DIJALOŠKI SELF MARGINALIZOVANIH UČENIKA: KA REKONCEPTUALIZACIJI „PROTIVLJENJA” OBRAZOVANJU

Abstract

Students from marginalized cultural groups who, on average, have significantly lower educational achievements than other students, have been perceived by the teachers in various contexts as ‘not valuing’ or being ‘resistant’ to education. In this paper the issues of identity development and presumed resistance to education are simultaneously examined. Two distinctive approaches – a theory of oppositional identity and oppositional cultural frame of reference, as well as the theory of dialogical self from cultural psychology, were examined in relation to the position of the marginalized students in education. The main objectives of the paper are to: a) critically examine the assumptions of selected theories from the standpoint of internal logical consistency and from the standpoint of compatibility with available empirical data; b) suggest a partial reconceptualization of the concept of oppositional identity and oppositional cultural frame of reference by rethinking it within the framework of the dialogical self; c) examine concepts – dialogical self and oppositional identity – that have emerged in specific contexts, and their possible relevance for understanding the position of Roma students in Serbia. The results of the analysis indicate that: a) it is unlikely that marginalized students perceive academic success as a negative attribute in itself and that they do so uniformly, permanently, and independently of the current context; b) a stereotypical view of successful students that is not culturally specific may lie at the core of resistance to education; c) the phenomenon may also be connected to a correct perception of stereotypical views of one’s own group by others and a reaction to such perceptions in the form of self-fulfilling prophecies; d) the dialogical self is an optimal framework for understanding a position of marginalized students and possible resistance; e) the dialogical self is considered to be a higher mental function, mediated by artifacts and developed through semiotic mediation. Examples of dialogical relationships within dialogical self between different positions of self, as well as dialogical relationships between the self and the other, are discussed.