PhD and Post-doc Students

This page presents the PhD and Post Doc students and their research project

Viriato Rodrigues (University of Lisbon, Portugal)

An ANT-spray to a Portuguese EdTech platform broker

This research project takes an ANTian approach to explore the creation and use of a self-presented “knowledge platform”, the “FITescola”, that intends to assess the physical fitness of primary and secondary school students in Portugal.
The “FITescola” will be analysed as a two-dimensional digital broker: (1) As a device that provides networking to assemblages of actors and objects from distinct social worlds - digital platforms, apps, academics, politicians, administrators, professionals, school teachers, students and families - morphing alongside the social and political activity committed to change the “fact” that children and adolescents are not moving enough to promote healthy growth and development; (2) As a communicational actor that produces meaning(s) about the association and interdependence between physical fitness, the practice of sports, health promotion and social change, the parameterization and testing of a “healthy zone”, among other representations and cognitive “evidence”.
Analytically, this research intends to take an ANTish approach, combining interviews, document analysis and online research, to examine the ways in which the “FITescola” platform is interpreted and acted upon by the different actors that intersect with it, as a part of human and non-human networks of practice, and can respond and meet their needs, becoming increasingly transportable and “useful”.

Mark Andrew Elepaño (Aarhus University, Denmark, Coventry University, UK)

Navigating International Collaborative Doctoral Programs: A Critical Examination of Postgraduate Researchers’ Agency and Learning Ecologies

Doctoral education is experiencing significant transformation due to pressures from various stakeholders and external forces, prompting reforms at the program-level. Since the turn of the century, at least nine distinct doctoral training approaches have emerged within the European Higher Education Area (EHEA). One of these approaches is the International Collaborative Doctoral Program (ICDP), commonly known as a cotutelle. These programs institutionalize various forms of collaboration and mobility within doctoral curricula, presenting opportunities and challenges not typically found in conventional doctoral programs. Despite the varied motivations and interests of its stakeholders, they share the common goal of developing independent researchers capable of generating new knowledge. However, the experiences of postgraduate researchers (PGRs) within these programs remain largely unexplored. This qualitative research, grounded in a critical realist perspective, aims to examine the agency of PGRs in ICDPs and theorize the learning ecologies within these programs. By providing a nuanced understanding of PGR learning trajectories in ICDPs, this study ultimately seeks to contribute to the enhancement of these doctoral programs.

Mafalda Leal Campos (Foundation for Science and Technology, Lisbon, Portugal)

The academic adaptation of ethnic-racial and migrant minorities. Specifically, she is studying the role of ethnic identity in students’ adaptation in Portuguese schools, particuthe academic adaptation of ethnic-racial and migrant minorities

Mafalda L. Campos is a Ph.D. candidate specializing in educational psychology, focusing on the academic adaptation of ethnic-racial and migrant minorities. Specifically, she is studying the role of ethnic identity in students’ adaptation in Portuguese schools, particularly for those students who see themselves as belonging to an ethnic-racial or migrant minority. She is interested not only in exploring – and potentially reproducing - what is already known in previously conducted research in other contexts (such as the USA), but also in understanding through what mechanisms ethnic identity plays its part in educational adjustment – mainly by exploring its associations with motivation and self-concept, i.e., two of the most relevant affective components of learning for students’ success in schools. Additionally, Mafalda intends to reflect on her results given the historical precedents of colonization and migration of the Portuguese context, as well as the current situation in what concerns migrant fluxes in today’s Europe.
Her research is mainly quantitative, and she focuses most of her analysis on structural equation modeling techniques (for a variable-centered approach), as well as latent profile analysis (for a person-centered approach).
Furthermore, Mafalda is also a member of the MathMot Project, a longitudinal cross-national study researching math motivation. In this project, motivation towards mathematics learning is investigated through the lens of Expectancy-Value Theory, and data is collected and analyzed in 6 different European countries. Mafalda was also awarded the WERA Visiting Research Award 2023, having spent two months as a visiting researcher with the University of Hamburg and IEA.

Maíra Lana Kascher Santos (UFMG, GESTRADO, Brasil)

Teaching focused on standardized tests: the influence of accountability policies on the work of teachers in the Northeast of Brazil

Accountability has gained prominence in the field of educational policies for about three decades, driven by public administration reforms under the principles of New Public Management. This paper analyzes the impacts of these policies on pedagogical practices in four states in the Brazilian Northeast, exploring how such policies influence the guidance given to teachers to focus their efforts on improving results in standardized tests. Of the four states analyzed, Bahia and Rio Grande do Norte represent states that have educational policies considered low stake for schools and teachers, guided by the results of tests administered to students, while Paraíba and Pernambuco represent states with high stake policies. A sample of 901 teachers from public schools in Elementary and High School was analyzed, applying statistical tests to assess the association between teaching practices and the accountability policies of state federative entities. As a result, it was observed that school managers in states with high accountability more intensely guide teachers to direct their pedagogical practices towards standardized tests. These results corroborate analyses from other studies (GEWIRTZ, 2002; MENKEN, 2006) on the consequences of accountability policies, mainly based on standardized assessments, whose results have induced teachers to engage in “teaching to the test” practices, relegating traditional curriculum to a secondary position in favor of assessed content. Therefore, these policies, supported by a logic of economic efficiency, decisively regulate pedagogical practices, subordinating them to the attainment of results.

Wiktoria Szawiel (University of Lisbon, Portugal)

Become an Artist of Your Life: Narratives of Creativity and Aesthetic Self-regulation in Educational Discourse.

This study seeks to examine and critically discuss the notable proliferation of aesthetic narratives and the consequent normalisation of creative aptitudes in the contemporary debate on education. Statements in favour of principles and values such as critical and creative thinking, aesthetic sensibility, adaptability and problem-solving are constructed around the dictum of becoming an artist of one’s life and discursively transformed into a hegemonic profile of a pupil who has to continually reinvent himself to adjust to the demands of the world in flux. In order to understand how these narratives were made thinkable in the first place, this thesis explores two temporally and geographically different occurrences: i) the legitimation of artistic professions as noble, liberal arts requiring academic training, followed by the establishment of the first Art Academies; ii) the universalisation of creativity as a competency that everyone can learn by modernist artists-pedagogues. By mobilising the past-present gaze, it becomes possible to pinpoint how i) originally controversial ideas are promoted as natural, desirable and self-evident and ii) how contemporary narratives embracing creativity become a rhetorical device which feeds on aesthetic desires. By questioning the democratisation of creativity in educational policies, this research intends to problematise the rhetoric of creative self-constitution as a universal, and exceptionally efficient, mode of subjectification.

