Collaborative Action Research Project Research Articles

Os Métodos Artísticos como Forma de Olhar as Possibilidades de Construção do Género e suas Relações

ABSTRACT The Artistic Methods as a Way to Look at the Possibilities of Construction of Gender and its Relations – Based on a collaborative action-research project with a high school class, we discuss the possibilities that artistic methodologies bring to collective analysis and reflec-tions in order to promote youth political consciousness. Through moments of aesthetic-political exploration, in which the Theatre of the Oppressed and Photovoice were mobilised, the young people reflected on their everyday experiences and problems, with dating violence emerging as the most significant theme. Local actors were added to the joint reflection between the young people, and visual narratives made by two groups were discussed. This article recognises the potential of the arts to problematise gender relations and constructions, to emotionally and subjectively involve par-ticipants, and as a way of politicising an ‘apparent’ individual problem.

Teachers’ Commitment to Promoting Education for Sustainable Development: Outcomes of a Faculty Collaborative Action Research Project

The Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) Working Group (consisting of teacher educators within the School of Education at The University of the West Indies, Mona Campus in Jamaica), conducted a collaborative action research project to infuse ESD skills, issues, perspectives, and values into six courses. The study explored students’ views on the role of teachers in promoting ESD, their personal commitment to ESD, and whether these views were influenced by the infusion process. The study involved 140 undergraduate and graduate students, comprising both pre-service and in-service teachers, and an instrument was developed to gather pre- and post-course responses to open-ended prompts. The results showed development in students’ awareness about their roles and personal commitment to ESD after the infusion process. The findings indicate that teacher education programmes have the potential to promote sustainable development and empower teachers as change agents.

The Language Quadriptych in content and language integrated learning: findings from a collaborative action research study

ABSTRACT In this study, we report the findings from a collaborative action research project carried out between three secondary school teachers (Biology, History, Literature) from a Spanish-English bilingual school in Argentina, and Author 1. The project emerged in response to the teachers’ interest in providing their learners with further opportunities to use English as an additional language in the content and language integrated learning (CLIL) classroom. The experience included a series of workshops on lesson planning and reflection around the Language Triptych (Coyle et al. 2010. CLIL: Content and Language Integrated Learning. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press). Data were collected through classroom observations, teaching and learning artefacts, and interviews with the participating teachers. Data were analysed through qualitative content analysis. We particularly pay attention to how the participating teachers put forward what we shall call the ‘Language Quadriptych’ to account for their learners’ linguistic and cognitive needs and wants in relation reflecting on their learning, alongside constructing disciplinary knowledge in English.

‘Our Classes Are Like Mainstream School Now’: Implementing Universal Design for Learning at a Special School

AbstractStudents with emotional and behavioural disability who receive their education in special settings often do not have access to the curriculum through evidence-based pedagogies, such as direct instruction, and instead complete packets of worksheets or participate in distance education. The current study was a collaborative action research project involving a special school for students with emotional disability and a local university to examine the effects of replacing online distance education with in-person direct instruction underpinned by Universal Design for Learning. Researchers sought to discover teacher and student perceptions of Universal Design for Learning, enablers and barriers to its implementation, and its effect on attendance and behaviour. Results suggested satisfaction on the part of both students and teachers and a positive effect of Universal Design for Learning on both attendance and behaviour.

Socioscientific Issues and COVID-19: Responding to Curriculum Reform through Action Research

This collaborative action research project documents the exploration and student learning outcomes of COVID-19 socioscientific issue-based lessons. Analysis of student interviews, surveys, and work, combined with classroom observations, revealed that COVID-19 socioscientific issue-based lessons improved students’ conceptual understanding of the science behind pandemic control measures, increased their feelings of personal responsibility in responding to COVID-19, and broadened their perspectives on the impacts of COVID-19 on diverse populations. The framework used to design the lesson series—Three Visions of Scientific Literacy—facilitated the authors' response to curriculum reform. Future use of the framework and implications for socioscientific issue-based teaching are discussed.

Addressing the withdrawal of playtime: a collaborative action research project

ABSTRACT Despite evidence for the importance of playtime for children, the use of the withdrawal of playtime is a sanction that is used throughout schools in the UK. In light of this, there have been recent arguments highlighting the need to explore alternatives to this sanction in order to protect opportunities for playtime. This exploratory action research study included an initial focus group and multiple psychological consultations with teachers in a single setting to collaboratively explore and review potential alternatives. Findings include teachers wanting to address behaviours that often result in the withdrawal of playtime, and strategies to address these were co-constructed and implemented. Other findings included contextual barriers to stopping the use of withdrawing playtime, such as curriculum constraints, as well as facilitative aspects to stopping the withdrawal of playtime. Further implications for EP and school practice and research, as well as limitations, are discussed.

