The researcher as teacher: constructing one's place in the story of events of preschoolers

This article focuses on the author's work as a researcher‐teacher, examining storytelling activities of preschool children in her own classroom. By examining ways in which one university‐based researcher dealt with the demands of being both teacher and researcher, this paper proposes that university‐based researchers who take on the role of teacher both construct and define an enactment‐of‐self in the classroom. In a Janus‐faced kind of interplay, the researcher draws on teacher skills, and the teacher draws on the research perspective and continuously walks the line between the moment‐to‐moment demands of each role.     

Pawns against the devil

Abstract

This article outlines the innovative methodology I have developed for a study of young women, classed‐hybrid‐subjectivities and Australian government policies of ‘mutual obligation’. This methodology further develops and disturbs existing notions of research methods involving young people. I argue that in order for research involving young people to be inclusive it needs to attend to issues of ‘sameness, difference and diversity’. Central to this study are the notions of feminst praxis (Lather ¹; Weiner ²) where the feminist‐researcher as feminist‐teacher grapples with issues of classism, racism, sexism, reflexivity and self‐reflexivity whilst attempting to take on and fulfill the roles of teacher‐researcher, researcher‐teacher in an ‘inclusive’ classroom.     

Blurring the boundaries: connecting research,practice and professional learning

Educational researchers can incorporate benefits for themselves and teacher participants by planning for interactions between research, practice and teachers’ professional learning from the outset of a project. However, the dual role of a researcher as a professional learning partner has rarely been explicated and theorised in studies of teacher–researcher relationships. The study described in this paper occurred in the context of early childhood education. The notion of a critical friend was extended and validated as a useful theorisation of the relationship. Four ways that I acted as a critical friend are described. The expertise, roles, boundaries and hybridity of a co‐constructed approach to research are discussed. The importance of a researcher as critical friend having research and theoretical knowledge to shift teacher knowledge and practice is argued. Implications for teacher–researcher partnerships in terms of strengthening coherence between research, practice and professional learning are suggested.     

Ethical dilemmas in designing collaborative research: Lessons learned the hard way

In this article I use my own problematic experience as a well-intentioned educational researcher to highlight some of the dilemmas and complexities of collaboration with classroom teachers. Engaged in an otherwise pleasant and productive research project in partnership with a primary grade teacher, I experienced deep methodological difficulties linked to the ethical heart of collaborative research. Given that this model - university-based researchers entering into "collaborative" research relationships with classroom teachers - is becoming an increasingly prevalent strategy, it is important to consider fully the potential challenges and obstacles we might face in these relational research contexts.     

The return of the native: the blurred boundaries of insider/outsider research in an English secondary school

This paper outlines the methodological issues I faced during my research as a ‘returning native’ in an English secondary school. The empirical research took the form of a three‐year case study and used some ethnographic methods, as it comprised interviews carried out over a period of three academic years in the school in which I was once employed as a teacher. I was also given the opportunity to work in the school as a consultant in the lead‐up to and during its Office for Standards in Education, Children’s Services and Skills (OfSTED) inspection. This enabled me to conduct interviews, observe, interact in informal conversations and participate in the inspection week. In this paper I explore the unique role of the insider‐researcher, or returning native. Not only was this a school in which I had previously worked, but actually participating in the inspection added new layers of complex loyalty.     

The recursive practice of research and teaching: reframing teacher education

As a field, Teacher Education has lived with continued criticism from governmental and research bodies on the quality of professional preparation and the lack of a strong research base. We respond to such criticisms by considering possibilities for further exploration of the research of practice and the practice of research in both initial and continuing teacher education. As both a theoretical and methodological challenge, this is tied recursively with research and practice in teacher education, for teacher educators, about teacher education. We draw on the theoretical resources of practice theories, to argue that teacher education practice must be informed by the study of the practice of teaching as well as research addressing the teaching of practice. In conclusion, we make a methodological case for reframing the roles of teacher and researcher within a “thirdspace” to consider the practice of researching teaching as recursive and always regenerative.     

Thinking through practice: exploring ways of knowing,understanding and representing the complexity of teaching

In recent times there has been a cross-disciplinary amplification of interest in the concept of practice. In this context, there is a growing body of research considering how teaching and teacher education might be viewed using the conceptual lens of practice. In this article, I explore practice theories to identify common themes and principles that constitute a conceptual framework for the investigation of the lived experience of teaching. From this foundation, a methodological framework based on collaborative inquiry and postmodern emergence is derived. Examples are offered of the way the conceptual framework and methodological approach have been activated through the first stage of a research programme that collaboratively engages the dual voices of academic researcher and classroom practitioners as co-researchers. Analysis of qualitative data reveals the potential and limitations of this practice-based foundation as a way to know, understand and represent the complexity of teaching. In conclusion, the article develops a number of propositions as the basis for further research.     

