School and community in action

This article describes an enrichment program for gifted students which was a joint effort of school personnel and community individuals. Parent involvement was the key to the conception and implementation of the program for first through fourth graders and was the key to its success. Gifted students were given opportunities to learn and practice higher level thinking skills, were able to interact and exchange ideas with one another, and were exposed to challenging and exciting curricula not available in their regular program. Once the program became operational, it was conducted with little or no cost to the school district and administered by the community council.     

Pathways to co-impact: action research and community organising

This article introduces the concept of ‘co-impact’ to characterise the complex and dynamic process of social and economic change generated by participatory action research (PAR). It argues that dominant models of research impact tend to see it as a linear process, based on a donor-recipient model, occurring at the end of a project following the take-up and use of findings. PAR challenges this approach, as impact is embedded in cycles of the action research process; the distinction between researchers, research informants and research users is blurred; and micro process-based impacts, including changes in the thinking and practices of co-researchers, are as significant as findings-based changes in policy and practice. A conceptual framework is developed, based on a three-fold distinction between ‘participatory’, ‘collaborative’ and ‘collective’ impact. This is applied to a case study action research project, Debt on Teesside, working with low-income households in North-east England. The project is analysed in terms of participatory impact (e.g. developing skills of participating households, mentor-researchers, and university staff); collaborative impact (e.g. findings-based changes in thinking, policies and practices of advice, community finance and housing agencies, and local authorities resulting from collaborative research); and ‘collective impact’, adapted from the field of social interventions, which involves organisations collectively targeting specific actions based on research (e.g. changing policy and practices of lenders and government relating to high-cost loans).     

Visualizing community: understanding narrative inquiry as action research

This article explores the experiences of students who used interactive learning material on handheld computers in a gallery to support their understanding and appreciation of artwork. The article considers the wider implications of using technology to change relationships between teacher, learners and subject matter, and attempts to offer positive and pragmatic recommendations about the implementation of new technology into established educational contexts. Research was undertaken as part of the ICT Test Bed Project, set up by the DfES (UK Department for Education and Science) and funded by Becta (British Education Communications Technology Agency). Initial findings from this project are likely to be of interest to those exploring how mobile technology can be used to support the Government’s wider agenda for educational reform and offer a practitioner’s critical perspective on the possibilities and challenges offered by their use.     

Improving numeracy outcomes for children through community action research

Virtue, according to Aristotle, is doing the right things at the right time with the right people for the right end and in the right way. This concept is central to the work of the Early Learning Initiative, an Irish community-based educational initiative. This paper describes how a community of parents, early childhood care and education practitioners and a third-level institution used action research to develop a three-year numeracy programme for children aged zero to six years. The Early Numeracy Project was one of 11 national projects that aimed to influence early years practice, provision and policy in Ireland. Remaining true to our local values and virtuous practice while implementing a national project was challenging, particularly when robust evidence of the impact of the programme on the children and parents in our community was required at national level. Approximately 860 children (zero to six years old) and their families took part in the Early Numeracy Programme each year, with national and local evaluations indicating that the outcomes for children in the programme had improved. The programme is an example of how a local community can use action research and virtuous practices to implement a national programme and improve outcomes for children.     

Academia and community action: actionaid,a community-based united kingdom parents' project

A fundamental challenge for research in the twenty-first century may necessitate consideration of the extent to which the goals and aspirations of research includes a renewed commitment to combining the knowledge and experience of the research community, the educational practitioner community and local communities. A cohesive triangular alliance is conceptualised, which takes account of the epistemological variation in these triple communities. The challenge is to forge collaborative relationships with links that provide support for new constructions of knowledge, rather than chains that may act as a restriction to innovatory and potentially constructive connections. This article investigates the potential for fresh links between the ‘community triangle’ of research, education and local communities with reference to ‘Actionaid’, a case study of a community-based parents' project, arising in conjunction with a doctoral study, combining the writer's academic and research knowledge, community based knowledge, education practitioner knowledge as well as her cultural knowledge and understanding as an African Caribbean woman. In describing this study the researcher will draw attention to questions surrounding ‘positionality’ and professionalism, in particular their impact on the development of knowledge formulations, which encompass methodological, professional and community credibility across the three communities     

