Small-scale Research Project Research Articles

Engaging students online: an analysis of students’ motivations for seeking individual learning development support

This presentation outlines the key findings of a small-scale research project aimed to explore the motivations for student engagement in self-selecting learning development (LD) online tutorials. The study used a mixed methods approach, including an online survey (n=43) and online interview (n=5). The recruitment invitation was emailed to all users booking a tutorial (n=390) within the project timeframe (October 2020-April 2021). Findings show that the main driver for engagement reported was participants’ limited confidence in their own academic writing abilities, which was consistently linked to attainment. Engagement was further motivated through a range of perceived impacts, including improved confidence and awareness of academic conventions. Participants reported a generally positive attitude towards online delivery, with key benefits including removing access barriers for students with complex commitments, travel and health issues. Conversely, the main downside of online tutorials was seen as diminished interpersonal contact. Qualitative data from both survey and interviews were further investigated using a Discourse analysis framework. One key finding was that the path to LD engagement is often mediated by academic authority figures, who may exert a significant impact on learner self-views. The presentation was designed to initiate discussion on the implications of these findings for learning developers. One area of reflection I planned to submit for the participants’ consideration is how lessons learned from the enforced pivoting to online delivery can underpin the developmental dimension of LD, with the ultimate goal of promoting learner confidence and growth.

Using empathetic-reflective-dialogical re-storying as a teaching-learning strategy to confront xenophobic attitudes in a context of higher education

Xenophobia poses a threat to social cohesion in South Africa. It is vital that pre-service teachers engage with their beliefs and attitudes about this phenomenon, so that they can promote socially inclusive education in a way that is sustainable. In support of the March 2019 National Action Plan in South Africa to address racism, including xenophobia, we recently undertook a small-scale research project, underpinned by the notions of diversity and inclusivity, at a Higher Education Institution, in the School of Education. In this article, we offer a methodological contribution in arguing for the efficacy of empathetic-reflective-dialogical re-storying as a teaching-learning strategy that contributes to transformed teaching praxis. This could provide a pathway to social inclusivity for education. This teaching-learning strategy serves a decolonial agenda in changing the way in which teaching-learning takes place. We explored various perspectives and positions with regard to the other in the interests of building a sustainable foundation for future generations to live with dignity, regardless of ethnicity.

EHCPs: A help or a hinderance to the inclusion of young people who have offended? An exploration of EP’s perceptions of the facilitating factors and barriers of EHCPs and the SEN processes involved in Youth Justice

Rationale:The rationale for this small-scale research project arose from discussions at a national youth offending special interest group for educational psychologists (EPs). The Education Health and Care Plan (EHCP) was introduced following revisions to the SEND Code of Practice based on the Children and Families Act (2014) to support children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). The EPs in the special interest group outlined mixed views in relation to the usefulness of Education Health and Care Plans (EHCPs) when issued to young people who have offended (YPwO) and whether they promote educational inclusion, or in fact play a role in the exclusion of these young people from educational settings. To the authors knowledge, there is currently no published academic research which examines the educational inclusion of YPwO and the role of an Education Health and Care Plan (EHCP) in relation to this. The present research explored EP’s perceptions of the EHCP for YPwO. The main interest of the research was to explore what EPs viewed as being the facilitating and hindering factors of an EHCP in providing educational provision and inclusion for YPwO. The study also explored what role EPs can play in promoting the inclusion of YPwO.Method:This research presents the views of seven EPs who took part in semi-structured interviews to explore their views. Participants volunteered to take part in this research based on their experiences of working with YPwO and have experienced the EHCP assessment process.Findings:The following factors were considered to facilitate educational inclusion:The EHCP being used to reintegrate YPwO back into educationRaising the profile of YPwO so SEND needs can be identified and addressedMulti-agency working between EPs, the family, the young person, school, and other professionals.The following factors were considered to lead to educational exclusion:The EHCP not conceptualising the needs of the young person effectively.A lack of continuity and inclusion in provision available for YPwO which has been stated in the EHCP.Failures in the review process of the EHCP.A lack of early identification and limited awareness of SEND and the EP role amongst professionals working with YPwO.Implications:The research has highlighted several implications for EP practice including a focus on more comprehensive resettlement planning, the need for greater awareness of SEN in the youth justice system, multiagency working, and inclusive and consistent provision available for YPwO.

“I can be a girl if I want to”: Supporting or silencing children’s working theories during counter-heteronormative picturebook sessions in early childhood education.

