In service teachers beliefs about critical heritages: the case of coheres eurocraft serious game

In recent years, researchers, organisations and states at European level have indicated strong interest with a view to protect and promote tangible and intangible cultural heritage. However, based on research findings, heritage in formal education is not approached critically. Serious games, which are linked to a range of perceptual, cognitive, behavioural, affective and motivational impacts and outcomes, could be used as a means to enhance the critical dialogue on cultural heritage. For this purpose, the serious game "Eurocraft: Explore Critical Heritages through Vid-maps" was created in the framework of the CoHERE project (funded by EU/Horizon 2020 under the G.A. No 693289). The project explores the ways in which identities in Europe are constructed through heritage representations and performances that connect to ideas of place, history, tradition and belonging. The game mainly addresses to 12-17 years old students with the aims, among others, to promote the communication of cultural heritage(s) between people within Europe, to encourage the dialogue and the understanding of the "European Other" and of the "Difficult/Easy Past/Present" and to explore how representations of "Sense of Place", are constructed through students footprints (material uploaded). The aim of this research was to examine, in-service teachers beliefs concerning the "Sense of Place", the "European Other" and the "Difficult/Easy Past/Present", in the context of the formative evaluation of the game. Results have indicated that teachers intend to transmit their feelings concerning specific places by invoking distinctive characteristics of its socio-physical environment, as well as conveying personal experiences. The feelings described were mostly positive. Most attitudes towards European Others were also positive supporting inclusion and social equality, while stereotypical beliefs were mostly absent. Regarding the last concept, almost everyone accentuated the "difficult" European past, which may denote pessimistic beliefs regarding European stories rather than a Europe with common foundations and goals.