Resistances and resiliencies in student-faculty pedagogical partnership

Abstract

In this article, we explore forms of psychological resistance that 10 female students perceived in their faculty partners and in themselves in the context of a pedagogical partnership program in the mid-Atlantic region of the United States. Positioning these students as “holders and creators of knowledge” (Delgado-Bernal, 2002, p. 106), our analysis draws on literature in academic development and psychology and on student responses to research questions to discuss how these student partners built resiliencies through the approaches they took to engaging the resistances they perceived. We first present the resistances these student partners perceived in their faculty partners and what factors they think might have contributed to such resistances. Next, we describe the approaches the student partners took to working through the resistances they perceived and the resistances they experienced in themselves. Finally, we analyze the ways that student partners developed resiliencies through productively engaging these forms of resistance.

Enhancing outcomes and reducing inhibitors to the engagement of students and staff in learning and teaching partnerships: implications for academic development

“…Importantly, this resistance to partnership initiatives and principles was noted at diverse levels, from individual resistance to broader institutional barriers. Again, this is a finding that has been reiterated in recent research Marquis et al, 2018;Matthews, Dwyer, Hines, & Turner, 2018;Ntem & Cook-Sather, 2018); many people participating in partnership perceive SaP as counter-cultural work that is often not well recognized or supported in their institutional contexts and that can make them feel vulnerable as individuals.…”

Pedagogical Partnerships

“…In addition to her experience as a student partner, she has engaged in research, both as a fellow of the Teaching and Learning Institute in the summer of 2017 and during the academic year. Anita has presented her work on partnership at conferences (Ntem 2017), co-authored articles on pedagogical partnership (Cook-Sather, Ntem, and Felten in preparation; Ntem and Cook-Sather 2018), served as a facilitator of the International Summer Institute on Students as Partners at McMaster University in Canada, and is co-editor for International Journal for Students as Partners.…”

“…The most common assumption and expectation that faculty bring is: I will be under surveillance. Because, as Lynch (2010, 55) has argued, "surveillance, and the unrelenting measurement of performance, are institutionalized and normalized in everyday life," and because most classroom visits are for purposes of evaluation, many faculty are uncertain about what the student partner role will be and unfamiliar with how to enter into conversation with a student regarding personal insecurities, worries, or moments of joy in the classroom (Ntem and Cook-Sather 2018). The excerpts from faculty reflections below capture the worry that many if not most faculty feel before embarking on pedagogical partnership: "When I learned about the program, it sounded very watch-doggy.…”

Rethinking the problem of faculty resistance to engaging with students as partners in learning and teaching in higher education

“…When we frame resistance as an obstacle or barrier or challenge -instead of recognizing it as part of an organic sense-making process we have to question ourselves and each other in the spirit of partnership. Resistance is an opportunity to communicate (Bovill et al, 2016) and practice empathy (Ntem and Cook-Sather, 2018). Resistance is an opportunity to think together: to question our beliefs about why our colleagues might be resisting the complex practice of pedagogical partnership and to reflect on our motivations as advocates for partnership when faced with perceived resistance from colleagues (be they students or faculty).…”