Magda Vitsou holds a degree from the Department of Early Childhood Education of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (1996). She has a Master’s Degree in Education from the postgraduate program “Educational Play and Educational Material in Early Childhood Education” of the Department of Preschool Education at the University of Thessaly (2007). In 2016, she gained her PhD in Theatre Pedagogy with distinction from the Department of Theatre Studies of the School of Fine Arts at the University of Peloponnese, with the dissertation titled “Puppet Theatre as an Intercultural and Communicative Tool in Teaching Greek as a Second Language: A Case Study of Preschool Students in Greek Language Learning Programs in Stockholm.” In 2022, she completed her postdoctoral research focusing on “The Contribution of Puppetry and Dramatic Art to the Education of Inmates: An Action Research at a prison in Volos,” conducted within the Department of Early Childhood Education at the University of Thessaly. Her expertise has been further enriched by her specialization in Therapeutic Puppetry from “The School of Puppet Therapy-Chile” under UNIMA-CHILE, and Puppetry in Education from the “London School of Puppetry.” Her research interests are concentrated on the application of drama and puppetry in preschool and early primary education, as well as the education of socially vulnerable groups.

Since 2019, she has served as a member of the Laboratory Teaching Staff  at the Department of Early Childhood Education, where she specializes in “Applied Early Childhood Pedagogy in Practical Training.” She is responsible for delivering both undergraduate and postgraduate courses. Her academic contributions include participation in the project team of the “Step Up Program (Student Teachers Practice for Democratic Culture – STEP UP-DC),” sponsored by IKY. She played a pivotal role in developing educational materials for unit 7A, PRE-SCHOOL EDUCATION: Teaching Strategies for Democratic Values, available in both Greek and English. Dr. Vitsou also has facilitated numerous training programs focusing on Democratic Culture Education, the inclusion of refugee and migrant children, and has developed educational materials tailored to these groups. She has presented her research at various scientific conferences and has published extensively in academic journals. Moreover, she is actively engaged in European research initiatives focused on Democracy in Education.

Indicative Publications

• Dania, A., Koukounaras Liagkis, M., Gogoulou, A., Karavas, E., Vlachos, K., Magos, K., & Vitsou, M. (2024). Supporting Preservice Teachers’ Civic Competence as a Strategy for Internationalisation in the Digital Era. Center for Educational Policy Studies Journal. https://doi.org/10.26529/cepsj.1676
• Gkaintartzi, A., Kostoulas, A., Vitsou, M. (2024). Multilingualising’ Language Education: A Teacher Training Programme for English as a ‘Bridge Language’ in Early Childhood Education. Journal of Education and Training 11(1), 59-78. https://doi.org/10.5296/jet.v11i1.21645
• Vitsou M., Papadopoulou, Μ. (2023). At first it was like a bridge closed from both sides: Pre-service teachers participate in a drama-based project with refugee children. Education for Refugees and Forced (Im)Migrants Across Time and Context. Επιμέλεια:Wiseman,W., & Damaschke-Deitrick, L.-. Bingley.
• Vitsou, M. & Magos, K. (2023). Fostering inmates’ self-identity and communication via Drama in Education and puppetry An action research study at the Volos Youth Detention Centre. Education & Theatre 24, 20–31. https://doi.org/10.12681/edth.36298.
• Παπαδοπούλου Μ., Βίτσου Μ., & Γκανά Ε. (2022). Ο χειρισμός της κούκλας για τη δημιουργία νοήματος: ένα πλαίσιο ανάλυσης πολυτροπικών αλληλεπιδράσεων παιδιών με προσφυγική εμπειρία. Διάλογοι! Θεωρία και πράξη στις επιστήμες αγωγής και εκπαίδευσης, 8, 4–19. https://doi.org/10.12681/dial.28249 (Original work published 18 Φεβρουάριος 2022).

Manolis Papaioannou was born in Athens in 1972 and is married. He studied theology at the Department of Social Theology of Athens (1998) and has been working as a Religious Education teacher in Secondary Education since 2005 (Supreme Council for Civil Personnel Selection). He holds a Master’s Degree in “Educational Sciences and Religious Education” from the Department of Theology, NKUA (2018), researching the teaching effectiveness of interfaith dialogue in a mixed religious classroom. At the same Department, he carried out an empirical doctoral research on the topic: “Mentoring as a relationship and method of educating new teachers” (2024). As a trainer, he has conducted numerous trainings on the application of experiential techniques in the teaching of the subject of Religious Education, in training programs and seminars for teachers and student-teachers. At the same time, he has been a Mentor-Teacher and a trainer of Religious Education Mentor-Teachers in the framework of Teaching Practicum program for students of the Department of Theology, NKUA (2021), where he has been coordinating and supporting work to this day. He has been involved in research on the epistemology and the compulsivity of the subject of Religious Education, as well as on the utilization of narrative research approaches in the evaluation of the effectiveness of educational interventions. He has also collaborated in the creation of teaching materials for the Religious Education course (3rd High School subject folder) (2017) and was a member of the team preparing the new Curricula and related supporting materials (2021-2022) that are currently in force. Since 2018, he has been an assistant editor of the international scientific journal GjRE (Greek Journal of Religious Education).

