Dialogic Sociology of Education: schools as Learning Communities.

Author(s):

Beatriz Villarejo(submitting)Oriol Rios(presenting)Fernando Macías Aranda(presenting)

Conference:

ECER 2015

Network:

28. Sociologies of Education

Format:

Paper

Session Information

28 SES 10 A, Hierarchical and Dialogical Sociology of Educational Change

Paper Session

Time:

2015-09-10

15:30-17:00

Room:

106.Oktatóterem [C]

Chair:

Paolo Landri

Contribution

overcome social inequalities (Baudelot & Establet, 1976; Jencks et al., 1979). During the postmodernism the language of impossibility increased while the research lines focussed on the analysis of educational actions in front of power relations were discredited. Therefore, none of these aforementioned sociological approaches contribute to overcome inequalities in the school. Thus, school community started to claim for the end of this situation and seek to reach success for all.

Simultaneously, other theories on sociology of education emerged. These were sociologies with a transformative dimension aimed to overcome educational inequalities (Giroux & Flecha, 1992; Freire, 1970; Apple & Beane, 2007; Rose & Dyer, 2008, Burawoy, 2004). For instance, public sociology underlines the importance of include the debates of social movements and activism in order to analyse realities which consider people’s claims (Burawoy, 2004). It is important to note that these theories denounce power relations and, in fact, they favour the social change. Within this framework it is found the theoretical line of dialogic sociology of education (Flecha, 2011). This line is currently analyzing social and educational actions that are challenging educational inequalities aimed to provide real solutions. The theoretical basis of the dialogic sociology of education are mainly connected with the contributions realized by Freire (1970), Flecha (2011) and Habermas (1984) who emphasized people’s dialogic nature.

Research on dialogic sociology of education considers a key research question: which educational actions are successful in improving students’ academic performance and reducing social exclusion? In order to respond this question two main objectives are contemplated. The first one is addressed to identify successful educational actions (SEAs) which are evidencing the overcoming of social inequalities and the improvement of students’ results. The second objective refers to the methodological approach and is concentrated on fostering the involvement of investigators and end-users (teachers, relatives, students, etc) in the whole research process on an egalitarian basis.

An example of a research which follow the dialogic sociology of education approach was the FP6 integrated project called “INCLUD-ED: Strategies for inclusion and social cohesion in Europe from education" (2006-2011). This research, selected as one of the 10 success stories of all the Framework Programme projects of the European Commission (EC, 2011), identifies six SEAs which reduce educational exclusion as well as foster social cohesion (Apple, 2013; Flecha & Soler, 2013).

Schools as Learning Communities (Gatt, Ojala & Soler, 2011) are implementing these SEAs analyzed in INCLUD-ED that are achieving fundamental socio-cultural changes in most unprivileged neighbourhoods, and which are also improving children’s academic performance worldwide. These schools, which are based on this dialogic perspective of sociology (Flecha, 2000), consider dialogue and interactions as key elements to accelerate the students’ learning processes.

Method

The research described followed the communicative methodology (Gómez, Puigvert, & Flecha, 2011), which has been recognised by the European Commission as the most useful methodological approach to analyse the situation of vulnerable groups (EC, 2010). In this regard, the implementation of communicative methodology goes beyond other methodologies because it seeks to provide knowledge, but with the objective to be useful for social transformation. The data collection process followed in this research was through the audio and video recording of different training sessions conducted in schools of Spain, Brazil, Mexico, Peru, Colombia and Guatemala that are aimed to become Learning Communities. After that, the data analysis, which considers the premises of the communicative perspective, identified exclusionary and transformative elements of the reality explored. In other words, this means that the barriers which complicate the transferability of SEAs developed in Learning Communities to Latin-America have been deeply analysed. And on the other hand, the elements that are facilitating this transferability have been examined as well.

Expected Outcomes

The results obtained show the effectiveness of the schools as Learning Communities to improve students’ performance and reduce social inequalities. At the same time they also evidence how this dynamic is transferable to other contexts. Currently, there are around 200 schools that are applying SEAs around Europe, and these successful results have been transferred to 150 schools of Latin America. This process has been lead by the company of cosmetics NATURA, located in different countries of Latin-America, which is managing and funding the implementation of SEA around the continent. Moreover, SEAs are bringing the dreams of an important number of students closer every day in Latin-America and Europe.

References

Apple, M. W. (2013). Can Education Change Society?. New York: Routledge Apple, M. W. & Beane, J. A. (2007). Democratic schools. Lessons in powerful education. Inglaterra: NH, Heinemann. Baudelot, D. & Establet, R. (1976). L'ecole capitaliste en France. Paris: Maspero. Burawoy, M. (2005). For Public Sociology. American Sociological Review, 70 (2), 4-28. European Comission (2010, April). “Science against Poverty” conference. La granja, Madrid. Flecha, R., & Soler. M. (2013). Turning difficulties into possibilities: engaging Roma families and students in school through dialogic learning. Cambridge Journal of Education, 3(44), 0305-764X. doi: 10.1080/0305764X.2013.819068 Flecha, R. (2011). The dialogic sociology of education. International Studies in Sociology of Education, 21(1), 7 – 20. Flecha, R. (2000). Sharing Words. Lanham, M.D: Rowman & Littlefield. Freire, P. (1979). Pedagogy of the oppressed. New York: Herder and Herder. Gatt, S., Ojala, M., & Soler, M. (2011). Promoting social inclusion counting with everyone: Learning Communities and INCLUD-ED. International Studies in Sociology of Education, 21(1), 33 – 47. Giroux, H. & Flecha, R. (1992). Igualdad educativa y diferencia cultural. Barcelona: El Roure. Gómez, A., Puigvert, L. & Flecha R. (2011). Critical Communicative Methodology: Informing real social transformation through research. Qualitative Inquiry, 17(3), 235-245. Habermas, J. (1984). The theory of communication action. Boston: Beacon Press. INCLUD-ED. Strategies for inclusion and social cohesion in Europe from education (FP6, 2006-2011). Retrieved from: http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_MEMO-11-520_en.htm Jencks, C. et al. (1979). Who gets ahead?: The determinants of economic success in America. New York: Basic Books. Rose, P. & Dyer, C. (2008). Chronic poverty and education: A review of literature. Manchester: Chronic Poverty Research Centre.

Author Information

Beatriz Villarejo (submitting)

University of Barcelona

Theory and History of Education

Martorell

Oriol Rios (presenting)

Universitat Rovira i Virgili

barcelona

Fernando Macías Aranda (presenting)

University of Barcelona

Theory and History of Education

Barcelona

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