Building relationships among students and their wider community may encourage participation and i... more Building relationships among students and their wider community may encourage participation and impact student learning. This study describes the implementation of a three-month model project in Museum Education in a primary school in a rural province of Crete. Observational data of students (N = 11) and their parents (10 fathers and 10 mothers) focuses on: a) what extent students with different educational needs acquired new educational and interpersonal experiences by the investigation of the historical, cultural habits and customs of contemporary children and the children of Minoan civilization, and b) examining the notion of parents’ participation in their children's educational and social school activities. It is indicated that the whole process encouraged student participation in class activities, achieved a more comfortable classroom environment, promoted collaboration with peers, their teacher and museum-educators and created a sense of community. Due to the children’s m...
Education by an authorized administrator of CORE Scholar. For more information, please contact co... more Education by an authorized administrator of CORE Scholar. For more information, please contact [email protected].
Recognizing that schools have become the universal location where young people are learning about... more Recognizing that schools have become the universal location where young people are learning about the Internet in a safe and responsible manner and are also an important conduit of information for parents- many of whom are not as technically literate as their children, this research investigates: a) teachers' and parents’ education about the safe and responsible use of the Internet by elementary students, b) the differences in parents’ and teachers’ attitudes towards the students’ use of the Internet in the family home and at school and, c) the kind of issues or concerns that emerge between parents and teachers as an acknowledgment of the web based technologies importance in the students’ day-to-day social and educational activities. Interviews by 230 teachers and 1289 parents in 36 elementary schools in urban and rural provinces of Crete demonstrate that technologically sophisticated parents expressed more concern over their children’s negative consequences of the Internet use ...
International Journal of Inclusive Education, 2018
Based on the theory of inclusion, the present 3-year pilot program (2013-2016) deals with narrati... more Based on the theory of inclusion, the present 3-year pilot program (2013-2016) deals with narrative speech, role-play and creative writing as a useful tool to build resilience in primary school students with and without SEN in the mainstream classroom. The specific aim of the program was to help students develop a series of fundamental psychosocial skills, such as a positive sense of inner-self and self-awareness, the ability to cooperate and relate to the others by familiarizing with them in recognizing and expressing the basic emotions of joy, sadness, fear and anger. Under the systematic cooperation among the general education teacher, the special education teacher and the rest of the teaching staff-the concept was to involve the maximum of the school teachers in order to create a Community of Practice, Collaboration, Sharing Learning and Action. Using an action-based research approach including notes, observation and video analysis of the activities, interactions and attitudes towards the program, the data from the present work allowed the participating students to demonstrate a range of socio-emotional skills, including those necessary for self-awareness, respect to others, critical and creative thinking. Similarly, the 5 teachers (drama teacher, art teacher, the teachers of general and special education and the school director) involved in the project in each class, built positive relations with their students and the rest of the teachers as well, whom they encouraged to participate in various collaborative tasks through similar programs.
The basic tenets of the "inclusive paradigm" in relation to pupils with Special Educational Needs... more The basic tenets of the "inclusive paradigm" in relation to pupils with Special Educational Needs are presented and analyzed in the first section of this paper. Also the findings from recent studies in Greece and Hungary referring to the perceptions of teachers regarding the possibilities of full inclusion of these students in mainstream schools are presented and discussed. Based on these data, at the final section of this paper, we also discuss the likelihood of building and "implementing" an innovative inclusive paradigm in mainstream school system, based on teachers' needs, and the demands and challenges of contemporary social and educational reality. 1 Kourkoutas et al.: Limits and Perspectives for the Promotion of the Inclusive Cultur
This paper presents an action research program (note 1) which was designed to support parents and... more This paper presents an action research program (note 1) which was designed to support parents and primary school teachers, with the mediation of school professionals in order to enable them facilitate the school inclusion of at risk students or those with special educational needs. The aims, the organization process, and the implementation of the program, as well as its theoretical and practical aspects/components, are presented. Resilience and inclusive education are the key theoretical frameworks informing this paper. These both advocate parent-teacher-professional partnerships to promote a "holding school environment" and support children with difficulties to avoid exclusion. An action research methodology was chosen in order to set up this program with the aim of enabling teachers and parents to be more "resilient" and "inclusive" towards children with special difficulties. The evaluation of the program showed that teachers and parents viewed this model of intervention very positively and gained significant knowledge of practices related to their respective role.