The teacher researcher and the management of change

A school has used a full‐time post as teacher researcher, supporting a curriculum development team, and herself being supported by a consultant from Higher Education. Issues and outcomes are discussed including the role of data collection in educational decision‐making, and ways in which both the teacher‐researcher, and her colleagues must rethink their planning approach. Finally, we consider how this model might be developed under grist to evaluate whole‐school effects on INSET.     

Examining the implementation of two co‐teaching models: team teaching and station teaching

In Turkey, the number of students in mainstream education is increasing, and a support service does not exist even though mainstreaming has been implemented for many years. Therefore, within this system, many students with special needs are failing. Thus, there is a need for evidence‐based research projects concerning the ways of supporting these students such as the co‐teaching approach. In the research detailed in this article, the participants were one regular education teacher and the researcher as special education teacher. The design of the study was action research. Data collection techniques were a checklist, documents (lesson plans, students’ products), researcher journal, actual recordings of co‐planning and reflection meetings and instructions. The findings were demonstrated based on the co‐planning meetings, teaching practices and reflection meetings. Concerning the challenging issues of implementation, support services should certainly be provided in the mainstream classes, and additional research is needed to systematically examine the impacts of teachers taking time to undertake common planning and/or discussing student performance.     

Building bridges: the use of reflective oral diaries as a qualitative research tool

The article is a reflection on the use of an oral diary as a qualitative research tool, the role that it played during fieldwork and the methodological issues that emerged. It draws on a small-scale empirical study into primary school teachers' use of group discussion, during which oral diaries were used to explore and document teacher reflective thinking across time. The paper considers the design of the oral diary tool in this context and how its use created both a window on the developing construction of teachers' ideas about their practice of using group discussion in science and also a space to explore emerging analytical themes. The way in which the regular routine of the oral diary entries helped to make connections between the researcher and the participant and nurture fieldwork relationships is discussed in addition to the limitations of this specific research tool.     

Habitual practice vs. the struggle for change: can informal teacher learning promote ongoing change to professional practice?

In this article the relationship between teacher change and teacher learning is analysed. Data presented here were gathered through self‐study research over a 30‐month period, during which the author, as a teacher‐researcher in Malta, systematically recorded observations and reflections into a reflective journal. This article addresses issues such as: (a) how habitual routines that are technical in nature are formed, and how these tend to distance the practitioner from consciously developing and learning, and subsequently changing and improving professional practice; (b) how uncertainty regarding an innovation in the educational field might induce the need for both change and development; (c) how continuous learning and critically questioning beliefs and assumptions is important for change to occur; (d) how important determination on the practitioner's part is in the fight against the status quo; and (e) how reflective practice can be seen as a corrective to experiential over‐learning.     

Experience of completing a PhD: a student's perspective

This article describes the experiences of a student who undertakes a period of intensive research for a doctorate whilst still being employed as a teacher working with children with special educational needs. Carol Wolstenholme gives an ‘insider glimpse’ into the challenges and opportunities presented to her as a teacher‐researcher and offers readers a personalised reflection on both her chosen research topic and the process of obtaining an advanced qualification in special educational needs.     

Interdisciplinary Research: Practising the In‐Between

This article will demonstrate that practice‐led photographic research offers an example of dialogical encounter. Through recourse to an outline of my own practice and the experience of completing a practice‐led doctoral thesis, the article will account for photographic practice and interdisciplinary research in terms of dialogism. This will demonstrate that visual research is a productive nexus: it does not simply concern itself with the products of creative practice, but is a generative space itself. The article will also discuss interdisciplinarity from a personal perspective on practice‐led research, which, over time, has developed into an interdisciplinary mode of working. The radical notion of the dialogical self will be considered with specific reference to interdisciplinarity and practice‐led research. The dialogical encounter will also be considered in relation to transformative learning encounters and what is at play in learning through practice, an encounter which places its protagonists at risk. However, far from being a negative state of affairs, this interstitial space in which the researcher/learner/teacher is lost and found is in fact a highly productive place in which to be.     

Polyptych construction as historical methodology: an intertextual approach to the stories of Central Technical School’s past

Adopting the lens of “new histories” as the basis for my inquiry into the institutional legacy of the art program at Toronto’s Central Technical School (CTS), I created a methodological framework informed by the traditional art form of the polyptych, in which many panels are joined together to show and tell multilayered stories connected to a central theme, to demonstrate visually how stories are interrelated, and to present openings to other stories. In polyptychs, I found a means to express both the form and content of my research in ways that are artful, permeable, and conductive. Through Prezi, a digital presentation and storytelling platform, I discovered how the polyptych can become three-dimensional. The resulting series of intertextual expressions create a portrait of the complex, expansive, and multigenerational stories that make up the history of CTS. This article describes how I came to see the polyptych as a methodological frame by unpacking its historic roots; by exploring how it operates in contemporary historical research; and by reflecting on how my identity as an artist, teacher, and researcher influences the way I organize stories within this framework.     

