Inquiry as stance: practitioner research for the next generation

This paper is a reflexive account of the use of critical social theory within my practice as an action researcher. It is set within the ongoing debates between pragmatist and critical tendencies within action research. The paper discusses how a selective deployment of key constructs from the work of Jurgen Habermas has supported my work as a second-order action researcher. It demonstrates how these constructs can help deal with the practical and theoretical tensions faced when supporting groups of action researchers. It focuses on one of the key issues faced by any external agent trying to work within such groups: how to avoid imposing their own agendas and interpretations. It does this by discussing three foundational points within the process of action research – the nature of practitioners’ practical reasoning and the bases of critical self-reflection and collective action.     

Action research and the english as a foreign language practitioner: time to take stock

In the late 1980s and early 1990s, the field of Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) experienced an energetic and enthusiastic campaign in favour of the practice of action research among teachers in the profession. Although there are now some positive signs that action research is practised by teachers working in English as a Foreign Language (EFL) contexts, it is, as yet, not so clear that such practice is widespread. Yet, few educators deny the importance of action research for ‘bridging the gap’ between theory and practice, or the need for that gap to be bridged in all spheres of the profession. This article reports the result of a small-scale international survey into the knowledge, practices and opinions of EFL classroom teachers with respect to action research, and discusses reasons for and possible solutions to some of the difficulties and limitations of action research at this level     

A study of the quality of practitioner research in secondary education: impact on teacher and school development

This study provides insight into the quality of practitioner research and the impact of this on the professional development of the individual teacher and the school as a whole. We examined the quality of practitioner research in relation to the goals of the research. We operationalized the quality of the research in terms of the validities outlined by Anderson and Herr. In our study we apply this way of thinking to 11 cases of teacher research in secondary education. We found at least some evidence of outcome validity and catalytic validity for the teachers’ practitioner research. However, evidence of process validity and democratic validity was only found in some of the projects. We conclude that the approach adopted in this study can be more generally used to increase the quality and thereby the impact of practitioner research.     

初中英语教与学的"行动研究"初探

教师的素质在很大程度上决定着教育教学的质量。教师素质提高的一个重要途径是教师成为教育教学实践的研究者 ,其中行动研究是最有效的研究方式之一。笔者针对目前我国农村中学英语教学中普遍存在的问题 ,对初一新生展开旨在改进英语教学的行动研究。以语音教学为基础 ,以单词记忆为突破口 ,采取一系列的行动改进策略使学生掌握科学的拼读记忆方法 ,从而提高了英语教学的质量和效率。     

Facilitating practitioner research into strategies for improving communication in classroom groups: Action research and interaction analysis — A reconciliation?

This study involved collaborative classroom-based observation of student communication and cognition in small groups after the implementation of two management strategies in science departments in several schools. The paper presents the data and provides insights into the conduct of research and teacher development in the midst of educational change. Specialization: science teacher education. Specializations: studies in twentieth century science education in Australia, student learning in classroom groups, teachers' working knowledge.     

The development of one teacher's understanding of practitioner research in a multi-ethnic primary school

This article is an attempt to describe the development of my understanding of the purpose of practitioner research over the first 4 years of a project leading to a PhD. It tells the story of the evolution of my thinking, from an initial focus on the curriculum and the children's unsophisticated thinking about race as the source of the problem, to a more self-critical stance, in which I saw ‘whiteness’ as an important factor in structuring the children's experiences of schooling. Thus, the early outward focus of the research – the children, and their response to the curriculum – was replaced by an inward focus – on my own attitudes and actions as a white teacher, and the effect they have on the children I teach. The article argues that teachers should have the opportunity to reflect on aspects of their practice in this way as an integral part of their professional development.     

在"行动研究"中达成对话——教育行动研究旨趣探究

教育行动研究问世70年来,经历了三个重要时期,即技术取向、实践取向和批判取向时期.在这一过程中,教育行动研究虽几经变更,但贯穿其中的却是不变的对话精神.它始终以理性的"行动研究"为基本形式与主要依据,在理论与实践之间,在研究与行动之间谋求并达成对话.     

Developing an Inquiry Stance toward Instructional Improvement: Teacher-Leader Action Research

ABSTRACT

This special issue explores the relationship between practice-based research and the work of teacher leaders. Although teachers are called on with increasing regularity to share leadership in our nation’s districts and schools, it is not clear how teachers learn to practice effective leadership. The articles presented in this issue argue that systematic inquiry can help teacher leaders understand problems of leadership practice, implement support for professional learning, collect data related to their efforts and reflect on the outcomes of their leadership work.     

