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Action research: Principles and practice, 3rd edition
Abstract
Since its first publication, Action Research: Principles and Practice has become a key text in its field. This new updated edition clearly describes and explains the practices of action research and its underlying values, and introduces important new ideas, including: • all professionals should be reflective practitioners; • they should produce their personal theories of practice to show how they are holding themselves accountable for their educational influences in learning; •the stories they produce become a new people's history of action research, with potential for influencing new futures. This new edition has expanded in scope, to contribute to diverse fields including professional development across the sectors and the disciplines. It considers the current field, including its problems as well as its considerable hopes and prospects for new thinking and practices. Now fully updated, this book contains: • A wealth of case-study material • New chapters on the educational significance of action research • An overview of methodological and ethical discussion The book is a valuable addition to the literature on research methods in education and nursing and healthcare, and professional education, and contributes to contemporary debates about the generation and dissemination of knowledge and its potential influence for wider social and environmental contexts. Practitioners across the professions who are planning action research in their own work settings will find this book a helpful introduction to the subject while those studying on higher degree courses will find it an indispensable resource.
... I would further argue that my closeness to, and active engagement in, the concerns and preoccupations of learning technology practitioners, has enabled me to adopt this highly user-centred, participatory or actionoriented research approach (eg Sohng, 1995;McConnell, 2002;McNiff, 2002;Salmon, 2002;Levy, 2003), and to build theoretical constructs that are grounded in qualitative data from real practitioners (Glaser & Strauss, 1968), but that are also informed by my own experiences and self-reflective observations (Marshall, 1999). ...
... It aims to supply useful ways to help people act more intelligently and skillfully. It provides close linking between the research process and its context, and it is predicated upon the idea of research having a practical purpose in view and of it leading to change (McNiff, 2002). ...
... It is designed to be responsive to real practitioner needs and concerns (eg Salmon, 2002). The descriptions and explanations people produce for their work and practices constitute their own living educational theories (McNiff, 2002). However, action research is not limited to the collection of qualitative data but can make use of a variety of complementary methods in order to produce a rich picture or 'thick description' (Geertz, 1973) of the events or circumstances under study from the perspective of those who directly experience them. ...
This paper explores action-oriented or participatory research in the field of networked learning. A small study was conducted into ways of supporting distributed communities of practitioners in their ongoing professional development, through the creation and use of stored multimedia artifacts within networked learning environments A user-centred, exploratory and participatory research approach was adopted. The paper suggests why such an approach was deemed appropriate for this kind of study: allowing the researcher to build theoretical constructs grounded in qualitative data gathered from real practitioners; but also informed by the researcher’s own personal experiences and self-reflective observations.
... Lewin (1946) introduced action research as a novel method where researcher and research subject directly interact in a collaborative manner. Action research follows a interpretivist philosophy and draws on critical theory and constructivism (Baum et al., 2006;Kemmis, 2010;McNiff, 2013;Bradbury, 2006, 2008). It can be defined as a collective, self-reflective inquiry undertaken by participants in order to improve the rationality and justice of their own social practices as well as the understanding of these practices and the situations in which these practices are carried out (Kemmis et al., 2014). ...
... It can be defined as a collective, self-reflective inquiry undertaken by participants in order to improve the rationality and justice of their own social practices as well as the understanding of these practices and the situations in which these practices are carried out (Kemmis et al., 2014). Its core element is a cyclical process called the 'selfreflective spiral' (Kemmis et al., 2014;McNiff, 2013) with the stages of planning, acting, observing, and reflecting (Eden and Huxham, 1996;Zuber-Skerritt, 2001). In this study we executed four action reflection cycles. ...
... Action research has to be applied as an adaptive process rather than a rigid step-by-step approach (Altrichter et al., 2002;Kemmis, 2010). Variables are not predetermined, but arise from iterations between action and reflection (Kemmis et al., 2014;McNiff, 2013;Zuber-Skerritt, 2001). Since there is no prescribed design, action researchers need to "enact a process based on declared-in-advance methodology…in such a way that the process is recoverable by anyone interested in subjecting the research to critical scrutiny" (Checkland and Holwell, 1998, p. 18). ...
This paper presents an empirical study on key competencies of experienced sustainability professionals. We use an elaborate action research approach to collect and analyze qualitive data from sustainability professionals in Belgium (Wallonia). The iterative action-reflection process included a written assignment, an interactive workshop, qualitative data analyses, focus-group discussions, and the corroboration of findings through participant feedback. The 18 participating sustainability professionals had on average 24 years of work experience out of which 17 years in the field of sustainability. Our analysis provides strong empirical evidence for the existence of Sustainability Intervention Competencies which is a cluster of six key competencies, namely interpersonal collaboration competency, capacity building competency, intrapreneurial competency, strategic competency, political competency, and implementation competency. Together with a set of basic sustainability competencies they enable the profound analysis and understanding of sustainability issues, the co-creation of innovative solutions, and the facilitation of transition processes toward a sustainable future. Furthermore, we present empirical evidence for an integrated learning competency which binds two complementary forms of knowledge together, namely topical knowledge and lived experience. This study contributes to the newly forming empirical research stream on competencies of sustainability professionals in Sustainability Science. We outline implications for Human Resource Management as well as Higher Education and Vocational Training.
... Because of this focus on practice, action research is small-scale and the intention is to improve or change practices and report on that development. The research topic arises from the practitioners' questions or ponderings about their practice, and the goal is not to report facts of knowledge but to improve practice and add to what was known previously (Baumfield et al., 2013;McNiff, 2013). ...
... For each cycle we first analysed the data individually and then together. By analysing the data both individually and together we achieved triangulation that added to the trustworthiness of the study (McNiff, 2013). In the individual analysis we used colours to search for codes, categories and themes inductively. ...
... As researchers, we place ourselves within the broader field of art and practitioner research (Bresler, 2006;Brydon-Miller et al. 2003), of which action research methodology is a part (McNiff, 2013). Initial investigations (Hagen et al., 2017) provided information about the praxis within the field of musical theatre education, and we took action to improve it (McNiff, 2013). ...
... As researchers, we place ourselves within the broader field of art and practitioner research (Bresler, 2006;Brydon-Miller et al. 2003), of which action research methodology is a part (McNiff, 2013). Initial investigations (Hagen et al., 2017) provided information about the praxis within the field of musical theatre education, and we took action to improve it (McNiff, 2013). Principles from the methodology of action research have informed the two projects described in this paper. ...
This paper aims to show how Alexander Technique (AT) can serve as a tool in embodied learning processes. The use of AT was explored with a group of 21 students, seven teachers, and three AT teachers who were practicing and performing musical theatre repertoire. Principles of action research methodology informed the projects. The research found that AT offered increased awareness of connections between thoughts, body and environment. Knowledge in embodied learning processes empowered the students in terms of better observation and rehearsal routines. We argue that these results might have implications for the field of embodied teaching and learning. Furthermore, the results may offer an invitation towards increased focus on embodiment in learning experiences within other fields as well.
... Oleh itu, setiap pemimpin sekolah perlu mahir dengan penggunaan model kajian tindakan ini. Model yang biasa digunakan dalam kajian tindakan adalah seperti model McNiff (2013);Somekh (1995);McTaggart (1994); Lewin (1946); dan beberapa model kajian tindakan yang lain. ...
