed and used for the purpose of determining the teachers’ cognition levels of CT competence from life and professional applications. The questionnaire developed in this study is designed to gather statistical information about the characteristics of schools and in-service primary teachers’ cognitions about CT aspects in China. Our main hypothesis is that teacher and school characteristics variables affect teachers’ CT competence. Specifically, the following questions need to be solved: (1) What is the level of cognitive CT competence among Chinese in-service teachers in primary education? (2) To what extent are teachers’ CT competence related to teacher characteristics variables (i.e., gender, age, job title, final degree, teaching subjects, teaching experience, interdisciplinary cooperation teaching experience)? (3) To what extent are teachers’ CT competence related to school characteristics variables (i.e., location and socioeconomic status of schools, school type, instructional materials and resources, professional development training)? By doing so, this study expects to help understand teachers' cognitive CT competence from teacher and school characteristics. The theory in this research is mainly based on the new taxonomy of educational objectives to assess teachers’ CT competence from life and professional application in the Chinese context. This study incorporated the definition of CT from previous studies (Brennan & Resnick, 2012; CSTA & ISTE, 2011) and built a conceptual framework for its evaluation based on the categorization framework of Marzano’s educational goals (Marzano & Kendall, 2007). Finally, the key dimensions to assess in-service primary school teachers’ CT competence include cognitive knowledge of CT, practices and skills of CT, attitudes and perspectives of CT, CT teaching design, and CT teaching implementation.

The purpose of this study is to identify both situational (within-lesson) and student-level profiles of academic emotions, and to examine how these emotion profiles vary across different ICT related-practices (or technology-enhanced classroom situations) characterised by ICT device use and purposes of ICT use.

Emotions are not peripheral to learning, rather they dynamically influence the regulatory processes that underpin knowledge construction and understanding (Ketonen, 2017; Pekrun, 2006). Within the control–value theory of academic emotions (Pekrun, 2006, 2024), such emotions are understood to arise from students’ appraisals of their control in a learning situation and the subjective value they attribute to it. Recent theoretical developments (Pekrun, 2024) extend this framework to encompass epistemic emotions, which arise during cognitive activities, such as when learners confront uncertainty, identify knowledge gaps, reconcile conflictinginformation or evaluate explanations, rather than solely from judgements of success or failure.

Epistemic emotions, such as curiosity, confusion, frustration, boredom, and surprise, are directed toward the epistemic aspects of learning, including how students process, evaluate, and make sense of information.These emotions play a central role in regulating cognitive and motivational processes. Curiosity, for example, typically arises when learners detect a knowledge gap or identify an intellectually meaningful target that they value and feel capable of mastering (high perceived control) (Pekrun, 2019; Peterson & Cohen, 2019). In contrast, confusion and frustration arise when learners appraise a situation as involving substantial cognitive incongruity, such as contradictory information, combined with low perceived control over resolving it, despite high task importance. Surprise is elicited when incoming information violates prior expectations (Pekrun, 2024).

Pekrun (2024) argues that classroom instruction plays a central role in explaining students’ emotions. In contemporary education, the use of ICT has become inevitable. However, there is little consensus on how it can be used effectively to support learning, particularly given substantial variability among students in prior knowledge, motivation, and self-regulation skills (Alvarez-Garcia et al., 2024; Borgonovi & Pokropek, 2021; Chen et al., 2024; Consoli et al., 2025). Teachers’ instructional practices inherently involve decisions about whether and how ICT is integrated, and ICT-based learning activities interact with students’ varying levels of ICT proficiency (Blundell et al., 2022; Consoli et al., 2025). These interactions can influence students’ cognitive load and may introduce cognitive incongruity during learning. Such cognitively demanding learning situations are particularly relevant for the emergence of epistemic emotions—such as confusion, surprise, and curiosity—which are directly tied to knowledge construction and meaning-making processes (D’Mello & Graesser, 2012).Since epistemic emotions often co-occur and fluctuate dynamically during learning processes, adopting a profile-based approach that captures patterns of co-existing emotions provides a richer understanding of students’emotional experiences than single-variable approaches, especially in ICT-supported learning environments. Therefore, the present study addresses the following research questions:

1. What patterns of epistemic emotions can be identified across situations?

1. How do epistemic emotions vary across different technology-enhanced situations, as characterised by ICT device use and purposes of ICT use at the situational level?

1. What patterns of epistemic emotions can be identified across students?

Topic and Rationale

Across Europe and internationally, primary education systems are undergoing profound transformation driven by curriculum reforms, competence-based education, and digitalisation. Project-Based Learning (PBL) has gained strong policy and research support as a pedagogical approach capable of fostering deeper learning, learner agency, interdisciplinary integration, and key 21st-century competences. At the same time, digital learning platforms are increasingly embedded in everyday school practice. However, despite their growing prevalence, the pedagogical integration of digital platforms into PBL, particularly in primary education, remains theoretically fragmented and unevenly supported by research-based models.