Action research: A situated perspective

Rigoberta Menchú has become an icon for the struggles of oppressed peoples for justice and self-determination. For many academics and activists around the world, the accusations of lying made against Ms. Menchú by David Stoll brought into sharp focus the politics of "truthmaking" and the absolutist categories of fact and fiction. In this attempt to discredit Ms. Menchú, and through her, the Mayan experience of genocide by the Guatemalan military and its U.S. sponsors, important questions have been raised about how and when Third World women can speak, the conditions under which they will be heard, and the strategies used to silence them. In this paper, the author draws upon some of the lessons of the Rigoberta Menchú case to examine the politics of truth making in Canada in a recent controversy regarding a speech she made criticizing American foreign policy and urging the women's movement to mobilize against America's War on Terrorism. The highly personalized nature of the attacks on the author by political and media elites sought to accomplish a closing down of public space for informed debate about the realities of U.S. foreign policy and to silence dissent. Repeatedly emphasizing her status as an immigrant outsider, this controversy also contributed to the (ongoing) racialization of people of color as a treacherous "enemy" within the nation's geographical borders, against whom "Canadians" had to be mobilized.     

Managing managerialism in church school leadership: a practitioner inquiry in the theology of education

This paper is written from the perspective of an Anglican head teacher in the context of UK public educational policy in which managerialism is construed as the prevalent orthodoxy of reform. It seeks to bring the discipline of theology and the field of school leadership studies into closer dialogue around the theme of managerialism in a way that will benefit academic scholarship and practitioner researchers. Firstly, it explores The Way Ahead report as an impetus to critical theological reflection about Christian vocation and the distinctive role of church school head teachers. Secondly, it indicates how the site of managed reality is important for theology and how the theology of education might be pursued in defence of education. Against claims that doing theology tends to domesticate education, it is argued that theology can help provide an important countercultural perspective intended for the good of education. Thirdly, it outlines the background of public educational policy which makes countercultural theology an appropriate response in the service of a faith‐inspired professionalism. Fourthly, it suggests how a countercultural model of contextual theology can collaborate with important forms of research in the field of educational leadership, management and administration.     

基于校园网应用系统建设的探讨

校园网是实现学校信息化的重要基础设施，要想使校园网真正发挥作用不仅仅依赖于校园网的硬件，还必须依赖应用系统。就校园网应用系统建设的设计开发原则和开发模式等问题进行一些探讨。     

关于证明题教学方法的探索

数学证明历来为学生学习之难点,老师教学之重点。针对学生在教师教授完某道证明题获知其证法之后,仍不能得知此题是如何应用该方法证明的现象,从“饮水思源”的道理出发,引导学生们发现数学证明题之证明思考方法的“所以然”索求方法。     

Inquiry Learning in the Singaporean Context: Factors affecting student interest in school science

Recent research reveals that students' interest in school science begins to decline at an early age. As this lack of interest could result in fewer individuals qualified for scientific careers and a population unprepared to engage with scientific societal issues, it is imperative to investigate ways in which interest in school science can be increased. Studies have suggested that inquiry learning is one way to increase interest in science. Inquiry learning forms the core of the primary syllabus in Singapore; as such, we examine how inquiry practices may shape students' perceptions of science and school science. This study investigates how classroom inquiry activities relate to students' interest in school science. Data were collected from 425 grade 4 students who responded to a questionnaire and 27 students who participated in follow-up focus group interviews conducted in 14 classrooms in Singapore. Results indicate that students have a high interest in science class. Additionally, self-efficacy and leisure-time science activities, but not gender, were significantly associated with an increased interest in school science. Interestingly, while hands-on activities are viewed as fun and interesting, connecting learning to real-life and discussing ideas with their peers had a greater relation to student interest in school science. These findings suggest that inquiry learning can increase Singaporean students' interest in school science; however, simply engaging students in hands-on activities is insufficient. Instead, student interest may be increased by ensuring that classroom activities emphasize the everyday applications of science and allow for peer discussion.     

Whole school approaches to education for sustainable development: a model that links to school improvement

This study applies a model of school organisation developed by one of the authors to investigate school improvement processes leading to a whole school approach in Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) literature. The model is operationalized to a survey instrument and distributed to Swedish upper secondary teachers. The instrument provides empirical indications of teachers’ perceptions of their schools in terms of four major dimensions of an ESD whole school approach, the importance assigned to a holistic vision, routines and structures, professional knowledge creation, and practical pedagogical work. The aims of the study are to compare the teachers’ perception of their school organisation. We compare perceptions of teachers working in schools actively implementing ESD and teachers in comparable reference schools. Comparisons are also made between teachers from schools applying different strategies and quality approaches in implementing ESD. The results indicate that, relative to teachers in ordinary schools, those in ESD schools perceive their school organisations to have higher quality and coherence, with greater potential to support teaching and pedagogical work in practice. However, there is substantial variation in perceptions of teachers from different ESD schools. The model’s robustness is validated by coherence of earlier results in the same schools.