Students’ accounts of their participation in an intensive long-term learning community

Collaborative learning environments have been analysed extensively, yet we know relatively little about how students experience their participation in long-term learning communities where learners work together over extended periods of time. This study aims to understand pre-service teacher–students’ experiences and accounts of their participation in a university-based long-term learning community. The study investigates issues of change and stability, with respect to the students’ perceptions of participation over the first 2 years of their work within the learning community. The study also addresses the relations between the students’ accounts of participation and their learning experiences in terms of ‘teachership’. A teacher–trainee group of nine students, who had studied for 3 years within a Masters level teacher education programme which had adopted an intensive community-based approach, individually appraised their participation and learning within the programme. Using empirical data derived from the learners’ own evaluations of their learning experiences, the study draws on the accounts given by students concerning their orientations to and positions within the learning community. Videotaped recordings of some of the student's seminars were used as resources to support the giving of appraisals using questionnaires which contained both closed- and open-ended questions. Results showed that the students’ qualitative accounts of their participation revealed great differences in their orientations to group activities. Considerable differences in orientations could be found with respect to: students’ relation to power; to socio-emotional involvement; to the degree of participation; to the subject-matter and to theoretical interests. These were related to the quantitatively evaluated level of participation. Based on the analysis of students’ perceived trajectories of participation over 2 years, three qualitatively different trajectories could be identified: highly involved participation, increased participation and decreased or marginal participation. A comparison of the perceived learning experiences arising from these different kinds of participation revealed considerable diversity in the students’ major learning objectives and in the social and affective aspects of their learning. The most impressive and comprehensive learning took place among those reporting increased participation. For those reporting highly involved participation, the group functioned first and foremost as a source of motivation. However, those group-members who reported decreased and marginal participation found the learning experience to be emotionally and affectively very negative. The results suggest that if students cannot have an active participatory role in the community, they are in danger of being marginalized and this in turn has consequences for learning.     

Learning in action: creating a community of inquiry in a healthcare organisation

The aim of this paper is to discuss an insider action research project concerned with establishing an audit team, with responsibility for addressing a clinical and social services ‘assurance gap’ at corporate level in a healthcare organisation. The focus of the research account is on the knowledge that was generated internally by establishing the aforementioned team underpinned by an action learning ethos, and through the observed evolution of this team into a community of inquiry. Using the stages within the experiential learning cycle to guide team interventions and our own critical reflection, the authors have different research roles in this study; one has responsibility for the design, recruitment, establishment and management of this audit team, while the other acts as academic advocate in context. The knowledge that emerged from this study and the learning therein has the capacity to be actionable, that is, at the service of both academic and practitioner communities.     

Reviewing work-based learning opportunities in the community for physiotherapy students: an action research study

Physiotherapy became a graduate profession in the 1990s marking a shift from ‘training’ to ‘education’. This means students are required to develop as reflective, innovative and autonomous practitioners. Traditional work-based learning has remained a key component in the curricula of physiotherapy programmes in higher education. This is delivered by qualified physiotherapists who take on the role of ‘practice educator’ with responsibility for teaching, supervision and assessment. The teaching and learning strategies of the university and work-based components of physiotherapy curricula are aligned. Concomitantly the delivery of physiotherapy services have become increasingly diverse and the wider health and social care context has changed. In response to these challenges the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy (2006) published guidance on the development of work-based learning in community and non-traditional settings. This study explored how community-based placements could be developed to ensure work-based learning continues to meet students’ needs. An action research methodology was used because any change to established practice is more successful if it involves the people who are responsible for its implementation. Thematic analysis identified three important considerations in the development of community placements: Skill acquisition within community settings; expectations of the available learning and teaching opportunities; effects of health service improvements. This research has highlighted the importance of consultation between all those responsible for physiotherapy work-based learning. A review framework has subsequently been developed to both facilitate this consultation and evaluate placement opportunities available in a specific community setting.     