Zihan Dai (University of Hong Kong, China)

Chinese novice teachers’ emotions and self-understanding in the context of the accountability system

I am a year-1 PhD student of The Chinese University of Hong Kong, majoring in education. My PhD research is to discuss Chinese novice teachers’ emotions and self-understanding in the context of the accountability system.
Neoliberalism has caused accountability mechanisms to penetrate the educational field and has thus fostered a culture of performance. Teachers have to face increasing pressure of accountability. On the one hand, this has a direct impact on their emotional experience as teachers, especially the sense of contradiction between ideals and reality in the first few years, as well as the sense of vulnerability brought about by various challenges; on the other hand, the accountability system affects the interpersonal ecology of their work and changes the content of their work, indirectly bringing about complex emotions.
As novice teachers are at the beginning of their careers, their emotions are crucial to the development of their professional selves and professional commitment. Therefore, through qualitative methods, such as narrative research and interviews, I hope to delve into the spiritual world of the novice teachers to find out how they really felt in their first few years, so that I can understand what these feelings meant to them and what kind of self-understanding they constructed from them. Based on a micropolitics perspective, the study will pay particular attention to power relations in the context of the accountability system and their impact on the emotions of novice teachers.
However, the study is still at its initial stage and I still have a lot of questions to think over

Sara Pastore (University Federico II of Naples, Italy)

The social shaping of education and digital technology from a non-normative perspective

Sara Pastore is a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Naples “Federico II”, where she is currently working on a research project addressing the social shaping of education and digital technology from a non-normative perspective. Through an empirical investigation which intersects critical pedagogy and art education, she interrogates the strategic potential of digital technologies in sustaining alternative epistemologies and educational practices.

Luca Recano ( University Federico II of Naples, Italy)

The relationship between (digital) social innovation EU policies, grassroots organisations and technological countercultures

During the PhD I worked on the relationship between (digital) social innovation EU policies, grassroots organisations and technological countercultures, such as the hacker culture and the makerspace movement, the FLOSS movement and networks, the commons-based P2P projects and platform cooperativism, combining theoretical critique and critical policy analysis with empirical research (network mapping, ethnographic research and participant observation). I also had a Visiting Fellowship in Amsterdam, where I carried out part of the empirical investigation in collaboration with Geert Lovink (Institute of Network Cultures).
I also worked on the history of digital activism and on critiques of the role of expertise in contemporary techno-scientific communication in the public and political spheres; I participated as a research assistant in a study with the University of Birmingham on the experiences of the emerging commons in the city of Naples; and as a co-author in a study on the neo-municipalist grassroots movements and politics in Naples. As I've been member of the Observatory on the emerging Urban Commons of the City of Naples, and participated in several grassroots activist and independent cultural experiences.
I am currently investigating the transformations of contemporary popular cultures through video-sharing practices, particularly on the TikTok platform. The research explores the processes of reshaping post-digital popular culture and (grassroots, emerging) economies (such as street markets, tourist services, food or clothing vendors) through video-sharing platforms and practices situated in Naples as a trans-local context of the global south. In particular, I focus on the relationships between the vernacular creativity of content creators on TikTok and the urban dimension (how video-sharing practices reshape public/private spaces as urban stages), as well as post-digital pop culture (how video-sharing practices reshape cultural meanings and production when interacting with more established cultural industries in TV, cinema, music, publishing, theatre, etc.).
I am also interested in critical studies and actions on educational policies and practices through digital transformation, from a socio-material perspective.

Welton Cardoso (University of Bahia (UESB), Brasil)

The quality of life of postgraduate teachers at the State University of Southwest Bahia

This research will focus on the quality of life of postgraduate teachers at the State University of Southwest Bahia (UESB). The objective will be to study the phenomenon using Historical-Dialectical Materialism (HDM) as a method of analysis, reflecting on the participatory existence of a hegemonic movement that determines the totality and the intrinsic aspects involved in the subject matter. The subjects of the target population in activity may consent and thus voluntarily adhere to the research where, through electronic means, they will be introduced to scientifically validated instruments with adaptations for the specific focus. The responses will allow for the construction of a database of perceptions where the results of the study may show that historical-dialectical materialism is a possible method of analysis for the phenomenon of a teacher's quality of life, who is immersed in challenges and increasing work responsibilities intentionally imposed by neoliberalism, making them more vulnerable to mental and occupational illnesses.

Xiangruo Dai (University of Edinburgh, Scotland, UK)

Expanding access and widening participation for students coming from underrepresented backgrounds in Higher Education

I am a first-year PhD student in Social Policy at the University of Edinburgh, with research interests in higher education policy and a focus on expanding access and widening participation for students coming from underrepresented backgrounds. My previous research has focused on economics, including microfinance outcomes and mobile banking, as well as inequalities in British universities, including gender gaps in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and maths) subjects.

Lucas Felicetti Rezende (UFMG, Brasil, visiting scholar at NYU, USA).

The nexus between the right to education, a Brazilian neoliberal think tank and pandemic times

The international human rights law recognizes nation-states as the primary guarantors for the protection and realization of the right to education. However, the centrality of the state as the primary guarantor of this right contrasts with the diffuse landscape of educational governance, in which it shares regulatory capacities with various non-state actors, both national and global. Among this myriad of actors in educational governance, some stand out for their strong mobilization in favor of neoliberal and privatizing policies, such as international organizations, entrepreneurs, and think tanks, the latter recognized for their ability to influence the political sphere through the mobilization of knowledge and proximity to policymakers. The action of non-state actors with neoliberal impetus in educational governance tends to be detrimental to the right to education because education itself is not seen as a human right but as a commodity. The Brazilian context is a relevant example of this reality, with a consolidated legal framework for the defense of the right to education combined with the strong presence of privatizing actors in the educational field. In addition to this complex scenario of educational governance, the year 2020 brought a new phenomenon of great impact on the right to education in Brazil and worldwide: the Covid-19 pandemic. Due to the health emergency, the Brazilian state articulated various strategies to guarantee the right to education, raising several questions about the dynamics of educational governance in the country. How did neoliberal actors in educational governance act? Did their actions impact the dimensions of this human right during the health crisis? If so, which ones and how? In an attempt to address these questions, this ongoing work investigates the actions of the Brazilian liberal think tank Livres during the pandemic and its potential impacts on the right to education.