Kajian ini membincangkan matlamat Kementerian Pendidikan untuk mempromosikan kajian tindakan sebagai budaya dalam sekolah, terutamanya di sekolah yang kurang memberangsangkan. Ini bertujuan untuk meningkatkan kecekapan pengurusan dan memberi faedah secara tidak langsung kepada perkembangan pelajar. Kekurangan pengetahuan dan kemahiran dalam kalangan pentadbir sekolah mengenai kajian tindakan dikenal pasti sebagai isu utama yang menghalang penglibatan mereka dalam pelaksanaannya. Begitu juga, pemahaman yang lemah mengenai konsep dan proses kajian tindakan dalam kalangan pengurusan dan kepimpinan sekolah ditekankan sebagai punca tindak balas yang perlahan dan tidak berkesan. Cadangan dibuat agar pemimpin sekolah menjadi pakar dan mentor bagi memimpin perubahan dengan berkesan. Dorongan diberikan kepada lebih ramai pemimpin sekolah untuk membentangkan hasil kajian mereka di peringkat yang lebih tinggi bagi menangani isu pengurusan dan kepemimpinan. Keperluan latihan dan model piawaian bagi kajian tindakan ditekankan. Analisis kompetensi pengetua menunjukkan keperluan yang signifikan untuk membudayakan penyelidikan dalam kalangan pemimpin sekolah. Maklum balas daripada peserta yang menghadiri kelas kajian tindakan meminta satu model piawaian yang boleh digunakan di seluruh Institut Aminuddin Baki Malaysia. Penghasilan model kajian tindakan diharapkan dapat membimbing pensyarah dan pemimpin sekolah dalam memperbaiki model sedia ada dan memupuk budaya penyelidikan dalam kalangan pemimpin sekolah dan guru.
... O'Leary's model has the following cycles: 1) Observe, 2) Reflect, 3) Plan, and 4) Act. These processes are repeated in cycles depending on what extent the researcher would like to delve in (McNiff, 2013). ...
What is happening during the first ten minutes in classes? Are the teachers of would-be teachers doing the right things in starting their classes? Are they observing laws and principles for effective learning and activity management? The aim of this study was to describe what is actually done by faculty members during the first ten minutes in their classes and come up with an action plan to improve their activities. Using survey questionnaire, checklist, interview and focus group discussions, data were gathered and analyzed using simple frequencies, mean and t-test for dependent means. Results indicated that faculty and students recognize that there are activities that must be undertaken to begin the lessons. Likewise, the importance of having initial activities prior to the lesson was noted by both respondents. The analysis of result paved the way to the formulation of an action plan which was later implemented for the duration of six weeks. Results indicated that there was significant improvement in their teaching practices during the first ten minutes in classes after the implementation of the action plan. Further, a revised action plan was formulated taking into consideration the activities proven to be significant for both respondents. Theoretical and practical implications of the study were discussed.
Keywords: tertiary classes, would-be teachers, action plan, class activities, first ten minutes in class
... To study teachers' perceptions of the learning of basic literacy skills among adults, teacher interviews (semi-structured) from a research project on SFI were used. The project, Literacy Education at a Basic Level in Swedish for Immigrants (2020-2022), 1 was an action research project (McNiff, 2013;Zeichner, 2001;Zuber-Skeritt, 1996) combined with linguistic ethnography (Copland & Creese, 2015;Snell et al., 2015). The action research followed the traditional cycles of planning, acting/observing and reflection. ...
This article presents results from a study of ideologies in the teaching of basic literacy skills to adult second language learners in Sweden. The study is based on 25 interviews with teachers and 17 focus group interviews. The analysis is based on Cummins’ and Halls’ layered models for literacy education. In the study, teachers referred to their link to general language teaching, mainly to a sociocultural and whole-language approach. This was based on students’ perceived needs in their everyday lives, with specific language skills linked to students’ social lives. However, literacy was secondary when it came to basic literacy skills, such as letter–sound relationships, letter recognition, sight words and sounding-out words, and teachers did not reference the relationship to students’ lives or mapping students’ prior knowledge. There was therefore no discussion of adapting these skills to the various needs of a heterogenous student group. While the teachers in the study stated that they used strategies for adults, they seemed to rely less on conscious teaching strategies and research-based knowledge in initial literacy teaching.
... Al involucrar activamente a los alumnos en el proceso de investigación-acción, se les empodera para que sean cocreadores de su educación, lo que puede aumentar su compromiso y motivación. Esto está vinculado con los objetivos del aprender haciendo conocido como "Learning by Doing" (McNiff, 2013;De Miguel, 2017). ...
Introducción. El aprendizaje a través de cómics, que combina imágenes y texto, se enmarca en métodos visuales y narrativos para facilitar la transmisión de información y conocimientos de manera accesible. Esta modalidad aprovecha la naturaleza gráfica y secuencial del cómic para captar la atención y simplificar conceptos complejos. Método. En la clase de Historia de la Arquitectura I durante enero a abril del 2023 se configuró experiencia con la participación de 15 estudiantes en modalidad presencial. Se planificaron actividades formativas vinculadas a la investigación, buscando mejorar competencias de expresión escrita y gráfica, y conocimiento sobre evolución arquitectónica y patrimonio, apoyándose en el aprendizaje basado en investigación, la investigación acción, el diagnostico VARK y el Storytelling como herramienta gráfica. Discusión. A pesar de la asociación de la historieta con el ocio, diversos estudios educativos de entre 1978 al 2020 resaltan su valor didáctico. Esta experiencia comprobó dichas afirmaciones. Conclusión. Los resultados muestran el potencial de los estudiantes en la creación de cómics tanto individual como grupalmente, demostrando empatía hacia la actividad y el contenido arquitectónico. También se reconocen los desafíos y la necesidad de mejorar habilidades de investigación, síntesis y expresión gráfica y escrita. Así como la preferencia por el aprendizaje visual y kinestésico de esta generación de aprendices.
... These include, engaging in critical reflection on practice as learners and with colleagues; performing organised observation, collecting data, assessing and publishing reports; undertaking learners' studies among others. Furthermore, action research which borders on investigating teaching and learning, and other areas of the school and its community to enhance students' learning and advance teachers' practices are carried out (McNiff, 2013). Professional portfolio building that includes the student teachers' reflective journal (SRJ) with evaluations of their teaching and target setting for personal and professional growth is a good place to start for continuous professional development (CPD). ...
Purpose: This study aimed to support novice teachers in teacher education institutions in Ghana on how mentoring and supported teaching in schools (STS) can be used to shape the novice teacher's thought on the school profile dimension throughout the mentoring relationship. The purpose is to review literature on mentoring using Hudson's five factor mentoring model process and STS and think through how mentoring and STS can be improved in teacher preparation. The Hudson's five factor model of mentoring was used as the conceptual framework. Methodology: The study was conducted using document analysis (secondary data sources), such as reports, online papers, or datasets that have already been gathered from Google, ERIC, Research gate, and Academia. Findings: The findings of the study were that the STS has created an opportunity for mentors to spend time with their mentees and share their professional and pedagogical experiences. Again, it is believed that structured mentoring, feedback and reflection would enhance the student teacher's capacity to succeed. Unique Contribution to Theory, Practice and Policy: The study suggests that there should be ongoing professional development for mentors, structured mentoring programmes, feedback and reflection mechanisms to check for coherence through assessment procedures and monitor students' progress. Case study research can also serve to illuminate both positive and problematic aspects of the STS mentoring.
... Bu nedenle bu yaklaşım, bir sorunu çözmekten ziyade, bu sorunun nedenlerini ve çözümünün sonuçlarını derinlemesine anlamayı amaçlamaktadır (Kemmis ve McTaggart, 2005). Eylem araştırması, hipotez test etme, kontrol grupları kullanma veya genellenebilir sonuçlar elde etme gibi stratejilere dayanan geleneksel araştırma metodolojileriyle benzerlik göstermemekte; bunun yerine, katılımcıların aktif rol alarak kendi gerçek zamanlı uygulamalarını geliştirmelerine odaklanmakta ve bu süreçte öznel, yorumlayıcı, bağlama özgü bilgiler üretmektedir (McNiff, 2013). Ayrıca, eylem araştırması, her türlü araştırma sorusuna uygun olmayabilmektedir; özellikle teorik veya soyut konular yerine, uygulamalı problemlere ve pratik çözümlere odaklanmaktadır. ...
... However, our results, including the discussion of the adaptation and mitigation approaches, are necessarily specific to the circumstances of Beta Bank. The description of experiences (e.g., the three "episodes") and interpretations thereof are thus subjective (McNiff, 2013). We attempted to minimise personal biases and increase reflexivity when reporting on findings and methods (see Appendices A, B, and C), and by closely adhering to the established processes defined by Schein (2008) and Baskerville et al. (2023). ...
