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Conceptualising educational changes: A social innovation approach

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Abstract

The intention of the authors in this article is to contribute to the discussion concerning educational change by implementing the concept of social innovation. We argue that the application of the concept of social innovation makes it possible to better understand the process of implementation as well as sustainability and the social impact of educational changes. In the article, an integrated model of social innovation has been constructed and applied in conceptualising two consequent radical educational changes accompanying the post-communist changes in Estonia. As a result, the authors conclude that the concept of social innovation provides a promising framework, which facilitates the understanding and analysis of radical educational change. The social innovation approach is useful in identifying the different levels of change and assessing how deep the changes have been. However, in education systems in neo-liberal countries, where competition is one of the basic values, educational changes, even though becoming part of the everyday practices of actors, may redistribute power, rather than having an empowering effect for the majority of the main actors.

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Acknowledgments

This article has been prepared and accomplished within the research projects funded by the Estonian Research Council ‘Education Change as Social Innovation” (SF0130018s09) led by Head of the Centre of Educational Research at Tallinn University, Professor Krista Loogma and by the programme of European Structural Fund “Eduko’.

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  1. Centre of Educational Research, Tallinn University, 5 Uus Sadama, 10120, Tallinn, Estonia

    Krista Loogma, Külliki Tafel-Viia & Meril Ümarik

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  1. Krista Loogma
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Correspondence to Krista Loogma.

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Loogma, K., Tafel-Viia, K. & Ümarik, M. Conceptualising educational changes: A social innovation approach. J Educ Change 14, 283–301 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10833-012-9205-2

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