Inquiry Practices Research Articles

Inquiry as Resonance: Wiry Workings of Failure and Patience

In this article, I offer inquiry as resonance, an axiological inquiry practice that seeks to amplify transformative resonances in the world. This inquiry practice gets to work with Rosa’s modes of resonance that include the qualities (i.e., af<-fection, e->motion, transformation, and uncontrollability) as well as horizontal (i.e., human actors), vertical (i.e., art, history, and the like), and diagonal (i.e., structural and ideological entities) axes that create resonances between a human actor and the interconnected world in which they live. Inquiry as resonance advocates for an accountable “I” in an interconnected and shifting world. I came to inquiry as resonance through a journey of failure (or lack of resonance) with theory and patiently writing and working with, though, and against that failure. That journey created space for me to consider resonance and what an inquiry of resonance might look like.

A literature review of posthumanist and new materialist research in applied linguistics

ABSTRACT A growing interest in language and materiality has set in motion a paradigmatic shift in applied linguistics. In particular, increasing consideration is being given to relations between the social and material world by way of posthumanist and new materialist theories. As this scholarship is nascent, this literature review aims to understand how these theories are being put to work in applied linguistics research. To conduct the literature review, the authors reviewed a list of 237 journals and employed thematic analysis (Braun & Clark, 2006) to code and categorize over 100 articles that made use of posthumanism and the new materialisms. Findings showed that inroads for these theories are being created on a cline of inventiveness that operationalizes assemblage thinking, moves away from representational logic, and experiments with performative inquiry practices. Implications include the need to further explore how posthumanism and the new materialisms demand a rethinking of the field’s most taken-for-granted constructs along with how they have come to structure the design, implementation, and dissemination of applied linguistics research.

Intersecting inequalities: towards a critical discursive approach

ABSTRACT This introduction to the Special Issue delves into the intersection of critical discursive approaches and intersectionality in the study of language, gender, and societal inequalities. It traces the evolution of gender and language studies, with a focus on how discursive methodologies have facilitated the examination of the material consequences of discourse, particularly in relation to power, gender, and social structures. The aim of this Special Issue is to foster academic synergy by merging discursive and intersectional frameworks to analyze how socio-cultural categories—such as gender, race, and class, among others—intersect to produce inequalities. Furthermore, the issue incorporates a decolonial perspective, critically engaging with the Eurocentric foundations of existing methodologies and advocating for a more inclusive analysis of global power dynamics. The articles within this issue adopt interdisciplinary approaches, including Critical Discourse Studies and Sociocultural Linguistics, to explore diverse experiences and social structures. By integrating these frameworks, the issue offers a multifaceted understanding of how intersecting identities shape discourse and social power relations, underscoring the importance of critical praxis and self-reflexivity in academic research.

The Periodical as Political Educator

Abstract This essay discusses how forms like political magazines, cultural journals, and party newspapers produced by twentieth-century anticolonial, left, and oppositional movements instituted practices of alternative pedagogy and political education across the Global South. These “revolutionary papers” served as a pedagogical infrastructure encompassing a critical curriculum drawn from ongoing movements, alternative histories, and regional literary production, to be used for collective practices of debate and inquiry. The essay introduces a series of digital teaching tools featured in the issue that study revolutionary periodicals such as the Cairo-based Afro-Asian literary magazine Lotus and underground pamphlets from the Mau Mau movement in Kenya. These teaching tools are accessible, interactive resources that provide archival, literary, and historical insights on movements and associated print cultures and are designed as pedagogical aids for the classroom and for political education in community settings. Along the way, the essay reflects on anticolonial periodicals as a resource for ongoing debates around decolonizing the university, and the possibilities presented by digital humanities approaches for the study of anticolonialism and Global South cultures.