Qi CAI (East China Normal University, China; visiting student in University of Strasbourg )

Integration and transmission of national identity content in France’s textbooks

Textbooks serve as pivotal tools in shaping national identity. France, as a nation emphasizing the cultivation of citizenship and moral values, places significant emphasis on imparting national identity through its educational materials. This research aims to analysis integration and transmission of national identity content in France’s textbooks and with the qualitative research methods. Data selection focused on the policies, curriculum plans, textbooks, and interviews with key groups such as teachers or textbook editors in France. Drawing from established categorizations of national identity and referencing existing research on French identity and values, this study has tentatively identified four analytical dimensions: political identity, cultural identity, historical identity, and geographical identity. The analysis reveals that French textbooks manifest a robust representation of national identity, with a notable focus on political and cultural identity. History and geography textbooks emphasize political identity, whereas physics, chemistry, and life sciences textbooks prioritize cultural identity.

Alice Rabelo Vaz Madureira (Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais (Federal University of Minas Gerais) – UFMG

BETWEEN THE GLOBAL AND THE LOCAL: Special Education in Brazil and Argentina in the Context of the COVID-19 Pandemic

This research is situated in the field of Public Policies for Special Education and is based on the following question: How did global and local actors influence the Public Policies for Special and Inclusive Education during the pandemic and post-pandemic periods in Brazil and Argentina? Using a comparative analysis perspective, the general objective is to analyze the influence of global and local actors on the Public Policies for Special and Inclusive Education (PPSIE) during the pandemic and post-pandemic periods in Brazil and Argentina.

The theoretical framework includes Global Educational Policy (Verger, 2019) and discusses the role of International Organizations, as examined by researchers from both the fields of Education and International Relations. It also draws on João Barroso’s Regulation Theory (2005; 2006), which demonstrates how international organizations use norms to exert regulatory power over states, and how this regulation occurs at different levels. The theoretical-methodological resource employed is Comparative Education (Schriewer, 1995; 2016; Lourenço Filho, 2004; Cowen; Kazamias; Ulterhalter, 2012).

Methodologically, this is a documentary and bibliographic research, using as primary sources official documents issued by the UN system and other international organizations, as well as legal documents and official policies issued by the Brazilian and Argentine governments. Secondary sources include journal articles retrieved from virtual libraries, journal portals, and online research mechanisms. The method of procedure will be comparative study, aimed at addressing the convergences and divergences related to the process of internalizing international norms and the impact of these norms and national actors on Public Policies for Special and Inclusive Education. As a secondary methodological tool, semi-structured interviews will be conducted with Brazilian and Argentine researchers who work on the topic, seeking to better understand and characterize the context of Special Education and PPSIE in both countries.

Fangyue (Diana) Bao (University of Bremen, Germany)

International Organization’s education programs, The Influence of IOs on Different Countries’ Education Policy

International organizations (IOs) are active actors of global governance. They direct, fund, and implement different forms of projects that affect people’s lives in different countries. My Ph.D. project focuses on the influence of IOs in China from an educational perspective. Nevertheless, the existing literature has fallen short on the study of international organizations in China mainly due to the challenging interdisciplinary nature of the topic and complex realistic concerns. This study aims to answer the research question - Do international organizations have an influence in China? If so, in what ways do IOs exert their influence?

My PhD study will consist of a series of papers. The first paper will carry out an in-depth single-case study on OECD and the change of its influence in China through its well-known international educational program PISA. Then, the second paper will proceed with a comparative case study between the educational programs in China of the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank. The final paper will be a content analysis of the publications from all the IOs carrying out educational programs in China. Each of the papers will answer one of the above sub-research questions. By studying IO’s educational programs in international ranking programs, funding, and ideas in China, the study aims to illustrate the interaction between IOs and the Chinese government through the educational perspective.

In addition, I am a member of the University of Bremen’s Collaborative Research Center 1342. Our team, A05 of CRC 1342, investigates the global development of coverage and generosity of state education in the secondary school sector. We conduct in-depth case studies on the influence of global transformation processes on the national education policy of Senegal, Ghana, Malaysia, and Cambodia. I have just finished a paper on Cambodia’s education system.

Susana Maria Capucho Roxo Gomes de Oliveira (Universidade Lusófona, Lisbon, Portugal)

The challenges of public and democratic schools in Portugal. An Epistemological approach to the teacher profile in the 21st century school

In the sequence of the 2017 Students Profile at the End of Compulsory School document,

the Law-Decrees 54 and 55 publish in 2018, brought new ways to work in education. Following the direction of European Union (EU), and the Organization for Economy and Co-operation Development (OECD), Portugal is moving for the XXI century Education, anticipating our social economic and technology the future, with the most efficient and

quality schools, and professionals of education.

However, as Biesta argues, the XXI Century Education project is focused on one of the three

dimensions of education, living education itself unbalanced. Giving evidence to the

qualification dimension, the OECD and EU is neglecting on the socialization and

subjectification dimensions.

Another concern of this research is to understand if the teacher can act autonomously,

when he has so many prescriptions for how to teach, or how to be a facilitator only guiding

the process of learning where the student is the center of all education act, acting as an

autonomous being, in pursuit of his educational path?

Facing the reality of been seen as a facilitator, technician of learning, and at the same time, as a “agent” by policy documents, teacher might become what Freire calls an adaptative person, that with time might lose the ability to act with personal and collective responsibility (Arendt), falling on what Arendt called the banality of evil.

