Critical Communicative Methodology Research Articles

Young people as co-researchers in schools: a collaborative research methodology which benefits young people and school culture

ABSTRACT The voice of young people in schools is often tokenistic. They are asked to contribute to surveys for OFSTED or are part of an adult-led school council. Rarely are they asked to work with adults to create new knowledge for school improvement. Returning to my previous school to conduct research resulted in developing an inclusive and collaborative methodology. Whilst initially intending to use a participative action research (PAR) process, I synthesised this with Critical Communicative Methodology (CCM) to create Youth Participative Dialogic Action Research (YPDAR). This approach created a research power dynamic where responsibility was shared more equally between the young people and the researcher. The results of this approach were unexpected. As the process developed, the young people’s confidence grew, their trust in the school developed, and they felt empowered to act. This paper explores the processes involved and how YPDAR could be used as a school improvement model with the potential not only to transform young people’s lives, but also the culture of the school.

The use of critical communicative methodology as a collaborative research approach to enhance co-creation of inclusive practices in schools

ABSTRACT This paper explores the use of Critical Communicative Methodology (CCM) as a collaborative research approach to co-construct knowledge with participants in a research project aimed to enhance the inclusion of students with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) in three mainstream schools in England. The paper discusses how collaboration between researchers and research participants (i.e. school staff, parents and students), based on egalitarian dialogue, created knowledge co-construction through the use of reflective conversations, communicative focus groups and communicative observations. By describing the design of the project and reflecting on the decisions taken with the participants, the paper highlights how CCM supported the researchers and the participants in reconsidering their assumptions towards inclusive practices. The paper also shows how the generation of qualitative findings with the participants led to the co-creation of a toolkit to improve the services schools provide to students with SEND and their families. The main ethical issues, the unique role of CCM, and challenges in its implementation are discussed. It is concluded that CCM can enhance inclusive practices in an inclusive way based on egalitarian dialogue between academic- and practice-based knowledge co-construction.

Resourced provision in mainstream schools for students with special educational needs and/or disabilities: Inclusive service or safe space?

AbstractAlthough the number of resource provision (RP) classrooms for the education of students with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) in English mainstream schools has increased, very little is known about their functioning and impact. Through collaborative research, based on critical communicative methodology, this study aims to (i) evaluate with the participants the effective practices and challenges in educating students with SEND in RP and mainstream classrooms, and (ii) discuss the position of RP within the inclusion and exclusion debate. Reflective conversations, communicative focus groups and communicative observations were conducted with teachers, teaching assistants, mothers and students in three schools. Two different models were identified in the conceptualisation and practice of RP; either as a service to promote the education and inclusion of students with SEND in mainstream classroom/school, or as a space for specialised provision with opportunities for inclusion. These models reflect two different approaches in the education of these students, the rights‐ and the needs‐based approach respectively. We argue that RP as inclusive service should be prioritised. However, flexibility in its conceptualisation and functioning, either as inclusive service or safe space, can positively contribute towards a realistic approach to inclusion combining human rights and individual diversity perspectives.

Alternative curricular experiences for young prisoners

Despite the rhetoric of the Strategic Framework for European Cooperation in Education and Training (ET2020) to prison education – in particular, the learning needs of people excluded from policy and the recent research that emphasizes the crucial role of education for young prisoners’ personal development, and for their rehabilitation reducing the chances of recidivism (e.g., Jonck et al., 2015) in the Greek context, it seems that educational policies do not meet young prisoners’ educational needs (Petsas, 2017). We report on a project that directly addressed the inappropriate curricula and texts, and teachers’ lack of preparation for this population’s needs. The project ACTinPRISON (https://actinprison.sed.uth.gr)[1] pursued empowerment of young prisoners by creating common spaces between “insiders” --young prisoners-- and “outsiders” –the academic team and students/prospective teachers. Our “common spaces” framework mitigated the dominant, disciplinary, prison discourse with the perspective and techniques of Critical Communicative Methodology (CCM) for developing mathematics and language literacy. This challenged symbolic boundaries separating the two groups by using co-creation of mathematics to foster equal participation and interaction. The initial needs analysis phase of the project introduced young prisoners to the idea and practice of research as a matter of participatory practice, and incorporated important mathematics concepts and skills within jointly constructed community-building activities. Likewise, moments of open-ended discussion were effective as emergent language and mathematical literacy events The second project phase applied that experience to the preparation of university students for entering the prison, followed by the university students and young prisoners working together in the common spaces inside prison. Again, mathematical activities evolved as extensions of the information regarding their funds of knowledge. Work sometimes integrated this knowledge into theatrical play, at other times the group exploited mathematics contexts as here-and-now moments of group development. These experiences afforded the expression of situated mathematical concepts through informal mathematical language as the young prisoners were exposed to the idea of a mathematics register. We report on our persistent pursuit of a transition to scientific language use in this educational context despite the complexity of this challenge. (Resource limitations combined with super-diverse sociolinguistic repertoires and literacy backgrounds of the participants were treated as opportunities rather than obstacles). The ACTinPRISON project extends previous action creating common spaces with young prisoners and prospective teachers (http://cospirom.sed.uth.gr) that identified the need for new participatory practices to challenge typical research protocols. This new work responds through joint mathematically-rich activity to post-colonial critiques of research with marginalized populations. Such critiques often describe research as a “dirty word” (Thambinathan & Kinsella, 2021), because it perpetuates forms of hierarchy and injustice. We counteracted this concern by inviting young prisoners to be co-researchers of their experiences. The examples we present here result from bottom-up extra-curricular experiences involving mathematical ideas. We discuss how such an atypical “school framework” challenges together numerous expectations of both traditional mathematics education and commonsense discourse of prison life. Based on this project experience, we propose in our conclusion the potential for co-constructed needs analysis research to set the stage for informed curriculum development when working with disenfranchised learners who research their own needs. We also discuss the challenges of making this kind of work sustainable and institutionalized.

Participación de Familias en Educación Física

The International Scientific Community identifies the involvement of families in school as a Successful Educational Actions, whose strict implementation leads to the improvement in the academic achievement as well as in the coexistence in the educational context. The aim of this investigation, conducted under the approach of the critical communicative methodology, is to prove how the involvement of the families in education and assessment in the area of Physical Education within the framework of the pedagogical model "Individual Challenges with Shared Responsibility" means an enhancement in all students and their context. The outcomes show an improvement in the academic performance and in the environmental education of students, including those with the greatest barriers. Likewise, this study brings to light the transfer of learning to other contexts and the transformation of the school-family relationship. Besides, it provides evidence on the benefits that it brings to the families that have participated. This study opens up new lines of research into the overcoming of the limitations detected and the improvement of the educational, family and even community contexts.

Transformative educational actions for children in poverty: Sen's capability approach into practice in the Korean context

By adopting Sen’s capability approach, this study explores transformative educational actions for children in poverty to develop their capabilities for learning for life. Sen’s capability approach provides a framework for why it is important to foster the capabilities of children in poverty and what is required to help these children to improve their capabilities for life. With the use of critical communicative methodology, transformative educational actions were positioned to foster expansive capabilities for life. This study suggests that the issue of poverty and its impact on children and education equality can be better tackled from the perspective of capability enhancement.Â

Transforming a municipal school sports programme through a critical communicative methodology: The role of the of advisory committee

This research applies a communicative methodology (CM) to the transformation and improvement of the Municipal Comprehensive School Sports Programme in Segovia, Spain (MCSSP), using egalitarian dialogue, based on validity rather than power claims to achieve intersubjectivity and arrive at consensus between all of the Programme’s stakeholders through the intervention of an advisory committee (AC). The AC is a body comprising representatives of all stakeholder groups involved in the programme. During the 2013–2014 academic year the programme’s AC met four times, operating as a communicative focus group (CFG). The meetings focused on: (1) excluding dimensions (barriers preventing transformation) and transforming dimensions (ways of overcoming barriers), (2) the programme’s strengths, (3) the programme’s weaknesses and specific actions to remedy them, and (4) the resulting conclusions which were then incorporated into the subsequent programme contract signed between the University and the Segovia Local Authority for 2014–2018. The key conclusions were: (1) the recommendations of the AC widen the range of perspectives and help the research team to make key decisions and (2) the use of CM to fully evaluate the programme and to reach a consensus on how to improve it proved very valuable.