Journal of Infant, Child, and Adolescent Psychotherapy, 2015
This article synthesizes the long-lasting counseling process of a family with a child suffering f... more This article synthesizes the long-lasting counseling process of a family with a child suffering from a chronic illness. The provided intervention model draws on a series of principles from various theoretical approaches, namely systemic, psychodynamic, and resiliency. Family functioning and support is considered a catalytic parameter in assisting children with disabilities to fully develop their potential. This project is based on a family and child-centered integrative counseling model adopting the nonmedical conception of disability. Through the presentation of a case study of a couple who faced a critical situation in the life of their child, this article briefly describes the way the family dynamics were readdressed through this intervention counseling model. In addition, this work attempts to give a picture of the complex and confusing emotional states parents may go through when dealing with physical and psychological health-threatening situations and present guidelines for integrated counseling models. Childhood chronic illnesses (CI) may be a source of difficulty to manage emotions and may create a series of practical problems for both the parents and the child. They can also cause a number of specifics limitations that have varying degrees of impact on the child and subsequently the whole family's psychosocial functioning (Dempsey, 2008). Specific medical symptoms and secondary physical or psychosocial problems arise from different conditions, varying in intensity and the need for treatment (Kourkoutas, Georgiadi, & Plexousakis, 2010). Differences in the way the child and its family experience the CI depend on the age the symptoms manifest, the developmental period of the child, the type and extent of medical support needed, the degree of health and life-threatening risk, how noticeable the impairment/disability is, the parents' personality or psychic organization, the family structure and couple's life, and
A great deal of attention is now being paid to issues raised by child abuse. Recent reports, enqu... more A great deal of attention is now being paid to issues raised by child abuse. Recent reports, enquiries and relevant agencies have all recognized the important role played by teachers in aiding the detection and prevention of child abuse, due to their close everyday contact with children. The result of the ideas presented in the present work was initiated by a Focus group of 12 re-educated teachers at the University of Crete, who met five times in order to review and examine: a) their attitudes concerning possible child abuse incidents within the school settings, and b) the type of teachers' involvement in assessing and intervening with abused children and their families. Finally, the participation of a second group of 6 re-educated elementary teachers in the last meeting provided the opportunity of comparing feelings and attitudes between the 2 groups concerning child protection training programs and made recommendations for ways gaps could be filled in the future. The present work concluded that teachers who do recognize abuse do so intuitively, for there is little or no initial advice during the training of teachers to help them develop such diagnostic skills. Nor is there training to help teachers take things further after the initial diagnosis.
With the aim to advance our understanding regarding the role of the extended family interactional... more With the aim to advance our understanding regarding the role of the extended family interactional context for early mother-infant communication, we compared spontaneous early imitative exchanges in dyadic interactions between mothers and infants (Group 1, N = 26) who had no frequent contact with maternal grandmothers, to imitations in two familial subgroups (Group 2, N = 48): (a) dyadic interactions of infants with their mothers, and (b) with their grandmothers-persons who had frequent contact with the infant. Spontaneous dyadic interactions of infants with their mothers and grandmothers were video-recorded at home from the 2nd to the 10th month of their life. Both comparisons provided evidence of similar frequency of imitative exchanges and developmental trajectories of infant imitations, but also differences in the structure of imitation, the kinds of imitated behaviors and the temporal patterns of imitative components. In the frame of the theory of Innate Intersubjectivity, we assume that differential early family interaction may be related to variations in three fundamental dimensions of infant-significant other communication: "kinematics" (temporal patterns), "physiognomics" (spatial patterns or forms) and "energetics" (force or effort). These variations may affect the child's ability for regulation and negotiation of interpersonal challenges within and outside the family context.
The International Journal of Aging and Human Development, 2013
The aim of this longitudinal and naturalistic study was to compare aspects of imitative exchanges... more The aim of this longitudinal and naturalistic study was to compare aspects of imitative exchanges in dyadic grandmother-infant and mother-infant interactions. Sixteen Cretan Greek infants were video-recorded in the course of spontaneous dyadic interactions with maternal grandmothers or with mothers at home from the 2nd to the 10th month of their life ( N = 48). The present study provides evidence that in interaction between grandmothers and infant grandchildren and between mothers and infants, there is similarity in the frequency, the structure, the direction of imitation, the kind of imitated acts, and the temporal patterns of the components of imitation. Infants' age was found to affect the developmental curve of grandmothers‘, but not mothers’, imitative behavior. In the frame of the theory of innate intersubjectivity, we assume that similarity in these aspects of imitation may be related to invariant fundamental dimensions of Significant Other-infant communication (“kinemati...
The introduction of the Internet at schools has raised new pedagogical challenges facing educator... more The introduction of the Internet at schools has raised new pedagogical challenges facing educators trying to ensure children's awareness of the possible dangers when surfing the Web. This article aims to investigate how teachers evaluate the possible dangers that students might face when surfing the Net for various educational or interpersonal purposes, and the teachers' technological skills in terms of their ability to promote Internet safety awareness when supervising elementary students surfing the Web within the school premises. Using questionnaire surveys from 179 teachers in Greece, the present data showed that teachers who tended to incorporate technology in their everyday personal or professional habits were found to be more effective in promoting Internet safety issues in class such as discussions with students or teaching children moral behaviours when navigating the Net than their less technology enthusiastic colleagues. The current work strongly recommends the importance of a more systematic promotion of Internet safety awareness in primary schools as most Greek teachers seem to luck the basic pedagogical skills for exploring Cyberspace alongside their students, and giving worldly guidance and wisdom screen-by-screen.