It ́s an epistemological study, with a critical paradigm, using a phenomenology and art-based

research where we will look for meanings about been a teacher, a responsible person, professional. And where we will reflect on art manifestations to critical analyze modernity and our contemporary society.

The goal is to deepen the knowledge about the professor freedom and understanding to be in the profession and in the world. With it we hope to contribute for the rebalance of education, for what Biesta argues to be the World-Centred Education.

Nathanaël Fritz (University of Strasbourg, France)

Comparing the teacher’s preparation programs in France, Finland and Singapore.

We made the observation that teaching preparation programs in France do not equip well French teachers to face the profession’ realities (OECD, 2018). We first tried to establish what would be required for a complete training for teachers. We identified 6 elements thanks to the literature review :
1. Mastery of subject content (Kambouchner, 2001 ; Périer, 2014),

2. Practical experience (Quilio et al., 2020),
3. Learning with colleagues (Athias et al., 2020; Le Coz, 2021),

4. Mastery of didactic theories (Dugazon & Goigoux, 2012),

5. Reflective practice through experience (Schön, 1983),

6. Reflective practice through research (Rey, 2017 ; Raulet-Marcel, 2019).

We tried to observe how the six elements were tackled in France, Finland and Singapore. We found out that French’ training is about gaining practical experience through internships. Beginners have the full responsibility of classes without learning didactic theories beforehand compared to Singapore and Finland. Moreover, French interns are alone in their class compared to the other countries where they have a tutor – who is an expert in Education and is dedicated to their preparation. These tutors are very likely to be involved in research while French tutors are practicioners, not involved in didactic theories or research which prevents French teachers to getting used to using research as a reflective tool. Research is a major aspect of Finnish training and a significant one in Singapore whereas French programs either don’t use research or a little bit for the longer programs – which remains very poor compared to other countries. What also prevents French programs to be efficient is the location of the entrance examination at the end of the Masters’ degree. Students tend to focus their learning on the exam rather than on learning theories for their future jobs. The other countries set this exam before the preparation training, enabling more focus on the realities of their future job.

Shuling Wang (University of Southampton

Lived experience of intersectional racism between China and the UK

This study employs auto-ethnography to explore my lived experience of intersectional racism, from being a woman English teacher in China and then a Chinese woman scholar in the UK. It contributes to an understanding of racial knowledge formation and its relationship with unequal power structures through discursive, material, and affective dimensions, thereby contributing to broader academic discussions on to social justice, diversity and inclusion in the global landscape of international education.

Ivana Milič (University of Strasbourg, France)

Public policies of three European member States - France, Italy and Slovenia - at the crossroads of social inclusion and education.

My thesis compares public policies of three European member States - France, Italy and Slovenia - at the crossroads of social inclusion and education. The study analyzes transformations of categorizations, legislation, actors, and knowledge in this policy area and how these have emerged (and changed in time) in the three States, as well as how the European strategy linked to the paradigm of social investment is translated and enacted in national contexts. The study provides an explanation of the convergences and divergences in the implementation of the European strategy concerning social inclusion in education, by studying and analyzing discourses, actors, policy instruments and policy transfers, and contributes to discussions in the field of political sociology, and, more precisely, the french sociology of public action and policy instruments, as well as governmentality studies.

Pauline Boyer ( CNRS and University of Strasbourg)

Open Data, A Democratic or Neo-Managerial Instrument? An Investigation into the Opening of Administrative Data in Higher Education and Research

My research delves into a paradox at the heart of open data in higher education and research (HER). The quantification of HER is heavily criticized by the academic community, who associates it with the marketization of the sector, driven by performance and profitability imperatives characteristic of neoliberalism and, more specifically, of the New Public Management paradigm. However, the opening of data, meaning the free access to datasets on an organization’s activities, staff, and users, is viewed positively by this same academic community, who sees its development as a democratic progress towards public action transparency.

The tension between these two views is clear: without data, there is no open data. Why does open data, through the act of opening, escape the criticisms directed at quantification?

With a theoretical framework at the intersection of Infrastructure Studies, Actor-Network Theory, and sociology of quantification, I analyse open data as a boundary object (Star and Griesemer, 1989). Constructed at the crossroads of several social worlds (open knowledge activism, business world, academia) and characterized by its definitional ambiguity, open data brings together actors with heterogeneous profiles who project different meanings onto it. This diversity of mobilized actors is touted as an argument in favour of this object, perceived as nonpartisan and prepolitical. On the contrary, I analyse open data as an integral part of the New Public Management’s instrumental arsenal, encouraging competition among universities through selective transparency.

Claudia Cristiane Andrade Barros (National University of Bahia, Brazil)

Quality of life of teachers in the later stages of their careers in the state of bahia’s educational system after the pension reform

This study analyzes the quality of life of teachers in the final stages of their careers, highlighting the importance of this topic, the pillars for achieving this quality, the consequences of its absence, and how this lack can affect the professional's health. With the increase in life expectancy and, consequently, the elderly population, there is an extension of working time, leading the professional to spend several years in a phase referred to as "disinvestment," which, according to Huberman (1992), is characterized by the final years of the career until retirement, a period marked by a strong professional retreat trend, where the individual progressively prepares to break free. Demographic changes and pension reforms that occurred in 2020 directly affect teachers, who often work in precarious conditions, facing demotivation, lack of resources, and disrespect for the profession. The teacher's quality of life is related to the quality of education offered to students. The study investigates how these professionals are coping with the extension of their careers due to changes in the pension system, analyzing professional burnout, correlations between this burnout and sociodemographic variables, as well as bureaucratic issues related to retirement. The research will use the Historical-Dialectical Materialism method, it will be a qualitative-quantitative study, including the application of questionnaires such as WHOQOL - BREF and QWLT - BREF to measure the quality of life and quality of working life of teachers. Semi-structured interviews will be conducted to gain a deeper understanding of the situation. The study provides an understanding of the working conditions of teachers in the disinvestment phase, their implications on health and quality of life, as well as to raise important questions about public policies and appropriate working conditions for this professional category.