Reconciling rigour and impact by collaborative research design: study of teacher agency

ABSTRACTThis paper illustrates a new way of working collaboratively on the development of a methodology for studying teacher agency for social justice. Increasing emphasis of impact on change as a purpose of social research raises questions about appropriate research designs. Large-scale quantitative research framed within externally set parameters has often been criticised for its limited potential for capturing the contexts and impacting change, while smaller, locally embedded, mostly qualitative inquiries have been questioned on the grounds of their limited generalizability and sometimes compromising research rigour. New ways of working collaboratively are increasingly explored as a way of reconciling research rigour and impact. The paper presents the procedures for designing a study that is both methodologically rigorous and potentially impactful. Twelve researchers, practitioners and policy-makers in Scotland were extensively involved in designing a mixed-method study of teacher agency for social justice. The Critical Communicative Methodology was employed to establish egalitarian dialogue between researchers and practitioners. The procedures and the resulting research tools can be used in future studies, including large-scale quantitative analysis. The paper discusses the challenges of ownership, choice of methods, and knowledge transfer, that need to be addressed in these ways of working.

Exclusory and transformative dimensions of adult environmental education in two Brazilian protected areas

This study addresses the limitations and potential for the development of an adult environmental education program in two protected areas in Brazil. The investigation was based on critical communicative methodology and involved 25 people variously related to puma conservation and environmental education. We found that the staff of protected areas had difficulties interacting with the local community. The main cited obstacle was the lack of infrastructure and staff, but partnerships with scientists and other institutions might help to overcome this limitation. As we identified a great diversity of potential audience, a dialogical process would be necessary to collectively identify community demands and seek solutions. Moreover, an adult environmental education program must consider the characteristics of adulthood and should promote diverse types of activities. In conclusion, we suggest that dialogical learning and critical communicative methodology can contribute to the development of the adult environmental education.

La transformación de un programa de deporte escolar a través de la metodología comunicativa crítica: El consejo asesor (Transformation of an extracurricular sport programme through the critical communicative methodology: The advisory committee)

El presente artículo tiene una doble finalidad: (1) presentar la fundamentación teórica sobre la que se construye la transformación y posible mejora del Programa Integral de Deporte Escolar del Municipio de Segovia (PIDEMSG); y (2) describir pormenorizadamente los aspectos organizativos y la puesta en práctica del consejo asesor (CA). En esta investigación se ha utilizado la metodología comunicativa crítica, basada en los conceptos de acción dialógica y comunicativa, para la mejora del PIDEMSG a través del diálogo igualitario entre los diferentes agentes implicados. La aplicación de esta metodología se ha concretado en la creación y desarrollo de un CA, integrado por representantes de los diferentes colectivos que participan en el programa. A lo largo del curso 2013/14 se desarrollaron cuatro reuniones del CA en las que se aplicó la técnica del grupo de discusión comunicativo. El principal resultado obtenido ha sido la creación y desarrollo del CA. Por otro lado, las diferentes reuniones del CA permitieron identificar algunas propuestas de mejora que fueron implementadas de forma inmediata, durante ese mismo curso y los siguientes, como son: (1) la realización de un turno único de encuentros, (2) la creación de un blog del programa, (3) la inclusión del blog en la web del Instituto Municipal de Deportes de Segovia y (4) la elaboración de un libro de difusión. Se concluye que el CA se ha convertido en un órgano de referencia dentro del PIDEMSG, que favorece la toma de decisiones futuras a partir del diálogo y el consenso entre los representantes de los diferentes colectivos.Abstract. This paper has a dual purpose: (1) present the theoretical foundation which allows the transformation and possible improvement of the Segovia Local Authority Integrated Extracurricular Sport Programme (Programa Integral de Deporte Escolar del Municipio de Segovia (PIDEMSG)); and (2) describe in detail the organization and implementation of the advisory committee (AC). In this research we used the critical communicative methodology, based on the concepts of dialogic and communicative action for improving the PIDEMSG through egalitarian dialogue between several stakeholders. The application of this methodology has led to the creation and development of a AC, composed by several members who represent different groups involved in the programme. Throughout the year 2013/14 there have been four meetings of the AC where has been applied the technique of communicative focus group. The main result has been the creation and development of a AC. Thus, the different meetings have identified some improvement proposals which were implemented during the same year and the following years, such as: (1) the completion of a single round of Friday Games Nights, (2) the creation of a blog programme, (3) the inclusion of the blog on the website of Municipal Sports Institute and (4) the development of a book diffusion. We conclude that AC has become an organ of reference within PIDEMSG, which helps making future decisions from the dialogue and consensus among different members.