Corporate museums and performance measurement systems

ABSTRACT Corporate museums are facilities where companies showcase their history and interests in a museum-like setting. Similarly to traditional museums, they pursue cultural, social and economic performance goals. Differently from traditional museums, they also seek high organizational performance, because of their connection with their parent company. Given this business affiliation, the current systems to trace performance in traditional museums appear inadequate. Despite this peculiarity, today there are no studies on performance measurement systems for corporate museums. The present study aims to fill this knowledge gap by exploring how to design a performance measurement system to measure corporate museum performance. A collaborative action research project with Museimpresa, the Italian National Association of Corporate Museums, led to this discussion on a comprehensive and modular performance measurement system for this sector. The paper also offers suggestions on the process and the roles for development, which practitioners could find helpful in future implementations.

Action research in initial EFL teacher education: emerging insights from a CAR project

ABSTRACT The purpose of this study is to explore what insights pre-service EFL teachers developed through engaging in a collaborative action research (CAR) project which was embedded into an e-practicum course in Turkey. Using a qualitative holistic single-case study design, this study involved seven fourth-year pre-service teachers at a state university in the west of Turkey during the 2020–2021 academic year. After the CAR project was completed, we asked the pre-service teachers to write their reflections on the CAR experience and then we conducted follow-up interviews to elaborate on the points that needed further exploration. We first identified the in vivo codes in the data set and then discussed the deeper meanings they evoked and their interrelationship. The findings revealed that the pre-service teachers’ engagement in CAR enabled them to gain new perspectives on research, their teacher selves, and teacher professional development. Sustained dialogic interaction, collective scaffolding, more symmetrical power relations, a shared goal and ownership of research within the CAR community were the key elements highlighting the pre-service teachers’ new insights into these concepts. Practical implications of these findings for initial EFL teacher education are also discussed.

Eighth- and ninth-grade students’ perceptions of a curriculum designed to support adolescent female vocal development: An action research study

The purpose of this collaborative action research project was to examine eighth- and ninth-grade female (assigned at birth) students’ perspectives of their singing voice when implementing a practitioner/researcher designed curriculum titled Supporting Adolescent Female Vocal Development: Teaching Anatomy and Physiology in the Middle School Choral Classroom. The curriculum, designed specifically for the adolescent female voice, contained the following four units: the respiratory system, the larynx, the digestive system, and the skeletal system. The action research method, which contained four feedback loops, allowed us to assess, refine, and revise the curriculum to meet the needs of this specific group of adolescents. Salient themes that emerged from the data included participants’ perceptions of breath, passaggio, vocal range, vocal tone, feedback, and confidence. Overall, participants reported positive experiences throughout the unit; however, challenges emerged when we provided individual feedback and introduced complex terminology associated with vocal anatomy. Implications for practice include prioritizing a process-oriented curriculum theoretically grounded in the anatomy and physiology of the voice to serve the needs of adolescent singers.

Simulation en santé en formation initiale : un dispositif au bénéfice des apprenants

Three collaborative action-research projects have been carried out at the Institut de formation interhospitalier Théodore-Simon in Neuilly-sur-Marne (93) since the implementation of health simulation in nursing training. Their descriptions show the interest and the advantages of this pedagogical method and of the different "action pedagogies" which result from it for the nursing learners.

Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) Infusion into Curricula: Influences on Students’ Understandings of Sustainable Development and ESD

Formal education for sustainable development (ESD) is in large part dependent on capacity-building and training of teachers as they are the individuals who must both deliver ESD at the classroom level as well as utilise their own knowledge, values and skills in support of sustainability. In this research, teacher educators within a higher education institution in Jamaica undertook a collaborative action research project to infuse ESD into their selected undergraduate and postgraduate courses during the spring semester of the 2018/19 academic year. Data were collected from approximately 140 students through the use of a pre- and post-infusion concept map, which sought to ascertain various facets including students’ level of awareness and perspectives on sustainable development and ESD. Preliminary findings indicate that students’ understanding of sustainable development broadened after the courses, with most students believing that sustainable development involves social, economic and environmental improvements that do not come at the expense of our natural resources. Additionally, students’ thoughts about ESD shifted, with students highlighting aspects of the interdisciplinary nature of ESD and ESD as involving equitable and inclusive education, as well as attitudinal and behavioural changes. The findings of this research are significant in highlighting how the intentional infusion of ESD into courses across various specialisations can enhance students’ knowledge and awareness of sustainable development and ESD.

