Researching pedagogy within small active learning classrooms: Examining enacted pedagogies of learner and instructor interactions

Abstract

ABSTRACTTo better support pedagogies of engagement, such as peer learning, team learning, and inquiry-based learning, Active Learning Classrooms (ALCs) are equipped with a range of physical and technological affordances, including movable furniture, ample whiteboard access, and immediate work-sharing capabilities using mobile technologies and displays. Although ALCs are created with pedagogical flexibility in mind, previous research on ALCs has favoured quasi-experimental research designs that relate qualities of space and qualities of learning within large introductory STEM courses. By comparison, smaller active learning classrooms that serve 24 students or fewer have different spatial, pedagogical, and technological affordances and therefore benefit from alternate research designs. We argue that qualitative approaches, particularly methods that examine the co-occurrences of teacher and learner interactions within ALCs, are suited to exploring dimensions of enacted pedagogies in context. In this article, we present how video platform technologies and qualitative data analysis software can be used to support research methods that combine observational and experiential data while minimizing classroom disruptions. For contextualization, we provide a case study example of world language instruction employing the proposed methods within a small ALC.