Prevailing heteronormative discourses in early childhood education in Aotearoa New Zealand present difficulties for upholding the right of gender diverse tamariki (children) and lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, intersex and queer-parented families to experience belonging in equitable, inclusive early childhood settings. The purposeful use of picturebooks that disrupt these discourses can go some way towards mitigating against exclusion. This article draws on the findings of a small-scale qualitative research project that explored early childhood teachers’ use of picturebooks that included gender diverse children and lesbian- and gay-parented family content. In highlighting teacher support for or silencing of children’s working theories about possibilities for gender change and two mother or two father parents during the picturebook sessions, the article makes a case for expanding the curriculum beyond the limits of heteronormativity. Some practice recommendations for facilitating picturebook sessions are offered to this end. Importantly, teacher preparedness to manage discomfort arising through discussion of topics perceived to be dangerous or risky during such sessions is critical.

Early years teacher status: constraints, implications and reforms required for a twenty-first-century early years workforce

ABSTRACT This article arose from teaching Early Years Teacher Status (EYTS) Students both undergraduate and postgraduate, and working alongside EYTS Mentors who viewed the roles through varied lenses. The impact of student feedback, their experience and observations on practice prompted this review of EYTS, their professional status and professional reflections. The research focused around a quantitative and qualitative approach based on data collected from the EYTS community and providers from across the sector. This small-scale action research project examined beliefs, assumptions and individual perspectives about the EYTS role through interviews. Research findings highlight this workforce is at risk of losing its Early Years identity through mixed perceptions of what the role is and purpose of the qualification. Findings reveal that Early Years Teachers (EYTs) are employed as unqualified teachers in the sector leading some to qualify further to gain Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) to obtain teacher pay and conditions.

Analysing the attitude and opinions of a ‘difficult’ year group in a secondary school

ABSTRACT This paper reports a small-scale action research project aimed at helping a school whose teachers were concerned about the behaviour and achievement of their Year 8 group. Two focus group was used to identify any worries or concerns of pupils in Key Stage 3 (Years 7–9; aged 11–14). These concerns were further explored using a ranking exercise completed by all 486 pupils across the three year groups. The same pupils then completed the ‘Psychological Sense of School Membership’ questionnaire. The results of the ranking exercise are reported. The pupils’ scores on the PSSM questionnaire suggests that pupils in Year 8 identified least with the aims of the school. The scores did show that a third (33%) of the pupils in Year 8 scored at a level regarded as ‘of serious concern’on the PSSM questionnaire indicating a negative view of the school. The results of the both exercises were shared with the teachers and a plan drawn up th improve the school's pupil management. Further development of this initiative was bought to a halt by the closure of the school in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Engaging students online: an analysis of students’ motivations for seeking individual learning development support

In the context of increased concerns with student engagement across the Higher Education sector, which have intensified subsequent to the rapid transition to online delivery in March 2020, this small-scale research project aimed to explore the motivations for student engagement in self-selecting learning development (LD) online tutorials. The study used a mixed methods approach, including an online survey (n=43) and online interviews (n=5). The sample comprised undergraduate and postgraduate volunteers recruited from from a pool of LD tutorial users (n=390) within the project timeframe (October 2020-April 2021). The generalisability of findings is limited by the low response rate as well as age bias. The main driver for engagement reported was participants’ limited confidence in their own academic writing abilities, which was consistently linked to attainment. Engagement was further motivated through a range of perceived impacts, including improved confidence, awareness of academic conventions, and higher grades. In this context, the main challenge was limited availability of support. Participants reported a generally positive attitude towards online delivery. Qualitative data from both the survey and interviews were further investigated using a discourse analysis framework. One key finding was that the path to LD engagement is often mediated by academic authority figures, who may exert a significant impact on learner self-views. Key recommendations for learning developers include maximising the potential of lessons learned from the enforced pivoting to online delivery to underpin the developmental dimension of LD, with the ultimate goal of promoting learner confidence and growth.

Designing a framework to improve critical reflection writing in teacher education using action research

ABSTRACT Critical reflection writing in teacher education programmes is often undertaken without appropriate learning support despite the contribution it makes to informing meaningful changes in the early stages of their teaching careers. Students’ attempts at writing critical reflections often lack discursive depth when connecting theory to practice. However, teaching academics may also need to develop conceptual knowledge of critical reflection as a genre of writing to better inform teaching practices. This paper reports on a small-scale action research project which draws on a cohort of student voices to guide the creation of learning resources focused on critical reflection writing. Narrative frame style surveys and focus group discussions were used to explore students’ understanding of reflection, critical reflection, and ways learning resources assist development of critical reflection writing abilities The students’ responses informed the development of targeted learning resources to support critical reflection writing, and to raise their conceptual knowledge of critical reflection that may inform effective teaching practices. An implication from this study is the need to explore further ways to embed critical reflection discourse throughout teacher education so both teaching academics and studentsdevelop a common understanding of this important concept and its role in teacher education.

