ELEFTHERIA ARGIROPOULOU | Foundation for Research and Technology - Hellas (original) (raw)

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Papers by ELEFTHERIA ARGIROPOULOU

ECPS - Educational, Cultural and Psychological Studies, 2015

In terms of organizational structure, educational systems are closely related to the administrati... more In terms of organizational structure, educational systems are closely related to the administrative systems of their respective countries. Looking at Southern European countries (and namely Spain, Italy, Portugal, Greece and, to a lesser degree, France) from a comparativist stance, one can see a number of common elements characterizing their administrative systems. Their main common feature is the lack of decentralization in educational decisionmaking, a fact that makes them rank very low in OECD assessments. This paper attempts to identify the reasons and factors that led Southern European countries to this position by examining their laws and their administrative and educational system peculiarities. The type of legal system and type of state in Southern Europe offer an alternative analysis platform when researching the similarities and differences of educational systems. This comparativist view opens up a broad research field: it can support networking and help exchange ideas on policy and practices with a view to improving education and the future of our children.

international Journal of Ethics Education , 2020

Existing literature indicates that the moral complexities of teachers' daily routine have not bee... more Existing literature indicates that the moral complexities of teachers' daily routine have not been searched enough. Robust knowledge on the way teachers apply ethics in their classrooms and schools is also limited. The purpose of this paper is to challenge teachers' honesty and ethical judgment, as it explores teachers' lying as a response to critical incidents in schools. Mixed methodology has been used to analyze data from 524 Primary and Secondary teachers. The results indicate that only half of the participants choose to use little conventional lies ["white" lies] in critical situations. They choose to do so for "good reasons", to protect their students or to cover for colleagues. The study contributes to existing research on ethical knowledge and sensitivity and the moral dimensions of teaching and stresses the practical need for continuous training on ethical sensitivity and the attainment of ethical knowledge when coping with critical incidents and arising dilemmas.

International Studies in Educational Administration Volume 49, No. 1,, 2021

Abstract: This research focuses on the problems and challenges 38 primary and secondary principal... more Abstract: This research focuses on the problems and challenges 38 primary and secondary principals in Greek schools had to deal with during the COVID-19 lockdown. By employing qualitative methodology (semi-structured phone interviews), we sought to explore participants’ lived experiences of their leadership of their schools while implementing online teaching, their readiness to cope with solely digital coordination, their assessment of the process and their reflection towards a second period of lockdown. Our sample of 38 principals came from urban areas of Athens and Piraeus, where social distancing restrictions were more austere than in any other part of the country. Data were collected during the school closure period in Greece from 13th March to the end of May 2020. It was found that school leaders had to cope with multiple managerial and emotional problems demanding immediate solutions. Their workload increased due to technical/infrastructure deficiencies and the need to communicate daily with school community members (teachers, students, parents) to provide guidance and psychological support. A new aspect of school leadership emerged, based on human interaction, less control, extended use of emotional intelligence and the need to tackle ethical aspects of teaching and learning, in an attempt to keep schooling and move on together.

International Studies in Educational Administration Journal of the Commonwealth Council for Educational Administration & Management, 2021

This research focuses on the problems and challenges 38 primary and secondary principals in Greek... more This research focuses on the problems and challenges 38 primary and secondary principals in Greek schools had to deal with during the COVID-19 lockdown. By employing qualitative methodology (semi-structured phone interviews), we sought to explore participants’ lived experiences of their leadership of their schools while implementing online teaching, their readiness to cope with solely digital coordination, their assessment of the process and their reflection towards a second period of lockdown. Our sample of 38 principals came from urban areas of Athens and Piraeus, where social distancing restrictions were more austere than in any other part of the country. Data were collected during the school closure period in Greece from 13th March to the end of May 2020. It was found that school leaders had to cope with multiple managerial and emotional problems demanding immediate solutions. Their workload increased due to technical/infrastructure deficiencies and the need to communicate daily with school community members (teachers, students, parents) to provide guidance and psychological support. A new aspect of school leadership emerged, based on human interaction, less control, extended use of emotional intelligence and the need to tackle ethical aspects of teaching and learning, in an attempt to keep schooling and move on together.

CESE XXIV INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE 2010, UPSALLA, SWEDEN

Vocational Education, both Secondary and Post-Secondary, has gained great importance in the educa... more Vocational Education, both Secondary and Post-Secondary, has gained great importance in the educational agenda of every European country in the post-fordism era. Its significant role is closely related to the returns provided by the employment of a well prepared working force to the economy of each country. Upgrading Vocational Education seems to be one of the major targets of the European Union for the period 2010-2015.
This paper first examines how the Secondary Vocational Education is organized in Greece, what beliefs and aims lie behind its organization and whether major concepts in vocational curricula help the students’ transition from school to work or to Higher Vocational Education. Then, it compares and contrasts the Greek Secondary Vocational Education with two other European countries models, those of Sweden and France. The main criteria used in this comparison are: a/ whether and /or to what degree the structure of Secondary Vocational Education in Greece is viewed as a “safety net” enhancing students’ chances of finding profitable jobs as skilled workers or as a “mechanism of social reproduction”, thus diverting students of working-class origin from Higher [academic] Education and professions associated with it, b/ whether and/or to what degree the Greek educational system can be characterized as strictly “stratified”, based on the capability of inter-track mobility between general and vocational education. The purpose of this paper is to contribute to further understanding of the structure of Vocational Education systems and to the current discussion of upgrading the Secondary Vocational Education in Greece through the paradigm of other European Vocational Education systems.
KEY WORDS: Upper Secondary Vocational Education, vocational curricula, Greece, Sweden, France