A Deep Dive into Accreditation: Using Action Research to Assess and Evaluate a Teacher Education Program

Continuous assessment in the fields of teaching and education is a must for faculty in higher education as well as the teaching candidates they instruct. Such assessment requires a deep dive into practice and policy along with a willingness to evaluate program delivery models objectively. Although accomplishing this degree of evaluation is not an easy task, it does provide a rich opportunity for determining program strengths and areas in need of improvement. Spearheaded by accreditation guidelines and a collaborative action research project, the authors highlight the lessons they learned and explore application possibilities within a literacy education program. From the importance of accountability from all stakeholders, (i.e. university administration, faculty, and students), to the role technology integration plays, to the significance of diversity and the implementation of field experiences throughout, they share their discoveries and insights in a forthright and reflective manner. As university faculty working with those seeking teaching certification at an advanced level (Masters and/or Educational Specialist), the authors examine the influence CAEP, the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation, has not only on their program but, ultimately, on their individual pedagogy and methodology. Reconciling the need of maintaining accreditation with their own desire for autonomy in teaching, they look critically at ways to merge the two.

Impact of action research in Norwegian religious education

ABSTRACT For more than a decade, the authors have engaged in several collaborative action research projects in established communities of practice, generating new knowledge and promoting practice development in religious education (RE) in schools and higher education. Based on this, this article asks what characterised the collaborative processes, and how the projects impacted on new RE-knowledge and practices. For some participants, the dynamics of the community of practices changed the way they came to see their own RE-teaching practice and role as RE-teachers, the relationship between RE-research and their own practice and their personal theory of practice in religious education and beyond. The degree of such changes and how they can be described, is often difficult to trace over time. A critical question raised, is whether such projects could benefit from being more explicit and detailed about their aims from the start, in collaboration with the networks that initiated the projects. This would make it more realistic to document and discuss their outputs, outcomes, and impacts, and have implications for future action research.

Peer tutoring as a means to inclusion: a collaborative action research project

ABSTRACT In this collaborative action research project three researchers and six primary teachers in two Greek mainstream schools developed a peer tutoring programme for 130 students, 11 of whom were students with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). Through exploring new roles for researchers and teachers, the aim of this study was to enhance teachers’ capacity to develop peer tutoring programmes and improve students’ academic and social skills. Teachers and researchers actively collaborated in the development, delivery and evaluation of the programme through the collection and analysis of a range of qualitative data. Data were collected through focus groups, interviews, observations and diaries. The teachers and researchers learned to collaborate in creating an inclusive environment for all students through on-going and in-service support, and to make shared decisions based on honest dialogue. Both teachers and students considered peer tutoring effective for students with SEND but not for all the students without SEND. This collaborative project positively challenged the teachers’ and researchers’ thinking, highlighting the fact that the development of any inclusive classroom practice, such as peer tutoring, should incorporate the participants’ decisions as a means to resolve the complexities between the theoretical underpinnings of inclusion and its practice.

Museum education, cultural sustainability, and English language teaching in Spain

ABSTRACT The collaborative action research project presented analysed the potential of museum education to radically transform the way in which English was taught and learnt in three diverse elementary, middle, and high-school contexts in the province of València (Spain). Insights from museum education and New Literacy Studies were used to expand upon the pedagogical affordances of the material and multimodal dimensions of English language teaching, in order to generate more opportunities for student motivation and engagement by connecting with the learners' home and community cultures, identities, languages, and literacies. To assess the impact of the project, a variety of qualitative strategies were used (including classroom recordings, student interviews and questionnaires, and photographs). A model for culturally sustaining pedagogy was suggested, which school and museum educators may use to inform their practice.

Using collaborative action research to enhance differentiated instruction

ABSTRACT Differentiated instruction has been shown to meet the needs of diverse learners, and can meaningfully improve individual student learning, however many teachers find it challenging to implement. This paper reports on a targeted professional development programme which was undertaken as a collaborative action research project. Results show many participants adapted their classroom pedagogy to provide further supports for students through differentiated instruction. We argue that this study’s use of a collaborative action research approach to provide teacher professional development, along with a focus on evidence using a differentiation observation instrument, were important stimuli for reflection and pedagogical experimentation. This targeted approach to professional reflection and exposure to research-based and other colleagues’ teaching practices led to enhanced differentiated instruction among participants. These findings contribute to understanding the processes that lead to teacher development.