As schools are increasingly encouraging students to use the Internet and web-based technology at ... more As schools are increasingly encouraging students to use the Internet and web-based technology at home and in the classroom, concerns among some parents have increased. Today's parents have learned about computers as adults and did not receive guided participation as children either from their parents or from their teachers. The essence of this paper is twofold: (a) to investigate how parents view their children's opportunity to acquire new educational and interpersonal experiences from the introduction of collaborative learning activities by distance via videoconferencing in school settings and (b) to examine the differences in parents' attitudes to the use of the Internet and web based technologies by elementary students in the family home as an acknowledgment of their importance in their children's day-today social and educational activities, in two developing but still traditional European countries. Using data from two groups of parents (N = 98)-one from an urban province of Crete (Rethymno) and the other from a rural province of Cyprus (Avgorou), the present paper showed that parents respond to the ''newness'' of digital collaborative learning and interpersonal activities of their children according to their level of use and perceived compatibility of the information and communication technologies.
Due to the increasing children’s use of the Internet at home and at school as well as that inappr... more Due to the increasing children’s use of the Internet at home and at school as well as that inappropriate Internet content may jeopardize their health or safety, the aim of the present study is twofold: a) to examine parents’ perceptions of the degree to which children may be exposed to negative Internet content, and b) to find out the differences in parents' attitudes to the use of the Internet by students of 4th, 5th and 6th grade, as an acknowledgment of being an important part of their children's day-to-day educational and interpersonal life. 1503 questionnaires from urban and rural provinces of Crete demonstrate that parents’ technological efficacy is strongly related to their better evaluation of the Internet hazards and their effectiveness in promoting Internet safety awareness when navigating with their children at home. Key words: Internet safety awareness, factors, parental control, primary school.
Στην παρούσα μελέτη έγινε μία προσπάθεια να καλυφθεί μέρος ενός κενού γνώσης στο χώρο της βρεφική... more Στην παρούσα μελέτη έγινε μία προσπάθεια να καλυφθεί μέρος ενός κενού γνώσης στο χώρο της βρεφικής ψυχολογίας. Πιο ειδικά μελετήσαμε την ανάπτυξη της μίμησης στις φυσικές αλληλεπιδράσεις γιαγιάς-βρέφους και μητέρας-βρέφους από τον 2° έως τον 10ο μήνα. Η ανάπτυξη της μίμησης ερευνήθηκε σε ένα δείγμα 48 υποκειμένων (16 βρέφη, 16 μητέρες και 16 μητρικές γιαγιάδες) και σε ένα άλλο δείγμα 26 υποκειμένων (13 βρέφη, 13 μητέρες). Στο δεύτερο δείγμα τα βρέφη, για διάφορους λόγους, δεν είχαν την ευκαιρία επικοινωνίας με τις μητρικές γιαγιάδες τους. Η διαχρονική, συγκριτική και νατουραλιστική αυτή μελέτη έλαβε χώρα στο Ρέθυμνο της Κρήτης. Αφού συγκρίναμε τη μίμηση στις δυάδες του πρώτου δείγματος (γιαγιάδες-βρέφη, μητέρες-βρέφη) στη συνέχεια προχωρήσαμε σε συγκρίσεις με τη μίμηση των δυάδων (μητέρες-βρέφη) του δεύτερου δείγματος. Τα τελευταία 30 χρόνια η βρεφική έρευνα χαρακτηρίζεται από ένα πλήθος μελετών επικεντρωμένων στην ανάπτυξη της επικοινωνίας μητέρας-βρέφους, από ένα πολύ μικρότερο αριθμό μελετών εστιασμένων πάνω στην ανάπτυξη της επικοινωνίας πατέρα-βρέφους, ενώ οι μελέτες πάνω στην πορεία της φυσικής επικοινωνίας γιαγιάς-βρέφους και παππού-βρέφους σπανίζουν ή απουσιάζουν. Το ίδιο ισχύει και για τις μελέτες πάνω στην ανάπτυξη της μίμησης κατά τη βρεφική ηλικία. Ίσως ήταν αναγκαίο η συστηματική αναπτυξιακή έρευνα να αρχίσει από τους γονείς και μάλιστα από τη σχέση μητέρας-βρέφους. Όμως η παρουσία των γιαγιάδων και η συχνή, άμεση ή έμμεση, εμπλοκή τους στην ανατροφή των βρεφών είναι ένα αναμφισβήτητο γεγονός, που επιδρά στην ανάπτυξη τους, έστω κι αν με το πέρασμα των δεκαετιών παρατηρούνται αλλαγές στον τρόπο επαφής προς τα εγγόνια και τα παιδιά τους. Στις μέρες μας γνωρίζουμε αρκετούς από τους παράγοντες που προάγουν ή τροχοπεδούν την επικοινωνία των παιδιών με τις γιαγιάδες και τους παππούδες τους (π.