Abstract
The value of teachers’ engagement in and with research is long recognised and it is acknowledged that school–university research partnerships are one way of enabling such engagement. But we know little about how research‐based knowledge is negotiated into school practices. Here we draw on data from nine ‘research champions’, who are teachers in schools which are part of the Oxford Education Deanery, a research partnership with a university department. Taking a cultural/historical approach, the study examined the strategic intentions and actions in the activities of the champions as they negotiated research‐based knowledge into their schools. Data comprised 59 completed templates that described what they did and why. Findings revealed differences between those with close links with senior leaders—who could take a whole‐school approach—and those whose reach was restricted by their position in school practices. Nonetheless, all the champions carefully selected and targeted research in ways that reflected their knowledge of local contexts. The findings point to the need to incorporate the champion role into school systems and for universities to value the role as they develop their own research agenda.
Highlights
The British Educational Research Association (BERA) and Royal Society of Arts (RSA) report on research and the teaching profession concluded that a systemic response was needed to ensure that the benefits for students and teachers of the profession’s engagement in and with research become widespread (BERA-RSA, 2014)
The motivated actions of the research champions, as they engaged in activities within school practices and created new connections between school and university practices in the Deanery, were aimed at building research-rich organisational cultures in their schools
This aspiration was grounded in the champions’ understandings of wholeschool priorities if they were in positions where they could take such an overview. If their position in school practices provided a more restricted perspective, they worked within their department or faculty, or through their responsibility for staff development or supporting newly qualified teachers
Summary
The British Educational Research Association (BERA) and Royal Society of Arts (RSA) report on research and the teaching profession concluded that a systemic response was needed to ensure that the benefits for students and teachers of the profession’s engagement in and with research become widespread (BERA-RSA, 2014). In this article we briefly outline one systemic response, involving a university and local schools, and focus on the work of teachers who are designated as ‘research champion’ within their schools. The Deanery comprises three broad areas of linked activity: initial teacher education (ITE); continuing professional development (CPD), which engages schools in and with research; and university-based research, which involves schools and teachers in a range of ways, from research partners to membership of project advisory boards. The aims within each area of activity are linked, centring on supporting schools as research-rich environments for student teachers and teacher colleagues while enabling conversations across these activities, which can guide the educational relevance of departmental research at the university. In this article we focus on professional development and research activities
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