An exploration for a critical practicum pedagogy: dialogical relationships and reflections among a group of student teachers

Student teachers’ potential to change and reflect on their activities can be positively influenced by the opportunities created in teacher education programs. This paper explores an educative opportunity with the researcher and his practicum advisees by facilitating a continuum of reflective school‐based activities through a dialogical relationship. The opportunities were sought through the researcher’s personal action research project during a practicum assignment at Haramaya University, Ethiopia, in the 2005/06 academic year. The action research was an exploratory practicum pedagogy in which the researcher, as a teacher educator practitioner, and eight student teachers as pedagogical and research participants, seized opportunities of collaboration and dialogical relationships. In the process, the participants examined pedagogical issues which emerged out of continuous and intimate discussions. Furthermore, the process affirmed the possibility of engaging educatively in contexts where resources are inadequately provided.     

Teachers as researchers: Classroom inquiry initiatives at undergraduate and graduate levels in early childhood education

Abstract

This article discusses the importance of including a teacher‐as‐researcher strand in college courses at both undergraduate and graduate levels. It describes four competency areas that contribute to the ability to engage in classroom inquiry including frequent and quality clinical experiences, practicing data collection methods of authentic assessment, opportunities to learn reflective practices, and experience using the inquiry cycle. Two undergraduate courses in early childhood education and a masters degree program in teaching & learning provide illustrations for embedding the teacher‐as‐researcher strand into the teacher education program. The article discusses the potential for classroom inquiry to stimulate renewal in university and public school settings. © 2001 Elsevier Science Inc. All rights reserved.     

New methods for qualitative data collection and analysis: vignettes and pre‐structured cases

Qualitative researchers need to shaxe methodological inventions so they can be critically tested by others. The vignette is a vivid account of a professional's practice written according to a pre‐specified outline, iterated through interaction with a researcher. It can be used for program evaluation, in‐service training, explanatory research, problem‐solving, and policy planning. The pre‐structured case involves a conceptually‐based, elaborated oudine with associated displays, filled in and iterated to final form during successive site visits. It is cost‐effective and practical for experienced researchers and is useful in both evaluative and explanatory studies. The article reviews the risks and costs of use (for example, bias, researcher load, premature or shallow conclusion‐drawing) and suggests tactics to minimize them.     

Growing scholarly teachers and educational researchers: a curriculum for a Research Pathway in pre‐service teacher education

This paper advocates the development of high‐level research capability in some students in their undergraduate Bachelor of Education course. The rationale for this viewpoint is presented in relation to three questions: ‘What is educational research?’ ‘Why should universities develop high‐level research capability in some pre‐service teacher education graduates?’ and ‘What type of curriculum can support the development of high‐level research capability in some pre‐service teacher education graduates?’ The first two questions are addressed broadly. The latter question is addressed with reference to an existing Research Pathway within a Bachelor of Education course. The paper concludes with the identification of a priority issue for subsequent iterations of the Pathway and a reflection on the shift in my role as a teacher in this Pathway from ‘teacher researcher’ to ‘scholarly teacher’.     

The role of personal practice theories in the professional development of a beginning high school chemistry teacher

The notion of deliberated teacher reflection as a means of improving professional teaching practice has become one of the most pervasive concepts to influence science teacher education during the past decade. In this case study, we use the notion of teacher reflection and Lytle and Cochran‐Smith's ( 1990 ) typology of teacher research to examine the relationships between a beginning high school chemistry teacher's articulated personal practice theories and his actions as demonstrated by his curricular decisions and instructional practices. In so doing, we describe the ways in which the formal articulations of this teacher's personal practice theories lent themselves to his development as a teacher/researcher and propose this development as a useful model of science teacher practitioner professionalism. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Res Sci Teach 38: 408–441, 2001     

Projects in a sixth‐grade classroom: entering a bumpy but promising road

In this article the possibility of developing authentic project work in a sixth‐grade classroom of a Venezuelan school is explored, by means of action research (AR) methodology. Two AR cycles with two different projects were carried out. Data were collected via teacher researcher, co‐researcher and student journals, and also by means of audio and video recordings, interviews with students, and compilation of classroom products. Data were interpreted using a narrative presentation and also applying five categories, only one of which is analyzed in this paper. Results show that on the one hand student participation increased in all stages of the project work. On the other hand, students encountered some difficulties carrying out empirical research activities and also relating them to theoretical content, although progress in this regard was made. Additionally, communication should have departed more from mere repetition, although some teams were able to try more formative approaches. It was corroborated that school facilities must be improved in order to promote better project work. AR proved fruitful as a way to produce changes and generate practical and reflexive contributions.