Ana Sofia Santos De Souza (University of Lisbon, Portugal)

MY/OUR PLACE AT SCHOOL | School Spaces as Inclusive Places of Belonging and

Participation

The research aims to identify and understand the relationship that students establish with physical and social school spaces to conceptualize their role in educational inclusion and in the development of their sense of belonging. The thesis problem intent to study which conditions of physical and social spaces enhance the definition of a place, promoting a sense of belonging, which is essential for the well-being and learning of students. One objective is to study which features associated with formal and informal spaces increase the possibility of sense of belonging of young people in schools. Another objective is to define responses regarding the characteristics of physical and social spaces that promote the inclusion of all students, in terms of their access, participation and learning at school. It is also intended to identify how students’ proposals can be integrated into the educational process, valuing their participation in the transformation of school spaces. Through a participatory methodology, with the use of a class journal and a participant observation that enables the conception of social diagnoses, through mapping and analyzing the participation of students during the use of school spaces, involving the identification of the emotional and social response that is raised in different contexts. The research allows to recognize the student’s needs and understanding what the school must have/be to become my/our place, where the students are physically and emotionally connected.

Juan Antonio Carrasco Bahamonde (Autonomous University of Barcelona, Spain)

Policy Analysis of Private School’s Responses to Regulatory Policy: A Case Study of Chilean School Inclusion Law

Recently, several countries have promoted reforms to counter the undesirable effects of school diversification and choice on socio-educational equity. This shift towards supply diversification may result incrementally from various modifications, decrees, regulations, and, notably, social pressure to broaden the contexts of school choice (Verger et al., 2016; Boeskens, 2016; Hogan & Thompson, 2020; Gutierrez, 2023; Zancajo et al., 2021; UNESCO, 2021; Carrasco & Gutiérrez, 2023).

At the same time, school diversification and choice coexist with a growing expectation to raise socio-educational cohesion and equity levels. This implies that school systems must respond to strong societal pressures and demands as catalysts for change, facing controversial issues such as school segregation and its reproductive effects on inequality. While these macro-social expectations often express a substantive notion of rights and citizenship, they remain diffuse and controversial. The research examines the early implementation of Chile’s School Inclusion Law—specifically focusing on the school fee reduction policy—to understand factors related to school-level responses to subsidised private networks and broader educational policy implications. Using a mixed design based on interviews and statistical modelling, it analyses 717 subsidised private school responses in Santiago’s Metropolitan Area, estimating the variety of responses to the regulatory policy during the period 2015/2020.

The findings underscore the dynamic nature of the process, with segregation, institutional characteristics, and status attributes significantly influencing school fee reduction, especially in the policy’s early stages. This variation in influence over time highlights the need for a nuanced understanding of how educational policy interacts with school responses, resonating in the broader debate about educational policies.

Sara Gemma (University of Macerata, Italy)

The impact of educational poverty and school dropout in vulnerable and multicultural envonments

The research project aims at investigating the impact of educational poverty and school dropout in vulnerable and multicultural envonments. It aims to strengthen the hub between the third sector and schools, impacting the empowerment of involved Italian and foreign pre-adolescents. Facing the challenges posed by migration, social humanities play a crucial role by advocating a holistic pedagogical approach that fosters individual agency and networking.

Flaviana Ribeiro (University of Minas Gerais (UFMG), Brasil)

The imagined future of teaching: a study on the reconfiguration of the profession and current educational policies in argentina and brazil

Teaching has been impacted by an agenda of educational reforms that culminated in the processes of reconfiguration it. Adding to this scenario of profound transformations is the emergence and impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, which has revealed educational weaknesses, remodeled teaching methods, and disruptively accelerated the digital revolution. The use of digital technologies and Artificial Intelligence in education, a trend that was already advancing around the world driven by digital platforms, were the main strategies used during the pandemic, establishing new logic that altered school culture and teaching. In this context, reimagining new ways of teaching and learning has become an imperative, a fertile field for utopian discourses from international organizations that resonate with the promise of a future. Given this scenario, this research aims to analyze the international organization's discourses about the future of education and the teaching profession, how academic literature has been identifying and questioning these discourses, and its influence in the orientation and circulation of educational policies in Brazil and Argentina in the pandemic and post-pandemic periods. The proposal is part of the theme of the reconfiguration of teaching and public policies in education, looking at different scenarios, from a global to a regional reality, where the research will be developed as a requirement of the Latin American Doctorate. The methodological approach chosen is a systematic review of the literature, followed by documentary research from the perspective of Social Cartography.

Shuling Wang (University of Southampton, UK)

Lived experience of intersectional racism, from being a woman English teacher in China

Andreia Veiga (University of Lisbon, Portugal)

Pedagogical training in higher education

As a result of a series of transformations in the higher education system, the need to invest in the pedagogical training of higher education teachers is becoming more evident. This research aims to study the effects of pedagogical training on the reconfiguration of professional identity and teaching practices in higher education. The specific aims of this study are to identify teachers' conceptions of their professional identity; to identify the effects of pedagogical training on the (re)configuration of teachers' professional identity and teaching practices in higher education. The study is qualitative in nature, and data will be collected using biographical interviews and the focus group method with teachers from the University of Lisbon from different scientific areas and at different stages of their careers, who have taken part in pedagogical training programs.

Santhi Corcoran (Mary Immaculate College, University of Limerick, Ireland)

A New Paradigm for promoting Interculturalism in Education: Exploring diversity and inclusion in teaching, learning and leadership in Irish Post-Primary Schools.

Ireland has experienced a significant transformation from a nation of migrants to one of new immigration (Bryan, 2008; Devine, 2011; Faas and Ross, 2012; Horan 2014). Therefore,

schools approach towards diversity and the experience of migrants can provide a key

understanding of inclusion and exclusion in Irish society (Devine, 2011). These can range

from communication difficulties to cultural practices, beliefs, sexuality, gender, bullying and

racism experienced, (Richman, 1998; Richards and Armstrong, 2016). The purpose of this

study was to explore whether Irish teachers’ perspectives on diversity contributes to an

enriched and equitable learning environment in schools. This study was conceptualised using a constructivist and pragmatic worldview and a mixed methods approach (Creswell, 2014). The reasoning being that to understand schools and the community within, it is important to understand their meaning making from subjective experiences and historical, social, political, cultural, and familial influences (Crotty, 1998). This allowed for a holistic approach in terms of design applied to gather data and interpretation of different aspects of the research.