Building purposeful action: action methods and action research

Examination of a piece of psychodramatic work indicates there are similarities, as well as differences between action methods (AM) and action research (AR). It appears that connections between AR and AM could be strengthened for mutual benefit. The article builds on this and introduces AM to action researchers and proposes some ways AM could be used in AR. These include AM's focus on building the spontaneity and creativity of groups in the here and now, the systemic portrayal of situations with the ability for efficient and dynamic iterations of the action research cycle, and the integration of the individual within themselves (thoughts, feelings and action), while at the same time engaging with others     

积极开展社区教育实验工作努力推动社区教育工作的新发展

这次全国社区教育实验工作经验交流会议是教育部首次召开的关于社区教育工作的全国性专题会议。会议的任务是以“三个代表”重要思想和党的十五届六中全会精神为指导，初步总结和交流近年来开展社区教育工作的经验，研究和部署今后一个时期社区教育实验工作。会议期间，各地将交流社区教育实验工作的经验并展开讨论，参观北京市朝阳区社区教育工作的现场。我们相信，这次会议的召开必将对新世纪初叶全国社区教育工作的深入发展，对构建我国终身教育体系、建立学习化社会起到积极的推动作用。下面，我就积极开展全国社区教育实验工作，讲几点…     

Intercultural competence and student engagement of U.S. community college Students: a mixed method study

In a culturally diverse society, United States community colleges are ideally positioned to develop intercultural competence in students. This mixed method study focused on the relationship between student engagement, as measured by the Community College Survey of Student Engagement (CCSSE) (2005), and intercultural competence, as assessed by the Intercultural Development Inventory (IDI) (Bennett & Hammer, 1998). Student scores from the IDI were correlated with five benchmark measures of the CCSSE. Four of the five CCSSE benchmarks were significantly correlated with IDI scores. Then, students scoring in the highest and lowest quartiles on the IDI participated in focus groups to explore their perceptions of intercultural competence. Analysis revealed implications for community college leaders that include the value of using instruments like the CSSE and IDI to assess students’ intercultural competence. Practical implications also included the importance of collaborative classroom activities and exposure to racially and ethnically diverse faculty and students, as well as college-sponsored community service, cultural events, and study-abroad opportunities     

An action learning approach to partnership in community development: a reflection on the research process

Green space offers a significant environmental resource that can improve the individual experience of health and quality of life. However, barriers exist that prevent the use of green space, and partnership (multi-agency) working has the potential to overcome these. Current public health policy aims to broaden the range of environmental public health intervention through effective partnership working. In response to this, a community development partnership project (Stepping Stones to Nature) was established in the south west of England to improve green spaces in neighbourhood communities through engagement and consultation. Integral to this project was an initiative to research the process and experience of partnership working. The aim of this paper is to report the experience of the multi-agency group guiding the research process and how they used an action learning approach to explore their experiences and guide the research process. Halfway through the project a ‘formal’ focus group discussion was arranged in order to capture the reflective thinking and learning that had taken place. The focus of this paper is on the data from that group discussion. Four main themes were evident from the data: expectation/perceptions; stakeholder involvement; tensions (at organisational and individual levels); and reflection and learning (through the partnership and research process). This paper reflects the different expectations of the research process that need to be identified early in partnership research in order that they can be appropriately managed.     

Community,self and identity: participatory action research and the creation of a virtual community across two South African universities

Fourth year students in psychology and social work from two South African universities worked together across boundaries of race and class in a course which required them to engage in a personal reflexive way with issues of community and identity. A combination of face-to-face workshops and online tutorial groups was used. The course was demanding of both staff and students, but preliminary analysis suggests that the creation of virtual communities may be of benefit in assisting students in their preparation for the challenges of working in a diverse and unequal society.     

Differences Btween Englih Students and Chinese Students

<正>Hello,everyone!I'm glad to be here to talk about some differences between English students and Chinese students.In England,students go to school by bike or on school buses.After school,they usually clean up the gardens and look after the pets.What's more,they have to make pocket money by working in their spare time.But in