The research investigated critical incidents related to social justice in the Brazilian educational context, focusing on the narratives of teacher-researchers who work in basic education and are or have been graduate students. The aim was to understand how teacher-researchers perceive and deal with situations of social injustice in their daily practices. The methodology adopted was a cartographic approach (Rolnik, 2014), with data collection based on the narratives of 40 teacher-researchers from Ceará, Piauí, Pará, Maranhão and São Paulo. Paulo Freire is the main author behind the theoretical framework, as his theory offers the perspective that pedagogy cannot ignore abundant poverty and other forms of exclusion, nor adopt a neutral position. Educators in the classroom express points of view and educational options that need to be geared towards a democratic society, according to Freire (1996), especially in an unequal country like Brazil. The thematic analysis of the narratives was guided by this framework. The results reveal the significant impact of the socio-political context on the teachers' narratives, especially in relation to social exclusion. Participants highlighted issues such as the pandemic, violence in peripheral communities, gender inequalities, exclusion due to physical characteristics and motor performance, and internal migration as factors that aggravate educational inequality. The complexity of practice is evident for teachers focused in social injustice. Although inclusive practices were mentioned, the teachers expressed indignation at the difficulty of overcoming social injustices, given the different backgrounds of the teacher-researchers and the Brazilian socio-political context. The research contributes to understanding the complexities involved in promoting social justice in education, suggesting the need for greater integration of critical pedagogical practices. The results underline the importance of preparing educators to face the challenges of exclusion and inequality, reinforcing the role of the school as a space for resistance and social transformation.

This research is contextualised by Freirean approaches to teacher education, which promote complex arrangements in the organisation of knowledge communities among teachers. Such communities are supportive of teachers’ learning by providing critique to advance socially-just teaching practices. In a previous research, we found that collaboration across different settings allowed a better understanding of the teaching complexities. However, it is uncertain how knowledge communities support and promote teachers’ democratic values and thinking towards social justice. Methodologically, we explore this uncertainty by drawing a self-study on an action research project within a Brazilian physical education teacher education (PETE) Master’s program (ProEF). Participants included teacher-researchers from different locations in the Northeast of Brazil, who were supervised by two teacher educators and co-authors of this article. In this article, the authors used vignettes of one ProEF Master’s student to discuss her own teaching and context. Through a complexity thinking lens, our objective was to analyse collaboratively her teaching intentions and dilemmas towards social justice. We found that critical incidents regarding race, gender and class evidenced intersectionalities and how the teacher embodied democratic values while coping with inequalities. The teacher was aware of the inequalities faced by her students. Despite this, her teaching lacked the full institutional support to address all emerging issues for a more equitable physical education and long term change. The teacher’s advocacy connects to the broad research project aiming to readdress democracy through engaged teaching as an alternative to neoliberal educational guidelines.

This study aims to deeply examine teachers' views on the concepts of social justice, equality and quality education in multicultural education settings. According to Banks (1993), multicultural education ensures equality in education for students from different races and social classes, allowing teachers and students to implement social justice in practice (Nieto & Bode, 2017). A qualitative research method was preferred and a phenomenological design was used. The research group consists of 6 Syrian and 6 Turkish teachers from primary level selected by purposeful sampling. A 4-question semi-structured interview form developed based on the four elements of multicultural education (Banks & Banks, 1995) was used. Teachers stated that they have similar values ​​regarding equality, social justice and quality education. They emphasized that cultural values ​​should be protected and universal cultures should be respected. Teachers stated that they apply the principles of inclusiveness and social integration, but the active participation of the school administration in integration problems is crucial in solving the problems. While Syrian teachers stated that they experience bullying among students due to racial and language differences, Turkish teachers expressed difficulties arising from lack of educational materials and language problems. Different Perspectives: As Syrian teachers have a different perspective on social justice and equality based on their experiences, Turkish teachers stated that they experience professional burnout due to communication problems stemming from language problems. The results of the study show that a comparative examination of Syrian and Turkish teachers' experiences in a broader context can contribute to improving the current situation. Such in-depth analyses to support multiculturalism in education can help develop and improve practices connecting quality teaching and equity through the way for socially just classrooms.

Social justice issues have recently gained traction as too little support is still given to those who need it. Understanding this problem is crucial for teachers’ development and, even more, for identifying and disrupting unjust practices that discriminate against certain students who do not belong to a dominant group in a given context. The theoretical basis for our study is Seligman and Csikszentmihalyi’s (2000) Positive Psychology theory, which, in its present models (e.g. PERMA, EMPATHICS) fails to explicitly account for social injustice shown through but not limited to such popular social markers as race, social class, gender, disability. We assume that it is through interactions described in authentic incidents that social (in)justices can be understood. Therefore, the aim of our study is twofold: 1) to reflect on the kinds of social-justice incidents and their content, and 2) to address the need for inclusion of social justice topics in Positive Psychology discourse. In the study, we present and reflect on the social justice-related incidents (n=30) that have been collected among higher-education international students (mostly Erasmus+ and migrants to Poland). From the provisional results, it transpires that the participants’ concerns do not originate from classrooms and curricula issues. Instead, they refer to more ‘hidden’ injustices during their staying abroad, such as language barrier, non-nativeness, or unequal access to resources. The study is important in the sense that little research has been done on minoritized students so far whereas the integration of social justice values into the Positive Psychology ethos may be innovative.

Seligman, M. E. P., & Csikszentmihalyi, M. (2000). Positive psychology: An introduction. American Psychologist, 55(1), 5–14. https://doi.org/10.1037/0003-066X.55.1.5