... Elaboración propia 3.3. Enseñanza: reflexión y aprendizaje Durante el proceso se han realizado numerosas puestas en común junto al alumnado porque la autorreflexión conduce a una adquisición del conocimiento más efectiva y consciente, así como a desarrollar teorías propias (McNiff, 2013). Llegándose a establecer un listado de 5 categorías clave sobre el conocimiento adquirido y los fundamentos conceptuales transitados durante la totalidad del proceso, y que operan como resultados alcanzados en esta praxis de temática decolonial y a/r/tográfica: ...
El movimiento decolonial denuncia al sistema occidental imperante por invisibilizar y desnaturalizar la diversidad, la cultura, el conocimiento y las estéticas-otras. Los centros educativos acogen estudiantes de diversas procedencias y subjetividades que no se reflejan en el currículo oficial. Disciplinas visuales como la performance o la fotografía han tenido importancia en el arte como herramientas de denuncia para una sociedad más equitativa. El objetivo principal de esta investigación es descubrir si el enfoque decolonial y a/r/tográfico se complementan de forma activa para ampliar la práctica artística intercultural e inclusiva de estudiantes del grado de educación primaria. Desde una metodología de investigación basada en las artes (IBA) y un enfoque a/r/tográfico, el alumnado tiene que investigar, crear y generar aprendizaje sobre racismo, machismo y homofobia mediante referentes artísticos. Los resultados obtenidos, de naturaleza cualitativa, se presentan a través de imágenes y reflexiones dialógicas colectivas. De este análisis se desprende, a modo de conclusión, que este tipo de dinámicas contribuye a la comprensión de cómo las prácticas artísticas y la investigación pueden converger para desafiar y transformar narrativas hegemónicas, abogando por una educación más equitativa y reflexiva.
... The development stage was implemented by adapting the action research procedure to improve the quality of the ESP learning material. The purpose of action research is to bring about the improvement in social life as in the educational context [17]. Thus, the improving of the developed material was really needed. ...
... One of the stated aims of action research is to make learning public and explicit. This website being based on collaboration in compiling resources will provide a forum for McNiff's (2002) idea of making our learning public and explicit. It also provides the opportunity for us as a group to highlight our research interests, and build a portfolio of pedagogic, technical and resources, which will help us later when it comes to implementing action research cycles in our own practice. ...
Information and Communications technology (ICT) has assumed an increasingly important role in society, in the way people communicate with each other, and do business. It would seem logical that educational providers take account of technological developments as they seek to develop teaching and learning. If ICT is to play an effective role in professional development of teachers certain needs must be addressed over and above the provision of ICT training. This paper will show how these needs have been addressed in the context of the professional development of teachers on a Masters in Education and Training (ICT). Some of these needs include: developing a greater awareness of the potential of ICT as a tool and as a medium to support teaching and learning; developing new and appropriate knowledge and skills in using ICT in teaching and learning; developing a greater awareness of the ways ICT affects the ways we think about, organize and practice teaching and learning.
... As artistic researchers we have sought to preserve the uniqueness and messiness of teaching through the research process. The freedom afforded to us by this emancipatory approach facilitated a more fluid exploration of thought and emotion, resisting the expectations of convention which presented to us both a challenge, and opportunity in the context of how we present this to you our reader (McNiff, 2013). We are aware that through our positionality in this account we actively resist the prescriptive norms of theory, data and methods, exposing ourselves and our work to potential criticism as lacking methodological rigour (Ganesh, 2014). ...
"Voicing the Voices within: Writing OURSELVES into the Entrepreneurship Education Discourse", addresses a gap in entrepreneurship education research concerning the educators role and pedagogical practices. It explores the often-overlooked assumptions, ideologies, and entrenched beliefs within teaching, using Collaborative Auto-Ethnography (CAE) to collaboratively construct data and reveal the effects of grand narratives. This paper seeks to equip educators with a processual practice, enabling them to write about their experiences in accessible, relatable ways. Such reflexive introspection holds the capacity to articulate new understandings into how we represent ourselves, our learning and development (as teachers in the EE field).
... The research design phase begins with a detailed analysis of Itec Park UFN's operations, using action research techniques to map out key challenges and opportunities within the management environment. Action research allows researchers to work directly in the field, collaborating with park managers to define issues, identify goals, and plan practical intervention actions (McNiff, 2017). This direct engagement provides a deeper understanding of the context and ensures that intervention strategies align with the actual needs of the park and its stakeholders. ...
This study examines the transformative role of the PDCA (Plan-Do-Check-Act) cycle as a strategic framework for managing science and technology parks, using Itec Park UFN as a case study. By implementing PDCA-based tools, this research seeks to streamline the operational processes of technology parks through structured planning, execution, monitoring, and continuous improvement. The approach aligns closely with the Sustainable Development Goals, notably SDG 9: Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure. Employing an action research methodology that integrates literature review, tool development, and pilot implementation, the study emphasizes strategic management, innovation promotion, and knowledge transfer as core aspects. Findings reveal that the PDCA cycle enhances the park’s capacity to adapt to market shifts, supporting resilience and fostering a culture of sustainable innovation. The structured use of PDCA not only improves operational efficiency but also promotes stronger partnerships between academia, industry, and government. This systematic management approach establishes a replicable model that can be adapted by other science and technology parks, providing practical insights into the creation of innovation ecosystems that catalyze regional economic development and empower startup growth. Ultimately, the research contributes to the field by demonstrating how structured, goal-oriented methodologies can drive sustainable technological and economic advancement.
... To develop our AI literacies framework, we worked with a team of learning designers in a 'world café' online workshop. Our method emphasises collaborative co-design, while also drawing on aspects of action research (McNiff, 2013;Stringer & Ortiz, 2021;Zuber-Skerritt & Wood, 2019). The workshop participants comprised a group of 18 learning designers, educational technologists, and web developers working for an online education services provider partnered with universities in Australia and South-East Asia. ...
Advances in artificial intelligence (AI) are undoubtedly changing the practice and profession of learning design. While the full impact is yet to be realised, learning designers grapple daily with the challenges, risk, and opportunities these technologies represent for changing how students learn, how faculty teach, and how we design. So, what knowledge, skills, and mindsets do learning designers need to survive and thrive in a post-AI higher education sector? This paper reports on a project to co-design an AI literacies framework for and with a team of learning designers. Using the world café method, we conducted an online workshop with a group of 18 learning designers, drawing on our collective experience and expertise to ideate and refine the essential elements of an AI literacies framework. The data generated was then coded and thematically analysed to develop a practical framework comprising four domains and 16 specific elements, each elaborated to describe the knowledge, skills, and mindsets required for post-AI learning design. This framework informs the development of training programs and professional learning opportunities for learning designers.
... Carr & Kemmis 1986;Elliot 1991;Hopkins 2014;A. Johnson 2012;Kember 2000;McNiff 1988;McNiff & Whitehead 2011;Mertler 2019;Rowell et al. 2017). The essential characteristic of AR is that the object of research is the teacher him/herself. ...
This book is devoted to the topic of teaching Russian as a foreign language (RFL) from an intercultural perspective with special attention to the university context and Italian-speaking students.
It is underpinned by three main aims. The first is to provide the reader with a theoretical-operational framework on intercultural RFL teaching, giving him/her the methodological tools to study this area and/or to apply it to his/her own teaching. The second is to promote a critical awareness among readers of the dominant ideologies and discourses underlying both academic research on the subject and the teaching materials themselves, so as to enable them to take note of the problems of RFL intercultural teaching (compared to the issues of foreign language education of other languages) and attempt to overcome them, with a view to enhancing teacher learning/development. The third—more general—aim seeks to help the reader look at the RFL area as if through a lens that shows different angles and shades, thus leading to greater understanding of the complexity of teaching and learning processes as a whole.