This proposal addresses a critical gap in European and international educational research: the lack of coherent, theoretically grounded models that support teachers in designing, implementing, and sustaining project-based learning through digital platforms in primary education. The study responds to growing concerns that digital platforms are often used instrumentally rather than pedagogically, without sufficient alignment to learning design principles, learner development, and sustainability of educational practice.

Research Questions and Objectives

The contribution is guided by the following overarching research question:

How can project-based learning in primary education be systematically designed and implemented through digital learning platforms in a pedagogically meaningful and sustainable way?

This question is addressed through three interrelated objectives:

• To conceptualise project-based learning in digital platforms as a learning design challenge rather than a technological implementation task.
• To develop a theoretically and empirically grounded model for designing PBL in digital platforms tailored to the specific characteristics of primary education.
• To examine how such a model can support teachers’ pedagogical decision-making, learner agency, and the sustainable use of digital platforms across diverse educational contexts.

Theoretical and Conceptual Framework

The study is grounded in a multi-layered theoretical framework integrating:

• Project-Based Learning theory, understood as a synthesis of project-based, problem-based, inquiry-based, and experiential learning traditions;
• Constructivist, socio-constructivist, and connectivist learning theories, emphasising active knowledge construction, collaboration, and learning in networks;
• Learning design and instructional design theory, with particular attention to design-oriented models such as ADDIE and contemporary learning design perspectives;
• Deeper learning and learner agency frameworks, highlighting autonomy, reflection, collaboration, and meaningful engagement;
• Digital pedagogy and platform-based learning, focusing on the pedagogical affordances of digital learning platforms beyond content delivery.

Within this framework, digital platforms are conceptualised not merely as tools, but as pedagogical ecosystems that can scaffold planning, inquiry, collaboration, formative assessment, and reflection throughout the PBL cycle.

Methodological Approach

The theoretical model presented in this contribution was developed through a mixed-method, design-oriented research approach. It integrates:

• a systematic review of international research on PBL, learning design, and digital platforms in primary education;
• empirical needs analysis involving multiple stakeholder groups (primary teachers, teacher educators, students, educational experts, and EdTech developers);
• a multi-stage Delphi study evaluating the pedagogical and technological affordances of digital learning platforms used in primary education;
• iterative synthesis of theoretical and empirical findings into a coherent design model.

This methodological triangulation strengthens the validity, transferability, and practical relevance of the proposed model.

Intended Purpose and European/International Dimension

The purpose of the proposed ECER contribution is to stimulate theoretically informed and practice-relevant discussion on how PBL can be sustainably designed within digital learning environments across different European and international contexts. While empirically grounded in one national context, the model addresses challenges common across education systems: curriculum integration, teacher competence development, platform selection, and pedagogical coherence.

The discussion is particularly relevant for European debates on digital education, competence-based curricula, teacher education, and the responsible use of educational technologies. By framing PBL as a learning design process supported—but not driven—by digital platforms, the contribution offers transferable insights for researchers, teacher educators, policymakers, and practitioners working across diverse educational systems.

Over the last decade, and with intensity following the transition to emergency remote teaching, the use of digital technologies in higher education has expanded significantly (Syahrin et al., 2023; Tang, 2022). This scenario has increased research interest in the field; however, available evidence shows that a large share of this academic production remains focused on access to resources and technical mastery of technologies, reinforcing a predominantly instrumental orientation of professional digital competence, to the detriment of approaches that critically and reflectively address its pedagogical and epistemological implications (Aagaard et al., 2025).

In this context, various studies warn that the educational effectiveness of digital technologies does not depend on their mere availability or frequency of use, but rather on how teachers mobilize pedagogical skills to integrate them into the design of active learning activities and on the degree of participation assumed by students in these processes (Lohr et al., 2024). Nevertheless, a gap persists in the literature, characterized by descriptions of technological advances without sufficient analysis of the pedagogical principles that guide their use toward high-quality learning, which limits understanding of how these tools effectively contribute to the teaching–learning process (Almithqal & John, 2024; Ansari & Waheed, 2024).

Within this scenario, design thinking emerges as a critical framework for understanding educational innovation. It is defined as an analytical and creative process that enables experimentation, prototyping, and redesigning solutions to complex problems (Razzouk & Shute, 2012). Its relevance is such that Tsai and Chai (2012), expanding on Ertmer’s (1999) original proposal, position it as a third-order barrier. From this perspective, design thinking functions as an approach that enables teachers to reinterpret and negotiate infrastructural constraints and professional beliefs within specific contexts, rather than addressing them as isolated barriers. This perspective helps explain why, even under similar institutional conditions, profoundly different pedagogical practices emerge (Blundell, 2025).

Alongside this design capacity, digital pedagogical intentionality plays a decisive role. It is understood as the deliberate orientation that guides decisions regarding instructional design, defining the educational purposes that structure the use of methods and resources. However, there is a scarcity of studies that explicitly articulate teachers’ digital pedagogical intentionality with design thinking. This absence hinders understanding of the mechanisms that enable the transformation of the learning experience rather than the mere reproduction of traditional models. Addressing this gap is critical in initial teacher education, where university practices shape future school teaching. Based on the above, the purpose of this study was to analyse the relationship between three forms of digital pedagogical intentionality (teaching-focused, learning-focused, and didactic modelling-focused) and three levels of design thinking (initial, intermediate, and advanced) among academics involved in initial teacher education.