Aprendizaje dialógico y grupos interactivos en educación física (Dialogic learning and interactive groups in physical education)

El objetivo de este artículo es profundizar en cómo el trabajo realizado en las Comunidades de Aprendizaje en las clases de Educación Física responde a los principios del aprendizaje dialógico poniendo especial énfasis en los grupos interactivos. Con este propósito se han analizado las opiniones de alumnado, profesorado, voluntariado y familias de seis comunidades de aprendizaje, tres del País Vasco y tres de Cataluña. La recogida de información se realizó desde una metodología comunicativa crítica orientada a la construcción de conocimiento desde la subjetividad y la reflexión conjunta con los sujetos de la investigación directamente implicados. En la recogida de información se emplearon técnicas tanto cuantitativas como cualitativas. Los resultados mostraron que las actuaciones educativas que tienen lugar en las clases de Educación Física se articulan en torno a la creación de un clima de diálogo igualitario, la utilización de estrategias de enseñanza-aprendizaje orientadas al éxito educativo y la utilización de estrategias de actuación inclusivas. Como conclusión, se identifican las claves a seguir en el propósito de orientar las clases de Educación Física hacia los principios del aprendizaje dialógico.Palabras clave:Aprendizaje dialógico, Grupos Interactivos, Educación Física, Comunidades de Aprendizaje.Abstract: The aim of this paper is to examine how the work of the Learning Communities in physical education classes responds to the principles of dialogic learning with special emphasis on interactive groups. To achieve this, the opinions of students, teachers, volunteers and families of six learning communities were used: three from the Basque Country and three from Catalonia. Information collection was carried out from a critical communicative methodology aimed at building knowledge from subjectivity and reflection together with the directly involved research subjects. Both quantitative and qualitative techniques were used to collect information. The results showed that the educational activities taking place in physical education classes are centered on creating an atmosphere of equal dialogue, the use of teaching-learning strategies aimed at educational success, and the use of inclusive performance strategies. In conclusion, some key points to follow have been identified in order to gear physical education classes toward the principles of dialogic learning.Key words:Dialogic Learning, Interactive Groups, Physical Education, Learning Communities.

Community-Involved Learning to Expand Possibilities for Vulnerable Children

This research, based on a case study of vulnerable children in Korea, used a mixed methods transformative approach to explore strategies to support and help disadvantaged children. The methodological approach includes three phases: a mixed methods contextual analysis, a qualitative dominant analysis based on Sen’s capability approach and critical communicative methodology to identify relevant value systems that support and impede resilience, and an action research approach to develop and implement the interventions. The adoption of mixed methods extends understandings of how to design, implement, and evaluate programs for vulnerable children.

El grafiti en educación de calle para el fomento de la autoestima, las relaciones sociales y la promoción social: el caso de Espacio Mestizo

In Brazil, Hip Hop is being used in street work to empower young people and allow them a better future. In our research, we considered that the use of art applied to the Hip Hop community would: (a) increase the development of self-esteem, (b) increase the bonding between them and the teacher, and (c) develop a positive process social promotion. From a design based on the critical communicative methodology has analyzed the proposal carried out at Espacio Mestizo through focus groups, interviews with participants, in-depth expert panel and journal investigator. The proposal based on a graffiti workshop has shown that this art of Hip Hop implemented in a participatory manner is a tool that improves self-esteem, relationships, and social advancement.

Critical Communicative Methodology: including vulnerable voices in research through dialogue

This article describes how Critical Communicative Methodology (CCM) has been used successfully to analyse educational inequalities in ways that generate real transformation towards social justice. We begin by arguing that educational research today should employ new methodological approaches that can ensure the inclusion of different voices in social science research and the production of knowledge that transforms social exclusion. We then analyse the main epistemological positions of CCM, based on Habermas’ communicative action theory, and explain how it was implemented in the European Union-funded INCLUD-ED project. Finally, we illustrate how INCLUD-ED has had a social and political impact and we argue that research with vulnerable groups, based on the principles of CCM, can generate social and educational transformation.

