Encyclopaideia

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2023-07-02T18:37:51+02:00

Triumphs and Tribulations of Teaching Practicum Experiences: Reflections from Preservice Teachers in UAE

2023-03-10T18:48:38+01:00

The ‘Practicum-3’ preservice teachers are those who are in their 3rd year of their degree studies and have prior teaching experience. The intent of this qualitative paper is to assess the challenges experienced by the preservice teachers and the tactics used by them to manage these challenges, during their first week of teaching practice. The challenges reported herein were thematically analysed after extrapolating from the participants’ narratives and presented within the context of the Gibbs’ Reflective Cycle. Findings from this study reveal that there are several factors within and outside the control of the student teacher that affect the practicum experience. Further, the preservice teacher’s preparedness and emotional disposition significantly influence discharge of the duty. In the same vein, the mentor-mentee relations contribute a lot in making or breaking the practicum experience for student teachers in the UAE. The findings recommend further explorative assessments of the situation and necessary policy corrections in the preservice teacher education.

Supporting Resilience in Pandemic Times: Children’s Perspectives in a Primary School (Digital) Newspaper

2023-02-28T08:29:07+01:00

The case study, conducted in the fourth class of a primary school, explores emotional lives and strategies described by children in times of Covid-19. Learning, both distance and in-class, involved cooperative activities and autobiographical narration mediated through technology and compiled in a school (digital) newspaper, with the aim of supporting the children’s sense of belonging and fostering their resilience during the 2020 lockdown. Through a Grounded Theory analysis of the data ‒ texts and drawings/images collected in the newspaper ‒ 3 categories emerge (Enduring the pandemic, Adopting strategies and Experiencing a different school), which will be discussed in the light of the pandemic and suggest the need to promote resilience education in the classroom, beyond the emergency.

Doing Phenomenological Research in Hematology: The Experience and Benefits According to Researchers’ Perspective

2023-02-27T22:44:31+01:00

Doing phenomenological research entails a complex process that is only minimally published in scientific journals. What is often missing reflects how being in research calls into question the researchers themselves. Anyone who has conducted qualitative empirical research knows that personal engagement does not come at no cost; there are multiple pedagogical and professional practice gains. This article’s aim is to share the phenomenology behind phenomenology: the reflection and personal experience of doing/being in phenomenological research and the personal narrative of what this experience has meant concerning the authors' own context: health care and nursing. Taking advantage of a conducted research exploring the lived experience of family caregivers of hematological patients assisted at home, we propose considerations about the perceived epistemic and cognitive gains, the formative and personal/professional sequels of having been reflective participants of phenomenologically oriented research.

Does There Exist a Need for a ‘New’ Educational Ideal of Rationality? The Crossroads between Transhumanism and Israel Scheffler’s Conception of Critical Thinking

2023-06-27T09:02:44+02:00

This article reflects on whether today, there is a need for a ‘new’ educational ideal of rationality. To articulate that objective, a critical analysis is made of the pedagogical ideas underlying two conflicting trends: transhumanism and critical thinking. First, the distinctive identity of the transhumanist philosophical movement is examined in terms of its partial ascription to, and, given its attempts to overcome it, its renunciation of Humanism. In the face of the apparent promises and pitfalls that techno-science portends for pedagogical discourse, a distrust of reason is imminent. Contrary to such an assumption, critical thinking, as the embodiment of rationality in Israel Scheffler’s conception, illuminates the inconsistencies of scientific imperialism that conceal the moral-rational aspects of teaching. In view of the above, the discussion focuses on the relationship between theory and practice, justification and commitment, fallibility and wisdom; in short, between the moral and the rational of any educational ideal to be proposed.

“At last, Someone Asked Us Foreigners What We Think!” Speaking Up As An Exercise Of Active Citizenship: An Italian Case Study

2023-03-04T17:08:40+01:00

While the current debate highlights an increasing deficit of civic engagement, new - and often less visible - forms of “participation” are beginning to be detected, such as those implemented by citizens with migratory background living at the physical and symbolic margins of Western towns. Our study, part of the project “Abitare insieme” (Living together) in Milan’s multicultural suburbs, was developed with a dual purpose: to analyze the relationship between citizens with a migratory background, active citizenship, and their place representations/belongings; to experiment the co-construction of innovative spaces of speech for citizens, through their dialogical involvement in the research. In a framework of participatory research to enhance reflexivity and transformative practices, a survey was designed and administered. In this paper we will discuss the survey results, along with some methodological implication. The aim is to contribute to reinvent the “active citizenship” construct from a transformative, pedagogical, and intercultural perspective.

Can AI Language Models Improve Human Sciences Research? A Phenomenological Analysis and Future Directions

2023-06-21T09:55:44+02:00

The article explores the use of the “ChatGPT” artificial intelligence language model in the Human Sciences field. ChatGPT uses natural language processing techniques to imitate human language and engage in artificial conversations. While the platform has gained attention from the scientific community, opinions on its usage are divided. The article presents some conversations with ChatGPT to examine ethical, relational and linguistic issues related to human-computer interaction (HCI) and assess its potential for Human Sciences research. The interaction with the platform recalls the “uncanny valley” phenomenon still known to Social Robotics. While ChatGPT can be beneficial, it requires proper supervision and verification of its results. Furthermore, new research methods must be developed for qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods.