INSTALL promotes inclusive education, equity and social cohesion while preventing university drop-out of students with educational disadvantages (disadvantaged students) caused by personal, social, cultural or economic circumstances, who need support to fulfil their educational potential - Recommendation EU Parliament & Council on Key Competences for LL (2006/962)- hence exposed to social exclusion, academic underachievement and university dropout. Disadvantaged students are an increasingly important phenomenon in EU calling for more flexible tertiary education system able to promptly respond to their specific needs. Disadvantaged students are a significant group comprising students from disadvantaged parts of society, migrants/students from migrant households, women, working students, and more in general the so called "non traditional learners" (Council Conclusions on Social Dimension of Education and Training, 2010/C 135/02). Disadvantaged students have inadequate or merely sufficient educational background upon enrolment in university, inevitably undermining their ability to fully reap benefits of tertiary education and capacity to acquire key competence of Learning to Learn (L2L). INSTALL targets directly the group of disadvantaged students enrolled in the first year of university, as the first year is crucial for drop-out and underachievement phenomena, i.e. in Italy 17 to 20% of drop outs happen from the first to the second year of university. In sum, this group of students is the most exposed to university underachievement and potential drop-out. Thorough research carried out by partners shows that disadvantaged students are affected by low academic achievements in the first academic year, undermining their entire academic experience and ultimately increasing exposure to social exclusion and drop-out. The determinants of disadvantaged students are similar, if not tantamount, to those of the "non-traditional students".
Reportedly, 20 to 45% of European students are non-traditional learners (Eurostudent III 2005-08, Social & Economic Conditions of Student Life in EU, Higher Education Information System). This is confirmed by results of thorough research carried out by partners: approximately 25 to 35% of their respective academic population are underachievers exposed, to various degrees, to long term patterns of social and educational exclusion.
He students clearly indicate that L2L is crucial: FlashEUbarometer Series 260, Students and Higher Education Reform, 2009 indicates that 9 in 10 students agree that study programmes should cover L2L techniques. HE teachers and professionals agree with the need to improve L2L: 85% strongly agree/agree that "study and training programmes should encompass [..] learning to learn" (FlashEUbarometer Series 198, Perceptions of Higher Education Reforms, 2007).
The EU stresses the need to address the specific dynamics of such groups and revamp educational models and institutions accordingly. The 2010 joint progress report of Council and Commission on implementation of "Education & Training Work Programme" calls for the need to develop and implement innovative approaches to teaching and learning (2010/C,117/1). The Report highlights the need for "more efforts to support acquisition of key competences for those at risk of educational underachievement and social exclusion". Council Conclusions of May 2010 on social dimension of education and training, calls for the "promotion of specific programmes for [...] non-traditional learners".
In this context, INSTALL timely addresses those students' capacity constraints to consolidate L2L competence and prevent underperformance and social exclusion. INSTALL builds on consolidated research and operational cooperation in this area of some project partners who have investigated the field to identify key constraints and issues as well as potential solutions.
The proposal is fully aligned with the development strategies and institutional mission and functions of the partners that are universities and departments at the forefront of research on narrative mentalisation as a means to assist learning processes. the coordinator is a university department focusing on assistance to disadvantage students.INSTALL promotes acquisition of key competence of Learning to Learn (L2L) at university level by developing and implementing innovative Narrative Mediation Path (NMP) targeted at this disadvantaged group of students. The Narrative Mediation Path is based on the psychological concept of mentalisation (as the ability to understand oneself or someone else's mental state) to develop and enhance L2L. Mentalisation allows individuals to becoming aware of their, and others', mental state (thoughts, beliefs, emotions, wishes, motivations) and recognise, elaborate and modulate emotions throughout the learning process. Mentalisation is key to empower individuals to strategically use cognitive actions related to mental states (interpret, reason, anticipate, remember, codify, etc), effectively communicate and interact with others. Scientific evidence demonstrates the key role of narrating as instrumental for the mentalisation process: INSTALL will define an innovative methodology based on narration (narrative methodology) to sustain the development of a reflexive/mentalisation competence of individuals' learning experience.
INSTALL will develop, test and validate European NMPs based on narrative training methodology to develop and enhance L2L key competence; at University level L2L translates into being able to take positions on issues relating to the personal educational and professional development path, with the goal of improving skills and abilities to decide, self-orient and use resources. INSTALL aims to developing/enhancing a transversal competence to allow students to build resources in their own environment and turn capacities, knowledge and skills into competences to self-empowerment for educational and professional achievements.
