Lars Schmitt, sociology professor at the University of Applied Sciences in Düsseldorf, addresses habitus-structure-conflicts in his book. How can members of the teaching staff make sure students feel welcomed? Which unwritten codes, behaviors, and attitudes collide at the university? What are the specific inclusion or exclusion mechanisms within a university environment / one’s own department?
Many behavioral patterns which may first seem to be a lack of study capability, talent, motivation to perform, or cognitive ability can instead be traced back to insufficient familiarity with the academic environment or the specific departmental culture. The university environment can be more or less open for its members’ different disposition. Thus, a student using a wrong form of address for you as a teacher, passive behavior in class, missing displays of performance, and a greater need for safety and planning things can be an expression of insecurity regarding the university environment. As a member of the teaching staff, you can support your student not only in finding a place within that environment and in becoming aware of their own and others’ dispositions and their effects, but also in working on minimizing exclusionary factors.
Literature
Olescko, Sven: Zum Verhältnis von sozialer Normorientierung und Diversität in der Hochschullehre – oder anders: Um wen geht es in der Hochschullehre?, in: Diversität konkret. Handreichung für das Lehren und Lernen an Hochschulen, 2014.