ECPS - Educational, Cultural and Psychological Studies, 2015

In terms of organizational structure, educational systems are closely related to the administrati... more In terms of organizational structure, educational systems are closely related to the administrative systems of their respective countries. Looking at Southern European countries (and namely Spain, Italy, Portugal, Greece and, to a lesser degree, France) from a comparativist stance, one can see a number of common elements characterizing their administrative systems. Their main common feature is the lack of decentralization in educational decisionmaking, a fact that makes them rank very low in OECD assessments. This paper attempts to identify the reasons and factors that led Southern European countries to this position by examining their laws and their administrative and educational system peculiarities. The type of legal system and type of state in Southern Europe offer an alternative analysis platform when researching the similarities and differences of educational systems. This comparativist view opens up a broad research field: it can support networking and help exchange ideas on policy and practices with a view to improving education and the future of our children.

international Journal of Ethics Education , 2020

Existing literature indicates that the moral complexities of teachers' daily routine have not bee... more Existing literature indicates that the moral complexities of teachers' daily routine have not been searched enough. Robust knowledge on the way teachers apply ethics in their classrooms and schools is also limited. The purpose of this paper is to challenge teachers' honesty and ethical judgment, as it explores teachers' lying as a response to critical incidents in schools. Mixed methodology has been used to analyze data from 524 Primary and Secondary teachers. The results indicate that only half of the participants choose to use little conventional lies ["white" lies] in critical situations. They choose to do so for "good reasons", to protect their students or to cover for colleagues. The study contributes to existing research on ethical knowledge and sensitivity and the moral dimensions of teaching and stresses the practical need for continuous training on ethical sensitivity and the attainment of ethical knowledge when coping with critical incidents and arising dilemmas.

International Studies in Educational Administration Volume 49, No. 1,, 2021

Abstract: This research focuses on the problems and challenges 38 primary and secondary principal... more Abstract: This research focuses on the problems and challenges 38 primary and secondary principals in Greek schools had to deal with during the COVID-19 lockdown. By employing qualitative methodology (semi-structured phone interviews), we sought to explore participants’ lived experiences of their leadership of their schools while implementing online teaching, their readiness to cope with solely digital coordination, their assessment of the process and their reflection towards a second period of lockdown. Our sample of 38 principals came from urban areas of Athens and Piraeus, where social distancing restrictions were more austere than in any other part of the country. Data were collected during the school closure period in Greece from 13th March to the end of May 2020. It was found that school leaders had to cope with multiple managerial and emotional problems demanding immediate solutions. Their workload increased due to technical/infrastructure deficiencies and the need to communicate daily with school community members (teachers, students, parents) to provide guidance and psychological support. A new aspect of school leadership emerged, based on human interaction, less control, extended use of emotional intelligence and the need to tackle ethical aspects of teaching and learning, in an attempt to keep schooling and move on together.

International Studies in Educational Administration Journal of the Commonwealth Council for Educational Administration & Management, 2021

This research focuses on the problems and challenges 38 primary and secondary principals in Greek... more This research focuses on the problems and challenges 38 primary and secondary principals in Greek schools had to deal with during the COVID-19 lockdown. By employing qualitative methodology (semi-structured phone interviews), we sought to explore participants’ lived experiences of their leadership of their schools while implementing online teaching, their readiness to cope with solely digital coordination, their assessment of the process and their reflection towards a second period of lockdown. Our sample of 38 principals came from urban areas of Athens and Piraeus, where social distancing restrictions were more austere than in any other part of the country. Data were collected during the school closure period in Greece from 13th March to the end of May 2020. It was found that school leaders had to cope with multiple managerial and emotional problems demanding immediate solutions. Their workload increased due to technical/infrastructure deficiencies and the need to communicate daily with school community members (teachers, students, parents) to provide guidance and psychological support. A new aspect of school leadership emerged, based on human interaction, less control, extended use of emotional intelligence and the need to tackle ethical aspects of teaching and learning, in an attempt to keep schooling and move on together.

CESE XXIV INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE 2010, UPSALLA, SWEDEN

Vocational Education, both Secondary and Post-Secondary, has gained great importance in the educa... more Vocational Education, both Secondary and Post-Secondary, has gained great importance in the educational agenda of every European country in the post-fordism era. Its significant role is closely related to the returns provided by the employment of a well prepared working force to the economy of each country. Upgrading Vocational Education seems to be one of the major targets of the European Union for the period 2010-2015.
This paper first examines how the Secondary Vocational Education is organized in Greece, what beliefs and aims lie behind its organization and whether major concepts in vocational curricula help the students’ transition from school to work or to Higher Vocational Education. Then, it compares and contrasts the Greek Secondary Vocational Education with two other European countries models, those of Sweden and France. The main criteria used in this comparison are: a/ whether and /or to what degree the structure of Secondary Vocational Education in Greece is viewed as a “safety net” enhancing students’ chances of finding profitable jobs as skilled workers or as a “mechanism of social reproduction”, thus diverting students of working-class origin from Higher [academic] Education and professions associated with it, b/ whether and/or to what degree the Greek educational system can be characterized as strictly “stratified”, based on the capability of inter-track mobility between general and vocational education. The purpose of this paper is to contribute to further understanding of the structure of Vocational Education systems and to the current discussion of upgrading the Secondary Vocational Education in Greece through the paradigm of other European Vocational Education systems.
KEY WORDS: Upper Secondary Vocational Education, vocational curricula, Greece, Sweden, France