A Socioecological Framework to Understand School Staff Perspectives on Inequality in Three Norwegian Schools

Conference: The European Conference on Language Learning (ECLL2021)
Title: A Socioecological Framework to Understand School Staff Perspectives on Inequality in Three Norwegian Schools
Stream: Learning Environments
Presentation Type: Live-Stream Presentation
Authors:
Anabel Corral Granados, University of Trondheim, Norway
Eli Smeplass, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Norway
Anna Cecilia Rapp, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Norway

Abstract:

In the Norwegian big cities, oppression of minority groups and school segregation is a result of a faulty educational system. Literature on inequality in Nordic education does not necessarily identify the gap between the conceptualisation of inequality and school staff perceptions on their role and its resistance caused by multiple factors. We are interested in addressing this challenge by exploring three purposefully selected schools located in the same city. This paper is a qualitative study including 25 in-depth interviews with school personnel on their own understanding of anti-oppressive education of children. A socio-ecological framework on education is used to analyse and connect organizational system levels around research participants. The theoretical framework focuses on social networks and belonging (Tilly, 1995, 2006) and the staff perception of their school context through the anti-oppressive education theories (Kumashiro, 2000, 2002). This paper provides a discussion of the specific challenges for Norwegian primary schools regarding inclusive education related to social and organizational factors. A high performing school staff described challenges related to a lack of sharing responsibilities, unstable leadership, an individualized working culture, and sameness as a strong normative expectation. In an urban lower status school, the community of learning shared strong communication on inclusive practices, but the leadership was under heavy pressure from their surroundings to handle severe social problems. In a suburban lower status school, a committed staff team with a strong communication network identified an established cultural understanding of how to handle inequality through assimilation and whiteness.

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