Reformulating the institutionalised role of being a student teacher through playful approaches to learning - A design-based research study of student teachers embodied playful presence in learning situations

Ph.d.-thesis by Vici Daphne Händel

Research question: How can playful approaches to learning framed by physically active and technology-integrated activities challenge the institutionalised role of being a student teacher and contribute to the student teachers embodied playful presence in learning situations?

This PhD study investigated how playful approaches to learning framed by physically active and technology-integrated activities can challenge the institutionalised role of being a student teacher and contribute to the student teachers embodied playful presence in learning situations. A design-based research approach was used to guide a pilot design and two subsequent iterations. The theoretical framework was based on the notion of play in adulthood, playfulness, situational constrains, modes of positioning and embodied presence. A situational analysis and postphenomenological approach were used to identify the student teachers embodied playful presence. The study elucidated the complexity of realising playful approaches to learning in teacher education. The enactment of seven design principles challenged student teachers' previous agency in teacher education as students and created a diverse approach to practicing the design principles as they conflicted with their institutionalized role. By facing several situational constraints, such as being in an experimental situation, participating in an unfamiliar learning space, and practicing a new teaching subject, the study revealed the students' different attitudes towards playful presence in the learning activities in terms of resistance, curiosity, engagement and non-engagement.