The role of action research in the development of learning networks for entrepreneurs

Developing sustainable learning networks for entrepreneurs is the core objective of the Sustainable Learning Networks in Ireland and Wales (SLNIW) project. One research team drawn from the Centre for Enterprise Development and Regional Economy at Waterford Institute of Technology and the School of Management and Business from Aberystwyth University has contributed to the understanding of how to create sustainable business learning networks for entrepreneurs. The research findings are attributed to action research by the conduction of two separate cycles in the forum of research projects. The first cycle, called Female Entrepreneurs in Ireland and Wales, produced findings that were reflected on and investigated further by the research team through the establishment of the second cycle named SLNIW. This paper discusses the two action research cycles through the action sets of planning, action, observing and reflecting and the contribution of the development of understanding and practice of networking for entrepreneurs through the production of guidelines for establishing sustainable learning networks.     

Evaluation of an action learning programme for leadership development of SME leaders in the UK

This paper presents the findings from an evaluation research project undertaken by Henley Management College in 2006. This project followed an earlier research study that focused on identifying the leadership development needs for leaders of small and medium sized-enterprises (SMEs) in the UK, developed a leadership development model and made recommendations for a leadership development programme. The principle challenges facing the SME organisations overwhelmingly concerned leading change in their organisation. Their personal challenges concerned implementing change initiatives, communicating these and motivating the people in their organisation. In consideration of the challenges identified, one of the key recommendations was to pilot an action learning programme and evaluate the effectiveness of action learning to develop leadership skills in SME leaders. Henley Management College then conducted a research project to evaluate the pilot programme. This pilot consisted of three learning sets, run in three geographical areas in the UK and facilitated using three very different styles. Following the pilot programme, there were several wider reviews by academics, advisors and representatives of relevant government boards. This has since resulted in a significant programme of action learning for SME leadership development being implemented. This paper provides an overview of the relevant literature and research methodology and then presents the evaluation results from the pilot programme. The dominant theme was that action learning does indeed deliver significant business benefits and provides a real opportunity for SME leaders to develop their leadership skills.     

Scaffolding the development of effective collaboration and learning

Research in Mexican and British schools provides an empirical basis for arguing that, by the use of certain kinds of interactional strategies, teachers can enable children to become more able in managing individual and joint reasoning and learning activities in the classroom.The research described is based on a sociocultural conception and analysis of education, which focuses on the ways that children can be inducted into the communicative and intellectual activities of the classroom as a ‘community of enquiry’. The research has provided (a) an account of strategies teachers use, and for relating teacher’s scaffolding to the interactive process of knowledge construction; (b) an analysis of ways that children talk when working together on joint activities; and (c) a practical method for promoting children’s effective collaboration, communication, reasoning and learning, successfully tested with British and Mexican primary school children. The results of the research are discussed in relation to a Vygotskian conception of the relationship between ‘intermental’ (social) and ‘intramental’ (psychological) development.     

Supporting collaborative dissection through the development of an online wiki positively impacts the learning of veterinary anatomy

An innovative series of dissections of the canine abdomen was created to facilitate social distancing in the dissection room following COVID-19 restrictions imposed in the UK. In groups of six, first-year veterinary students took turns dissecting selected parts of the canine abdomen while maintaining social distancing and documenting their work with video and photographs. Here, students learned about the canine abdominal anatomy by dissecting, recording the dissections of others in their group, and compiling the recorded material into a collaborative electronic media portfolio (Wiki). An online formative multiple-choice test was created to test students' knowledge of the canine abdominal anatomy. The result analysis showed that although students achieved the learning outcomes only by studying the Wiki, they had better performance in the anatomical areas where they learned through the dissection (p < 0.05). Student performance was very similar in the areas in which they were present in the dissection room and participated in recording the dissection compared with the areas that they effectively dissected (p > 0.05). A qualitative thematic analysis was developed to understand students' opinions via their feedback on this dissection approach. Our results showed that student collaboration and the development of practical skills were the most valued aspects of this dissection teaching initiative. Moreover, these results show that developing a group Wiki has a positive impact on student achievement of learning objectives, with a practical hands-on dissection being fundamental for the optimal learning of the canine abdominal anatomy.     