Data was collected from four post-primary schools via surveys and interviews. Phase one

consisted of a survey via a questionnaire with Teachers, Students and Parents exploring their experiences of teaching, and learning of a specific curriculum. Phase two consisted of semi-structured interviews with principals of the schools based on emerging findings from the survey, exploring the challenges of leadership in a diverse school environment. The findings highlight the need for reimagining the curriculum and creating a better understanding of identity, and diversity in promoting inclusion in educational environments. The student survey provided thoughtful suggestions to improve the teaching of equality, and diversity. The results highlight teachers need for further relevant training and continuous professional development to deliver a more culturally relevant and sensitive pedagogy (Sleeter, 1993; Ladson-Billings, 1995; Bryan and Bracken, 2011).

Éléonore Mahout ( University of Strasbourg, France)

The Contemporary Trials of Researchers and Students with Disabilities. A Perspective on Morality in Teaching and Research Practices within French Higher Education

This thesis, divided into two parts, seeks to critically examine the current inclusion of researchers and students with disabilities within academia, particularly within the evolving landscape of higher education in Europe.

The first part of this research project delves into the social history surrounding the inclusion of individuals with disabilities, focusing specifically on how autism has transitioned into a public policy concern within French universities. By exploring an unprecedented program aimed at including autistic students in French universities, this section also addresses the dissemination of neuropsychological knowledge within disability policies.

The second part of the thesis centers on the experiences of neurodivergent researchers and students who often encounter trials and epistemic injustices. This research further analyzes how these individuals articulate their neurodivergent identities and examines the impact of such identities on their academic and personal lives.

Fortuna Liccione (University of Federico II, Naples, Italy)

The influence of guidance on the transition of young people with a migrant background.

The research focuses on the influence of guidance on the transition of young people with a migrant background. Following the approach of the Street-level Bureacracy (Lipsky, 1980) I analyse the discretionary power of schools and teachers in the implementation of the new 2022 Guidance Guidelines.

Hairong Zhang (East China Normal University, China)

The Politics of Alleviating Academic Burdens: Interpreting the State Narratives and Parental Imaginaries in China

Alleviating Academic burdens on K-12 students has been a key theme in the Chinese Government’s initiatives to promote Quality Education during the last two decades. Policies of this line were promulgated every few years. In 2021, the central government enacted a radical regulation on the fast-expanding shadow education to release parental anxieties and restore a healthy environment for students. Following an interpretive policy analysis approach, this study investigated 75 WeChat articles and their commentaries and interviewed 30 urban parents to map out the perceived truth of policy reality. It shows different interpretations hidden beyond the government-schools’ policy narratives, the WeChat network helps construct different policy imaginaries on the “hard” truth about the 2021 regulation for parents of different SES backgrounds.

Fabio Maria Esposito (Research Fellow, IRPPS – CNR, Italy)

Exploring OECD’s “School as a Learning Hub” scenario in Small Italian Schools: a qualitative-inventive inquiry

In recent years, debates about the future of school and of schooling have increasingly populated the educational discourse (Facer 2021). While the future can be addressed through diverse epistemological and ontological approaches, one important aspect of this debate revolves around the possibility of (more or less) radical transformations of the current ‘forme scolaire’ (Maulini and Perrenoud, 2005). Many international organizations, such as UNESCO and OECD have approached this issue by developing conceptualizations and scenarios about the future of education, portraying different possible paths. However, these scenarios are often based on normative ‘top-down’ definitions, not intercepting the voice of educational actors ‘from below’. Moreover, these conceptualizations don’t really consider territorial differences (e.g., rural vs. urban schools), nor specific school settings, such as Small schools.

By drawing on the current interest about ‘the future’ in sociology (e.g., Levitas 2013; Poli 2017) and on an ongoing investigation in small Italian schools, in this paper, we are interested in discussing educational futures (and futures in education) of small and rural schools. We intend to do so by exploring one of the future-school scenarios proposed by OECD, “School as a learning Hub”, where future schools will retain most of their current functions, but “Opening the ‘school walls’ connects schools to their communities, favouring ever-changing forms of learning, civic engagement and social innovation.” (OECD, 2020). Basing on the experiences of three Small Schools selected in Italy, the research here presented aims to empirically map the practices, experiences and organisational processes that can be approached to the concept of ‘school as a learning hub’ and to intercept

Ana Rita Távora Alves (University of Lisbon, Portugal)

STEM Education: Contributions to scientific learning and student motivation

This research project investigates the influence of an I-STEM didactic sequence on students' motivation in science classes and their learning outcomes within the domain of STEM education (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics).

A review of the literature reveals a scarcity of studies examining the application of STEM education in formal and extended contexts. Therefore, this study aims to address the following question: What is the influence of an I-STEM didactic sequence on students' motivation in science classes and their learning outcomes?

The theoretical frameworks explored in this research provide foundational guidelines, facilitating critical analysis of current practices and the development of innovative pedagogical strategies.

This research will unfold in two phases. The first phase involves developing a STEM didactic sequence following Thibaut et al.'s (2018) model, which integrates STEM content, problem-based learning, inquiry, and design-based learning. This sequence will undergo peer validation and testing in pilot classes. The second phase entails implementing these sequences in authentic educational settings, followed by data collection and analysis to assess their impact. Data will be gathered through questionnaires, observations, and analysis of student work, enabling both qualitative and quantitative analyses.

The findings will present data derived from implementation, evaluating their effects on student learning and motivation. The discussion will underscore the study's contributions to STEM education and propose recommendations for future research and pedagogical practices.

