Denial of Students' Recognition by Teachers and School Staff (A Study on Second Year Students in Secondary School in Tehran)

Authors

1 Ph.D. student, Department of Sociology, Sociology-Cultural Policy, Kharazmi University, Tehran, Iran

2 Associate Professor, Department of Sociology, Faculty of Literature and Humanities, Kharazmi University, Tehran, Iran

3 Associate Professor, Department of Philosophy, North Tehran Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran

Abstract

Objective: The current research describes whether teachers and school staff recognize high school students in Tehran and proposes some sub-themes in which the research findings are organized. Honneth’s theory of recognition provides a framework for understanding students' lived experiences including their relationships with teachers and school staff. Methods: The current study used interpretive phenomenology and a semi-structured in-depth interview technique. The method of selecting participants (13 students) was in accordance with purposive and maximum variation sampling. Results: Three main themes were identified from the data to describe students' lived experiences: "the character of the school staff as a system", "discrimination", and "promotion of official religion-based ideology".The negative experiences that were formulated under the "promotion of official religion-based ideology" correspond to the second and, especially, the third levels of disrespect according to Honneth’s theory, and those that fall under "the character of the school staff as a system" and "discrimination" include all three levels of disrespect in his theory. Not loving, caring, and supporting students, making students feel negative, and not having empathy for them are all feelings that show the first level of disrespect, and when we are faced with forcing students to submit to a certain ideology, we are actually dealing with the denial of any plurality, and this is an instance of second-level disrespect. Finally, centralism, as well as prescribing a certain way of living/being, are both the third level of disrespect. Conclusion: The findings indicate that the recognition of students in school is distorted, and this can cause them to face problems in understanding the collective and society in general. The school can be considered as a community in which the demand for recognition is disturbed.

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Main Subjects

References

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Sociology of Social Institutions
Volume 11, Issue 23
August 2024
Pages 211-237

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