Meaningful Participatory Research in a Multistakeholder Collaboration on Youth Pathways to Care: Implementation and Reflections.

The authors of this column describe and reflect on challenges and successes encountered during implementation of a participatory research collaborative focused on the pathways to mental health care for youths and young adults. The collaborative centered development of stakeholder partner-led, small-scale research projects, supported by the academic research team. The column calls for greater investment in research projects that are selected and designed by community stakeholders.

Learning to play with film: play-based learning in a tertiary film studies classroom

Student engagement in tertiary cinema studies can be fickle: while most students respond strongly to films, little regard is similarly paid to prescribed readings or other coursework that is crucial to developing complex critical thinking with media. This paper presents a case study of an intervention aimed to remedy this disparity of student interest: play-based learning. Play-based learning, here defined as ‘the use of playful elements in both the explanation of subjects and their evaluation’ (Torres-Toukoumidis et al., 2020: 1), has a long history of encouraging lateral and creative modes of thinking, increasing engagement and participation, and fostering a supportive and enjoyable learning community. This paper outlines the ways that play-based learning was engaged in a small-scale action research project, and the positive effects that this created within the cinema studies classroom. Critically, it shows the value of play-based learning in fostering resilient, creative and motivated students, particularly at the first-year level of tertiary film education.

Empathetic-reflective-dialogical restorying as a teaching-learning strategy in teacher education

ABSTRACT Employing empathetic-reflective-dialogical restorying as a teaching-learning strategy, pre-service teachers situated in two different geographical contexts, namely, South Africa and Norway, engaged in self-dialogue, self-narrative and in a Community in Conversation. Using Adobe Connect, together, they participated in a Community in Dialogue. By using this teaching-learning strategy in combination with a real-time, web conferencing app, this small-scale research project found that it is possible to facilitate online learning across geographical boundaries. Crossing geographical and contextual boundaries can possibly contribute to restorying pre-service teachers’ understandings of what constitutes best practice in teaching. It can also lead to the emergence of further collaborative initiatives for negotiating entrenched positions with regard to other aspects of education and pursuing restorying for transformation. The participants were encouraged, empowered and energised by the collaborative engagement. The two groups of pre-service teachers found one another in their common humanity, in their both being English second language speakers, and in their common goal to teach well and to be responsible to their learners in their respective contexts. Encouraging reflective and reflexive praxis has the potential to be transformatory for the classroom.

Foreign Language Education Reform through Action Research - Putting CEFR educational principles into practice

This research, funded by the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS)1, has been undertaken by the JALT CEFR & LP SIG in order to support numerous small-scale action research (AR) projects related to foreign language teaching in Japan and beyond from April 2020 to March 2023. Practitioners invited to participate in the project will reflect on and find ways to improve their teaching practices using the CEFR as a reference and conceptual tool, and will be provided with support and guidance to ensure that their research is conducted systematically in relation to the AR literature and reflective of CEFR principles. This paper proposes a CEFR-focused AR model (CARM) based on a critical review of the AR literature. The CARM model is the product of the first-year of this research project (hereafter referred to as the Kaken research project). Our hope is that teacher-research guided by this model will produce robust findings that practitioners and other stakeholders in language programs will find both informative and of practical use.

Early career primary teachers’ discursive negotiations of academisation

This article reports findings from a small-scale research project which explored the professional identities of early career teachers working in primary academies in England. During interviews and focus groups, these new teachers resisted identifying as ‘academy teachers,’ constructing academy status as an unimportant feature when deciding where to work. I theorise this phenomenon using Foucault, arguing that the willingness of new teachers to construct academy schools as ‘no different’ to their maintained counterparts is a key factor in the success of post-2010 academisation as a biopolitical project.

Supporting Student Experience During the Pandemic and Beyond

This article reports the findings from a small-scale, qualitative and phenomenological institutional research project, undertaken during the COVID-19 pandemic, on the experiences of undergraduate students from groups who are traditionally under-represented in higher education in the United Kingdom. Documenting the first two phases of a longitudinal study carried out at one university in England, the over-arching research question investigated here using semi-structured interviews was: How has the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic impacted student experiences and learning at university? Key themes identified included worry, a sense of loss, feelings of connection and support, a sense of a new geography of campus life and students' need to feel "in the loop". Evidence of changes with longer-term implications were also found, namely, an evolution in the relationship between students and their institution. A series of suggestions are presented based on the findings aimed at mitigating some of the ongoing negative effects of the pandemic on students.