Jessica Parola (University of Naples, Federico II, Italy)

Artificial intelligence and social robotics in education

Jessica Parola is a PhD student in Social Science and Statistics at the University of Naples Federico II, where she is working on a research project focused on artificial intelligence and social robotics in education, viewed as a socio-technical complex that mediates the educational experiences and shapes changes in practices in relation to the heterogeneous set of elements, human and non-human actors, that compose the school assemblage. She draws on a composite theoretical frame that combines Science and Technology Studies with an analytics inspired by the Foucauldian framework of governmentality, to understand how social robotics in education becomes a space for mobilizing distinctive techno-scientific and didactic-pedagogical ways of thinking that unfold and intervene in how educational practices are conducted. In this perspective, she focuses on how educational and social robotics is animated by powerful imaginative resources connected to the broader discursive frame, flowing from particular visions about teaching and learning and plural beliefs about education’s means. Moreover, she focuses on how these imaginaries are inscribed into materiality, contributing to reconfiguring educational dimensions. Thus, her research project comprises two steps: an analysis of the imaginary of AI and robotics in education and then an analysis of a specific educational robotics experience in Italy, that involves bringing a social and educational physical robot and its related platform into school classrooms. While for the analysis of the imaginary she analyzed documents of a sample of EdTech companies in a mixed quantitative and qualitative method; the analysis of the robotics experience involves an analysis of the robotic platform to explore how the robot as platform enables particular kinds of agency for their users, and finally an analysis of educational practices through ethnographic approach and specifically through participant observation in the classroom experimenting the bringing of the robot.

Juliana Marques de Farias (Federal University of Pelotas, Brasil)

Experiences of injustice faced by early childhood teachers during the covid-19 pandemic

This thesis investigates the experiences of injustice faced by teachers of young children during the Covid-19 pandemic in the city of Pelotas/RS in Brazil. The research is linked to the Observatory of Basic Education: Impacts of the Pandemic on the Right to Education and the Reconfiguration of Teaching Work (Capes/BR) and it aims to understand the teachers' perceptions of the injustices experienced in their daily teaching practice during the Covid-19 pandemic. It employs a hermeneutic approach and utilizes discussion circles with teachers from the city to collect their narratives. It is guided by the following question: To what extent do the experiences of suffering that early childhood education teachers in the city of Pelotas went through during the Covid-19 pandemic reconfigure their teaching work? Drawing on the reflections of Miranda Fricker, Axel Honneth, and Nancy Fraser, the social injustices faced by these subjects during this period are analyzed. It is identified that, while teachers faced experiences of injustice in their daily work, they reconfigured their understanding and professional stance, which, to some extent, impacted the quality of the relationships they established with the children. It is understood that the image of the resilient teacher in the post/trans-pandemic period represents yet another way to subtly and violently manipulate teachers into accepting a teaching identity marked by suffering due to violence. Finally, it is concluded that these may be characterized as hermeneutical injustices experienced during the pandemic period.

Roberto Graziano (Univeristy Federico II, Naples, Italy)

Digital technologies in the fight against educational poverty, a case study: 'Il Punto Luce' in Casal di Principe

This contribution is situated within the thorny issue of digital technologies in the fight against educational poverty (Ball, S. J., & Grimaldi, E. 2022) and within the controversy that still runs through the social science debate on new technologies (Arvidsson, A, Delfanti, A 2016) animated in Italy by the seminal work of Umberto Eco (Eco, 1997). The work problematizes the double face of digitization; digital technologies represent an enormous opportunity (Aroldi, P. 2013) but also a cause of social exclusion (Bentivenga, R 2022). In an increasingly digitized society (Srnicek, N.2016), of concern is the digital divide not so much for the material sphere, but for the lack of appropriate skills and unsafe use of technologies. In addition, the Covid-19 pandemic has highlighted the lack of educational opportunities related to distance learning difficulties, which has widened inequalities by exacerbating the level of social exclusion and poverty (Nussbaum, 2001). This contribution attempts to highlight the other face of digitization, conceived as a mine of opportunities for all, which can counter educational poverty and lead to a better quality of life (Brown, 1996). The Work analyzes the effectiveness of the strategies implemented by the educational service the "Point of Light of Casal di Principe" that was activated by Save the Children in the "Illuminiamo il Futuro" campaign, a strategy to counter educational poverty aimed at breaking the vicious cycle of inequality. Among other activities, The NGO designed the USB project, which aims to support beneficiaries in the development of digital and human skills through hands-on workshops that bring them closer to the world of STEM and promote a conscious and positive use of new media. The methodological framework adopts the "theory of change" (Lumino, 2013), oriented to longitudinally monitor the sample of beneficiaries, analyze the starting situation of minors, the condition of marginality and precariousness, and then monitor any changes in the observation parameters at different stages of service implementation. For the selection of the statistical units of survey, a representative sample was adopted, a sample (by quotas) homogeneous by gender and age in a range from 6 to 17 years, taking care to include also beneficiaries who, in addition to living in a condition of widespread precariousness, also present other elements of social exclusion (disability, migration background, belonging to a multiproblem household). The survey was conducted as follows: Database analysis: (Istat), Svimez report, INPS. the IPE, context analysis, and two survey methodologies were conducted in parallel to observe changes in both the more easily measurable parameters and the more articulated and more difficult to operationalize and observe. To summarize: a questionnaire was administered to the representative sample of beneficiaries at three different observation points in time, and semi-structured interviews were conducted with service workers in the same time frame. (Corbetta,1999). The scalar techniques adopted in formulating the response options to the questions are, Lickert scales and self-anchoring scales. The analysis focused on the human and digital skill-building effects promoted by the creative use of digital technologies, educational play and experiential learning. Specifically, the results noted in the analytical research report documented the processes of change on the sample of beneficiaries. The USB project and the workshop activities conducted within the service helped develop the beneficiaries' self-awareness to strengthen positive self-awareness, self-expression and emotional awareness. Beneficiaries had to learn to manage themselves, to work in groups and relate to society. Group activities were based on strengthening empathy, human connection, respecting diversity, and 'inclusion.

Guo Jianpeng (University of Federico II, Naples, Italy)

The emergence conditions and periodic characteristics of digital public sphere in China

I am a first-year PhD student in Social Science and statistics at the University of Naples Federico II. During my time working at a local university in China, I was committed to conducting innovative research on the teaching model of core courses of the major of network and new media, making up for the resource disadvantage caused by the geographical disadvantage of Chinese local universities, improving the efficiency of talent training programs, ensuring the scientific curriculum system under the background of the National Standards of the Ministry of Education of China, and realizing the goal of application-oriented talent training.

