Participatory design as a tool for developing personal potential and the school environment

Abstract

In the context of increasing uncertainty worldwide, the development of personal potential as an integrative characteristic that ensures an individuals’ stability and adaptability is becoming critically important. Within education, this phenomenon is studied in relation to the characteristics of the educational environment, with particular emphasis on active methods of fostering personal potential, including participatory design. The article examines the method of participatory design as an innovative approach that helps create a learning environment meeting the needs of students and their families, as well as the needs of teachers and school administration. The participatory design method enables the consolidation of efforts among all educational stakeholders in collaboratively shaping the school environment. The study aims to explore the potential of participatory design for developing the PP of educational stakeholders and for forming a shared vision of school’s educational environment. The study sample comprised 66 participants, including school administration, teachers, parents, and students. The research was conducted in three stages: initial diagnosis of the educational environment and school parameters; organization of a participatory design session; and a post-intervention diagnosis to assess changes. The study used methods for assessing tolerance to uncertainty, resilience, optimistic attributional style, implicit theories of intelligence, subjective attitudes toward learning, and the educational environment. Data analysis identified scales that showed the greatest differences between various groups of educational stakecally targeted for intervention through the participatory design method. The findings demonstrate that participatory design effectively harmonizes stakeholders’ conceptions of the school environment and contributes to the development of their personal potential and the change in stakeholders' perceptions of the school's educational environment and their attitudes toward the learning process. The obtained results can be used to further improve the psychological and pedagogical support for all participants in the educational process.