16

Session code: 1-3-A203

Title: European Policies Implementation in the Greek Primary School Teacher Education University Departments (PTDEs)

Contributer/s: ANDREAS VASSILOPOULOS, PANAYOTA PAPADIAMANTAKI, GEORGIOS STAMELOS

Abstract : European Policies Implementation in the Greek Primary School Teacher Education University Departments (PTDEs)

In the last few years, several initiatives of the EU have put strong normative and to a lesser extent regulative pressures on the Greek education system and had a strong effect, among other things, on primary school teachersÆ profession as well as the Greek Primary School Teacher Education University Departments (PTDEs). Additionally, since the Bologna Declaration, in 1999, Greek universities have undergone structural, organizational and curricular changes in the process of adapting to its objectives and particularly the establishment of the European Area of Higher Education (EHEA).

The report on the effect that these developments had on the PTDEs is the primary concern of this paper. Particularly, we are interested in examining the way in which PTDEs have managed to respond to the challenges posed by both the EU initiatives and the establishment of EHEA and at the same time satisfy long-standing national, social and corporate demands. Accordingly, we care to underline the present orientations of these university departments and comment on the prospect of their participation to the EHEA.

In this vein, this paper will describe the normative and regulative pressures put on the Greek universities -in particular the PTDEs- by the EU and the Bologna process. We shall then examine the difficulties in European policies implementation as a result of the different goals of the various stakeholders in the process -EU, nation state, academics. We shall discuss the strategic response of the universities/university departments adopted in the face of these pressures. Finally, from a stakeholderÆs analysis perspective we shall discuss the issue of European policies implementation and point to the conditions that would constitute a "window of opportunity" for the participation of PTDEs to the EHEA.