Indicative Publications

• Koukounaras Liagkis, M., Karavas, E., & Papaioannou, M. (2024). Using the “most significant change” technique to evaluate the teaching competence and psycho-emotional development of prospective teachers during the teaching practicum. International Journal of Mentoring and Coaching in Education, 13(3), pp. 295-312. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJMCE-04-2023-0037
• Koukounaras Liagkis, M., & Papaioannou, M. (2023). The use of narratives in evaluation of prospective teachers’ education outcomes – the ‘Most Significant Change’ technique’ [H χρήση αφηγήσεων στην αξιολόγηση αποτελεσμάτων της εκπαίδευσης των υποψηφίων εκπαιδευτικών – H τεχνική της «πιo σημαντικής αλλαγής»]. Έρευνα στην Εκπαίδευση, 12(1), pp. 98-117. https://doi.org/10.12681/hjre.34064
• Papaioannou, M. (2018). Can the Interfaith Dialogue in the Religious Education be effective? An empirical research [Μπορεί να είναι αποτελεσματικός ο διδακτικός διαθρησκειακός διάλογος στο Μάθημα των Θρησκευτικών; Μία εμπειρική έρευνα]. Greek Journal of Religious Education, 1(1), 41-62. http://doi.org/10.30457/031020184
• Papaioannou, E. (2016). Religious Education in the Greek school of the 21st century: Issues of compulsivity, curriculum and pedagogical approach [Η θέση της Θρησκευτικής Εκπαίδευσης στο ελληνικό σχολείο του 21ου αιώνα: Ζητήματα υποχρεωτικότητας, προγράμματος σπουδών και παιδαγωγικής προσέγγισης]. In S. Grosdos (Ed.) Curricula-School Textbooks. From the Past, to the Present and the Future. Conference Proceedings, vol. 2 (pp. 201-212). School Life and Education Museum of NCRPSM, HES, Pierce-American College of Greece.

Professor Spyridoula Bella is Professor of Linguistics in the Department of Philology at the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, specializing in Pragmatics and Second Language Teaching. She studied Linguistics at the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, completed her Master’s degree in Linguistics at the University of Reading (United Kingdom), and earned her PhD from the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens with a dissertation on deixis in Modern Greek.

Her teaching and research focus on pragmatics, semantics, second and foreign language acquisition and teaching, as well as applied linguistics. She has taught for many years in undergraduate and postgraduate programmes at the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens and has made a significant contribution to the teaching of Greek as a second and foreign language to international students, educators, and scholarship recipients from numerous countries

Selected Publications:

Bella, S. (2005). Cognitive motivation and pragmatic functions of the Greek deictics. Journal of Greek Linguistics, 6, 39–60.

Bella, S. (2009). Invitations and politeness in Greek: the age variable. Journal of Politeness Research, 5(2), 243–271.

Bella, S. (2011). Mitigation and politeness in Greek invitation refusals: Effects of length of residence in the target community and intensity of interaction on non-native speakers’ performance. Journal of Pragmatics, 43, 1718–1740.

Bella, S., Ogiermann, E. κ.ά. (2022). Accounts as acts of identity: Justifying business closures on COVID-19 public signs in Athens and London. Pragmatics, 32, 620–647.

Email: sbella@phil.uoa.gr

Cleo Fanouraki is an Associate Professor in the Department of Theater Studies at the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, specializing in “Theater Studies – Theater Pedagogy: Theory and Practice.”

She graduated with honors from the Department of Theater Studies at the University of Athens, holds a Diploma in Acting from the Themelio Drama School, a Master’s degree from the University of Hull in England, and a Ph.D. from the Department of Theater Studies at the University of Patras in the field of theater studies and theater/drama in education.

She also graduated with honors from the Department of Film Studies at the University of Greenwich in England.

Since the 2018 academic year, she has been a faculty member in the Department of Theater Studies at the University of Athens. He has taught Theater Pedagogy for primary and secondary education in the Department of Theater Studies at the University of Patras, where he also supervised student teaching placements in schools.

