THEORY OF UPBRINGING AND THE APPLICATION OF PEDAGOGICAL PRINCIPLES FOR WORKING WITH BILINGUAL PRIMARY SCHOOL STUDENTS THROUGH INTEGRATED PERFORMATIVE-PEDAGOGICAL PRACTICES

Abstract

The integration of students from diverse linguistic and cultural backgrounds into the primary school environment requires pedagogical approaches that move beyond conventional instructional and upbringing models. The framework developed in this study combines performative pedagogical methodologies with value oriented education to support simultaneous language acquisition, social inclusion and moral development. It comprises three interconnected phases, namely collaborative creation of original narratives with explicitly formulated moral messages, enactment of these narratives through puppet theatre within a safe creative environment, and a moderated discussion aimed at eliciting and reflecting on value based principles derived from the shared experience. The study was conducted with balanced experimental and control groups, each comprising bilingual and monolingual students in grades three and four. Initial observations indicated low levels of oral participation and limited cross cultural interaction. Following the application of the framework, the experimental group displayed greater verbal engagement, a readiness to assume creative roles and increased mutual support, accompanied by deeper engagement with values oriented reflection. The study was carried out in the children’s section of a public library which functioned as a non-formal educational environment, and the results reported here refer to this library based context. These findings confirm the potential of performative pedagogical practices to sustain a balance between language learning and educational upbringing while fostering intercultural sensitivity and collaborative community building.