The role of environmental tax in guiding global climate policies to mitigate climate changes in European region

AbstractThe purpose of this study is to perform a practical inquiry into the influence of environmental tax laws on the execution of climate‐related financial policies. Our research will assess the effectiveness of environmental tax measures in 23 European countries from 2011 to 2020. The panel‐corrected standard error (PCSE) model and the feasible generalized least squares (FGLS) model are used in the empirical examination of the link between environmental tax laws and the implementation of climate‐related financial measures. This study is based on panel data with cross‐sectional dependence. The results of our estimation highlight the need to improve policy effectiveness by using all four ecological tax indicators. These include total environmental tax revenue, energy tax revenue, pollution and resource tax revenue, and transportation tax revenue. Furthermore, we provide actual evidence clarifying the process by which the implementation of environmental tax policies improves the efficacy of climate‐related financial policies in the short term as well as the long term. According to the findings, a third of environmental tax policy indicators have a long‐term effect on the implementation of climate‐related financial measures, with no short‐term effects seen. Our findings are critical for economists and policy‐makers who support the environmental tax as an effective tool to promote a country's climate policy implementations.

Students' views of a networked practice inquiry course

In the higher education sector both networked learning and inquiry-based learning are signalled as flexible pedagogical approaches which support and encourage the development of skills, competences and qualities expected of “21st century” learning. Whereas networked learning distinctively attends to connectedness enhanced and mediated by technologies for the creation of learning networks and socio[1]material assemblages, inquiry-based learning distinctively brings together teaching and researching encouraging students' learning engagement and development. A networked practice inquiry approach was envisaged as helpful to encourage postgraduate students to engage for learning on and with digital technologies and inspire professional practice development. Past the course experience an interpretative study was taken up in an attempt to obtain an initial picture of the student perspective of this course approach. This paper shares a preliminary qualitative picture describing students’ viewpoint of the networked practice inquiry learning experience. It is a first glimpse into technology enhanced and mediated learning experience of the postgraduate student in Malta. These preliminary findings suggest that students are forward looking. Students demand and celebrate innovative digital tools and practices in and for learning, especially when these are seen accommodating them and resonating to their wider life and work practice experiences. They are generally enthused to assume explorative and inquiry attitudes into life and work practices for learning and practice development. They are also into connectedness for learning but on their own terms. This is a threefold appeal coming from mature students regarding their higher education course experience which, in a local context of fast developing socio-technological change, is simultaneously energising and challenging. Considering that in the local context there is currently a lot of work going on the political and executive tables to see artificial intelligence and immersive technologies compellingly transforming mainstream societal sectors including education, in the local higher education scene we urgently need to make a start for making the course experience the first port of call where one has the "an opportunity to think and dream" as one of the research participants put it; constructively and critically laying down our future and that of the generations to come.

A purposeful design for transformative networked learning in an online doctoral programme

In recent years, there has been a growing effort within a research community of NL to re-define the notion of NL and re-configure the landscape of NL practice. The present authors, who are also members of the NL community, aim to contribute to such a collective effort by filling an existing gap in the ongoing conversation—the community has mainly focused on promoting and facilitating the “network” part of NL while assuming and neglecting the “learning” part. The article first argues that the ultimate purpose of NL is to create meaningful personal and social changes: transformative NL. Therefore, the emphasis of the transformative NL design should not be restricted to facilitating learner interactions and knowledge acquisition inside an online course but expanded to helping learners’ holistic development that leads to meaningful changes in their lives outside the course. The article then proposes a “purposeful” design framework including three levels of interconnected NL communities that need to be considered when designing transformative NL: i) internal NL community in an online course that aims to transform individual students’ perspectives through tutor-driven collaborative learning, ii) external NL community in students’ real-life contexts that aims to transform group perspectives through student-driven collaborative practice, and iii) social NL community in broader contexts (or society as a community) that aims to transform social perspectives through community-driven collective action. The article also provides a brief illustration of purposeful NL design in an online doctoral programme in which the authors’ teaching and research praxis is situated.