χ. ηλικία, φύλο, τάξη, αστικοποίηση, γεωγραφική απόσταση, περιβάλλον ζωής των γιαγιάδων και των παππούδων, σχέσεις μεταξύ της γιαγιάς και της μητέρας κ.τ.λ.). Η απουσία, όμως, συστηματικών, διαχρονικών, νατουραλιστικών μελετών πάνω στις σχέσεις βρέφους-γιαγιάς δεν βοηθά στη δημιουργία μίας όσο γίνεται πιο πραγματικής αναπτυξιακής εικόνας των δεσμών, των σχέσεων και των επί μέρους επικοινωνιών που δημιουργούνται μεταξύ του βρέφους και άλλων, εκτός των γονέων του, αγαπημένων προσώπων. Στόχος της παρούσας εργασίας ήταν η κάλυψη μέρους του κενού αυτής της γνώσης στις μιμητικές επικοινωνίες βρεφών-γιαγιάδων, με δείγμα από τη χώρα μας. Στο βαθμό που γνωρίζουμε, στη διεθνή και την ελληνική βιβλιογραφία δεν υπάρχει μελέτη που να συγκρίνει την ανάπτυξη της μίμησης, ως επικοινωνιακού μέσου, στις φυσικές αλληλεπιδράσεις του βρέφους με τη γιαγιά και τη μητέρα. Οι περισσότερες πρόσφατες μελέτες έχουν ερευνήσει την εκδήλωση της μιμητικής συμπεριφοράς στο εργαστήριο ή στη φυσική επικοινωνία μητέρας-βρέφους (βλ. Kugiumutzakis,1993), ελάχιστες στη φυσική επικοινωνία πατέρα-βρέφους (βλ. Kokkinaki, 1998) και καμιά στη φυσική επικοινωνία γιαγιάς-βρέφους. Παρά τις μικρές διαφορές που παρατηρήσαμε, τα αποτελέσματα επιβεβαίωσαν τη βασική μας υπόθεση, ότι, δηλαδή, όχι μόνο η μητέρα και ο πατέρας, αλλά και η μητρική γιαγιά είναι εξίσου καλή επικοινωνιακή σύντροφος, όταν αλληλεπιδρά, μέσω μίμησης, με το εγγόνι της από τον 2ο έως τον 10ο μήνα. Η Διατριβή χωρίζεται σε δύο κύρια μέρη, στο Θεωρητικό και το Εμπειρικό. Στο Θεωρητικό μέρος περιγράφονται ευρήματα και θεωρίες για το ρόλο της γιαγιάς και του παππού στην ανάπτυξη των παιδιών στις παραδοσιακές και τις σύγχρονες οικογένειες και κοινωνίες (Κεφ. 1). Στο επόμενο κεφάλαιο (Κεφ. 2) περιγράφονται οι βασικές ψυχολογικές θεωρίες για την ανάπτυξη της μίμησης κατά τη βρεφική ηλικία καθώς και τα σχετικά ερευνητικά ευρήματα για την ανάπτυξη της μίμησης στις φυσικές επικοινωνίες των βρεφών με τις μητέρες και τους πατέρες τους. Στο Εμπειρικό Μέρος περιγράφεται η πιλοτική μελέτη, η κύρια μελέτη, το δείγμα, ο τρόπος μικρο-ανάλυσης και στατιστικής ανάλυσης των δεδομένων (Κεφ. 3). Στο επόμενο κεφάλαιο (Κεφ. 4) περιγράφονται τα αποτελέσματα των αναλύσεων και στη συνέχεια (Κεφ. 5) γίνεται η συζήτηση των αποτελεσμάτων και προτάσεις για τη συνέχιση της έρευνας. Ακολουθεί το Παράρτημα και η Διατριβή τελειώνει με τη Βιβλιογραφία
Based on the theory of inclusion, the present 3-year pilot program (2013–2016) deals with narrati... more Based on the theory of inclusion, the present 3-year pilot program (2013–2016) deals with narrative speech, role play and creative writing as a useful tool to build resilience in primary school students with and without Special Educational Needs (SEN) in the mainstream classroom. The specific aim of the program was to help students develop a series of fundamental psychosocial skills, such as a positive sense of inner self and the ability to cooperate and relate to others by familiarising with them in recognising and expressing the basic emotions of joy, sadness, fear and anger. Under the systematic cooperation among the general education teacher, the special education teacher and the rest of the teaching staff, the concept was to involve the maximum of the school teachers in order to create a Community of Practice, Collaboration, Sharing Learning and Action. Using an action-based research approach, the data from the present work allowed the participating students to demonstrate a ra...
