Conference Agenda

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.