Community-Led Solutions: How Local Organizing Committees Drive Change for Housing and Health Equity in California’s Central Valley

In this research brief, we describe how the HOPe Lab (UC Merced), Faith in the Valley (Fresno), and Cultiva Central Valley (Merced) are collaborating to address housing-related disparities within California’s culturally diverse Central Valley. Focused on the transformative role of Local Organizing Committees (LOCs), our research employs an anti-racist research praxis to actively engage residents, enhance leadership capacity, and foster communication between residents and elected officials. Drawing on several theory-of-change statements and the practical insights gained from “field experts” carrying out ongoing initiatives, this report explores the positive impact of LOCs on meaningful community involvement, empowerment, engagement, accountability, and policy changes.

“I take hot showers so I can practice burning in hell” A corpus analytical study of Tinder female profiles in the UK

The focus of this article is the linguistic choices made by women-seeking-men (WSM) and women-seeking-women (WSW) on Tinder profiles in the UK, which builds on prior corpus-analytical research on dating profiles (Baker 2018; Collins 2019). Data was collected through TinderBotz, a scraping tool which gathered the information publicly displayed on Tinder profiles. Then, to ensure an ethical research praxis, it assigned each profile random identification numbers that guaranteed the anonymity of the users. The corpus consists of two subcorpora (WSM.C and WSW.C) each containing 405 profiles (average number of words=20.15) from women (18-24 y.o.) based in the UK. Given that profile creation on Tinder consists of two parts (the first being semi-guided and the second part, aka the ‘about me’ section, being fully creative), each sub-corpora (WSM.C and WSW.C) was in turn divided into two parts. UK.WSM.T.P.C.1 and UK.WSW.T.P.C.1 include the semi-guided part of the profile while UK.WSM.T.P.C.2 and UK.WSW.T.P.C.2 include the ‘about me’ section). Sketch Engine was used to search for significant n-grams and keywords in both sub-corpora and chi-square tests were conducted to determine the significance of our findings. Our results showed that WSM had less elaborate profiles, mentioned physical attributes (e.g., height) and often redirected potential matches to other platforms (i.e., Instagram). Meanwhile, WSW had more creative ‘about me’ sections in which they described their identity in greater detail (e.g., leatherdyke). Overall, both groups showed similar profiles in terms of work and relationship status.

Becoming and Remaining (Un)Critical: A Longitudinal Study of Beginning History Teachers

In this study, researchers used a longitudinal multisite qualitative cross-case study to examine the beliefs and practices of five beginning teachers related to critical historical inquiry. They collected interview, observation, and classroom artifact data over a 5-year period, from teacher preparation through the teachers’ 4th year in the classroom. Using critical theory as the frame, the researchers found that the beginning history teachers tended to move along two pedagogical continuums: one related to the criticality of content and the other related to didactic- or inquiry- based instruction. Teachers were more successful in engaging in critical historical inquiry practices if they had well-developed conceptual and practice tools and had opportunities to teach within school contexts that supported the use of critical historical inquiry.

The development of an analytical model for science classroom creativity in China

ABSTRACT Background Fostering students’ creativity is a key feature of education. While Chinese students score well on international measures of science attainment, their performance on measures of science creativity is less impressive. Purpose To develop an analytical model for science classroom creativity in China and examine its likely applicability, given Chinese culture and other factors. With suitable modifications, our model may apply elsewhere, too. Design and methods We critically evaluated three established creativity models and developed a new analytical model for science classroom creativity in China by synthesising components from the three models and additional development in light of a literature review on science education practices. Results Our model for science classroom creativity in China has four components: ‘creative students’ (who possess or are developing creative characteristics, including scientific knowledge, divergent thinking, and intrinsic motivation); the ‘creative process’ (students’ engagement in scientific inquiry activities within classrooms, facilitated by the guidance of science teachers); ‘teachers’ attitudes to creativity’ (teachers’ perceptions of creative students and teachers’ feedback on creative ideas); a ‘creative environment’ (the physical and the socio-cultural environments within which teaching and learning take place). Conclusion In Chinese science classrooms, some students typically have adequate but not challenging scientific knowledge and a lack of divergent thinking and intrinsic motivation. Additionally, the inappropriate understanding and practice of scientific inquiry among some Chinese science teachers, coupled with their limited pedagogical content knowledge, can impede the creative process. This challenge might be further compounded by teachers’ partial understanding of creative students and negative feedback towards creative ideas. Moreover, the lack of a suitable physical environment and sufficient time prevent students from engaging in authentic scientific inquiry. Finally, the socio-cultural environment in which harmony, encouraged by collectivism and Confucianism, may not encourage difference, and cultural factors concerning ‘Face’ may discourage students from developing their creativity.