Building relationships among students and their wider community may encourage participation and i... more Building relationships among students and their wider community may encourage participation and impact student learning. This study describes the implementation of a three-month model project in Museum Education in a primary school in a rural province of Crete. Observational data of students (N = 11) and their parents (10 fathers and 10 mothers) focuses on: a) what extent students with different educational needs acquired new educational and interpersonal experiences by the investigation of the historical, cultural habits and customs of contemporary children and the children of Minoan civilization, and b) examining the notion of parents’ participation in their children's educational and social school activities. It is indicated that the whole process encouraged student participation in class activities, achieved a more comfortable classroom environment, promoted collaboration with peers, their teacher and museum-educators and created a sense of community. Due to the children’s m...
Education by an authorized administrator of CORE Scholar. For more information, please contact co... more Education by an authorized administrator of CORE Scholar. For more information, please contact [email protected].
Recognizing that schools have become the universal location where young people are learning about... more Recognizing that schools have become the universal location where young people are learning about the Internet in a safe and responsible manner and are also an important conduit of information for parents- many of whom are not as technically literate as their children, this research investigates: a) teachers' and parents’ education about the safe and responsible use of the Internet by elementary students, b) the differences in parents’ and teachers’ attitudes towards the students’ use of the Internet in the family home and at school and, c) the kind of issues or concerns that emerge between parents and teachers as an acknowledgment of the web based technologies importance in the students’ day-to-day social and educational activities. Interviews by 230 teachers and 1289 parents in 36 elementary schools in urban and rural provinces of Crete demonstrate that technologically sophisticated parents expressed more concern over their children’s negative consequences of the Internet use ...
International Journal of Inclusive Education, 2018
Based on the theory of inclusion, the present 3-year pilot program (2013-2016) deals with narrati... more Based on the theory of inclusion, the present 3-year pilot program (2013-2016) deals with narrative speech, role-play and creative writing as a useful tool to build resilience in primary school students with and without SEN in the mainstream classroom. The specific aim of the program was to help students develop a series of fundamental psychosocial skills, such as a positive sense of inner-self and self-awareness, the ability to cooperate and relate to the others by familiarizing with them in recognizing and expressing the basic emotions of joy, sadness, fear and anger. Under the systematic cooperation among the general education teacher, the special education teacher and the rest of the teaching staff-the concept was to involve the maximum of the school teachers in order to create a Community of Practice, Collaboration, Sharing Learning and Action. Using an action-based research approach including notes, observation and video analysis of the activities, interactions and attitudes towards the program, the data from the present work allowed the participating students to demonstrate a range of socio-emotional skills, including those necessary for self-awareness, respect to others, critical and creative thinking. Similarly, the 5 teachers (drama teacher, art teacher, the teachers of general and special education and the school director) involved in the project in each class, built positive relations with their students and the rest of the teachers as well, whom they encouraged to participate in various collaborative tasks through similar programs.
The basic tenets of the "inclusive paradigm" in relation to pupils with Special Educational Needs... more The basic tenets of the "inclusive paradigm" in relation to pupils with Special Educational Needs are presented and analyzed in the first section of this paper. Also the findings from recent studies in Greece and Hungary referring to the perceptions of teachers regarding the possibilities of full inclusion of these students in mainstream schools are presented and discussed. Based on these data, at the final section of this paper, we also discuss the likelihood of building and "implementing" an innovative inclusive paradigm in mainstream school system, based on teachers' needs, and the demands and challenges of contemporary social and educational reality. 1 Kourkoutas et al.: Limits and Perspectives for the Promotion of the Inclusive Cultur
This paper presents an action research program (note 1) which was designed to support parents and... more This paper presents an action research program (note 1) which was designed to support parents and primary school teachers, with the mediation of school professionals in order to enable them facilitate the school inclusion of at risk students or those with special educational needs. The aims, the organization process, and the implementation of the program, as well as its theoretical and practical aspects/components, are presented. Resilience and inclusive education are the key theoretical frameworks informing this paper. These both advocate parent-teacher-professional partnerships to promote a "holding school environment" and support children with difficulties to avoid exclusion. An action research methodology was chosen in order to set up this program with the aim of enabling teachers and parents to be more "resilient" and "inclusive" towards children with special difficulties. The evaluation of the program showed that teachers and parents viewed this model of intervention very positively and gained significant knowledge of practices related to their respective role.