Background

The growing use of tools like Kahoot!, Mentimeter, and Padlet has fostered greater participation and real-time feedback, which enhances student engagement and promotes interest in theoretical concepts (Kloos et al., 2022). SRS are recognized for their pedagogical benefits, as they align with several educational theories, including Kolb’s Experiential Learning Theory, Constructivism, Cognitive Multimedia Learning, Just-in-Time Teaching, and Game-Based Learning. These theories support active student engagement and motivation (Kolb et al., 2014; Chaiyo & Nokham, 2017). Kolb’s model, for instance, emphasizes the interplay between perception and processing, where learning emerges from students' concrete experiences and reflective observations. Studies investigating Student Response Systems highlight key factors influencing their adoption, such as ease of use, usefulness, and social influence. Research on tools like Padlet has shown that these factors positively influence tool acceptance among students. Similarly, tools such as Mentimeter, Wooclap, Microsoft whiteboard, and Miro have been explored for their ability to enhance learning orchestration and facilitate collaboration among students (Kloos et al., 2022; Avila & Castillo, 2021; Juhary, 2021; Karsen et al., 2022). Research highlights the positive impact of SRS on student outcomes, including improved motivation, retention of content, and critical thinking skills (Chien et al., 2016; Roschelle et al., 2004). The adoption of digital and web-based systems has further expanded the capabilities of SRS, allowing integration with mobile devices, laptops, and other platforms. This evolution has made SRS accessible and scalable for a wide range of learning environments, from large lecture halls to small group discussions (Beatty, 2004). However, despite the benefits, challenges such as technical difficulties and internet connectivity issues, as well as teachers' limited pedagogical expertise, have been identified as barriers to the effective integration of these tools in classrooms (Qurbani, 2022).

Aim and Research Questions

The aim of this research paper is to explore the integration of Student Response Systems (SRS) into classroom settings, focusing on how these tools enhance the teaching and learning experience. This study examines the practical implementation of SRS in real-life classroom scenarios, analyzing their effectiveness in fostering student engagement, participation, and interaction. Additionally, it investigates the extent to which the use of SRS impacts class dynamics. By evaluating both the benefits and challenges associated with SRS, this research seeks to provide actionable insights into their role in transforming traditional teaching methods into more interactive and student-centered learning environments.

The research is driven by the following research questions:

RQ1: What are students' perspectives on the use of Student Response Systems (SRS) in classroom settings?

RQ2: What specific Student Response Systems (SRS) are currently available for facilitating real-time feedback in classroom settings?

RQ3: What is the overall sentiment of students toward the integration of SRS in their learning experience?

Digital games offer powerful opportunities for learning, meaning making, and engagement across educational contexts (Gee, 2003; Ehret et al., 2022). Narrative-driven and exploratory games, in particular, have been shown to support critical literacy, systems thinking, ethical reasoning, and identity development (Burn, 2021; Theodoulou & Curwood, 2023). Educational research is increasingly called upon not only to understand learning but also to intervene in the conditions that shape educational practice. The ECER 2026 theme, Knowing and Acting, foregrounds the dynamic relationship between research, institutional infrastructures, and pedagogical action, asking how educational research can respond to changing technological, cultural, and material conditions. This presentation addresses these concerns by examining a critical infrastructural gap that limits the educational use of digital games: the absence of scalable, sustainable models for libraries to purchase, license, and lend digital-only games to students.

Unlike eBooks, films, or journals, games sit outside existing institutional procurement and distribution models, leaving educators to rely on ad hoc solutions that are costly, inequitable, and pedagogically limiting. This is a significant problem in secondary schools where games can support immersive and interactive learning as well as in higher education contexts where games are increasingly used in disciplines such as game design, digital humanities, media studies, and teacher education. Without a library-based solution, students may be excluded due to cost or platform restrictions, and educators have limited scope to leverage game-based pedagogy. These constraints undermine the educational potential of games and restrict their integration into formal curricula.

As researchers working across education, human-computer interaction, and game studies, we have developed Ludolio, a digital platform designed to enable school and university libraries to make games accessible to students and educators. By positioning games as lendable, playable texts within library systems, Ludolio seeks to address a critical infrastructural barrier to game-based learning. In this presentation, we share key findings from interviews with teachers, co-design workshops with game developers and educators, and surveys, interviews, and observations with university students that informed the development of learning analytics, dashboard features, and curriculum materials that support teaching with games. Our aim is to contribute empirical evidence and design principles for integrating games into higher education teaching and learning infrastructures.

Our research is informed by sociocultural theories of learning and game-based pedagogy, particularly theories that position learning as situated, participatory, and mediated by cultural tools (Lave & Wenger, 1991). From this perspective, games are understood as designed learning environments that invite players to engage in problem solving, narrative exploration, and identity experimentation (Burn, 2021). The study also draws on digital literacy and multiliteracies frameworks, which emphasise the importance of engaging learners with multimodal, interactive, and digitally mediated texts (Cope & Kalantzis, 2024; Ehret et al., 2022). Games are treated as complex cultural texts that combine narrative, mechanics, visuals, sound, and player agency, requiring new forms of literacy instruction and assessment.