Participatory Action Research, Critical Adult Education, and the Work of D.E. Smith for Research Praxis

From 2017-2021, the Youth Action Research Revolution (YARR) team documented the institutional histories of young people experiencing homelessness in Canada. Interviews with youth focused on educational, child welfare, healthcare, and criminal justice institutions. Situated at the intersections of critical adult education (CAE), participatory action research (PAR), and Institutional Ethnography (IE), we outline our mobilization of IE to ground learning and action within our team. We document the different phases of learning that we undertook, as a means of illustrating how CAE, PAR, and IE can be mutually supportive frameworks for praxis and activist learning. We highlight our use of IE to bring illuminate and resist the institutionalizing processes at work in post-secondary contexts and reflect on the importance of mutual aid as essential to realizing the social justice potential of participatory research. We suggest that co-creating IE research with young adults with lived experiences of homelessness constitutes a unique opportunity to mobilize CAE values and tangibly support community research that seeks to positively influence the lives of those implicated by the problems we study together.

Transforming science teaching in Namibia: A practical work inquiry framework for secondary schools

This study presents the practical work inquiry practice framework, which is designed to improve science practical work and inquiry-based instruction in secondary schools in Namibia. The framework has been developed based on both theoretical and empirical research. The study conducts a thorough examination of existing literature to identify research gaps in existing studies. It emphasizes the significant impact of teachers’ beliefs and external influences on the process of lesson planning. The framework aims to bridge the gap between teachers’ views and the actual implementation of the science curriculum, functioning at the macro, meso, and micro levels of education. It includes various aspects such as strategic planning, training for teachers, designing the curriculum, providing resources, implementing lessons in the classroom, giving feedback, fostering collaboration, monitoring progress, evaluating outcomes, providing ongoing support, involving stakeholders, promoting a positive school culture, demonstrating leadership, supporting teachers, addressing learner diversity, and engaging the community. The aspects are classified into strategic, tactical, and operational functions that are interconnected to enhance scientific teaching methods. The established framework offers a complete and contextually applicable method to implementing science practical work in Namibian secondary schools. This approach is based on inquiry-based instruction and aims to increase overall education.

A Long-Term Study on the Effect of a Professional Development Program on Science Teachers’ Inquiry

In this study we explore the effect of a professional development (PD) program on four science teachers’ views and practices nearly a year after its completion, regarding inquiry implementation in everyday school practice. The PD program aimed to familiarize participants with current trends in science education (SE), putting emphasis on the inquiry approach. The basic research question guiding this study is whether science teachers’ inquiry practices and views changed, and to which extent, long after their participation in the PD program. Teachers’ practices were recorded, both during and after the PD, through non-participatory observation and were analysed through a semi-quantitative method. Teachers’ views were also recorded both during and after PD through structured questionnaires and reflective interviews, producing qualitative data that were analysed. Findings are encouraging concerning the preservation of guided inquiry practices obtained during the program, while more open inquiry practices proved to be limited. Teachers’ views concerning inquiry remained positive, also maintaining their innovative character.