The study discloses the ideological nature of RFL intercultural teaching by investigating its national and cultural essentialist discourses and advocates a pluricentric and complex image of the Russian-speaking cultural space which is rather new for the field, where static, mythologized, and uncritical ideas and representations of identity and culture (e.g., “Russian soul”) still prevail to this day.
... Orsaken var att det redan vid inledningen av projektet blev tydligt att forskningsdeltagarna kände en viss osäkerhet för vad som eftersträvades med pedagogisk dokumentation och hur arbetssättet kunde implementeras. Detta ändrade dock inte på utgångspunkten, som var att forskningsdeltagarnas kunskap om den egna praktiken ansågs betydelsefull och fungerade som grund för det gemensamma arbetetet (se Jonsdottir & Einarsdóttir, 2022;McNiff, 2013). ...
Pedagogisk dokumentation introducerades inom den finländska småbarnspedagogiken i och med en ny läroplan 2016. I läroplanen beskrivs arbetssättet som en central processartad arbetsmetod som används vid planering, genomförande, utvärdering och utveckling av den pedagogiska verksamheten med en förväntan att stödja barns och vuxnas delaktighet. Läroplanen är ambitiös och arbetet med pedagogisk dokumentation och delaktighet har visat sig vara utmanande att förverkliga. Genom ett aktionsforskningsprojekt intresserar vi oss för att undersöka hur pedagogisk dokumentation framträder och utvecklas i den dagliga praktiken i fyra olika daghemsgrupper. Vårt fokus är att se på hurdana förutsättningar, utgångspunkter och variationer som framträdde inom projektet när det gäller att utveckla pedagogisk dokumentation. Analysen har inspirerats av ett postkvalitativt angreppssätt. Resultaten visar att verksamhetskulturens tidsramar spelar en betydelsefull roll för att utveckla pedagogisk dokumentation som ett delaktighetsfrämjande arbetssätt. Tidsramarnas utformning påverkades i sin tur till stor del av daghemmets ledarskap och strukturella förutsättningar. ENGLISH ABSTRACT Implementation and Development of Pedagogical Documentation. Action Research with Four Daycare Groups in Finland Pedagogical documentation was introduced in Finnish early childhood education and care within a new curriculum in 2016. Pedagogical documentation is described as a central method for planning, implementing, evaluating, and developing activities, and in addition also promoting participation among children and adults. The curriculum is ambitious, and there have been challenges in putting pedagogical documentation into effect. Within the framework of an action research study, we investigate how pedagogical documentation appeared and developed in the daily practice of four different daycare groups. The focus is on the prerequisites, starting points and variations that emerged in the project when it comes to develop pedagogical documentation. The analysis was inspired by a post-qualitative approach. Results show that time frames, affected by organizational structures and leadership, became significant within the process of developing participative pedagogical documentation.
... Denna studie ingår i ett större forskningsprojekt, Grundläggande litteracitetsundervisning inom sfi 1 , (2020-2022). I projektet kombineras en aktionsforskningsstudie (McNiff, 2013;Zeichner, 2001;Zuber-Skeritt, 1996) med lingvistisk etnografi (Copland & Creese, 2015;Snell mfl., 2015). Genom lingvistisk etnografi skapas material på mikronivå som kan relateras till processer och skeenden på makronivå som sätter frågor om makt i centrum (Rampton mfl., 2004) och som i kombination med aktionsforskning möjliggör analys av komplexa och flerskiktade fenomen (Canagarahah, 2006;Hornberger & Jonsson, 2017. ...
This article investigates discourses about basic literacy learning for adult second language learners in the program Swedish for Immigrants (SFI), study path one, which is for students with little or no prior schooling. The study has its theoretical basis in nexus analysis, which here means that literacy education is studied as a social act through these three discourses: discourses in place, historical bodies, and interaction order. These are investigated through the analysis and study of current policy documents, teacher interviews, and classroom observations. Current documents emphasize that the design of teaching programs should be functional. This corresponds with teachers’ views about how literacy education forms part of general education in Swedish and how it has clear ties with what students perceive they need on an everyday basis. At the same time, the shortcomings pointed out in audits and reports that look at procedures to adapt teaching to individual needs correspond with the findings of the observation and interview data in the present study. There is a clear need for improvement both in this area and in the teaching of the alphabet, which does not have a prominent place in current policy documents and which appears to be taught separately. Currently, knowledge about the early literacy development of adult second language learners is not a formal requirement in teacher education, and only one of the 24 teachers in this study claims to have such knowledge. Usually, the acquisition of knowledge about early literacy development is included in the training of primary school student teachers and is foremostly in the teaching of first language learners. This study, however, shows the need for increased knowledge about initial literacy development for adults as part of the professional development of SFI teachers.
... Action research (AR) is a participatory research methodology [11], meaning that researchers and practitioners are concurrently involved in the development to the point it is not possible to distinguish who is a researcher and who is a practitioner [12]. Specifically for operations management, action research's main feature is to be concurrent with action [11], that is, reflection on how the research study is going on, enlarging the body of knowledge, happens concurrently with the occurrence of the action itself. ...
... Since the 1990s, research on teacher research has increased substantially, as evidenced by early works such as Lytle (1990, 1999) and more recent works such as Borg (2013) and Banegas et al. (2022). Theoretical and practical questions related to the need for language teachers to engage in research (e.g., Atay, 2008;Borg, 2010Borg, , 2013, including action research (e.g., Burns, 2009;McNiff, 2013), participatory or collaborative action research (Burns, 1999;Kemmis, 2006;Kemmis et al., 2014), and classroom research (Allwright & Bailey, 1991;Hopkins, 2014), have also received considerable attention. The growing scholarly interest in teacher research is also substantiated by the inclusion of the theme of 'teacher research' in many academic journals and publications (see Borg, 2010) and by the increasing number of recent research articles dealing with various aspects of teacher research (e.g., Barkhuizen, 2021;Gilliland et al., 2023;Willegems et al., 2017). ...
The evolving landscape of food consumer preferences and dietary trends has necessitated a paradigm shift in the food business, leading to the emergence of hybridization as a strategic approach to menu development. This chapter discusses the concept of menu hybridization, which combines diverse culinary traditions and innovative ingredients to create unique dining experiences that cater to a broad spectrum of tastes and dietary needs. It centrally delves into the development of menu hybridization through the familiarization of recipes, ingredients, methods of cooking, and decorum as well as an adaptation that acts as a precursor toward food business performance. Ultimately, this chapter posits that embracing hybridization not only fosters creativity and differentiation in menu offerings but also positions food businesses to thrive in an increasingly competitive environment. Through a comprehensive examination of these dynamics, it provides actionable insights for food entrepreneurs and industry stakeholders seeking to leverage hybridization as a catalyst for growth and innovation.
The purpose of the present study was to design, implement, and evaluate the delivery and utility of a multicomponent online intervention that aimed to protect and promote the well-being of competitive and high-performance swimmers. Utilizing an action research methodology, the current study evaluated the delivery and utility of an intervention comprising six online workshops that were tailored to the needs of high-performance swimmers ( n attending = 46). In addition, an accompanying workshop for parents ( n attending = 22) and coaches ( n attending = 17) was developed and delivered. Data were analyzed using a reflexive thematic analysis approach. Overall, feedback on the intervention was positive, with participants indicating that they enjoyed the sessions, particularly opportunities for discussion and reflection, as well as learning from the experiences of a professional swimmer. Participants also indicated that their understanding and knowledge regarding well-being increased, as well as gaining reassurance and confidence regarding the support and strategies they had available. Nevertheless, there were some challenges and limitations identified with the workshops, which should be considered for future research and interventions.