The Roma and Education Against Social Exclusion

Education is a key tool for social inclusion and upward mobility, specially referring to the case of minority groups as they have traditionally suffered situations of exclusion. School thus plays a key role as the institution that can contribute to the educational success and social inclusion of these social groups. In this article we will introduce some conclusions from two investigations conducted for and with the Roma community in order to identify barriers to be overcome and successful elements to promote their educational and social inclusion. The analysis of the Roma women's role through the Brudila Calli project illustrates how they are a key agent for the promotion of education as a successful tool for inclusion of the whole Roma community. We will also go in depth in the analysis of the research process in order to present how the critical communicative methodology has also been an essential element that is contributing to the educational success of the Roma community.

Using Dialogic Research to Overcome Poverty: from principles to action

In the EU commitment to alleviating the high rates of poverty in Europe there is widespread agreement among policy‐makers that it is crucial to include the voices of those who are living in poverty in order to fight exclusion most effectively. Similarly, those studying ways to address poverty and inequality are increasingly required to seek dialogue with those who are the focus of their research. These policy‐makers and researchers need procedures that will allow them to move from the principle of including the voices of the most vulnerable social groups to specific ways of undertaking such a dialogue. Research using the critical communicative methodology (CCM) sheds some light on this. By examining aspects of the Integrated Project INCLUD‐ED, the largest research on school education in the Framework Programme, this article argues that three elements of the CCM — egalitarian dialogue, successful actions’ approach and informing effective policies — facilitate the engagement between researchers, end‐users, and all the other involved stakeholders and therefore the move from principles to action in the process of overcoming poverty in Europe. As this article and the special issue demonstrate, through those elements, INCLUD‐ED has already provided scientific knowledge that is instrumental to shorten the distance between the present situation and the horizon of a Europe which is free from poverty.

Other Women in Research: Overcoming Social Inequalities and Improving Scientific Knowledge Through the Inclusion of All Voices

Dialogic feminism has emphasized the need to include all women, particularly those who have traditionally been most excluded, into participation and decision making in different areas of society. The critical communicative methodology (CCM) has responded to this need by including the voices of the Other Women into research processes and dialogue on an equal level to the voices of researchers. Research carried out using the CCM shows that when this is ensured, it is possible to achieve scientific results that help to overcome the social inequalities that many women face as well as to achieve progress in feminist theory.

Critical Communicative Methodology: Informing Real Social Transformation Through Research

The critical communicative methodology (CCM) is a methodological response to the dialogic turn of societies and sciences that has already had an important impact in transforming situations of inequality and exclusion. Research conducted with the CCM implies continuous and egalitarian dialogue among researchers and the people involved in the communities and realities being studied. To this dialogue, researchers bring existing scientific knowledge, and the researched subjects contribute knowledge from their lifeworlds. In this process, new understandings emerge informing solutions to many social problems. Later, social actors lobby for the development of effective social policy based on those solutions. This article presents the CCM, its main principles, techniques, and achievements relating them to the life and person of Jesús Gómez (“Pato”), who deeply engaged in the development of this methodology, always with passion and intellectual rigor and a profound commitment to social justice.

Transforming Violent Selves Through Reflection in Critical Communicative Research

Currently, teenagers are being socialized into a world of violent realities, not only through social interaction but also through interaction via the media, especially via the Internet. Research conducted using the critical communicative methodology has shown that this methodology helps young people to reflect critically about their violent identities in relation to their sexual and affective relationships. It presents opportunities for research participants to question and transform themselves during the research process. In this article, we focus on this transformative dimension of the methodology and illustrate it with qualitative empirical material from two research studies conducted with Spanish youth. One focuses on communicative acts and other on preventing the socialization of gender violence.

From Research to Policy: Roma Participation Through Communicative Organization

For centuries, Roma people’s social exclusion has been reinforced through research that has legitimized stereotypes rather than helping to overcome them. This has led Roma people to refuse to participate in the kind of research that has contributed to discrimination against them. We describe how the critical communicative methodology, used in the European Framework Programme, provides Roma people with the opportunity to participate in research at the highest possible level. In particular, the communicative organization of research allows them to contribute directly as members of the research teams. This article focuses on the advisory committee as a mechanism used to guarantee that Roma people can be directly involved in decision making because this model has been transferred from research to policy.