Building a new pedagogical decision-making agenda: The role of student leadership in conditions of cultural pluralism
Abstract
Modern literature has repeatedly focused on the diverse role of student voices and how they influence the processes of change and school improvement. However, the ways in which children themselves interpret their roles as leaders have not been explored, especially in environments characterized by cultural pluralism. The research we present focuses on the voluntary nature of leadership by students that allows them to become equal co-producers of a new pedagogical decision-making agenda. Our sample consisted of 36 students who attended four provincial secondary schools in the Prefecture of Fthiotida. The qualitative method was used to collect research data using semi-structured interviews. What emerged from the processing of the research material were spontaneous socio-activist initiatives and actions undertaken by the students which foreshadow on the one hand the achievement of a social and educational transformation, and on the other hand the transformation of students from "citizens-in-waiting" to authentic school co-shapers. The results of the study can have multiple implications both in the field of educational policy and that of school practices.
Article Details
- How to Cite
-
Sarkos, G., & Chatzisotiriou, C. (2022). Building a new pedagogical decision-making agenda: The role of student leadership in conditions of cultural pluralism. Preschool and Primary Education, 10(2), 221–238. https://doi.org/10.12681/ppej.28032
- Section
- Articles
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:
- Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g. post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (preferably in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work (See The Effect of Open Access).
Downloads
Download data is not yet available.
References
Adderley, R. J., Hope, M.A., Hughes, G.C., Jones, L., Messiou. K., & Shaw, P.A. (2015). Exploring inclusive practices in primary schools: focusing on children’s voices. European Journal of Special Needs Education, 30(1), 106–121.
Bourke, R., & Loveridge, J. (2014). ‘Radical collegiality’ through student voice: Challenging our understandings of educational experience, policy and practice. New Zealand Journal of Educational Studies, 49(2), 126–130.
Bourke, R. & Loveridge, J. (2018). Using student voice to challenge understandings of educational research, policy and practice. In R. Bourke & J. Loveridge,. (Eds.), Radical collegiality through student voice: Educational experience, policy and practice (pp. 1-16). Springer.
Γκόβαρης, Χ. (2011). Εισαγωγή στη διαπολιτισμική εκπαίδευση. Διάδραση.
Capper, C.A., & Young, M.D. (2014). Ironies and limitations of educational leadership of social justice: A call to social justice educators. Theory Into Practice, 53, 158-164.
Cheung, R., Flores, C., & Sablo-Sutton, S. (2019). Tipping the balance: Social justice leaders allying with marginalized youth to increase student voice and activism. Educational Leadership and Administration: Teaching and Program Development, 30, 1–13.
Creswell, J. W. (2014) Research design. Qualitative, quantitative and mixed methods approaches (4th ed.). Sage Publications.
Croucher, S. M., & Kramer, E. (2017). Cultural fusion theory: An alternative to acculturation. Journal of International and Intercultural Communication, 10(2), 97–114.
Denzin, N.K., & Lincoln, Y. (2011). The Sage handbook of qualitative research (4th ed.). Sage Publications.
Faas, D. (2010) Negotiating political identities: Multiethnic schools and youth in Europe., Ashgate.
Fernqvist, S. (2010). (Inter)Active interviewing in childhood research: On children’s identity work in interviews. The Qualitative Report, 15(6), 1309-1327.
Fielding, M. (2001). Students as radical agents of change. Journal of Educational Change, 2, 123–141.
Fitzpatrick, K., & Santamaria, L.J. (2015). Disrupting racialization: considering critical leadership in the field of physical education. Physical Education and Sport Pedagogy, 20(5), 532-546.
Fletcher, A. (2005). Guide to students as partners in school change. Meaningful Student Involvement (2nd ed.). Freechild Project and Human Links Foundation.
Green, S.L. (2015). Multicultural education: A necessary tool for general and special education. In F.E. Obiakor, J.P. Bakken & A.F. Rotatori (Eds.), Current Issues and Trends in Special Education: Research, Technology, and Teacher Preparation (pp. 107-122). Emerald.
Gubrium, J.F & Holstein, J. (2001.) From the individual interview to the interview society. In J. F. Gubrium & J. Holstein (Eds.), Handbook of Interview Research (pp. 1-31). Sage Publications.
Hajisoteriou, C., & Angelides, P. (2014). Facing the ‘challenge’: School leadership in intercultural schools. Educational Management Administration & Leadership, 42(4), 65-82.
Hajisoteriou, C., Karousiou, C., & Angelides, P. (2020). Rethinking interculturalism: Student voices on promoting intercultural school development. Research Papers in Education, 37(2), 249-274.
Harris, A., & Lambert, L. (2003). What is leadership capacity? National College for School Leadership.
Hartz-Karp, J. (2005). A case study in deliberative democracy: Dialogue with the city. Journal of Public Deliberation, 1(1), 1-15.
Higham, R., & Djohari, N. (2018). From voting to engaging: Promoting democratic values across an international school network. Oxford Review of Education, 44(6), 669–685.
Hope, M.A. (2012). The importance of belonging: Learning from the student experience of democratic education. Journal of School Leadership, 22(4), 733–750.