By engaging in an art(s)-based action research case study, youth from a Montréal school considered student-staff relationships as they relate to school climate. Three arts-based data collection methods (timeline, relational map, and photovoice) were used to gain awareness on how relationships with staff constituted the primary determinant of student behavior, student engagement, and a robust school climate. Positive relationships were found to be facilitated by staff who authentically engage with students’ lives outside the classroom, demonstrate equity and discretion in classroom management practices, and allow for redemption following rule infractions or conflicts. With the goal of enacting sustainable change in the school environment, participants collaborated in drafting a Call to Action addressed to the school’s administration, advocating for the creation of a student council as a space to voice their positions, build better communication with staff, and foster a healthy school climate. The paper thus illustrates how art(s) based action-research can contribute to transforming school environments.
Gender and intersectional data are recognized as vital to addressing gender-based violence. We engage this thesis through a case study of a gender data project at the Colombia-Venezuela border. Coming from an underexplored vantage point in the literature, we trouble the assumption that more data are always better for advancing feminist objectives around GBV. We advance the concept of “negotiated refusal” to make sense of the decision of the project's frontline implementers to collect less data. We argue that the complex character of inequalities and the dynamic nature of context requires flexibility in what gender and intersectional data should consist of and that top-down frameworks may ultimately prove counter-productive to gender equality efforts.
School leaders work in increasingly complex systems. Alongside leading learning, they daily navigate the needs and expectations of educational departments, teachers, students, parents, society, and themselves. Leadership can therefore be a dynamic vocational calling, but studies show that principals' professional agency, career sustainability, and wellbeing are diminishing. This Element brings a fresh perspective to how educational leaders can be better served and supported by collaborative, co-agentic partnerships at this time. It makes the case for professional supervision, a practice commonplace in clinical and pastoral professions that offers facilitated, action-oriented attention to the interplay of role, 'soul', and context. As a practice-based primer, this Element reclaims supervision against outdated associations with performance management by drawing on interdisciplinary research and the authors' own experience as supervisor partners with principals. It proposes a new schema of professional supervision in education informed by curiosity, unlearning, resonance, and attunement in a rapidly changing world.
Parents’ involvement in early childhood education is of great importance. In Greece, many educators still hesitate to involve parents in their school’s daily program. They also do not use pedagogical documentation in the educational process as it is not included in the official curriculum. Our main goal was to bring parents closer to the early childhood curriculum, in an active and participatory way, through the documentation process. The main research question referred to the way in which the systematic use of pedagogical documentation can help parents understand the kindergarten’s daily curriculum and participate in it in a new way, in a country where pedagogical documentation is not mandatory. We used collaborative action research between ten kindergarten educators from five schools and two researchers from the same university department. The methodological tools were a researchers’ diary, two digital questionnaires for the educators (pre-/post-implementation) and a post-implementation digital questionnaire for the parents. The results showed that the documentation helped the educators to bring the parents closer to the kindergarten’s daily program and made them feel as if they could participate in it creatively. Also, the documentation derived from the children, educators and parents constructed a community of relations, participation, shared values and learning among them.
Good teaching practice in creative disciplines is not necessarily transferable culturally and geographically, which provides an opportunity to explore transnational critical teaching reflections and recommendations. This chapter draws on the pedagogical reflective practice of the author who encountered cultural differences and pedagogical dissonance when applying teaching methods that were successful in a first-year higher education design studies context in Sydney, Australia, but which did not translate effectively in a university context in Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City), Vietnam. The primary aim of the chapter is to introduce a student-centred cross-cultural transformative teaching model (the C2T2 model) for undergraduate design education. I outline and discuss eight pedagogical methods—clarify, inspire, scaffold, support, empower, reassure, community and praise—that are successful for satisfying teaching and learning journeys across both contexts. Additionally, the chapter provides insight and instruction on an effective framework of teaching methods for design studies students to assist lecturers teaching design in a transnational higher education context. Finally, the chapter provides information and input for lecturers seeking to inform pedagogical opportunities in developing their own teaching approaches and methodologies fitting for a transnational design teaching context.
Transition from secondary school into higher education can be emotionally and academically challenging for students, and demystifying academic assessments and their requirements can help build students’ confidence as well as their attainment. Whilst there has been much focus on the importance of building students’ academic and assessment skills, less attention has been paid to students’ perspectives on how this can be best achieved, and there has been an under-utilisation of co-construction of learning to aid students’ skills development. As such this study aimed to use a participatory action research model to evaluate a series of workshops on skills development, leading to the co-construction of new and enhanced materials designed to develop students’ assessment skills further. Key threads emerging from the research include the importance of giving students opportunities to engage actively with exemplification and models, to make active use of rubrics and marking guidelines to build assessment literacy, and to practise assessment skills in line with rubrics, in a safe space. Such findings have useful implications for all tutors working in higher education contexts, both within and beyond the discipline of Education, which was the context for the study.
Classroom action research merupakan salah satu jenis action research yang banyak digunakan oleh para praktisi pendidikan di Indonesia. Classroom action research digunakan untuk memperbaiki proses pembelajaran yang ada dikelas.
The fashion industry currently needs to accelerate its sustainable transition while also facing an intense digitisation process involving both design and production. Despite the enthusiasm surrounding the opportunities offered by digitisation and the development of recycled, bio-based and low-waste materials, market uptake of textile innovations remains limited.
This chapter explores the potential of haptic visuality—the sensation of touching things just by looking at them—to create meaningful interactions for the online experience of textile innovations, to facilitate multisensory experience and thus encouraging better understanding and engagement with these new materials.
This project uses an action-research framework to investigate the exploitation of visual haptics strategies for textile innovations through two phases: An experimental fabric hand-testing stage that builds on theories of cinematic haptics and integrates a micro-camera to explore the tactile experiences of twelve designers while manipulating four textile innovations; and a workshop with selected designers that builds on theories of semantic haptics to exploit the potential of integrating the audio-visual recordings resulting from the tests into an online user experience.
Results show that haptic properties of textile innovations can be induced to an important extent using visual experience. However, the complexity of the human sensorium makes it impossible to create a universal taxonomy for haptic textile experiences that builds on cinematic haptics. Instead, creative processes building on semantic haptics, i.e. using visual haptics as a metaphor, can provide fruitful ways to design suggestive virtual experiences for the exploration of textile innovations.
Public health research presents compelling evidence that health is socially determined. To address structural inequalities and inequities in health, public policies require intersectoral development and implementation. Health Impact Assessment (HIA) is an established approach for analysing potentially detrimental health impacts of policies, programmes, and projects, as well as potentially positive impacts and opportunities. National public health policy, Healthy Ireland (2013–2025), endorses an intersectoral whole-of-system approach to ensure that health is a central part of all relevant policy areas. HIA is endorsed in this policy as one way to drive this agenda. Synergising with this policy commitment for HIA, the all-island Institute of Public Health Ireland produced revised HIA guidance in 2021. Two HIAs will be carried out as part of this project, including one at a local policy level, addressing the Cork City Development Plan (2022–2028), and the second HIA at a national policy level, addressing the Irish Government’s Climate Action Plan (2024). The updated HIA guidance will be used in the conduct of these HIAs. This research project involves a co-creation of a Health Impact Assessment Implementation Model by employing an action research approach with implementation science frameworks to the conduct of the two HIAs. Therefore, the process of doing the HIAs will form the basis for the research study. In order to enhance meaningful community involvement in HIA in Ireland, the project will co-create a Community Engagement Toolkit for HIA. This Model will strengthen researcher, policy actor, practitioner, community, and voluntary sector capacity to collaboratively develop and implement intersectoral and equitable policy responses to major population health issues.
Critical thinking in this case, where critical reading ability is the ability to read which focuses on the process of using and connecting previously held knowledge with what is written in the text of the novel Api Tauhid by Habiburrahman El Shirazy. Critical reading activities can take the form of critically understanding the ideas in the text by being questioning what the author says, trying to apply what is in the novel to new situations, analyzing and synthesizing what is written, and evaluating critically by linking existing knowledge. previously owned the content of the novel. Critical reading is also called advanced reading or reading comprehension, the activity starts with understanding the novel text and ending with evaluating the reading. All critical reading activities are basically managing novel texts critically by using learning strategies that are appropriate to the purpose of reading. The type of research used in this research is qualitative research. This is based on the disclosure of symptoms as a whole in accordance with the context of a natural setting. It is said that the research setting took place naturally because in this research, data was obtained by researchers from planning, implementing and evaluating learning to critically read the novel Api Tauhid by Habiburrahman El Shirazy carried out by students.