Selected Publications:

“Approaching Dramatic Poetry through Theater/Drama in Education,” in Ancient Drama in the 21st-Century School, Michalis Kakogiannis Foundation, Athens, 2015.

“Euripides’ Medea through Contemporary Cinematic and Theatrical Approaches for Secondary Education,” in the volume Art and Culture in the 21st-Century School, Athens, 2016, pp. 143–148.

“Theater/Drama and Digital Art in Education,” in the volume Theater and Theatrical Techniques in Upbringing and Education, Athens, 2015, pp. 384–392.

“Contemporary Approaches to Ancient Greek Drama: The Paradigm of Maria Hors,” Choros International Dance Journal, vol. 2, 2013, pp. 70–80.

“Acrobat in Time: The Contemporary Role of the Actor-Performer,” in the volume Tradition and Modernization in Modern Greek Theater, University of Crete Press, 2010, pp. 293–301.

“Altering Students’ Motivation in Ancient and Modern Greek Classes through Theater Education,” in The International Handbook of Cultures of Teacher Education, Strasbourg, 2011, pp. 407–428.“Performing Athens,” in the volume Theater in Education: Creating New Roles in the 21st Century, Athens, 2006, pp. 154–158.

Email: kfanouraki@theatre.uoa.gr

Christos Karakolis is a professor in the Department of Theology at the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens. He studied Theology at Aristotle University of Thessaloniki and continued his master’s and doctoral studies in the New Testament at the Universities of Regensburg and Tübingen in Germany. In 1996, he was awarded a Ph.D. in Theology with a dissertation devoted to the theological significance of miracles in the Gospel of John. During his studies, he worked as a research assistant at the Chair of New Testament Studies at the University of Tübingen.

His academic career at the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens began in 1998 with his appointment as a Lecturer, and since 2018 he has held the position of Full Professor in the Department of Theology. At the same time, he has been actively engaged in international academic work as a visiting professor and researcher at universities and research institutions, including the Universities of Bern, Munich, Regensburg, and Cambridge, as well as universities in South Africa. He also participates as a research partner in international research centers and has contributed to the evaluation of doctoral dissertations at leading European universities.

Selected Publications:

“Interpreting the Gospel of John as an Orthodox New Testament Scholar: Challenges and Perspectives.” Centrum für Religionsbezogene Studien and Katholisch-Theologische Fakultät, University of Münster, 2026.

“Of Shepherds and Sheep: Leadership, Individuality, and Togetherness according to the Fourth Gospel’s Imagery.” Pages 33–43 in Individual and Community in the Public Discourse of the Orthodox Church. Edited by Hans-Peter Großhans and Pantelis Kalaitzidis. Eastern Church Identities 22. Leiden: Brill, 2025.

“What Is Evil and How to Deal with It? 2 Thess 2:3–12 in the Exegesis of Byzantine Commentators from an Orthodox-Critical Perspective.” Salesianum 87, no. 3 (2025): 477–98.

“The Apostle Paul as a Paragon of the Human Being in Christ: Self-Narrative and Parenesis in Phil 1:12–2:18 from a Critical Orthodox Perspective.” Pages 175–93 in Images of the Human Being: Eighth International East-West Symposium of New Testament Scholars, Caraiman Monastery, May 26–31, 2019. Edited by Cosmin Pricop, Karl-Wilhelm Niebuhr, and Tobias Nicklas. WUNT 521. Tübingen: Mohr Siebeck, 2024.

Email: chkarakol@theol.uoa.gr

Dimitrios Foteinos is a professor in the Department of Secondary Education within the School of Philosophy at the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens. His area of expertise is the History of Education and Curriculum. In addition to his teaching duties, he holds important administrative and leadership positions within the university. Specifically, he serves as:
Chair of the Department of Secondary Education.
His research and publications are extensive and have consistently focused on the evolution of curriculum frameworks, educational policy, educational reforms in Greece, as well as historical-comparative approaches to pedagogy. He has published numerous scholarly books, monographs, and articles in prestigious Greek and international journals, edited volumes, and peer-reviewed conference proceedings. His major works include the books *History of Education: An Approach to the Genealogy of the Institution*, “Pedagogy and Education” (in collaboration with G. Pasias and G. Flouris), and “History of Curricula, 1950–1980”
His scholarly research covers topics such as the relationship between the state and school knowledge in the era of globalization, technical and vocational education, as well as the ideological and political regulation of school curricula during the postwar and post-dictatorship periods.
Email: dfoteinos@eds.uoa.gr

