BTU scientist with outstanding publication in internationally renowned journal for pedagogy
In thespecial issue published by André Epp and Ralf Parade following a highly competitive peer review process,entitled "Entfremdung und Verdinglichung im Kontext von Schule und Unterricht" (Alienation and reification in the context of school and teaching), the interplay between alienation and reification is addressed. Alienation is described as a feeling of distance from oneself and the world as well as a loss of control over one's own life, while reification refers to the view that something is God- or nature-given. These concepts have so far only been dealt with marginally in the field of school theory and research, although they can provide profound insights into current social problems. The thematic focus of Epp and Parade fills this gap. The contributions by internationally renowned academics examine, among other things, how alienation and reification processes are interlinked and how these are reflected in the professionalisation processes of teachers. In other words, how the loss or lack of identification with the teaching profession produces ways of seeing and looking at things, e.g. not being able to have a supportive and funding effect on students due to certain milieu affiliations. In addition, various modes of dealing with alienation and reification in digital lessons are shown. A concluding postscript comments on the contributions to the special issue and encourages further discussion.
"The publication of a special issue in the renowned Zeitschrift für Pädagogik underlines the excellent academic work of PD Dr André Epp and demonstrates the high relevance of research at BTU Cottbus-Senftenberg in this area. The innovative approach of illuminating central concepts such as alienation and reification in the context of school and teaching not only makes valuable contributions to educational research, but also strengthens the international visibility of the BTU as a centre of science," says Prof. Dr.-Ing. Michael Hübner, Vice President for Research and Transfer at BTU Cottbus-Senftenberg.
The Journal of Education is one of the most important and renowned academic journals in the German-speaking world in the field of Education Sciences. It is the forum for educational science discussion across the breadth of the discipline and for interdisciplinary exchange with other Education Sciences.
Following on from the special issue, Epp and Parade are currently working on a proposal for the German Research Foundation (DFG), in which they will further explore the topic of alienation and reification in the context of school and teaching. In another project, Epp is working with colleagues from the Kibbutzim College of Education in Tel Aviv on the professionalisation processes of educational professionals and how virtual reality can be used for professionalisation in university teaching.