Advancements in electronics and the rapid evolution of technology necessitate that higher education institutions continuously adapt their curricula to accommodate new teaching methodologies and emergent tools. This paper examines the impact of integrating flipped learning and digital laboratories into practical sessions of a Basic Electronics course by analyzing 5 years of data. Using an action research methodology, the research was conducted through three phases: traditional in‐person teaching, fully online instruction during the COVID‐19 pandemic, and a hybrid model combining flipped classrooms, digital laboratories, and in‐person sessions. The findings reveal that the hybrid model, blending digital and traditional methods, significantly enhanced student performance, particularly in practical tasks. Furthermore, digital laboratories provide students with a risk‐free environment to simulate real‐world electronic scenarios, fostering deeper cognitive engagement and reducing the cognitive load during in‐person sessions. The flipped classroom structure encouraged active learning and peer collaboration, which led to greater student motivation, lower absenteeism, and improved learning outcomes. Additionally, students demonstrated a marked increase in their ability to apply theoretical knowledge to practical problems, highlighting the effectiveness of this approach in bridging the gap between theory and practice. This model enhances cognitive and motivational learning dimensions, providing a balanced, effective approach to modern engineering education. The results can potentially contribute to the understanding of effective pedagogical strategies in adapting engineering education to meet the challenges of the digital age.
"La tarea en tiempos de la Inteligencia Artificial" es una obra colectiva en la que docentes de educación superior exploran el impacto de la inteligencia artificial en las distintas actividades que se desarrollan en torno a la educación.
En el libro se analiza como la digitalización y el acceso masivo a la información han transformado las prácticas académicas y la forma en que los estudiantes y docentes abordan sus quehaceres cotidianos; se discuten los desafíos y oportunidades que presenta la IA, desde la automatización de procesos hasta la necesidad de desarrollar competencias mediáticas en un entorno saturado de datos.
Los autores enfatizan la importancia de incorporar aspectos éticos y de transparencia en el uso de tecnologías emergentes, así como la necesidad de fomentar el pensamiento crítico y la creatividad en los estudiantes.
Con un enfoque en la formación académica y el papel de la tecnología en la educación contemporánea, esta obra se convierte en una herramienta valiosa para educadores, investigadores y estudiantes interesados en comprender y navegar el complejo paisaje de la IA en el ámbito educativo. "La tarea en tiempos de la Inteligencia Artificial" invita a repensar las prácticas educativas y a adaptarse a un futuro en constante evolución.
The aim of this action research was to make significant changes to mathematics teaching in a combined second and third primary school class based on the characteristics of high-quality mathematics teaching. A further aim was to improve student satisfaction with the lessons. The changes in teaching were systematically monitored and reflected upon during the study. The recorded lessons were analyzed using the classroom observation protocol. The changes to the lessons contributed to the students' independence, cooperation, and active participation in the teaching process. The students found the lessons, in which they were able to solve mathematical problems, evaluate the results of their learning independently and express their creativity, interesting and motivating. This study shows that changes in teaching depend primarily on the personal commitment, perseverance and motivation of the teacher.
The purpose of this study was to determine whether by applying the index card match strategy strategy assisted by power point media can improve the mastery of Arabic vocabulary of students in class IV MI Al Juharotunnaqiyah South Lampung. This research using Classroom Action Research (PTK) with Kemmis and . Mc Teggart model which was carried out in two cycles. Cycles. Data collection techniques were observation, documentation, interviews and learning outcome tests. multiple choice and description. The results showed an increase in student learning outcomes after applying index card match strategy assisted by power point media in the pre-cycle. pre-cycle, namely students who completed 7 (40%) and those who did not complete 14 (60%). 14 (60%). In cycle II there was an increase of 18 (73%) and those who did not complete 5 (21%). In cycle II there was cycle II there was an increase of 20 (87%) students who were complete and 3 (13%) who were not complete. 3(13%). So that there was an increase of 61%. Based on the results of research and data analysis, it can be concluded that the application of the index card match strategy assisted by power point media can improve students' mastery of Arabic vocabulary in Class IV MI Al Juharotunnaqiyah South Lampung.
La tarea en tiempos de la Inteligencia Artificial" es una obra colectiva en la que docentes de educación superior exploran el impacto de la inteligencia artificial en las distintas actividades que se desarrollan en torno a la educación.
This study explored the expositions of English teachers in enhancing the reading skills of secondary learners amid the pandemic, particularly in Davao del Sur division, there were ten (10) English teachers who participated in the study. This study made use of a phenomenological approach to extract the ideas of the participants. The virtual in-depth interview was employed to gather some information as regards to their respective experiences as they implement school-based programs on the reading skills enhancement of secondary learners amid the pandemic. Using the thematic analysis, the following themes emerged: interrupted face-to-face reading program implementation, deteriorating reading abilities during the pandemic, and stalled parents' involvement in the reading development of children. The coping mechanisms of the English teachers in enhancing the reading skills of secondary learners were establishing a reading environment, strengthening parents' involvement in the reading program, and the use of technology-related reading lessons. The insights drawn from the findings of the study were: Upskilling and reskilling of teachers in enhancing the reading skills of learners, and Plan reading programs appropriate for remote learners. They may continuously be innovative in designing reading programs appropriate for every modality preferred by the learners. The teachers may continue upskilling themselves to address the gaps of every learner in the school that needed attention in terms of reading literacy. Attending webinars is an avenue to enhance their competency in being an effective reading teacher.
Secara sadar atau tidak, setiap orang pasti berhubungan dengan organisasi, baik sebagai bagian dari organisasi maupun bukan. Oleh karena itu, adalah wajar apabila istilah organisasi bukan suatu hal yang baru bagi setiap orang dengan berbagai bentuk namanya. Organisasi adalah suatu tempat berkumpulnya sejumlah orang yang melakukan aktivitas bersama untuk mencapai tujuan. Dalam pelaksanaannya, organisasi dapat menjadi alat yang efektif untuk mencapai tujuan, sekaligus juga dapat menjadi bumerang manakala orang-orang yang terlibat di dalamnya tidak sadar akan tugas, wewenang dan tanggung jawab yang harus dilakukannya. Organisasi yang baik adalah organisasi yang mempunyai tujuan yang jelas, lingkungan untuk pengembangan yang jelas dan mempunyai prediksi keuntungan dan kerugian yang akan terjadi dengan berlandaskan pada data informasi yang ada di lingkungannya, baik internal maupun eksternal.
Organisasi sebagai suatu sistem perilaku mencakup input, proses dan output. Sekumpulan orang, sarana dan prasarana dapat dijadikan sebagai masukan untuk proses selanjutnya. Wujud dan proses tersebut dapat berupa interaksi orang-orang yang terlibat dalam organisasi tersebut. Adapun wujud keluaran berupa hasil kerjasama dalam melaksanakan sesuatu untuk mencapai tujuan yang sama. Secara operasional tujuan umum belum dapat berfungsi bila tidak dijabarkan ke dalam tujuan-tujuan khusus. Dalam hal ini, tujuan memiliki sebagai pedoman kegiatan, sumber legitimasi, standar pelaksanaan, sumber motivasi, dasar rasional pengorganisasian. Pencapaian tujuan tidak mudah diukur bagi organisasi yang tidak memproduksi keluaran nyata yang bergerak di bidang usaha jasa pendidikan. Dalam organisasi seperti ini, dosen merupakan faktor input yang melakukan suatu proses agar dapat menciptakan output yang baik. Salah satu masalah yang masih ada dihadapi oleh kampus hingga saat ini adalah “Mengapa beberapa dosen bekerja lebih baik dari pada dosen lainnya”.