Hopkins, D. (2009). Every school a great school: Realising the potential of system leadership. In A. Hargreaves, A. Lieberman, M. Fullan & D. Hopkins (Eds.), Second International Handbook of Educational Change (pp. 741-764). Springer.
Ianes, D., Cappello, S., & Demo, H. (2017). Teacher and student voices: a comparison between two perspectives to study integration processes in Italy. European Journal of Special Needs Education, 32(3), 301-313.
Jones, M.A., & Bubb, S. (2020). Student voice to improve schools: Perspectives from students, teachers and leaders in “perfect” conditions. Improving Schools, 24(1), 233-244.
Lazaridou, A., Sorkos, G., & Polymeropoulou, V. (2020). Interculturalism and social justice: The case of the inclusion of Chinese children in Greek schools. In C. Mullen (Ed.), Handbook of Social Justice Interventions in Education (pp. 653-675). Springer International Handbooks of Education, Springer, Cham.
Mager, U., & Nowak, P. (2012). Effects of student participation in decision making at school. A systematic review and synthesis of empirical research. Educational Research Review, 7(1), 38–61.
Mansfield, K.C. (2014). How listening to student voices informs and strengthens social justice research and practice. Educational Administration Quarterly, 50(3), 392–430.
McAllum, C. (2020). Refugee resettlement volunteers as (inter)cultural mediators. Journal of International and Intercultural Communication, 13(4), 366-383.
McGregor, J. (2007). Recognizing student leadership: Schools and networks as sites of opportunity. Improving Schools, 10(1), 86–101.
Messiou, K. (2006). Understanding marginalisation in education: The voice of children. European Journal of Psychology of Education, 21(3), 305–318.
Messiou, K. (2012). Collaborating with children in exploring marginalisation: an approach to inclusive education. International Journal of Inclusive Education, 16(12), 1311-1322.
Messiou, K., & Ainscow, M. (2020). Inclusive inquiry: Student–teacher dialogue as a means of promoting inclusion in schools. British Educational Research Journal, 46(3), 670–687.
Mitra, D.L. (2007). The role of administrators in enabling youth–adult partnerships in schools. NASSP Bulletin, 91(3), 237–256.
Mitra, D.L., & Gross, S. J. (2009). Increasing student voice in high school reform: Building partnerships, improving outcomes. Educational Management Administration and Leadership, 37(4), 522–543.
Mitra, D.L., & Serriere, S. C. (2012). Student voice in elementary school reform: Examining youth development in fifth graders. American Educational Research Journal, 49(4), 743–774.
Mitra, D.L. (2018). Student voice in secondary schools: the possibility for deeper change. Journal of Educational Administration, 56(5), 473–487.
Mockler, N., & Groundwater-Smith, S. (2015). Democratic education in an age of compliance. In N. Mockler & S. Groundwater-Smith (Eds.), Engaging with Student Voice in Research, Education and Community: Beyond Legitimation and Guardianship (pp.25-36). Springer.
Nelson E. (2018). Teachers and power in student voice: ‘Finger on the pulse, not children under the thumb’. In R. Bourke R. & J. Loveridge (Eds.), Radical Collegiality through Student Voice (pp. 197-216). Springer.
Quennerstedt, A. (2020). Educational aims of rights education in primary schools- zooming in on teachers and pupils in two classes. Education 3-13, 48(5), 611-624.
Robson, C., & McCartan, K. (2016). Real World Research (4th ed.). John Wiley and Sons Ltd.
Rudduck, J. (2007). Student voice, student engagement, and school reform. In D. Thiessen & A. Cook-Sather (Eds.), International Handbook of Student Experience in Elementary and Secondary School (pp. 587-610). Springer.
Sandberg, G. (2016). Different children’s perspectives on their learning environment. European Journal of Special Needs Education, 32(2), 191-203.
Sandoval, M., & Messiou, K. (2020). Students as researchers for promoting school improvement and inclusion: a review of studies. International Journal of Inclusive Education, https://doi.org/10.1080/13603116.2020.1730456
Shier, H. (2001). Pathways to participation: Openings, opportunities and obligations. Children and Society, 15(2), 107–117.
Simovska, V., & Jensen, B.B. (2009). Conceptualizing participation – the health of children and young people. World Health Organization Regional Office for Europe.
Solhaug, T., & Osler A. (2017). Intercultural empathy among Norwegian students: an inclusive citizenship perspective. International Journal of Inclusive Education, 22(3), 1-22.
Sorkos, G., & Hajisoteriou, C. (2020). Sustainable intercultural and inclusive education: teachers’ efforts on promoting a combining paradigm. Pedagogy, Culture and Society, 29(4), 517-536.
Tate, S.A., & Page, D. (2018). Whiteliness and institutional racism: hiding behind (un)conscious bias. Ethics and Education, 13(1), 141-155.
Turhan, M. (2010). Social justice leadership: implications for roles and responsibilities of school administrators. Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences, 9, 1357-1361.
Young, K.S., Herring, T.J., & Morrison, A.D. (2017). Conceptual strategies for culturally sustaining and inclusive education. Kappa Delta Pi Record, 53, 174-178.
Zapata-Barrero, R. (2017). Interculturalism in the post-multicultural debate: A defence. Comparative Migration Studies, 5(14), 1-23.
