‘This is a beautiful school.’ ‘This school is useless!!’ Explaining disengagement in a Greek vocational school through the examination of teacher ideologies

Abstract

Belfast, where she coordinates the MSc Educational Leadership course. Her research interests are in culturally responsive, humanistic forms of leadership, as well as in leading cultural change, in educational organisations. Georgios Batziakas is a secondary school teacher in Greece and holds an MSc in Educational Organisation and Management from the University of Thessaly. He has 21 years of teaching experience and has undertaken key leadership roles in various educational establishments. 'This is a beautiful school.' 'This school is useless!!' Explaining disengagement in a Greek vocational school through the examination of teacher ideologies This multimethod case study of a Greek vocational school explored teachers' culture (including beliefs about education, teachers' role, and students' nature) using the concept of Pupil Control Ideology to explain problems of disengagement and low morale among staff and students, as well as tensions in relationships. A prominent custodial culture was identified in the school using a functional/apolitical pedagogy to transmit 'legitimate' knowledge to students whose working-class background did not produce desired outcomes. This generated deficit views of students, teachers' sympathy, and a seemingly caring school ethos which was, nevertheless, oppressive. Students' failings were naturalised and vocational education misinterpreted as merely a streaming device in a system honouring academic achievement and middle-class ways. Teachers were blind to these cultural subtleties, believing they acted 'rationally' and altruistically. A humanistic subculture emphasising student empowerment and social transformation consisted of a minority of teachers and was rather marginalised. This disallowed meaningful dialogue and the identification of an alternative rationale for the sector, generating strong feelings of futility. Positive change in this school necessitated the deconstruction and (subsequent) reconstruction of custodial teachers' worldview as embedded in their practice.

Problematising the use of education to address social inequity: Could participatory action research be a step forwards?

“…5 Such blame is often based on the argument that some other people from disadvantaged backgrounds achieved against the odds and progressed socially based on 'merit'. If others can do it, this is considered sufficient evidence for the existence of fair opportunities for everyone to progress (Giannakaki & Batziakas, 2016). 6 In the context of this critique, it is not our intention to deny the significance of evidence-based practices in special education aimed at empowering children to be actively involved in school life (e.g.…”

“…Acquiring 'power over' others is considered fair for those who 'deserve' it and necessary for the wellbeing of society. Equity, then, has come to be defined as 'fair competition' (Schoon & Parsons, 2002;Apple, 2008;Wrigley, 2008;Ballantine & Spade, 2015;Wilkins, 2015;Giannakaki & Batziakas, 2016). This meritocratic philosophy is embedded in school language worldwide and is evident in the frequent use of words such as 'ability' or 'potential' (Littler, 2013;Dorling, 2015;Giannakaki & Batziakas, 2016).…”

The effectiveness of a rational-emotive intervention on teachers’ unconditional self-acceptance, perfectionism, and pupil control ideology

“…Also, teachers prone to humanistic ideology are more focused on developing soft skills and those competencies considered to be necessary to succeed in their personal and professional life ( Ding and Wang, 2018 ). But this humanistic ideology could lead, in different schools, to their marginalization by the other teachers with a more custodial vision ( Giannakaki and Batziakas, 2016 ). Even though it is a relatively old concept, we find current recommendations for organizing training programs in schools for teachers towards a more humanistic view ( Gnanarajan et al, 2020 ).…”