Conference Program
Overview and details of the sessions of this conference. Please select a date or location to show only sessions at that day or location. Please select a single session for detailed view (with abstracts and downloads if available).
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E.13. Democratic Practices, Expansive Learning and the Commons in Education Location: Aule di Botanica (CU028): Aula Blu2 Convenor(s): Magdalini Kolokitha (University of Thessaly, Greece); Angeliki Lazaridou (University of Thessaly, Greece) | |
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School Principals’ Disaster Preparedness Governance: From Bureaucracy to Commoning Practices University of Thessaly, Greece This paper examines the realisation of official school disaster preparedness directives through principals' practices, framed by an educational commons perspective to discuss the formulation of disaster governance in schools. Theoretically, this paper aims to contribute and develop the evolving argument related to educational commons (Pechtelidis, 2020) by focusing on the areas of disaster education and policy related realisation. Focusing on the Greek policy context, at the commencement of each academic year, all primary and secondary schools are furnished with an official directive entitled "Implementation of Civil Protection and Civil Defense Guidelines in School Units." (MofERAS, 2024) School units are thereby obligated to operationalize these guidelines, with principals charged with formulating, executing, and enacting emergency protocols addressing critical incidents, such as fires, extreme weather events, technological disasters, and Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear (CBRN) incidents. Drawing on qualitative data from eight purposively sampled principals at public primary and junior high schools in flood-affected areas (diverse by location, size, and socioeconomic profile), this study explores how they interpret, adapt, and implement national guidelines. Data from two 2.5-hour focus groups fostered discussions on policy comprehension, enactment, leadership efficacy, and support gaps, structured around four themes: policy implementation, performance, responsibility/emotions (readiness, efficiency, effectiveness), and recommendations. Inductive thematic analysis (Creswell, 2014; Bryman, 2016) revealed educational commons as a performed but not recognised practice by the school principals, refocusing the discussion from bureaucratic policy implementation and policy realisation to enacted practices based on educational commons, even though they are not recognised as such. The data highlight the shifting focus from bureaucratic compliance to emergent, collective governance in disaster preparedness governance. | |