Marsico, G.,Tateo, L., Cerqueira Gomes, R., Dazzani, V. (2019). Educational Processes and Dialogical Construction of Self. In N. Mercer, R. Wegerif & L. Major (Eds) Routledge International Handbook of Research on Dialogic Education, pp. 50-62, London: Rouledge 10.4324/9780429441677-6

The contribution presents the theoretical construct of “educational self”: the specific dimension of the Self elaborated in the context of the person’s educational trajectory. The educational self is constructed and elaborated through the complementary processes of internalization of adult voices in the course of educational experiences and of externalization or production of signs and conducts when the person is involved in educational activities. These experiences specifically contribute to the lifespan identity’s definition. The peer relationships, the interactions with significant adults and the school assessments affect almost every aspect of individual development, providing values, models of behavior, norms, symbolic repertoires, emotional experiences, knowledge and practices that are internalized in the form of “voices” that will constitute a capital of symbolic resources on which the individual will draw during all his/her life. Internalization and externalization play altogether both self-regulative and expressive functions. The Educational Self emergence and elaboration are basically dialogical processes, taking place during the social interactions in the educational context, involving cognitive, affective, representational and practical dimensions intertwined day by day during school life