High sensitivity – Innovative Module in human sciences. Erasmus Project

Project Title

High sensitivity – Innovative Module in human sciences.

Project Key Action

This project related with these key action: Cooperation for innovation and the exchange of good practices

Project Action Type

This project related with this action type : Strategic Partnerships for higher education

Project Call Year

This project’s Call Year is 2020

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: Research and innovation; Health and wellbeing; Early childhood education and care

Project Summary

As stated in Communication of EU: “School development and excellent teaching for a great start in life”: Investing in early childhood education and care reduces the need for higher levels of spending at later stages of education, when the costs for closing the gaps between high and low performance of learners are higher. It stresses also that “high quality early childhood education and care lays the foundation of an effective and equitable education system.”
Psychological research also confirms that inability to manage emotions, poor coping with emotions, excessive sensitivity of people seemingly weaker emotionally result in withdrawal, resignation, use of cognitive potential to rationalize their difficult situation, which blocks such people in social life, at school, and ultimately in the labor market.

Around 20% of society according to research of E.Aaron – pioneer in HSP is high sensitive. This means being easily overwhelmed by such things as bright lights, strong smells, coarse fabrics, ect., getting rattled with lot of activities at the time, being more sensitive to violence, especially in TV but also being more sensitive to fine scents, tastes, sounds, or works of art or having or having reach inner life. Consortium believes that this personal traits, if treated in a proper manner from early childhood can be one of the main strength of the person character, and proper support can prevent of risks of social exclusion, health problems, weak school results, depression and early burnout at workplace.

Project address the need of teaching materials, such as academic book, properly designed academic course and preparatory training for academic staff, which will be implemented in various study programmes in health and human sciences.

This need cannot be justified by official reports, statistics or published articles as this is an innovation on European scale. HSP topic is now under works of researchers in EU countries, but not used as guidance to develop materials, which can be used in daily practices of educational institutions in general. The justification of the existing need in society, especially school environment is based on cooperation among partners and national level pre and primary schools in Romania, Poland , Italy and Spain. In period VI –XII 2019 partners implemented focus groups with parents and teachers of pre and primary school teachers. Initially 2 groups per partner were planned, but the number of participants, especially teachers went beyond expectations. WSEI conducted 12 groups for over 120 participants ( 70% teachers, 30 parents) and there were 4 groups in Italy, Romania and Spain, so consortium recorded interviews with more than 200 people. The number of teachers and schools/preschools management boards interested in topic of HSP and supporting children and parents resulted in 1st in Poland seminar on HSP for schools organised by WSEI in X 2019. These findings, as well as number of readers of HSP blog: https://highlysensitive.eu/en/sensory-processing-sensibility-in-children/ published within E-MOTION (2018-1-PL01-KA201-051033) is a real proof that there is a need in continuation of these works and bringing this topic at HEI level.

In light of these research-preparatory activities consortium has defined following objectives:
1. Development of academic course on HSP, based on the newest international research activities,
2. Development of academic book and course syllabus,
3. Preparation of online library with tools, methods, supplementary materials about HSP
4. Preparation of the introduction course foe academic staff,

Target group: main target group consists of academic teachers (internal and external staff) of partners organisations and group of learners: students, postgraduate adult students and extra mural students, “to be” teachers, therapists, health professionals, psychologists, educators as well as adult professionals looking for up skilling offers.
Due to innovative character of this proposal and only few academic units in Europe working with HSP (mostly diagnostic tools) without international cooperation the results planned cannot be achieved.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 265460 Eur

Project Coordinator

WYZSZA SZKOLA EKONOMII I INNOWACJI W LUBLINIE & Country: PL

Project Partners

• Expert Psy Asociatia Psihologilor Specialisti
• CITTA’ METROPOLITANA DI ROMA CAPITALE
• UNIVERSIDAD DE ALICANTE