Journal of Infant, Child, and Adolescent Psychotherapy, 2015
This article synthesizes the long-lasting counseling process of a family with a child suffering f... more This article synthesizes the long-lasting counseling process of a family with a child suffering from a chronic illness. The provided intervention model draws on a series of principles from various theoretical approaches, namely systemic, psychodynamic, and resiliency. Family functioning and support is considered a catalytic parameter in assisting children with disabilities to fully develop their potential. This project is based on a family and child-centered integrative counseling model adopting the nonmedical conception of disability. Through the presentation of a case study of a couple who faced a critical situation in the life of their child, this article briefly describes the way the family dynamics were readdressed through this intervention counseling model. In addition, this work attempts to give a picture of the complex and confusing emotional states parents may go through when dealing with physical and psychological health-threatening situations and present guidelines for integrated counseling models. Childhood chronic illnesses (CI) may be a source of difficulty to manage emotions and may create a series of practical problems for both the parents and the child. They can also cause a number of specifics limitations that have varying degrees of impact on the child and subsequently the whole family's psychosocial functioning (Dempsey, 2008). Specific medical symptoms and secondary physical or psychosocial problems arise from different conditions, varying in intensity and the need for treatment (Kourkoutas, Georgiadi, & Plexousakis, 2010). Differences in the way the child and its family experience the CI depend on the age the symptoms manifest, the developmental period of the child, the type and extent of medical support needed, the degree of health and life-threatening risk, how noticeable the impairment/disability is, the parents' personality or psychic organization, the family structure and couple's life, and
A great deal of attention is now being paid to issues raised by child abuse. Recent reports, enqu... more A great deal of attention is now being paid to issues raised by child abuse. Recent reports, enquiries and relevant agencies have all recognized the important role played by teachers in aiding the detection and prevention of child abuse, due to their close everyday contact with children. The result of the ideas presented in the present work was initiated by a Focus group of 12 re-educated teachers at the University of Crete, who met five times in order to review and examine: a) their attitudes concerning possible child abuse incidents within the school settings, and b) the type of teachers' involvement in assessing and intervening with abused children and their families. Finally, the participation of a second group of 6 re-educated elementary teachers in the last meeting provided the opportunity of comparing feelings and attitudes between the 2 groups concerning child protection training programs and made recommendations for ways gaps could be filled in the future. The present work concluded that teachers who do recognize abuse do so intuitively, for there is little or no initial advice during the training of teachers to help them develop such diagnostic skills. Nor is there training to help teachers take things further after the initial diagnosis.
With the aim to advance our understanding regarding the role of the extended family interactional... more With the aim to advance our understanding regarding the role of the extended family interactional context for early mother-infant communication, we compared spontaneous early imitative exchanges in dyadic interactions between mothers and infants (Group 1, N = 26) who had no frequent contact with maternal grandmothers, to imitations in two familial subgroups (Group 2, N = 48): (a) dyadic interactions of infants with their mothers, and (b) with their grandmothers-persons who had frequent contact with the infant. Spontaneous dyadic interactions of infants with their mothers and grandmothers were video-recorded at home from the 2nd to the 10th month of their life. Both comparisons provided evidence of similar frequency of imitative exchanges and developmental trajectories of infant imitations, but also differences in the structure of imitation, the kinds of imitated behaviors and the temporal patterns of imitative components. In the frame of the theory of Innate Intersubjectivity, we assume that differential early family interaction may be related to variations in three fundamental dimensions of infant-significant other communication: "kinematics" (temporal patterns), "physiognomics" (spatial patterns or forms) and "energetics" (force or effort). These variations may affect the child's ability for regulation and negotiation of interpersonal challenges within and outside the family context.
The International Journal of Aging and Human Development, 2013
The aim of this longitudinal and naturalistic study was to compare aspects of imitative exchanges... more The aim of this longitudinal and naturalistic study was to compare aspects of imitative exchanges in dyadic grandmother-infant and mother-infant interactions. Sixteen Cretan Greek infants were video-recorded in the course of spontaneous dyadic interactions with maternal grandmothers or with mothers at home from the 2nd to the 10th month of their life ( N = 48). The present study provides evidence that in interaction between grandmothers and infant grandchildren and between mothers and infants, there is similarity in the frequency, the structure, the direction of imitation, the kind of imitated acts, and the temporal patterns of the components of imitation. Infants' age was found to affect the developmental curve of grandmothers‘, but not mothers’, imitative behavior. In the frame of the theory of innate intersubjectivity, we assume that similarity in these aspects of imitation may be related to invariant fundamental dimensions of Significant Other-infant communication (“kinemati...
The introduction of the Internet at schools has raised new pedagogical challenges facing educator... more The introduction of the Internet at schools has raised new pedagogical challenges facing educators trying to ensure children's awareness of the possible dangers when surfing the Web. This article aims to investigate how teachers evaluate the possible dangers that students might face when surfing the Net for various educational or interpersonal purposes, and the teachers' technological skills in terms of their ability to promote Internet safety awareness when supervising elementary students surfing the Web within the school premises. Using questionnaire surveys from 179 teachers in Greece, the present data showed that teachers who tended to incorporate technology in their everyday personal or professional habits were found to be more effective in promoting Internet safety issues in class such as discussions with students or teaching children moral behaviours when navigating the Net than their less technology enthusiastic colleagues. The current work strongly recommends the importance of a more systematic promotion of Internet safety awareness in primary schools as most Greek teachers seem to luck the basic pedagogical skills for exploring Cyberspace alongside their students, and giving worldly guidance and wisdom screen-by-screen.