Knowing/ unknowing: the breath between in poetry

ABSTRACT Debates about decolonising research have a tendency to be theoretical without much focus on the embodied and methodological engagements that are required to shift the colonial gaze that research continues to have. This article contributes to decolonial debates with a focus on positionality and research methods as they emerge in research relationships. It argues for poetry as a decolonising tool for scholars to do good work, through exploring the author’s experiences as a graduate student navigating the intersection of their age, racial and gendered social location with their early career research engagements. It presents poetry as a form that can facilitate reflexivity for a humanising, decolonial, more ethical and healthier research praxis for all involved.

Lessons from Workers' Inquiry: A Sociotechnical Approach to Audits of Algorithmic Management Systems

How can we support audits of algorithms in the workplace? Throughout U.S. labor history, unions have led investigations into management technologies to advocate for and win systematic change in the workplace. This piece draws lessons from the historical practices of worker inquiry to identify the socio-technical infrastructures needed to translate audit findings into impactful change in the workplace.

Inquiry vs. Inquiry-Creative: Emphasizing Critical Thinking Skills of Prospective STEM Teachers in the Context of STEM Learning in Indonesia

In an evolving perspective, lecturers consider that inquiry is one of the best forms of learning to drill critical thinking. This study assesses the practice of inquiry to develop the critical thinking skills of prospective science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) teachers in Indonesia, which is a suitable way to address the problems in the country. Through the experimental design, three groups were formed, which were intervened with inquiry learning, inquiry-creative, and traditional teaching. The learning intervention was carried out within one month using a pre-validated instrument. The critical thinking data were analyzed descriptively based on the pre-test and post-test mean parameters and n-gain on critical thinking indicators, as well as individual critical thinking performance. Statistical analyses (paired-t test, ANOVA, and least significant difference test) were employed to provide confidence in the differences in critical thinking skills across the three learning treatments (p < 0.05). The prospective STEM teachers’ critical thinking skills showed varied performances among the three groups. The inquiry-creative group had the strongest impact, followed by inquiry and traditional teaching, all differing significantly. In summary, the findings suggest that current teaching practices in STEM education need to be reconsidered, showing the advantage of the inquiry-creative model in developing the critical thinking skills essential for future teachers and creators in the STEM fields.

Centering positionality in Foreign Language Annals: Toward reflexive praxis in research and publication

Centering positionality in <i>Foreign Language Annals</i>: Toward reflexive praxis in research and publication

Care ethics and critical friends: feminist research practice as an insider/outsider

Building upon its development in educational scholarship, feminist scholars have incorporated the concept of ‘critical friend’ into their methodologies. Within political science, feminists have articulated critical friendship as relational research praxis, applying the concept to relationships between feminist academics and gender experts in institutions. We bring this research into conversation with feminist care ethics, asking how commitments to care ethics interact with commitments to being a ‘critical friend’ in feminist political science research. Based on interviews with feminist researchers, we argue that care is intrinsic to feminist research and underpins friendship. Whether or not it is explicitly articulated, the concept of ‘critical friend’ carries assumptions about the centrality and practice of care. These findings suggest that feminist scholars need to surface care explicitly in methodological discussions and articulate caring strategies, including self-care. Such surfacing must include acknowledging care as a source of depletion and nourishment, as well as fundamentally political.

Looking for It: Language, Literacy, and History in Place

Within this article, we explore how teachers, researchers, and community members—including youth—worked in collaborative conversations and place-based projects to explore the languages, stories, and histories of their local Georgia communities. By examining the process of “looking for it,” as one youth researcher puts it, this article explores three inquiry practices Georgia youth use to identify and sustain community language and literacy practices: personal storytelling, walking histories, and breaking bread. These community literacies resulted in youth having a stronger sense of self and community and understanding the relationship between them. Additionally, the practices spurred critical thinking, historical inquiry, and socioemotional learning. Community exploration through community literacies created the foundation for place-based language, literacy, and history research to take root and flourish.