In addition, the research is shaped by participatory design and co-design theories, which positions educators as co-creators rather than end-users of educational technologies (DiSalvo et al., 2017). By involving educators in iterative design workshops, the project seeks to align technological affordances, such as dashboards and analytics, with pedagogical values rather than surveillance-oriented metrics (Selwyn, 2019). Finally, the study engages with emerging critiques of learning analytics, foregrounding ethical considerations related to transparency, agency, and meaningful interpretation of student data. Ludolio’s analytics are conceptualised not as measures of compliance, but as pedagogical supports that help educators understand how students engage with games as learning texts.

Modern education research is animated by a powerful and persistent hope: that science can provide the knowledge necessary to realise a just, equitable, and “good” society. This hope has a history. It has travelled across educational policy, curricula, pedagogy, teacher education, and systems of assessment and evaluation, taking different forms over time while retaining a recurring faith in science as a vehicle for progress. In the contemporary moment, this faith is often articulated through a seemingly non-polemical language of “evidence-based” reforms, competences, and literacies, promising solutions to educational and social problems through neutral and objective means. International large-scale assessments exemplify this logic, translating students’ knowledge, skills, and well-being into indexes, graphs, and comparative models that propose “pathways” and “highways” toward social improvement and identify “what works” to unlock human potential.

This symposium takes these promises as its object of historical inquiry and examines continuity and change in how educational knowledge is produced, authorised, and put to use. Drawing on historical and empirically grounded studies, the symposium asks whether the orthodoxies of science that claim to enable educational change can, historically and practically, sustain that promise. What if scientific evidence in education is not only about facts or effectiveness, but also about ordering conduct, shaping expectations, and producing distinctions among kinds of people? What if the authority of science, when viewed historically, appears contingent, situated, and dependent on specific actors, technologies, and institutional arrangements?

Bringing together four papers and a discussant, the symposium assembles research that traces how educational knowledge has been supported, challenged, and transformed through shifting configurations of expertise, governance, and technology. While grounded in specific historical and empirical cases, the symposium situates educational science within European and transnational knowledge infrastructures, highlighting how ideas, metrics, and forms of expertise circulate across national contexts. The contributions examine how practices of classification, comparison, and measurement have emerged and stabilised over time, and how such practices have been mobilised to frame crises, legitimise reforms, and guide policy responses in different historical and geographical settings.

The symposium highlights a central paradox in the history of educational research: knowledge produced in the name of equity and improvement has often simultaneously contributed to differentiation, hierarchy, and exclusion. By foregrounding the historical conditions under which educational knowledge gains authority, the symposium also reflects on the responsibilities and limits of educational research itself. In doing so, it contributes to ongoing debates within the history of education about how research practices can recognise complexity and help us better understand and navigate contemporary global challenges.

There is an alluring, daunting, and haunting desire of modernity that science provides the elixir for enabling the good life in a just and equitable society. The desire of activating the good life and people haunts the 19th century emergence of the social sciences as they intersected with the formations of the welfare. The allure of the science in governing life is articulated in the Norwegian film, Kitchen Stories (Salmer fra kjøkkenet, 2003). The movie beautifully (and with some humor) explores the affective allure of the social sciences as it follows a caravan of researchers as it leaves Stockholm in the 1950s and travels to rural Norway to study men in the kitchen. The knowledge had been amassed about women in the kitchen. Observing men would complete that knowledge for designing domestic living in visions of the potentialities of good life. The utopic allure of science is instantiated today with the international educational assessments that calculates students’ knowledges, skills and well-being are indexed, graphed, and charted as “pathways” and “highways” placed in management models for all nations whose development of students (and teachers) anticipate the utopic visions of the kinds of people who embody the good life. The allure of the human sciences produces a particular kind of activism in modernity. Since the disciplinary formations in the 19th century, the human sciences have produced projections about the potentialities and differences of kinds of people as spaces of action. In this paper I explore the activism as moves through time and place in our project of science studies of education. One is to explore the human sciences as creating patterns of recognition for “seeing”, thinking, and acting. The sciences “act” as projection machines about the kinds of people that are talked indifferent ways – social kinds of people as the citizen, the professional, literate; and as a subjectivity that is mode of living such as the problem solver, the learner, and empowered. Second, the generation of patterns of recognition produce phenomena that embody desires - - ideals as expectations of experiences in the “will-to-know”. If I use the concept of motivation important to modern psychology, motivation is doubly descriptive and anticipatory of the potentialities of an ideal kind of person – a potential that also embodies its “other”, the teacher or child who “lacks” motivation to be excluded.