As schools are increasingly encouraging students to use the Internet and web-based technology at ... more As schools are increasingly encouraging students to use the Internet and web-based technology at home and in the classroom, concerns among some parents have increased. Today's parents have learned about computers as adults and did not receive guided participation as children either from their parents or from their teachers. The essence of this paper is twofold: (a) to investigate how parents view their children's opportunity to acquire new educational and interpersonal experiences from the introduction of collaborative learning activities by distance via videoconferencing in school settings and (b) to examine the differences in parents' attitudes to the use of the Internet and web based technologies by elementary students in the family home as an acknowledgment of their importance in their children's day-today social and educational activities, in two developing but still traditional European countries. Using data from two groups of parents (N = 98)-one from an urban province of Crete (Rethymno) and the other from a rural province of Cyprus (Avgorou), the present paper showed that parents respond to the ''newness'' of digital collaborative learning and interpersonal activities of their children according to their level of use and perceived compatibility of the information and communication technologies.
Due to the increasing children’s use of the Internet at home and at school as well as that inappr... more Due to the increasing children’s use of the Internet at home and at school as well as that inappropriate Internet content may jeopardize their health or safety, the aim of the present study is twofold: a) to examine parents’ perceptions of the degree to which children may be exposed to negative Internet content, and b) to find out the differences in parents' attitudes to the use of the Internet by students of 4th, 5th and 6th grade, as an acknowledgment of being an important part of their children's day-to-day educational and interpersonal life. 1503 questionnaires from urban and rural provinces of Crete demonstrate that parents’ technological efficacy is strongly related to their better evaluation of the Internet hazards and their effectiveness in promoting Internet safety awareness when navigating with their children at home. Key words: Internet safety awareness, factors, parental control, primary school.
Στην παρούσα μελέτη έγινε μία προσπάθεια να καλυφθεί μέρος ενός κενού γνώσης στο χώρο της βρεφική... more Στην παρούσα μελέτη έγινε μία προσπάθεια να καλυφθεί μέρος ενός κενού γνώσης στο χώρο της βρεφικής ψυχολογίας. Πιο ειδικά μελετήσαμε την ανάπτυξη της μίμησης στις φυσικές αλληλεπιδράσεις γιαγιάς-βρέφους και μητέρας-βρέφους από τον 2° έως τον 10ο μήνα. Η ανάπτυξη της μίμησης ερευνήθηκε σε ένα δείγμα 48 υποκειμένων (16 βρέφη, 16 μητέρες και 16 μητρικές γιαγιάδες) και σε ένα άλλο δείγμα 26 υποκειμένων (13 βρέφη, 13 μητέρες). Στο δεύτερο δείγμα τα βρέφη, για διάφορους λόγους, δεν είχαν την ευκαιρία επικοινωνίας με τις μητρικές γιαγιάδες τους. Η διαχρονική, συγκριτική και νατουραλιστική αυτή μελέτη έλαβε χώρα στο Ρέθυμνο της Κρήτης. Αφού συγκρίναμε τη μίμηση στις δυάδες του πρώτου δείγματος (γιαγιάδες-βρέφη, μητέρες-βρέφη) στη συνέχεια προχωρήσαμε σε συγκρίσεις με τη μίμηση των δυάδων (μητέρες-βρέφη) του δεύτερου δείγματος. Τα τελευταία 30 χρόνια η βρεφική έρευνα χαρακτηρίζεται από ένα πλήθος μελετών επικεντρωμένων στην ανάπτυξη της επικοινωνίας μητέρας-βρέφους, από ένα πολύ μικρότερο αριθμό μελετών εστιασμένων πάνω στην ανάπτυξη της επικοινωνίας πατέρα-βρέφους, ενώ οι μελέτες πάνω στην πορεία της φυσικής επικοινωνίας γιαγιάς-βρέφους και παππού-βρέφους σπανίζουν ή απουσιάζουν. Το ίδιο ισχύει και για τις μελέτες πάνω στην ανάπτυξη της μίμησης κατά τη βρεφική ηλικία. Ίσως ήταν αναγκαίο η συστηματική αναπτυξιακή έρευνα να αρχίσει από τους γονείς και μάλιστα από τη σχέση μητέρας-βρέφους. Όμως η παρουσία των γιαγιάδων και η συχνή, άμεση ή έμμεση, εμπλοκή τους στην ανατροφή των βρεφών είναι ένα αναμφισβήτητο γεγονός, που επιδρά στην ανάπτυξη τους, έστω κι αν με το πέρασμα των δεκαετιών παρατηρούνται αλλαγές στον τρόπο επαφής προς τα εγγόνια και τα παιδιά τους. Στις μέρες μας γνωρίζουμε αρκετούς από τους παράγοντες που προάγουν ή τροχοπεδούν την επικοινωνία των παιδιών με τις γιαγιάδες και τους παππούδες τους (π.