I am currently conducting a study to establish the digital public sphere theory of China.Replacing the dichotomous terms of a simple ‘yes’ or ‘no’ in the discussion of the existence about China's public sphere. This research take digital public opinion events as units, conducts observation and discourse analysis around the Weibo platform, and combines discourse analysis of policy documents to summarizes the objective conditions for widespread and open debate in China's digital public sphere, as well as its periodic characteristics.

Alexandre da Trindade e Oliveira (Faculty of Education, University of Cambridge, United Kingdom)

Utopian Thinking in Higher Education and its Relationship with Social Movements: Reshaping Societal Roles to Build Alternative Worlds

In the post-pandemic world, the socio-political and economic landscape presents extraordinary challenges, including humanitarian crises, climate issues, escalating inequality, poverty and marginalization. How can we reimagine and reconceptualise societal frameworks to foster a more egalitarian and just society? This research advocates for the concept of “insurgent utopia”, a subset of the broader notion of “concrete utopia” elaborated by Levitas (2013) and Wright (2010). The research examines the role of public higher education institutions (HEIs) in effecting societal change, with an emphasis on their cultural and social contributions and their engagement with social movements committed to transformation. While the research delves particularly into the third mission of Brazilian universities and associated university extension activities, it proffers salient insights applicable to global academic institutions. The study builds on theoretical foundations drawing from discussions of political, humanitarian, economic and environmental crises, the roles of universities in these contexts and the potential for transition models (Escobar, 2015; Ferraro et al., 2015; Geels, 2011) to create a more equitable and sustainable society. It underscores the value of utopia as a pedagogical process and a method for exploring possibilities through an academic lens, marrying hope with education, as expounded by Bloch (1996) and advocated by Freire (2005). Methodologically, this research applies a critical realist approach, emphasising reflective science and “responsible critique” (Elder-Vass, 2022). The methodological plan employs dialogic techniques and the extended case method (Burawoy, 2009) and is committed to “research as militancy” (Shukaitis et al., 2007). The empirical research involves three ethnographic case studies in Brazil: the Federal University for Latin American Integration (UNILA), the Popular University of Social Movements (UPMS) and the Florestan Fernandes National School (ENFF). These cases exemplify the myriad interactions of universities, via the third mission of the university and beyond, with distinct social groups in fostering transitions towards alternative futures.

Fiona Gogescu (LSE Fellow, London School of Economics, UK)

A comparative perspective to exploring the relationship between processes of educational stratification and understandings of meritocracy in different European countries

Fiona’s research takes a comparative perspective to exploring the relationship between processes of educational stratification and understandings of meritocracy in different European countries. She studies this topic by using a blend of quantitative and qualitative research methods. Her article published in the Journal of European Social Policy explores the different patterns of educational stratification in European countries, adding the post-socialist countries from Central and Eastern Europe to the analysis of educational “regimes”. Comparing 25 European countries, this study distinguishes three clusters of countries which are classified into either sponsored, tournament, or contest models of stratification. The qualitative strand of her research compares the ways in which elite students from Germany and Romania understand educational success, failure, and privilege. Her work finds that the image of the successful pupil in both countries is connected with the processes of educational selection that participants had to navigate. Overall, Fiona’s doctoral thesis unravels the associations between different logics of educational stratification, the perceived fairness of educational opportunities, and understandings of merit.

Giulia Montefiore (Autonomous University of Barcelona, Spain)

School Autonomy and Accountability in the Italian school: An analysis of policy development and the use of data in schools

School Autonomy With Accountability (SAWA) policies have become globally endemic. Used to govern education systems, these policies generally make use of standardised national large-scale assessments (NLSA) to measure learning. Crucial is the role of the use of data, whose meaning and aims have evolved over time.

In Italy, the National Evaluation System assigns centrality to schools’ own analysis about data they both receive from the central administration and produce locally. However, it is unclear how much, how, why and for what purposes schools make use of large-scale assessment and other types of data.

My PhD project studies the SAWA regime in Italy with a focus on data use and has two objectives: to study the historical development – that is the dissemination, adoption and recontextualisation – of SAWA policies in Italy; and to investigate their enactment, that is in which circumstances and for whom they produce particular effects, focusing on use of data in schools.

The objective of the policy development investigation is to reconstruct the historical evolution of the Italian SAWA regime, uncovering the political mechanisms that drove it, the role of strategic actors, and the influence of contextual factors. It will also unpack the intentions and outlooks of policy makers regarding accountability in the Italian SAWA system, especially in connection with the role externally and internally provided data is supposed to play in schools, particularly in the absence of high stake.

The second part of the study investigates how processes of data use take place in schools. Alongside a quantitative study involving an existing database regarding attitudes towards data use in Italian schools, a qualitative study analyses how school organizational and political context, individual factors and different accountabilities mediate data use, and whether and how data influences pedagogical, assessment and management strategies in schools.

Qilyu Hong (LSE Fellow, London School of Economics, UK)

Education and Meritocracy in China: The Role of Degrees in the Intergenerational Transmission of Inequality

Despite the increasing social inequality and declining social mobility, Chinese people exhibit a remarkable level of acceptance and optimism in the face of glaring disparities. This is largely because they hold an unwavering belief in education-based meritocracy, believing that socioeconomic success is largely determined by merit-based selection through the educational system regardless of their background. Against this background, my research aims to assess the role of education in intergenerational transmission of inequality in modern China through rigorous quantitative analysis. The focus is to map patterns of the association of different dimensions between social origins, education, and socioeconomic destinations, using large-scale and nationally representative survey data.

Aude Wirth, Master Student, University of Strasbourg, France

Troubled school careers in French education

My research is about troubled school careers. Increasingly highlighted by the media, the issue of young people's mental health is a cause for concern. In the absence of intersectional research on this subject, this study looks at the school careers of pupils with mental health problems. It analyses the interactions between gender, disorders and social classes, all in relation to schooling. Using a qualitative approach and the life stories of 9 people concerned, this research reveals the reinforcement of systems of inequality for people living with one or more mental disorders..