THE PERSONA DOLLS APPROACH FOR CULTURAL DIVERSITY IN EDUCATIONAL SETTINGS

Autors/ores

  • Pitsou Charikleia University of Patras, Greece
  • Pouta Aikaterini Ministry of Education Religious Affairs and Sports, Greece
  • Zoe Karanikola University of Patras, Greece

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.46827/ejes.v12i8.6122

Paraules clau:

Persona Dolls approach, diversity, preschool teachers, interviews, training

Resum

The existence of people from different cultural backgrounds is undoubtedly a reality that education should recognize and exploit for the benefit of all students. The pedagogical tool Persona Dolls can approach and optimize the concept of diversity to be treated as an element of enrichment in the educational process. The purpose of this research is to examine the contribution of the Persona Dolls Approach methodology in the management of cultural diversity by exploring the representations of eight Greek pre-school teachers on its implementation in the educational process. The qualitative method was considered appropriate for the study of this topic, and the semi-structured interview was used as a data collection tool. The survey data were processed using the method of thematic analysis. According to the results, the teachers consider the Persona Dolls Approach methodology to be an innovative and effective pedagogical tool for both teachers and students, which contributes to the effective management of cultural heterogeneity of the student population. What this research has highlighted is the need to educate and train pre-school teachers in innovative teaching methods, which in the context of a collaborative culture will promote the development of personal, social and emotional skills in children, so that they can become responsible and active citizens of the modern world.

 

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Biografies de l'autor/a

  • Pitsou Charikleia, University of Patras, Greece

    Pitsou Charikleia, PhD, specializes in Human Rights Education, with her research interests encompassing Human Rights, Rights of a Child, Active Citizenship, Applied Pedagogy, and Lifelong Learning. She is a member of the permanent Teaching Staff in the Department of Educational Sciences and Social Work at the University of Patras and is also an Adjunct Lecturer at the Hellenic Open University. She possesses over 25 years of experience in educational contexts. Her scholarly contributions include books, book chapters, and scientific articles published in Greek, English, and French. She serves as a reviewer for international and Greek academic journals. She has participated in numerous research and European programs as well as in conferences. She is an active member of various educational and scientific institutions, as well as a member of the Gender Equality and Anti-Discrimination Committee of the University of Patras. Finally, she is the coordinator for the implementation of the Child Protection Policy at the University of Patras, and a collaborator with both the Child Rights Centre at the same university and the education office of the Greek branch of UNICEF.

    Email: xpitsou@upatras.gr

  • Pouta Aikaterini, Ministry of Education Religious Affairs and Sports, Greece

    Katerina Pouta, Med, is both a pre-primary teacher and a philologist. She holds a master’s degree in education from the Hellenic Open University. With a lot of years of experience in the public pre-primary education sector, she has worked in diverse educational settings, developing practices that promote equity, cultural understanding, and social inclusion. Her academic interests focus on educational justice, diversity, and the implementation of inclusive policies within the Greek educational context.

    Email: katerinapouta@hotmail.com

  • Zoe Karanikola, University of Patras, Greece

    Dr. Zoe Karanikola holds a PHD in Educational Sciences with a focus on intercultural education, competence and policies. Her scientific interests are in the field of training, education and human resource development, as well as national and international policies, and global competence. Her scientific work includes participation in research projects, international publications and announcements in international conferences. She has been working as a tutor in the Postgraduate Program “Education Management” (Department of Management Science and Technology, University of Patras), in the Postgraduate Program “Language Education for Refugees and Migrants” (Hellenic Open University) and in the Program of the Department of Museology (University of Patras). Today, she is working at the Department of History-Archaeology of the University of Patras as a Special Education Staff Member.

    Email: zoekar@upatras.gr

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Descàrregues

Publicat

2025-07-10

Número

Vol. 12 Núm. 8 (2025)

Secció

Articles

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