This paper: (1) defines social inclusion, (2) summarizes current research about social inclusion in agri-food systems in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), (3) outlines the relevance of a social inclusion perspective in agricultural and food system research for development, (4) reflects on the complementarity/intersectionality of a social inclusion perspective and a gender perspective, (5) proposes a position for CGIAR on social inclusion, and (6) proposes an approach to key indicators of impact for social inclusion in agri-food systems.
In this era of globalization, there are many developments and reforms in the field of education. The demands of 21st-century skills encourage teachers to innovate in learning. This aims to provide the best service for students and also as an effort to optimize the potential possessed by students. For this reason, teachers at SMP Negeri 6 Garut tried to improve their knowledge and insights about innovative learning. This community service aims to provide training on how to design innovative learning for teachers at SMP Negeri 6 Garut. Implementing this community service activity uses lecture and practice methods using concrete and interactive learning media (ICT-based). The service team visiting SMP Negeri 6 Garut carried out the lecture method, which provided material on innovative learning and the use of technology in learning. This community service results in teachers at SMP Negeri 6 Garut understanding the concept of innovative learning and making innovations in learning.
This article is an adaptation of a workshop provocation given at the University of the Arts London (UAL) Education Conference in July 2023, which I set up as an ‘Alice in Wonderland’ ‘Mad Hatter’s’ table. I dressed the table on theme and equipped it with props, as a set to share with fellow educators a focus group project I had undertaken with students on overcrowding in their college art studios. I held up the lack of room in the studios as a social justice issue for exploration, first, as the inflation of numbers and knock-on impact of overcrowding of studios felt by students was acknowledged as result of over-recruitment to the course during and post pandemic; and second, exploring the question of whether minority students are most impacted; including those who are less confident to claim space due to factors such as accessibility, language barriers, financial issues and lack of peer support within the course. By putting workshop participants in the position of taking a seat at a fictional table space, loaded with caricature, I sought to provoke a creative dialogue around positionality and our relationship to shared space, while contemplating anonymised transcripts of the focus group dialogue that had taken place with students around a different table earlier in the academic year. The workshop gave reference to the ideas of Nirmal Puwar regarding positionality and the negotiation of space; and to Mikhail Bakhtin when considering student utterances in the focus group dialogue.
This thesis explores the human-ocean relationship in a coastal community of the Yucatán using social art and interviews within a practice of reflective immersive living. Sense-of-place theory is applied here as a holistic approach to understanding perceptions and relationships with place in San Crisanto, Yucatán. These two techniques are unified within the practice of immersive community living incorporating cycles of reflection (journaling) and adaptation as part of an action research approach to engagement with the community. Semi-structured interviews with 13 community members revealed perceptions of fisheries decline, sense of place (e.g. tranquilidad/tranquility), and perceptions of the future. A relationship appeared between these factors that can be understood as a conflict between tranquility (i.e. current sense of place) and growth (i.e. subsistence, community development and tourism). Fishing is a major form of engaging with the ocean in San Crisanto and the decline in grouper and octopus fisheries (Epinephelus spp., Mycteroperca spp., Octopus maya) that this community depends upon economically present impending changes for how this community may connect, relate and use the ocean in the future. Interviews revealed that this decline in fisheries is perceived by community members to be due to illegal/overfishing, ineffective management, increases in fishing effort, and to a lesser extent, climate change and pollution. In this project, I apply a social art practice in the form of collage as an arts-based research technique for understanding the human-ocean relationship. This study asks two questions using collage: First, what is the human-ocean relationship and sense of place (related to the ocean) in this community?, and second, how does social art practice serve as a tool for gathering information on such relationships in this community? Collages with six families (31 participants) in San Crisanto expressed multifaceted relationships with the ocean through images, words and dialogue that emphasized reliance on the ocean through fishing, valuation of tranquility, and general adoration of the ocean as a place to recreate and exist. Perceptions and values emerge from the collages and display multiple types of valuation of the ocean ranging from economic to spiritual and aesthetic. To address the second question, I compare the social art practice and content with interviews as techniques in social science and anthropology in this community. Content in the collages and interviews reveal a partial overlap of emergent themes with trade-offs in the depth and variety of information captured by the two techniques. Collage activities also aided in developing and deepening social connections between the researcher and the community which expanded this project's findings overall. Reflective writings as part of an action research approach impart insights on the practice of community engagement in social art, relationship development with community members and researcher reflexivity. Short stories and poems from the reflective writing practice during immersive community living illustrate the adaptive process of engaging with community and acquiring an understanding of the human-ocean relationship as a researcher embedded into the community experience. These writings integrate experiences of change, sense of time, grief, identity, and relationships with nature. As a result of reflective writing practice, a guide for community engagement is offered that emphasizes the importance of relationship development with community. 1 Resumen Esta tesis explora la relación humano-océano en una comunidad de la costa de Yucatán utilizando el arte social y entrevistas dentro de una práctica de inmersión reflexiva. La teoría del sentido del lugar se aplica aquí como un enfoque holístico para comprender las percepciones y las relaciones con el lugar en San Crisanto, Yucatán. Este proyecto de tesis se divide en dos técnicas que exploran esta relación: la entrevista y el arte social. Estas dos técnicas se unifican dentro de la práctica de la vida comunitaria inmersiva que incorpora ciclos de reflexión (diario) y adaptación como parte de un enfoque de investigación-acción para la participación comunitaria. Las entrevistas semiestructuradas con 13 miembros de la comunidad revelaron una relación entre estos tres factores que puede entenderse como un conflicto entre la tranquilidad (es decir, el sentido actual del espacio geográfico) y el crecimiento (es decir, el desarrollo comunitario y turístico). Las entrevistas discuten las percepciones del declive de la pesca, el sentido del lugar (tranquilidad/tranquilidad) y las percepciones del futuro. Se percibe que la disminución de la pesca de mero y pulpo (Epinephelus spp., Mycteroperca spp., Octopus maya) de las que esta comunidad depende económicamente se debe a la pesca ilegal/sobrepesca, la gestión ineficaz, el aumento del esfuerzo pesquero y, en menor medida, al cambio climático y contaminación. La pesca constituye una parte importante de cómo esta comunidad se conecta con el océano y cómo los cambios en las pesquerías tienen implicaciones sobre cómo esta comunidad puede usar y relacionarse con el océano en el futuro. El arte social en forma de collage se utiliza en este proyecto como una técnica de investigación basada en las artes para comprender la relación humano-océano. Como un subconjunto de este proyecto, este estudio hace dos preguntas usando esta técnica artística: ¿Cuál es la relación humano-océano y cómo el océano se relaciona con el sentido de lugar en esta comunidad? ¿Y cómo la práctica del arte social (collage) sirve como herramienta para recopilar información sobre tales relaciones? Los collages con seis familias (31 participantes) en San Crisanto expresan vínculos multifacéticos con el océano en imágenes, palabras y diálogos, además enfatizan la dependencia del océano a través de la pesca, la valoración de la tranquilidad y la adoración general del océano como un lugar para recrear y existir. Los valores y las percepciones emergen de los collages y muestran múltiples tipos de valoración del océano que van desde la parte económica hasta la espiritual y la estética. Para abordar la segunda pregunta, el arte social se sitúa junto a las entrevistas como técnica en las ciencias sociales y la antropología. El contenido de los collages y las entrevistas se apoyan mutuamente con compensaciones en la profundidad y variedad de información entre las dos técnicas. Las actividades de collage también ayudaron a desarrollar y profundizar las conexiones sociales entre el investigador y la comunidad, lo que amplió los hallazgos de este proyecto en general. Esta tesis también incluye capítulos que ofrecen consejos para la participación comunitaria en proyectos de investigación comunitarios dirigidos por estudiantes y escritos reflexivos sobre el proceso de creación de un mural colaborativo como parte de este proyecto, así como otros escritos creativos que reflexionan sobre temas de cambio, la cultura comunitaria, la pesca y las relaciones con la naturaleza. 2
We speak about the need for critical reflection on practice, but what do we do when we do it; and how do we explain how and why we should do it? This paper explores these issues, and itself acts as the site for an exploration and explanation of what it means to be critically reflective. Drawing on recent research in Qatar, I give an account of how practitioners’ capacity for critical reflection is contributing to a new knowledge base for the country (and possibly beyond), grounded in inter-relational epistemologies, that has potentially far-reaching consequences for improving the quality of learning and teaching in schools and colleges; and how my involvement in the research has improved the quality of my own practice. A main theme throughout is the need to engage with questions – ‘How do I understand my practice? How do I make judgements about its justifiability? How do I demonstrate moral accountability through interrogating the values that inspire what I do?’ – and with the need to make public the emergent understandings that engagement with these questions demands.