Mapping Green Dublin: Co-Creating a Greener Future With Local Communities

Mapping Green Dublin is a transdisciplinary, collaborative action research project led by University College Dublin’s School of Geography in collaboration with arts organisation Common Ground, artist Seoidín O’Sullivan, and event facilitators Connect the Dots. It took place in an inner-city neighbourhood of Dublin 8 between 2019 and 2020 and was funded by the Irish Environmental Protection Agency. This article outlines the methodological approach taken to develop a community-led greening strategy that is both inclusive and planning-policy relevant. The first phase of the project involved scientifically mapping the span and territories of trees and greenspace across Dublin 8, identifying their location and quality, greenspace deficits, and future needs. Phase two included a series of curated events from March to August 2020 to map out a proposed process for co-creating urban greening solutions focusing more on local identity and the possibilities for future creation. The scientific data was presented to communities in a way that opened up a creative and supportive space for dialogue on the wider role of trees and greening in enhancing urban resilience. Such a co-created greening plan ensures that interventions respond to neighbourhood needs, have high social and cultural value within the community, and maximise opportunities for community wellbeing. The final phase of the project identified specific areas for focused greening interventions. An important output from this action research project is a co-creation process to enable communities, local authorities, and policymakers to engage with and develop a new governance arrangement for more inclusive and appropriate urban greening strategies.

Supporting Communities in Caring for Salmon and Each Other: Creek Restoration as a Site for Multi-System Change and Wholistic Re/conciliation

This paper describes a unique collaborative action research project that brings together members of the q̓íc̓əy̓ (Katzie) First Nation, post-secondary and K-12 communities, as well as foresters and environmentalists, to restore creeks that have been compromised by land use impacts, forest removal, and global warming.  Identifying creek restoration as a site for multi-system change and wholistic re/conciliation, we explored the following questions:  How can we bring together members of our diverse communities to learn about the dire condition of our watershed and take action to help Salmon? How might this collaborative work strengthen community relationships?  What contextual factors enable and impede the enactment of our vison? Through iterative cycles of action and reflection, intentional trial and error, conversational inquiry, and storytelling, we identified ‘guideposts’ that will inform our work moving forward.  Our research has illuminated structural changes that could enhance environmental justice for Salmon, such as empowering the caretakers of creeks and rivers since time immemorial as sovereign leaders of restorative projects, affirming the rights of the Land and other sentient beings to receive care, developing leadership structures that serve to unite (rather than polarize) citizens in addressing environmental problems, and forming diverse relational webs that exceed partnerships. Action research, informed by Indigenous worldviews, can play a pivotal role in supporting communities in assuming relational responsibility in caring for the Land and one another.  As Donna Haraway (2016) contends, it is time to ‘make kin’ outside of our genetic and ancestral ties to ‘change the story’.

Embracing cultural relevance and fostering student metacognitive formative assessment through T.A.L.E. (Take Another Look Everyone) in a rural 5th grade math classroom: a collaborative action research project

ABSTRACT Many educators focus on the cognitive and/or cultural/contextual deficits that students bring to learning tasks, which are oftentimes used to explain poor academic performance. Metacognition that can be taught and learned for improving learning performance is regarded as an alternative. The purpose of this year-long collaborative action research is to describe how a culturally relevant metacognitive formative assessment strategy called TALE (Take Another Look Everyone) worked in a rural 5th grade mathematics classroom (N = 16). A variety of data was collected, recorded, co-transcribed, co-reflected, and systematically co-analyzed. Major findings were that students’ formative test scores substantially increased and two cases of students with different backgrounds, including Native American culture and academic levels, demonstrated different ways of improving mathematics proficiency. This paper concluded that students learned better when given an opportunity to metacognitively think about mistakes in a highly respectful classroom.

Finding and using students’ funds of knowledge and identity in superdiverse primary schools: a collaborative action research project

ABSTRACT Sociocultural diversity in classrooms can result in inequality, when discontinuities between school and home make children perform below their abilities. Funds of knowledge/identity theory makes a plea for building on the skills and knowledge that students acquire in their families, communities and peer groups, and that may not be recognised by teachers, when they are from different sociocultural backgrounds to their students. In a collaborative action research project the authors investigated how primary school teachers can use students’ funds of knowledge/identity (FoK/I) in their superdiverse classrooms. Data were collected through pre-structured logbooks, teacher interviews and focus groups. The analyses result in a framework that suggests ways to find students’ FoK, and that categorises FoK/I-related teaching practices along two dimensions: (1) individual students’ resources vs. collective resources; and (2) scope of the teaching activities. The authors also identify sources of FoK/I and discuss the pedagogical competences teachers need to integrate FoK/I into their teaching.