engleski

School differences in the degree to which students feel recognized by their teachers

Based on Honneth’s (1995) normative theory of recognition and Helsper’s (2008) school culture theory, the paper aims at examining differences between schools in the degree to which students feel recognized by their teachers. The paper further aims at explaining these differences with teachers' awareness of societal inequalities as one aspect of the school culture. The sample consisted of 788 students and 335 teachers from 36 primary schools from three European school systems (Croatia, Slovenia, Sweden) who participated in the Erasmus + project “HAND in HAND: Social and Emotional Skills for Tolerant and Nondiscriminative Societies (A Whole School Approach)”. Based on students’ responses to questionnaire scales measuring their experiences of recognition in schools as well as teachers’ responses to a scale measuring their awareness for societal inequalities we carried out descriptive and correlational analysis at the school level. We found significant differences within and between schools in students’ self- reported experience of recognition in schools. In some schools, teachers appear to treat students more respectful and more equal than in others. The former schools are further characterized by a higher awareness of inequalities among the teacher body. These findings suggest that critical reflection of the societal conditions framing schooling and teaching might be helpful for increasing the inclusiveness of education. Yet more research is needed to test this hypothesis.

teacher-student relations, recognition, school differences, school cultures, diversity

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