Daston, L. and Vidal, F. (Eds) (2004). The Moral Authority of Nature. University of Chicago. Daston, L. (1995). The Moral Economy of Science, Osiris, 10, Constructing Knowledge in the History of Science (1995), pp. 2–24. Deleuze, G., and F. Guattari. (1980/1987). A thousand plateaus: Capitalism and schizophrenia. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press Deleuze & Guattari, 1991/1994. What is Philosophy?, Columbia Press, New York Foucault, M., 1971/1977. Orders of discourse: Inaugural lecture delivered at the College de France. Social Science Information, 10(2), 7–30 Hacking, I. (1994). Styles of Scientific Thinking or Reasoning: A New Analytical Tool for Historians and Philosophers of the Sciences, in , Gavroglu, K. Christianidis, J. & Nicolaidis, E. eds.Trends in the Historiography of Science. Springer Netherlands, Dordrecht, pp. 31-48. Hall, G. S. (1904/1928). Adolescence: Its psychology and its relation to physiology, anthropology, sociology, sex, crime, religion, and education. New York, Appleton and Co. Latour, B. (2012). We have never been modern. Harvard university press.

This study intervenes in contemporary STEM and competence-based curriculum reforms (U.S. Department of Education, 2016) by shifting the analytic focus from how learners solve problems (Dewey, 1933; Schoenfeld, 2007) to how “problems” and “real-world situations” are historically fabricated as knowable, governable, and pedagogically actionable. Working at the intersection of Science and Technology Studies (STS) and curriculum history (Popkewitz, 2004; Baker, 2017), the chapter develops a performative historiography that treats “situations,” “problems,” and “problem-solvers” as material–discursive entanglements rather than pre-given entities. The conceptual core is Michelle Murphy’s notion of the phantasmagram—epistemic infrastructures that animate facts with affect and erase their own conditions of production—read through posthumanist STS theories of performativity. From this standpoint, curriculum history becomes an inquiry into how infrastructures of knowing (simulation, modelling, diagrams, laboratory “situations,” and thought/physical experiments) make certain crises feel urgent and certain solutions appear necessary. Empirically, the study follows a translation pathway from Cold War experimental social science to contemporary problem-solving pedagogies. It examines (1) coding practices that rendered “group behavior” legible for managerial intervention (Bales, 1954), (2) micro-scale simulations such as Alexander Mintz’s “bottle” experiment, which materially scripted panic, cooperation, and survival as solvable order problems (Mintz, 1951), and (3) the scaling of these logics into planetary imaginaries through Spaceship Earth, where finite life is staged as a pedagogical situation demanding anticipatory control and systems reasoning (Fuller, 1969). Read together, these cases show how “real-life situations” become curricular common sense: learners are positioned as preemptive problem-solvers operating in environments where crisis is assumed, risk is productive, and futures are governed through simulation. This presentation uses this genealogy to open a next-stage research program on policy mobility and crisis pedagogy. Three forward directions are proposed: (a) a comparative mapping of how “future competency" travel across international education policy circuits and national curricula; (b) an STS “phantasmagram audit” method for analyzing curricular materials and edtech platforms that operationalize crisis through modelling, gamification, and scenario-based assessment; and (c) design-oriented research with teachers to develop alternative situation-making practices that cultivate accountability and collective inquiry without defaulting to preemption and survival rationalities. In doing so, the project positions STS not as an external critique of education, but as a methodological resource for rethinking what counts as “the real world” in teaching, learning, and curriculum governance.

Baker, B. (2017). To show is to know? The conceptualization of evidence and discourses of vision in social science and education research. Curriculum Inquiry, 47(2), 151–174. Bales, R., & Flanders, N. (1954). Planning an Observation Room and Group Laboratory. American Sociological Review, 19(6), 771-81. Barad, K. (2007). Meeting the Universe Halfway. Duke University Press. Dewey, J. (1933). How We Think. Chicago: HENRY REGNERY COMPANY. Murphy, M. (2017). The Economization of Life. Durham: Duke University Press. Popkewitz, T. (2004). The Alchemy of the Mathematics Curriculum: Inscriptions and the Fabrication of the Child. American Educational Research Journal, 41(1), 3-34. Fuller, R. B. (1969). Operating Manual for Spaceship Earth. Carbondale: Southern Illinois University Press. Schoenfeld, Alan. (2007). Problem solving in the United States, 1970-2008: Research and theory, practice and politics. ZDM: the international journal on mathematics education 39(5), 537-51 U.S. Department of Education, Office of Innovation and Improvement. (2016). STEM 2026: A Vision for Innovation in STEM Education. Washington, DC: Author.

This paper explores two effects of science at the intersection of two realms – art and education – which emerged and gained traction in the early decades of the twentieth century. Both effects stem from the isomorphism of artistic discourse after the scientific, what we term the double bind of science and art, instilling in the modern individual both the desire and the ethos to transform themself into a new social actor: the creative individual. To examine the coupling of art education with scientific regimes of truth, we approach science as a historical phenomenon, presuming that (i) its notions are products of social and political conditioning, and (ii) it ‘acts’ in the sense that the reason of science simultaneously validates certain beliefs while excluding others, classifying and defining what is desirable and what is abject (Popkewitz, 2013; 2020). The first effect we set out to discuss concerns how scientific research created new regimes of visibility, which found legitimacy in the development of the modern human sciences and reformulated the previous paradigms of the copying apprentice (Szawiel, 2025) and the artist-as-genius (Author 2, 2014) into the creative individual as a new kind of person (Hacking, 2006). Drawing on Foucault (2003; 2008), we understand these regimes not as natural or given, but as constructed through the validating power of scientific knowledge, which made certain forms of creativity observable and categorizable. Human sciences codified talent and inventiveness into measurable capacities, thereby producing the very conditions under which an individual could be declared ‘creative.’ Secondly, we examine how science aided the redistribution of participation in aesthetic experience. Building on the theoretical background provided by Rancière (2004; 2010; 2013), we trace how scientific rationality infiltrated avant-garde art pedagogy to form new ways of life. Science, we argue, was the factor that legitimised the modernist quest to grant everyday experience and the most prosaic tasks of life the status of aesthetic practice. As such, the question of which activities are recognised as art, and which social groups are afforded visibility as participants in aesthetic practices, can be examined historically in relation to the social conditions that produced these categories. The analysis focuses on two modernist art schools: Moscow’s Vkhutemas (1920–1930) and Chicago’s School of Design (1937–1944). It demonstrates how specific teaching and learning proposals, grounded in scientific rationality, emerged and gave rise to a techno-pedagogical sublime centred on the creation of a modern individuality.

Foucault, M. (2003). Society must be defended: Lectures at the Collège de France, 1975–1976. Palgrave Macmillan. Foucault, M. (2008). The birth of biopolitics: Lectures at the Collège de France, 1978–1979. Palgrave Macmillan. Hacking, I. (2006). Making Up People. Available online at: https://www.lrb.co.uk/v28/n16/ian-hacking/making-up-people (accessed November 07, 2025). Author 2 (2014) Popkewitz, T.S. (2013). The sociology of education as the history of the present: fabrication, difference and abjection. Discourse: Studies in the Cultural Politics of Education, 34(3), 439-456. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/01596306.2012.717195 Popkewitz, T. S. (2020). The impracticality of practical research: A history of contemporary sciences of change that conserve. University of Michigan Press. Rancière, J. (2004). The politics of aesthetics: The distribution of the sensible. Continuum. Rancière, J. (2010). Dissensus: On politics and aesthetics. Continuum. Rancière, J. (2013). Aisthesis: Scenes from the aesthetic regime of art. Verso. Author, 2026

This paper examines how a Swedish “reading crisis” has been constructed, stabilized, and acted upon through numerical claims about children’s vocabulary, particularly the 15,000 vs 50,000-word statement (Reimers et al. 2025; Author, 2019). While focused on contemporary debates, the study situates these developments within a historical perspective, showing continuities with long-standing educational and social anxieties about literacy, moral development, and civic competence in Sweden. It highlights how numbers are not neutral measures, but instruments that organize conduct, shape expectations, and guide policy in ways that resonate with earlier patterns of educational reform (Grek et al., 2024). Drawing on STS and Latour’s concepts of immutable mobiles, chains of reference, and the procession of angels (Latour 1987, 2001), the chapter traces how numerical claims circulate across contexts, acquiring authority and shaping practice. Empirically, the analysis proceeds in three steps. First, it maps public circulation, showing how numbers align politicians, teachers, parents, and commercial interests, depoliticize debate, and stabilize the belief that reading is inherently valuable. Second, it traces numbers back through research references, revealing uncertain origins and how tentative findings from reading research are transformed into precise, morally charged claims presented as objective and universal. Third, it examines how these numbers shape Swedish reading policy, influencing teaching practices and curriculum reforms while marginalizing alternative perspectives on literacy. The paper introduces numberfication as a concept to capture this process, extending Latour by showing how numerical form itself produces authority, mobilizes actors, and moralizes knowledge. Unlike standard chains of reference, numberfications are often irreversible: their origins cannot easily be reconstructed, yet they are accepted as true because they resonate with entrenched normative beliefs about reading. They operate as hybrid tools – both scientific and moral – that stabilize complex phenomena, coordinate diverse actors, and communicate actionable guidance across contexts. Numberfication also clarifies the role of faith in science, showing how trust in literacy’s civic and social value allows numbers to circulate persuasively even when empirical foundations are weak or absent. By conceptualizing numberfication, the chapter contributes to the history of education, STS, and literacy studies, demonstrating how numbers function as sociotechnical instruments that transform research into politically effective and socially consequential facts. The Swedish reading crisis illustrates how contemporary evidence-based reforms are historically situated, and how numerical authority often emerges from its capacity to align moral, civic, and technical logics across heterogeneous networks, rather than solely from empirical rigor.