In this paper I explore how I have come to theorise my work as a critical emancipatory practice as a lecturer in primary physical education (PE). I give an account of what I understand to be the epistemological foundations and practices of practitioner research and my potential educational influence in my own and other practitioner-researchers’ learning. I explain how I have generated my living educational theory of practice and discuss the changes in my learning from a propositional approach towards a dynamic epistemology of practice that is grounded in inclusional and dialogical ways of knowing. Within my paper I position myself as a professional educator and researcher, and share the exciting and transformational experiences of teaching and learning in evolving action research cycles of practice. I view my learning to date as an active act, working with the novice teachers I support to offer improvement and change in our future practice. I celebrate my reconceptualised view of education as a learner from within my practice and explain my move from knowledge transfer to knowledge co-creation. I make an original contribution to educational knowledge by explaining how I try to inspire others to research their practice and contribute to a new scholarship of educational enquiry.
In what sense is it helpful to argue that the truth criteria for research reports can be understood through analogies with creative narratives, such as novel and short stories? One argument is that both are founded on the notion of constructing the ‘authentic’ voices of those whose world is presented in the narrative. Problems with the concept of authenticity are explored, and a further analogy is presented, between the principles of action research and those of ‘modernist’ fiction, in order to show how narratives can avoid simply reproducing the authoritarian texts of realist fiction and of hierarchically organised research.
The paper explores the handling of ‘boundary phenomena’ within modernist and post-modernist research perspectives, via a reading of the autobiographical narratives of 10 people who have been influential in developing and promoting teacher action research. These stories of transitions -- from teacher, to action researcher, to academic -- address boundary issues that are rehearsed within action research itself: between theory and practice, school and academy, insider and outsider. The paper examines attempts to solve boundary problems occurring at a key transition point in these stories -- the leaving of teaching. While modernist discourses seek resolutions of boundary dilemmas and transcendence of contradictions, post-modernist discourses resist resolution and embrace ‘in-between-ness’. The paper considers the implications for action research of taking seriously -- or even playfully -- post-modern notions of boundary work as transgression rather than transition. Vampires, cyborgs and ‘the abyss’ audition for cameo roles in this reading, which also attempts to show how deconstruction might be brought to bear on spoken texts -- a relatively underdeveloped topic.
For decades, professors and administrators espoused notions like "knowledge for knowledge's sake" and "the transformative power of the liberal arts," paying little heed as the American populace shifted from widespread respect for the academy to considerable skepticism of it. Today's students occupy the leading edge of that popular shift, with little interest in perceived elitist notions that professors and administrators appear to readily consume. While students often report satisfaction with their institution and its faculty, after interviewing some 400 students on 34 campuses nationwide, the author found few in awe of their institutions or faculty, many averse to lectures, and most ambivalent about anyone's knowledge claims other than their own. Short of fame or a lottery win, today's students recognize that a college degree is the minimum credential they will need to attain their desired standard of living (and hence "happiness"). So this new epistemology produces a student who appears polite and dutiful, but cares little about course work, the larger questions it raises, or the value of living an examined life. The author offers suggestions on what professors can do to reverse this tide of skepticism among students.
In its flight from ‘positivism’ educational inquiry still cleaves to a faith in the ordered and the rational. Educationists continue to believe in an order, accessible via rational inquiry and ordered reflection, governing human affairs and thought. This belief has three unwelcome consequences. First, it promotes the notion that certain rationalistic ingredients are obligatory in research: a technology of inquiry is thus constructed and maintained. Consequently, inquiry (even interpretative inquiry) is formulaic; it follows predictable ruts and leads often to uninteresting findings. Second, a belief in the ordered mind leads to a faith in certain models of mind, and in ‘personal theory’ which can be developed via particular and orthodox methods of finding out. Third, and partly because of this second belief, it leads to a notion of teaching as an explicitly articulated ‘know what’ rather than an implicitly understood ‘know how’ practice—leading, I argue, to a promotion of the notion that ‘know how’ can be enhanced via the technology of reflection. The result of all this is that education ignores and eschews less structured but arguably more productive methods of inquiry.
Lewin’s (1947b) model of action research is composed of repeated cycles of analysis, fact-finding, conceptualization, planning, implementation of action, and evaluation. The guiding idea is that a process can be studied by introducing changes and observing their effects on it. (Marrow, 1969). Despite the title of this chapter, action research is still very much alive. It has strong advocates in high places. Deutsch has said that the need for knowledge of the effects of experiences upon development, as a basis for changes in policies and organizations, “clearly points to an emphasis on action programs and action research as fundamental tools of the social scientist” (Deutsch, 1969, pp. 14–15).
The Context of the Project 1 The Ford Teaching Project was an attempt to involve 40 teachers in the East Anglian region of the United Kingdom in a programme of action research into the problems of implementing inquiry/discovery approaches in classrooms. The project developed out of a concern that the curriculum reform movement, sponsored by the Nuffield Foundation and the Schools Council in the U.K., has largely failed at the level of classroom implementation. On the basis of the model of research, development, and diffusion, ideas were poured into the system. Many became distorted in the process of dissemination. Teachers in the target audience, sceptical of the possibilities of implementing the reformers' ideas in their classrooms, negotiated what they were prepared to accept. Another problem was that even those teachers who consciously embraced the radical nature of the innovations offered were not aware if these ideas actually guided their practice. The theories one consciously subscribes to are not necessarily those that unconsciously guide practice. Curriculum reformers are confronted either with the cynics, who refuse "to dream" and subsequently try to transform their ideas to fit their own reality, or with the dreamers, who idealize their practice to fit their dreams. The fundamental problem of curriculum reform lies in the clash between the theories of the reformers and those implicit, often unconsciously, in the practice of teachers. Reformers fail to realize that fundamental changes in classroom practice can be brought about only if teachers become conscious of the latter theories and are able to reflect critically about them. Reformers' attempts to advocate their own theories may also reflect a lack of self-criticism, for they could present them in an experimental form as ideas to be tested and evaluated by the teachers themselves. Teachers would then be encouraged to reflect about the theories implicit in their own practices and cease to regard them as self-evident The curriculum reform movement has largely missed an opportunity to involve teachers in the process of theory development. Perhaps the notable exception among curriculum
Global markets, Japanese competition, the service economy, the sophisticated consumer - American business today faces challenges undreamed of just a few decades ago, and traditional approaches to corporate problems are becoming increasingly less effective. And yet MBA programs still preach - and thousands of American firms hold sacred - an antiquated system of business thinking that is wholly inadequate to the problems they face. In this book, the authors pinpoint the profound changes that must occur in the way business executives think, make decisions, and solve problems, if America is to remain competitive. They put forth a radically new approach - "new thinking" - and show executives exactly how to employ these special critical and creative tools to clear the hurdles businesses now face. Varying perspectives, multiple realities, and openness to multiple solutions are the secrets of contemporary problem-solving, and lead us to the cutting edge of innovation. In illustrating how "new thinking" differs from the usual ways in which American firms have handled problems, they analyze a wealth of examples including the decline of the American auto industry and the consequences of this country's blind exporting of technology. They also revisit and interpret some of the gravest crises corporate America has faced: the Bhopal disaster, the Tylenol scare, and the accident at Three Mile Island. This book argues that if we are to produce products and services that can compete in the information age, we must challenge the very foundations of our thinking, and learn how to approach decision-making in a truly creative way.