Her field of expertise is applied linguistics in foreign language education, Eudokia Karava is a Professor in the Language and Linguistics Division of the Department of English Language and Literature (DEL) at the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens. She is co-director of the Department’s Pedagogical and Didactic Competence Program and academic director of the fourth-year courses— “Pedagogical Applications in English Language Teaching” and “Practicum in English Language Teaching.” She is the associate director of the Research Center for Foreign Language Teaching and Assessment (RCeL http://gr.rcel. enl.uoa.gr) at the Department of Foreign Language Teaching and Learning (TAGF) and served as the academic director of the professional development program for Teaching English to Young Learners (PEAP http://rcel.enl.uoa.gr/peap). She was a member of the EPS-XG development team and the academic director of the professional development program for the pilot implementation of EPS-XG, while she was also co-responsible for the academic editing of the Teacher’s Guide for the implementation of EPS-XG. Since 2003, she has also worked for the KPG in English, serving as the academic director of the training program for KPG evaluators in English and overseeing the development of the oral production exam. Since 2007, she has been a member of the Central Examination Committee for the KPG.

During the 2018–2019 academic year, Ms. Karava serves as the Academic Director of the Foreign Language Teaching Program, which grants certification to teach a foreign language at foreign language centers,

equivalent to 30 ECTS credits, at the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (NKUA) and academic director of the Level II ICT Trainer Training Program at the University Training Centers (PAKE) for the “Foreign Languages” cluster. Since 2016, in collaboration with Ms. Vasiliki Mitsikopoulou, she has been responsible for the development and implementation of English language learning programs for adult refugees.

Indicative Publications:

2024. Supporting preservice teachers’ civic competence as a strategyfor internationalisation in the digital era (με τους A. Dania, Μ.Koukounaras Liagkis, Α. Gogoulou, Κ. Vlachos, K. Magos & Μ.Vitsou, M). Center for Educational Policy Studies Journal.https://doi.org/10.26529/cepsj.1676. Pp 1-21

2024. Using the “most significant change” technique to evaluatethe teaching competence and psycho-emotional developmentof prospective teachers during the teaching practicum (με τουςΜ. Koukounaras-Liagkis & M. Papaioannou). International Journal of Mentoring and Coaching in Education, Vol. ahead-of-print No. ahead-of-print. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJMCE-042023-0037

2023. Responding to the challenges of adult refugee languageeducation through action research (με τις B. Mitsikopoulou & M.Iakovou). The International Journal of Learner Diversity andIdentities, Special Issue ”Addressing Issues of RefugeeIntegration: Insights from the ‘Curing the Limbo’ Project“, Vol.28. Νο. 2, pp.15-30.

2019. Academic writing in distance learning programs: The tutors’perspective (με τον V. Zorbas). Research Papers in LanguageTeaching and Learning, Vol.10, No. 1, pp. 21-30.B18. 2014 Parents’ attitudes towards early foreign language instruction inGreek public primary schools: A threat or opportunity forchange. International Journal of Early Childhood Learning, Vol.20, No. 3, pp. 21-34. http://ijlecl.cgpublisher.com/product/pub.256/prod.40

Email: ekarava@enl.uoa.gr

Vasiliki I. Stathokosta was born in Lamia and graduated from the First General High School of Lamia. She studied Theology at the Department of Theology of the School of Theology at Aristotle University of Thessaloniki.

She pursued graduate studies: a) at the School of Theology of Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, in Symbolism under the supervision of Professor N. Matsoukas, b) at the Ecumenical Institute of Bossey/Faculty of Theology of Geneva (Geneva, Switzerland), where he earned the relevant degree (October 1993 – March 1994); and c) at the Faculty of Theology of the University of Fribourg, Switzerland, under the academic guidance of Fr. Liam Walsh, a Dominican professor of Systematic Theology, where he took courses in Dogmatics, History, Missiology, and the Ecumenical Movement (October 1994–December 1995).

He was a fellow of: a) the “Permanent Delegation of the Ecumenical Patriarchate to the World Council of Churches” (Geneva, Switzerland) and the “World Council of Churches” (WCC) (Sept. 1993 – Feb. 1994), b) the “Ecumenical Theological Education” Commission of the WCC (academic year 1994–1995); and c) the “Comité Catholique pour la Collaboration Culturelle” of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity of the Roman Catholic Church for graduate studies and research at the Theological Faculty of Freiburg, Switzerland, and d) the State Scholarships Foundation (I.K.Y.) for postdoctoral research (2002–2003).

In December 1999, she completed her doctoral dissertation on the topic: “Relations between the Church of Greece and the World Council of Churches, 1948–1961. Based on archival material from the WCC”, and in April 2000 she was awarded a Ph.D. in Theology with the grade “Summa Cum Laude.”