Application of the General Data Protection Regulation in Schools: A Qualitative Study with Teachers, Professional Associates and Principals

Current changes in legislation and the GDPR implementation challenges require specific compliance efforts of educational children institutions. The aim of this qualitative research is to find out the opinion of teachers, professional associates and principals on the implementation of the GDPR and issues these institutions face. Data were collected using the focus group method (4 in total) and analyzed with a simple content analysis. The results show that teachers and practitioners generally are not familiar with application of the GDPR in school settings, while the experiences of the principals are different. Some of them are fully or partially informed and part of them are not familiar with the application of the GDPR in schools. A part of the participants expressed the need for additional training in this regard. The findings of the research contribute to the understanding of experts from schools on the application of the Regulation and the national law and provide insight into their experiences in the implementation of the new framework. The results of the research can contribute to the development of educational content for professionals in educational settings that would facilitate the application of the GDPR precisely in its application to children, a vulnerable group with their specific needs.