Oral Presentation by Sohoan Heng¹
¹ Department of pedagogy, Faculty of Pedagogy Research, Battambang Teacher Education College, Université Sorbonne Paris Nord, École de Doctorat : Erasme / Unité Transversale de Recherche en Psychogénèse et Psychopathologie, - EA 4403, Cambodia
TIME: Thursday, 16 July, 14:30 – 16:00
Location: Room 1
Session: 21
Abstract
The Cambodian education system, shaped by Buddhism, Hinduism, and French colonialism, suffered under the Khmer Rouge. The Ministry of Education’s efforts to enhance teacher training and curriculum face challenges like low skills, high student-to-teacher ratios, and technology’s impact. These issues invite criticism from various stakeholders. This study examines primary teachers’ challenges and psychological defence strategies. Qualitative research using a historical-clinical framework proposed by Valerie Ganem (2021, 2023) examines the educational system’s development through a documental review and the study of primary school teachers from diverse geographical backgrounds, including a region known for resisting French colonialism. All participants engaged with Christophe Dejours’ theory of psychodynamics in work settings through four sessions. The first two involved discussions, the third focused on creating a report on the observed psychological dynamics, and the last aimed to validate the report by the target population for eventual dissemination among the stakeholders in the educational system. Data analysis used content analysis methods based on Dejours’ framework (1988, 1993). The ultimate phase of the historical-clinical framework consists in interviews with seniors and historian records. It investigates how interactions between adults and children influence workplace dynamics. The initial findings revealed that educators worldwide face four main challenges. First, teachers struggle with managing student behaviors that do not meet Khmer cultural expectations and varying knowledge levels. Second, there is a gap between the curriculum and the actual conditions of schools and teachers. Additionally, the professional development for new curricula is inadequate. Lastly, there is a lack of cooperation among teachers in their professional activities. These challenges deeply impact teachers’ psychological and cognitive well-being, leading them to adopt psychological defense strategies influenced by Buddhist philosophies, transforming their inner identities to reflect archetypes like giants and deities, along with fostering negative biases regarding their students. The Ministry of Education should collaborate with educators to improve the curriculum. Educators and parents must work together to teach children and share Khmer values. Keyword: Psychodynamic theory of work, Primary School Teacher, Subjectivity, Defense mechanism