Metacognition, need for cognition and use of explanations during ongoing learning and problem solving

Two studies assessed whether: (1) high levels of task-relevant metacognition would be related to good task performance; (2) some kinds of feedback (e.g., explanations) would improve task-relevant metacognition (and hence, performance) more than other kinds of feedback; and (3) some kinds of people would be more likely to seek out and use this beneficial feedback than others. Results showed that: (1) students were able to better estimate their task performance with increasing experience at the task; (2) students who provided better estimates of their task success were more successful at the task; (3) students high in need for cognition sought out problem explanations more often than students low in need for cognition; but (4) students who scored high in trait metacognition did not seek out problem explanations more often than students who scored low in trait metacognition; (5) students who were high in need for cognition performed better at the task than those who were low in need for cognition, and (6) the receipt of problem explanations was only weakly related to high levels of task performance, if at all. The implications of these results are discussed.     

Creating an effective professional learning sessions model on technology integration for a Kenyan school district

The Kenyan Government’s ‘Vision 2030’ demands technology integration in teaching and learning. The Kenyan educational context, including resources, the characteristics of the student population and the examination system creates a challenge to the current model of teacher professional development. A new leadership and management course for school leaders has been shown to have the potential to increase school leaders’ awareness of the benefits of technology. Trained school leaders are expected to provide “Professional learning” for the teachers that they are responsible for. A pilot training programme was completed by a first cohort drawn from 80 % of the schools in one district. Leaders from 15 schools were included and were taken through the modelled “Professional learning session” (PLS). Their response to the structure and content of the programme was explored in order to find ways to increase its impact. Data was collected using individual and focus group interviews, artefact analysis and observation. After the first cohort, a second cohort completed a revised version of the programme. The outcomes from the programme demonstrated that the inclusion of all stakeholders in the design of a long-term programme with contextualized content is critical. Collective follow-up including observation, feedback and action planning has a significant impact on professional learning.     

Corporate training media: The development and use of an assessment model

This study develops a critical viewing model to analyze how corporate life is portrayed in the video Managing Differences. By decoding the constructed meanings within such media, a researcher may learn whether representations of the workforce are reinforcing or abolishing stereotypes. This may be beneficial to producers, business trainers, and communication technology professionals, helping them to focus on the viewer and how the viewer gleans information when he or she is designing or selecting material.     

南京电大数字图书馆有效利用与开发研究

随着计算机技术、网络技术和数据库技术的迅速发展,图书馆的信息资源日益丰富,馆藏信息资源由单一的传统文献资源转变为传统文献资源与数字资源两者并存,如何做好各类资源的有效运用,是图书馆馆员值得研究的课题。文章从南京电大数字图书馆布局和数字资源的使用情况,探讨了南京电大数字图书馆如何进行有效利用,以及数字图书馆的开发建设。     

日语学习资源的有效利用与教师的作用

随着信息化社会的到来,学习者对资源的认识、获取和利用对日语学习越来越重要。特别是随着电脑的应用,不仅学生可以获取更丰富的学习资源,而且也产生了新的教育模式。本文选取武汉地区三所大学的27名学生和6名教师作为调查对象,结合调查问卷和访谈分析现阶段日语资源利用现状,探讨教师在培养学生资源利用能力中应发挥的作用,针对如何引导学生通过资源利用进行自主学习提出一些建设性的意见。     

Promoting a self-sustaining learning community: investigating an internal model for teacher development

The authors report an investigation of a five-step structured study-group approach to promoting a?self-sustaining learning community that supports teachers in developing the ‘habits of mind’ necessary for improving literacy acquisition and development for urban African American students attending a low-performing, high-poverty elementary school. The authors report that over a two-year time period the conversations among the teachers at the study-group meetings changed to be more positive about the children, to make linkages between themselves and the culture the children bring to school, to enthusiasm for sharing their own strategies and engaging in public reflection, and collaborating in developing new instructional approaches.     