Grek, S., Tichenor, M., & Bandola-Gill, J. (2024). Numbers as Utopia: Sustainable Development Goals and the making of quantified futures. The British Journal of Politics and International Relations, 26(3), 742-758. Latour, B. (1987). Science in action: How to follow scientists and engineers through society. Cambridge, Mass., Harvard University Press. Latour, B. (1999). Pandora's Hope: Essays on the reality of science studies. Cambridge, Mass, Harvard University Press. Latour, B. (2001). ""Thou shall not take the Lord's name in vain" - being a sort of sermon on the hesitations of religious speech." Res 79(39): 215-234. Reimers, E., Martin Bylund, A., & Stenliden, L. (2025). Constructions of a reading crisis–representation of PIRLS 2021 in public discourses. Discourse: Studies in the Cultural Politics of Education, 1-9. DOI: 10.1080/01596306.2025.2546889. Author, 2019

Introduction

This presentation explores the overarching societal mission of physical education (PE) as expressed by Norwegian PE teacher educators. PE scholars have over the last decades debated the aims and purposes of PE (Fernandez-Balboa, 2009; Jess et al., 2024; Tinning, 1994), and the discussion remains ongoing (Quennerstedt et al., 2025). In 1994, Richard Tinning provocatively asked, “If physical education is the answer, what is the question?” (Tinning, 1994). Fernandez-Balboa (2009) followed up, stating: “I am not sure that physical education is the answer to anything. It may very well be. I prefer […] to think of it as a means toward a worthy end: Universal dignity” (p. 160). These reflections highlight the search for PE’s legitimate place in schools and society and raise concerns about ideologies, discourses, and practices shaping the subject (Tinning, 1994; Fernandez-Balboa, 2009).

Discourses significantly influence PE’s content, teaching practices, and aims (Tinning, 1994). The dominant discourses have been centered around sports (Hastie & Mesquita, 2017), health and fitness (Webb et al., 2008), and activity (Larsson & Nyberg, 2017), as well as a movement discourse (Moen & Westlie, 2025). PE has also often been criticized for lacking academic rigor, being perceived as a break from academic subjects, and not fostering broader knowledge and competencies (Quennerstedt et al., 2025). Landi (2025) even describes PE as “a subject with an identity crisis” (p. 2).

Teacher educators play a pivotal role in shaping the ideologies and discourses of PE by educating future teachers and citizens. Hence, interviews with key teacher will gain a deeper understanding of PE’s overarching societal mission. Teacher educators in our sample are significant contributors, having worked in PETE for decades and influenced policy and knowledge development in Norway and beyond.

Recent studies have explored teacher educators’ views on PE’s purpose, but lack representation from Scandinavia (Jess et al., 2024). To address this gap, we include perspectives from Norwegian PETEs to enrich the debate about PE’s societal mission.

Context matters when exploring PE’s role in society (Gerdin et al., 2022). Norway, like other Scandinavian countries, has historically been a stable social democracy (Moene & Barth, 2004) but has shifted toward neo-liberal, market-oriented policies in recent decades (Tvedt, 2017). This shift is also evident in education, where curricula now emphasize individual learning outcomes over collective democratic values (Engelsen, 2008).

Research question

This presentation addresses the following research question: How do key teacher educators in PETE in Norway perceive the overarching societal mission of PE?

Theoretical perspective

To better understand PE’s societal mission in shifting times, we employ the theoretical lenses of communitarianism and liberalism (Briseid, 2012). Communitarianism emphasizes the role of the community in fostering individual well-being. Rooted in Durkheim’s social theory, it highlights how a strong community creates the foundation for individual freedom and dignity (Snyder, 2024). Communitarian values include cultural heritage, shared norms, consensus, and local belonging, with schools seen as spaces to foster unity and responsibility (Briseid, 2012).

In contrast, liberalism places the individual at the center, emphasizing personal freedom, independence, and individual development. This perspective, influenced by thinkers such as Kant’s categorical imperative, prioritizes education tailored to the individual’s needs, aiming to provide knowledge and skills for personal growth and independent choices (Briseid, 2012). The current Norwegian curriculum reflects this with its focus on ‘Health and Life Skills’ rooted in liberalist ideals.

Historically, Norwegian education has balanced both perspectives, emphasizing equal opportunities for individuals within a communal framework (Dokka, 1987), but has been contested over the last decades (Engelsen, 2008; Education and Research, 2017). The two theoretical perspectives employed are complementary, yet sometimes contradictory, perspectives, and will guide the discussion on PE’s societal mission.

Understanding how physical education (PE) teachers work with their national PE curriculum is important (Alfrey & O’Connor, 2024). It helps us to identify the rules, norms and discourses that (re)produce the ‘inner logic’ of PE - a logic that shapes what is taught and assessed, and thus what is valued, or what counts as legitimate knowledge in the subject (Bernstein, 1996; Penney, 2013). In PE, this ‘legitimate knowledge’ is often aligned strongly with sport performance and physical health, which can operate to marginalise many learners by limiting access to more diverse forms of (embodied) knowledge. However, while research has shown that some PE teachers can challenge these dominant forms of PE (Alfrey & O’Connor, 2024), less is known about how PE teacher educators within Initial Teacher Education (ITE) understand and work with curriculum (Lorusso et al., 2022). This is a significant gap, given teacher educators’ central role in supporting pre-service teachers to think critically about curriculum (Lambert & Penney, 2020).
Addressing this gap, the current research is guided by the following research question: how do PE teacher educators from across the four nations of the UK (England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales) understand and work with their respective national PE curricula? Similar to Penney (2013), we are influenced by the work of Bernstein (1996) and his concept of boundaries to examine how teacher educators interpret the messages legitimised within national curriculum documents and how they navigate, critique and potentially re-imagine PE within ITE. While this research is significant at a local (UK) level, sharing and comparing interpretations across different country/ITE contexts, has the potential to serve as a form of professional learning for all ITE practitioners - deepening their curriculum knowledge and enhancing the ways they support pre-service teachers in developing critical thinking and context-responsive approaches to curriculum.

