Critical Collaborative Action Research as a Means of Curriculum Inquiry and Empowerment

Aspland, Tania; MacPherson, Ian; Proudford, Christine; Whitmore, Letitia

doi:10.1080/0965079960040108

Cited by 23 publications

(16 citation statements)

References 13 publications

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“…In searching for an appropriate partnership research model we were influenced by the collaborative inquiry process of Buchanan and Schultz (1993) and by the work of Saez and Carretero (1996) who synthesized a number of case studies and developed descriptive narrative events into a collective analysis. Other researchers have also undertaken collaborative research projects, which involved groups of school practitioners working alongside external researchers (Aspland et al, 1996;Cochran-Smith and Lytle, 1999). We therefore, adopted the co-operative problem-solving approach defined by King and Lonnquist (1994) as collaborative action research.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Developing Reading-Writing Connections: The Impact of Explicit Instruction of Literary Devices on the Quality of Children's Narrative Writing

Corden

2007

Journal of Research in Childhood Education

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Title.Developing reading-writing connections: the impact of explicit instruction of literary devices on the quality of children's narrative writing. Abstract.The purpose of this collaborative schools-university study was to investigate how the explicit instruction of literary devices during designated literacy sessions could improve the quality of children's narrative writing. A guiding question for the study was: can children's writing can be enhanced by teachers drawing attention to the literary devices used by professional writers, or mentor authors? The study was conducted with eighteen teachers, working as research partners in nine elementary schools over one school year. The research group explored ways of developing children as reflective authors, able to draft and redraft writing in response to peer and teacher feedback. Daily literacy sessions were complemented by weekly writing workshops where students engaged in authorial activity and experienced writers' perspectives and readers' demands (Harwayne, 1992;May, 2004). Methods for data collection included video recording of peer-peer and teacher-led group discussions and audio recording of teacher-child conferences. Samples of children's narrative writing were collected and a comparison was made between the quality of their independent writing at the beginning and end of the research period. The research group documented the importance of peer-peer and teacher-student discourse in the development of children's metalanguage and awareness of audience. The study suggests that reading, discussing and evaluating mentor texts can have a positive impact on the quality of children's independent writing.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Developing Reading-Writing Connections: The Impact of Explicit Instruction of Literary Devices on the Quality of Children's Narrative Writing

Corden

2007

Journal of Research in Childhood Education

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“…Aspland et al, (1996) argued that collaborative action research by teachers empowers them to challenge centralising tendencies in education and plan transformative action at the local level.…”

Section: Empowermentmentioning

confidence: 99%

Teacher autonomy: Power or control?

Lawson

2004

Education 3-13

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The article explores the issue of teacher autonomy in relation to its potential for freedom or control. It examines the concept of empowerment as applied to education, arguing that, although it is traditionally cast as a means of achieving autonomy, an alternative approach sees empowerment as part of the disciplinary apparatus of late modern governance. In exploring these issues, the article covers ideas such as critical education, the reflective practitioner and personal effectiveness from the view of teacher autonomy as emancipatory; and self-surveillance, disciplinary regimes and pedagogic identity from the perspective of control. The article concludes that the appeal of teacher autonomy to the profession must be tempered by the recognition that it has the ability to both liberate and deceive.

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“…Action research, however, can be little more than a systematic way of getting things done with scant, if any, attention to its emancipatory possibilities (Kemmis, 1994). If practitioner research seeks to be an example of emancipatory action research, it must have a critical edge (Aspland et al, 1996) that places the research in a context and takes the reporting of its outcomes beyond the level of description. A cursory reading of some accounts of the processes and outcomes of practitioner research suggest that they are little more than picturesque journeys of self-indulgent descriptions of this is what I did as Smith (1997, unpublished paper) points out:…”

Section: Practitioner Researchmentioning

confidence: 99%

Communicating the processes and outcomes of practitioner research: an opportunity for self-indulgence or a serious professional responsibility?

Brooker

MacPherson

1999

Educational Action Research

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While there is a growing body of research literature focused on practitioner research, the reporting of the processes and outcomes of some of that research appears to be little more than picturesque journeys of self-indulgence. Located within action research, practitioner research has been associated with notions of promoting empowerment, transformation, advocacy and action within practitioners professional work contexts. If, however, such outcomes are to result from practitioner research, then practitioner researchers must be clear in terms of purpose, modes of research investigation, ways of documenting research strategies and outcomes, ways of interpreting these outcomes, and drawing implications for further action and investigation.Drawing on our experience in practitioner research projects and using one such project as an example, this article seeks to theorise about what it might mean to communicate the processes and outcomes of practitioner research, especially if the research is positioned within an action research approach, which aims to be critical and emancipatory. The article begins by describing our reflections on reactions to a paper in which we sought to communicate the processes and outcomes of a piece of practitioner research. We then move into a brief consideration of reporting qualitative inquiry generally and practitioner research in particular. As a basis for ongoing discussion and debate, the article identifies four propositions for communicating the processes and outcomes of practitioner research so that such research will be regarded highly and be seen to be professionally responsible: make clear the origins of the inquiry and its purpose, and give the interests of the participants (researchers and actors); identify sources of data; make explicit the process of transforming the original data through description, analysis and interpretation into published account; and make justified suggestions about the use or application of the published account.

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Critical Collaborative Action Research as a Means of Curriculum Inquiry and Empowerment

Cited by 23 publications

References 13 publications

Developing Reading-Writing Connections: The Impact of Explicit Instruction of Literary Devices on the Quality of Children's Narrative Writing

Developing Reading-Writing Connections: The Impact of Explicit Instruction of Literary Devices on the Quality of Children's Narrative Writing

Teacher autonomy: Power or control?

Communicating the processes and outcomes of practitioner research: an opportunity for self-indulgence or a serious professional responsibility?

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