Grasping the dynamic complexity of team learning: An integrative model for effective team learning in organisations

In this article we present an integrative model of team learning. Literature shows that effective team learning requires the establishment of a dialogical space amongst team members, in which communicative behaviours such as ‘sharing’, ‘co-construction’ and ‘constructive conflict’ are balanced. However, finding this balance is not enough. Important questions such as ‘communicating about what?’, ‘communicating with whom?’ and ‘communicating for what?’ remain crucial. Five other process variables ‘team reflexivity’, ‘team activity’, ‘boundary crossing’, ‘storage’ and ‘retrieval’ are identified. Besides the core process variables, our model organises the most important inputs, catalyst emergent states and outputs of team learning.     

Examining the development of action learning practice in South Korea

This year marks the 25th anniversary since action learning (AL) was first introduced in 1993 in South Korea. Although AL has greatly contributed to meeting organizational needs so that it would result in its strong presence as an organizational learning tool, there is no single review study on the development of AL practice in Korea. The purpose of this study, therefore, was to examine the development of AL practice in Korea to understand its current state and envision the future. To that end, two research questions guided our inquiry: What are the distinctive features of the development of AL practice in Korea? What is unique about the development of AL practice in Korea? To answer the two research questions, we conducted semi-structured interviews with 13 AL practitioners who have experienced AL practice for many years, analyzed 13 annual AL conference proceedings published since 2005, and reviewed Korean publications on AL published since 2000. Based on the triangulated data analysis, we discuss the uniqueness of the development of AL practice in Korea and implications for research and practice.     

The role of the blended action learning facilitator: an enabler of learning and a trusted inquisitor

This paper reports on a research study that involved the use of blended action learning to support leadership development within the New Zealand education sector. An important contributor to the success of this technology-enabled approach to professional learning was the role taken by the blended action learning facilitator. Two complementary aspects of this role were: enabling learning, the main focus of which was encouraging participation in online interactions; and acting as a trusted inquisitor, a process involving both supporting and challenging participants in their leadership learning. This study found that the balance between these two roles varied over the course of the blended action learning groups and this led to the identification of five distinct stages of blended action learning facilitation.     

From marginality to the mainstream: learning from action research for sustainable development

Education for sustainable development establishes the need for change within education; in particular, teacher education is recognised as a priority for reorientation towards sustainability needs. The Ubuntu Network is an action research programme, focusing on supporting teacher educators to explore the integration of development education and education for sustainable development into their programmes and professional practice in Ireland. From 2006 to 2008, 22 action research projects were implemented within nine post-primary teacher education programmes in Ireland and collectively published in an e-book. A systematic review of these projects was undertaken to identify emerging themes with a view to informing future work of the Ubuntu Network, and to guide the practice of mainstreaming education for sustainable development. These themes are described in this paper and demonstrate an evolution of pedagogical approaches, centring on ethical values and identity work.     

Deriving an affinity for collective leadership: below the surface of action learning

Is there a viable pedagogical method to prepare people, as they engage together in their practice, for the assumption of collective leadership? In this article the author makes the case that such a method is already available via action learning but for its adoption as a collective leadership development approach. The author’s agenda is twofold: he initially seeks to explain how action learning transforms participants towards an affinity for collective leadership, and not only at the individual level of experience, but at the team and organizational levels as well. Secondly, to understand the reasoning behind the properties of action learning, he interrogates why action learning can be a propitious method to acclimate to the world of collective leadership, especially due to its practice orientation. The article closes with some applications to collective leadership along with some final cautionary remarks.     

The use of motor activity learning in the development of science concepts with slow learning fifth grade children

This study compared the motor activity technique of learning, using physical education activities, with traditional ways of developing science concepts with fifth grade slow learning children. Two groups of ten children each were equated on the basis of pretest scores. Both groups were taught by the same classroom teacher. One group was taught through motor activity learning and the other by traditional procedures. Both groups were retested after a two-week teaching period, and again after a three-month extended interval. The difference in the posttest scores favored the motor activity learning group, p < .01 (t = 4.33, df 9). The difference in the extended interval test also favored the same group, p < .001 (t = 6.37, df9). Using the differences in test scores as criteria for learning, the children in the motor activity learning group learned and retained significantly more than those in the traditional group.