The Consortium represents excellence of EU research on social and educational challenges in HE. INSTALL pools expertise required to tackle the challenge of disadvantaged students and a more responsive educational system. Partners brings in the consortium specific technical and operational experience, making INSTALL partnership uniquely poised to address the issues with a multidisciplinary approach.
SINAPSI is a multidisciplinary Academic Centre providing services to the entire University FedericoII (approx 391000 students) on active social inclusion of disadvantaged students. P1 is internationally recognised at the forefront of research and development in this field. P1 will set overall methodological and technical frames and coordinate implementation.
P2 has consolidated experience on disadvantaged and non-traditional students; is internationally recognised as a centre of excellence in this field. P5 is also at the forefront in the research about non traditional students (women, disabled students, migrants and ethnic minorities). Both P2 and P5 participate in LLP funded project RANLHE on patters and dynamics of the target group within the HE context. They bring in the consortium consolidated experience and expertise to advance research and, most importantly, develop innovative mechansims to improve L2L competence to enhance academic achievement and limit drop-out.
P3's institutional mission is to promote academic cooperation among international institutions and is a prestigious higher education institution in Romania, with extensive experience in international cooperation and projects.
Danish School of Education is research-intensive university with recognized EU leadership in research and education in pedagogy, learning and competence development, especially for disadvantaged students. P4 is committed to empirical research, surveys and documentation of educational practice and is recognized as a center of excellence in research areas relevant for INSTALL, i.e. 1)pedagogy in relation to target groups with special needs; 2)continuing development of educational theory; 3)Competence development in a Lifelong Learning perspective. From Aarhus University, the Counseling and Support Center will be the partner of INSTALL.
Consortium capitalises on partners' respective competence and expertise and maximises complementarities while minimising overlap in view of resource efficiency. All partners are involved in all WPs. All partners have greatly committed to transversal activities such as Quality Assurance, Dissemination & Exploitation, as detailed in the description of WP5, 6 and 7.
Operationally, all partners will cooperate and contribute to all research, analysis, development and testing phases and activities envisioned in the project.
SINAPSI will carry out research/development regardless of EC cofunding, but seeks support through ERASMUS to expand scale and scope of the concept at EU level.
The proposal builds upon a comprehensive and thorough investigation of the field that confirms how at present there are no models nor learning processes as proposed by INSTALL: the Narrative Mediation Path (NMP) that hinges on the psychological concept of mentalisation - as the ability to understand oneself -or someone else's- mental state. The NMP uses narration as key facilitator of mediation. INSTALL innovation is twofold.First, INSTALL will transfer into educational and academic environments a methodology used in medical science, notably psychology, and never before applied to the specific goal of Learning To Learn, nor focused on the specific needs and features of the target group.Second, INSTALL's innovation lies in that the partners will combine and merge four modules that are currently used in isolation - in domains not related to education - into an innovative integrated support service: the partners will create the most suitable mix of the four modules, the Metaphoric, Iconographic, Writing and Bodily modules, to generate an innovative cognitive/emotional/learning/ process poised to involve and stimulate various sensory channels (sight, sound, touch).INSTALL builds on the relevant research carried out by some members of the consortium and captured in recent scientific publications: Freda, M.F., Narrazione e Intervento in Psicologia Clinica 2008; Freda, M.F., Esposito, G.,Setting narrativi della ricerca-intervento in psicologia della salute 2007, in Psicologia di Comunità; Esposito, G., Freda, M.F., Promoting the Competence of Use: a research-intervention in the field of vocational training, 2009, in EU Health Psychology Society. Such scientific literature stresses the importance and relevance of this innovative Narrative Mediation Path in enhancing the acquisition of learning to learn in university students from the target group.INSTALL is innovative as it responds timely to the acknowledgement that Learning To Learn should not be given for granted in those students approaching tertiary education. Moreover, INSTALL results are highly innovative: the use of the NMP will allow the tertiary educational system to flexibly adjust the learning opportunities for the relevant target group. In this sense, the NMP will become a multidisciplinary model to increase completion rates and enhance educational achievements of the clearly identified target group of disadvantaged students. Finally, INSTALL is innovative as it develops, tests and validates a methodology and educational path that does not exist and has the potential of dramatically improve the provision of services to disadvantaged students. Moreover, INSTALL generates unique opportunities for the higher education system to modernise the offer of specialised services to the target group of disadvantaged students.