χ. ηλικία, φύλο, τάξη, αστικοποίηση, γεωγραφική απόσταση, περιβάλλον ζωής των γιαγιάδων και των παππούδων, σχέσεις μεταξύ της γιαγιάς και της μητέρας κ.τ.λ.). Η απουσία, όμως, συστηματικών, διαχρονικών, νατουραλιστικών μελετών πάνω στις σχέσεις βρέφους-γιαγιάς δεν βοηθά στη δημιουργία μίας όσο γίνεται πιο πραγματικής αναπτυξιακής εικόνας των δεσμών, των σχέσεων και των επί μέρους επικοινωνιών που δημιουργούνται μεταξύ του βρέφους και άλλων, εκτός των γονέων του, αγαπημένων προσώπων. Στόχος της παρούσας εργασίας ήταν η κάλυψη μέρους του κενού αυτής της γνώσης στις μιμητικές επικοινωνίες βρεφών-γιαγιάδων, με δείγμα από τη χώρα μας. Στο βαθμό που γνωρίζουμε, στη διεθνή και την ελληνική βιβλιογραφία δεν υπάρχει μελέτη που να συγκρίνει την ανάπτυξη της μίμησης, ως επικοινωνιακού μέσου, στις φυσικές αλληλεπιδράσεις του βρέφους με τη γιαγιά και τη μητέρα. Οι περισσότερες πρόσφατες μελέτες έχουν ερευνήσει την εκδήλωση της μιμητικής συμπεριφοράς στο εργαστήριο ή στη φυσική επικοινωνία μητέρας-βρέφους (βλ. Kugiumutzakis,1993), ελάχιστες στη φυσική επικοινωνία πατέρα-βρέφους (βλ. Kokkinaki, 1998) και καμιά στη φυσική επικοινωνία γιαγιάς-βρέφους. Παρά τις μικρές διαφορές που παρατηρήσαμε, τα αποτελέσματα επιβεβαίωσαν τη βασική μας υπόθεση, ότι, δηλαδή, όχι μόνο η μητέρα και ο πατέρας, αλλά και η μητρική γιαγιά είναι εξίσου καλή επικοινωνιακή σύντροφος, όταν αλληλεπιδρά, μέσω μίμησης, με το εγγόνι της από τον 2ο έως τον 10ο μήνα. Η Διατριβή χωρίζεται σε δύο κύρια μέρη, στο Θεωρητικό και το Εμπειρικό. Στο Θεωρητικό μέρος περιγράφονται ευρήματα και θεωρίες για το ρόλο της γιαγιάς και του παππού στην ανάπτυξη των παιδιών στις παραδοσιακές και τις σύγχρονες οικογένειες και κοινωνίες (Κεφ. 1). Στο επόμενο κεφάλαιο (Κεφ. 2) περιγράφονται οι βασικές ψυχολογικές θεωρίες για την ανάπτυξη της μίμησης κατά τη βρεφική ηλικία καθώς και τα σχετικά ερευνητικά ευρήματα για την ανάπτυξη της μίμησης στις φυσικές επικοινωνίες των βρεφών με τις μητέρες και τους πατέρες τους. Στο Εμπειρικό Μέρος περιγράφεται η πιλοτική μελέτη, η κύρια μελέτη, το δείγμα, ο τρόπος μικρο-ανάλυσης και στατιστικής ανάλυσης των δεδομένων (Κεφ. 3). Στο επόμενο κεφάλαιο (Κεφ. 4) περιγράφονται τα αποτελέσματα των αναλύσεων και στη συνέχεια (Κεφ. 5) γίνεται η συζήτηση των αποτελεσμάτων και προτάσεις για τη συνέχιση της έρευνας. Ακολουθεί το Παράρτημα και η Διατριβή τελειώνει με τη Βιβλιογραφία
Based on the theory of inclusion, the present 3-year pilot program (2013–2016) deals with narrati... more Based on the theory of inclusion, the present 3-year pilot program (2013–2016) deals with narrative speech, role play and creative writing as a useful tool to build resilience in primary school students with and without Special Educational Needs (SEN) in the mainstream classroom. The specific aim of the program was to help students develop a series of fundamental psychosocial skills, such as a positive sense of inner self and the ability to cooperate and relate to others by familiarising with them in recognising and expressing the basic emotions of joy, sadness, fear and anger. Under the systematic cooperation among the general education teacher, the special education teacher and the rest of the teaching staff, the concept was to involve the maximum of the school teachers in order to create a Community of Practice, Collaboration, Sharing Learning and Action. Using an action-based research approach, the data from the present work allowed the participating students to demonstrate a ra...
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