Dialogical self on the slope: An analysis of family dynamics on skis

Abstract

Cultural organization of action leads to dialogical resolutions to situated activity contexts. Teaching children to descend Alpine skiing slopes is the context selected to analyze such dialogicality. Dialogical Self Theory is a fitting framework for investigation of the meaningful actions in the teaching-learning settings. The skiing context brings a unique scenery and extreme conditions, where I-positions can be observed in a setting, where humans are in motion. The outdoor and activity context is a novelty for DST. Dynamic aspects of I-Positions and their interchange will become evident. As a result, there should be a focus on moving humans in future research. A family consisting of the parents, two daughters and paternal grandparents is accompanied over the course of two years while teaching the children how to ski. The parents and grandparents share many key aspects of their I-positions, which leads to a harmonic family dynamic. Ambivalences were found in the mother’s I-positions which mainly focus about the topic of being a good parent.