Body as a picture book : self-perception and experiences of tattooed educational workers

Tema ovog diplomskog rada su iskustva i samopoimanje tetoviranih odgojno-obrazovnih djelatnika. U teorijskom okviru ukratko je predstavljena praksa tetoviranja kroz povijest, uloga tetovaža u oblikovanju identiteta kroz skalu motivacije za tetoviranjem te njihov utjecaj pri zapošljavanju, a zatim i uloga tijela u odgojno-obrazovnom sustavu, pogled na tetovirane odgojno-obrazovne djelatnike te mogućnost integracije tetovaža u odgojno-obrazovne procese. Obzirom da je ovo još uvijek poprilično neistražena tema u Hrvatskoj, u empirijskom se dijelu rada pokušalo odgovoriti na sljedeća pitanja: Koja je uloga tetovaže u oblikovanju privatnog i profesionalnog identiteta sudionika? Na koji način sudionici poimaju vlastito tetovirano tijelo i koje strategije tjelesne ekspresije primjenjuju u odgojno-obrazovnoj instituciji u kojoj rade? Na koji način vidljive tetovaže sudionika oblikuju njihove odnose s kolegama, roditeljima, djecom i drugim sudionicima odgojno-obrazovnog procesa? Rezultati ovog istraživanja pokazali su kako su tetovaže, suprotno očekivanjima, poprilično prihvaćene u sustavu odgoja i obrazovanja, iako je većina sudionika promišljala o njihovom mogućem negativnom utjecaju prilikom zapošljavanja. Također, rezultati ukazuju na važnu ulogu ravnatelja pri donošenju odluke sudionika o činjenju tetovaže (ne)vidljivom na radnome mjestu, dok su reakcije roditelja i djece na vidljive tetovaže sudionika istraživanja u gotovo svim slučajevima iznimno pozitivne.The subject of this graduate thesis are experiences and self-perception of tattooed educators. The theoretical framework briefly presents the praxis of tattooing throughout history, the role of tattoos in shaping identity through the scale of tattoo motivation and their impact on employment, and subsequently the role of the body itself in educational system, perception of tattooed educators and the ability to integrate tattoos into educational processes. Given that this is still a rather unexplored topic in Croatia, in the empirical part of the paper an attempt was made to answer the following questions: What is the role of tattoos in shaping the private and professional identity of participants? In which way do the participants perceive their own tattooed body and what body expression strategies do they apply in the educational institution in which they work? How do the visible tattoos of the participants shape their relationships with colleagues, parents, children and other participants of the educational process? The results of this research showed that tattoos, contrary to expectations, are quite accepted in the education system, although most participants considered their possible negative impact on employment. Also, the results indicate an important role of the principal in making the participants' decision to make the tattoo (in)visible in the workplace, while the reactions of parents and children to the visible tattoos of the study participants are extremely positive in most cases