Why is it so challenging to answer the question of what knowledge the subject physical education (PE) should contribute? Physical education teachers often do not conceptualize their work in terms of knowledge, but rather in terms of activities (Larsson & Nyberg, 2017). The lack of a sustained discussion regarding the underlying purpose of a school subject - and consequently what students are expected to learn - appears particularly pronounced within PE, including Physical Education Teacher Education (PETE) (Herold & Waring, 2017; Kirk, 2010). What to teach and learn in PE and PETE is especially blurred regarding movement (Herold & Waring, 2017; Kirk, 2010; Nyberg & Larsson, 2014). This raises questions such as: What kinds of knowledge can, for instance, playing football or participating in gymnastics provide? One answer to the question, ’what do you know when you know how to move in specific ways’, could be ‘you can perform a handstand or a cartwheel’, but this answer reflects what a person can do. Instead, we need to seek an answer to what a person needs to know in order ‘to do a handstand or a cartwheel’, that is, the knowing involved in the doings (Carlgren, 2020, p. 5). The answer must take into account the agent and the kind of knowing this agent must develop to master specific ways of moving when participating in different movement cultures. Verbalizing what knowing could be involved in the doings requires thus a widened view on the concept of knowledge as embracing also the subjective aspect of knowledge.

In line with Polanyi’s (1969) theory of knowledge, we conceive knowledge as personal and developed in practice. When we “dwell” in our experiences, we develop our knowing, which to a large extent involves tacit components, difficult to articulate in lucid propositions. (Polanyi 1962, p. 1) In the case of knowing how to move in a movement culture, these tacit aspects constitute a substantial part of one’s knowing and is “massively embodied” (Polanyi 1954, p. 382) in the knowledgeable act of moving in specific ways. As is apparent, Polanyi’s perspective on knowledge embraces the agent’s (the knower’s) relation to a content to be known. This relation can be described as the knower’s knowing.

In this paper, we present examples of how the knowing in the doings of athletics and ballgames can be articulated. To do this, we used a phenomenographic approach (Marton & Pong, 2005) and will show how it is possible to analyze qualitatively different ways in which pre-service teachers (PSTs) experience, or in other words, know, movements included in exercises within the activities of athletics and ball games. By further analyzing these different ways of ‘knowing ways of moving’ we can also identify and describe aspects of moving that learners need to be able to experience in order to develop a more complex way of knowing in moving.

In this presentation, we aim to present and discuss preliminary findings from an ongoing study investigating the Practising Model in Physical Education Teacher Education (PETE).

In school-based physical education (PE), the use of pedagogical models has been established as a favourable practice to work with the complex and diverse educational potential of the subject (Aggerholm & Hordvik, 2024; Fernandez-Rio & Iglesias, 2022). One of the most recent additions to the field of pedagogical models is the Practising Model (Aggerholm et al., 2018). This model concerns practising as an activity in which pupils in PE seek to improve their capabilities through repeated efforts. It emphasises agency, personal goals, high effort, active repetition, uncertainty of the outcome, and qualitative improvement. Also, like all pedagogical models, the practising model presents critical elements relating to teacher and pupil interactions. These are elements that challenge teachers to 1) acknowledge subjectivity and work to provide meaningful challenges for all pupils, 2) provide sufficient time for practising, 3) help pupils focus on their aims, and 4) help pupils specify and negotiate their own standards of excellence. Adhering to these hallmarks of practising should challenge the domination of a one-size-fits-all approach to PE (Kirk, 2013), where pupils are rarely given the chance to experience real progress and reach new and meaningful learning plateaus (Kretchmar, 2006).

The last few years have seen an increase in empirical research investigating pupils’ and teachers’ experiences of applying the model in primary and secondary education (Askildsen & Aggerholm, 2023; Askildsen et al., 2024; Askildsen & Løndal, 2024; Fjellner et al., 2024; Lindgren & Barker, 2019). These studies have demonstrated that practising is indeed a valuable approach to teaching and learning in PE. More specifically, practising can provide pupils with meaningful experiences of broadening and refining their movement repertoire and developing their attitudes and strategies towards facing challenges, tensions, and discomfort. In addition, practising can contribute to a broader Bildung process in which character development through persisting and daring is identified as essential. Despite these findings from PE, to our knowledge, the Practising Model has not been examined in Physical Education Teacher Education (PETE). Accordingly, this study aims to contribute to insights into this knowledge gap by asking the following research questions: 1) How do PETE educators experience using the practising model in PETE, and 2) how do they adapt the model to the context of higher education?