Playing with the diary: how crafting a multimodal and sensory diary can have a positive impact on teacher wellbeing

ABSTRACT This article uses the outcome of a small-scale research project – the ‘Diary Toolkit’ (DT) – to explore the creative process of crafting a multimodal, sensory diary as a positive tool for teacher wellbeing. In an educational climate facing the repercussions of the COVID-19 pandemic, the DT offered an epiphanic space for teachers in England, helping them navigate their way through this highly emotional and anxious time. Indeed, against the backdrop of COVID, a hidden pandemic has arisen: a decline in teachers’ mental health and wellbeing. The article situates the DT within the field of reflective practice as a creative approach, arguing that in addition to supporting teaching and learning, it can also help teacher wellbeing. To demonstrate this, some key findings from the ‘Reimagining the Diary’ (2018) project are used, focusing, in particular, on those around choice/creativity, and structure/parameters. The article concludes by stating that the creative process of crafting a sensory and multimodal diary gives teachers the healing and nurturing space currently needed, as well as an opportunity to represent their wellbeing in multiple ways so that they can flourish inside and outside the classroom.

Creativity and Care in times of crisis: an analysis of the challenges of the COVID-19 virus experienced by social work students in practice placement

ABSTRACT COVID-19 has had a significant impact on the way social work responds to a wide range of social issues facing PWLE (People with Learned Experience). This paper evaluates a small-scale research project conducted by academics teaching on a United Kingdom (UK) social work degree programme. It explores the experience of students undertaking social work placements and how their practice was impacted upon by the lockdown. The focus concerns the challenges students faced when they were unable to continue their real-time practice placements and instead were asked to undertake virtual learning experiences through the use of Action Learning Sets (ALS) and Blogs. The responses indicate that the students found the use of Action Learning Sets improved their experience during a difficult period. Important lessons can be learned which can contribute to enhancing the educational experience on social work programmes in the UK. These included the recognition of the student voice in delivery, the impact of caring responsibilities, and the need, in future interventions, to directly involve People With Lived Experience in the development and delivery of such initiatives.

Exploring the reflective practice of Anglican laity: finding manna in the desert

ABSTRACT This article reports the findings of a small-scale qualitative research project to discover how lay people within the Church of England process significant and everyday life events in light of their Christian faith. Our aim was to resource knowledge about how theological reflection skills can be developed both within the informal parish setting and during formal theological education for licensed ministry. We analysed data from semi-structured, photo elicitation interviews using the ‘defining features’ of theological reflection at its best, adapted from Ross-McCabe ([2020]. “Straw for the Bricks at Last? Theological Reflection Under the Common Awards.” Practical Theology 13 (4): 413–426). We found that people predominantly theologically reflect via an awareness of God’s presence which supports the processing of a situation. Most often, people took their internal theological framework as complete and analysed their critical incident against this. We identified several areas that could be developed in order to strengthen theological reflection: deeper engagement with Christian tradition, critical engagement with Scripture and dialogical approaches to God’s presence. Additionally, openness to the possibility of change could deepen the transformative potential of this processing.

Empathetic-reflective-dialogical re-storying: A teaching–learning strategy for life orientation

This article presents a teaching–learning strategy that has been employed in recent small-scale research projects at a South African higher education institution, and more specifically, in the School of Education. Bachelor of Education Honours students enrolled for a module entitled Contemporary Issues in Life Orientation participated in the studies in 2017 and 2018. The introduction of empathetic-reflective-dialogical re-storying as a teaching–learning strategy created a space for these male and female students to explore their self-dialogue in relation to their understandings and lived experiences of human rights issues, and in this case, gender inequality. This teaching–learning strategy created the opportunity for pre-service teachers to become agents of their own learning as they considered entrenched beliefs and worldviews and co-constructed (re-storied) previously held narratives. By sharing their self-narratives in a community in conversation and then in a community in dialogue with their ‘other’, the possibility existed for creating new knowledges. This strategy, serving a decolonisation agenda, adopts a transdisciplinary approach. It encourages reflection and reflexivity that can transform technicist classroom practice into potentially transformative classroom praxis.

Protect the protectors: a qualitative study on OSH in conjunction with unwanted side effects for the work performance of frontline police officers

Objectives. Occupational safety and health (OSH) measures for frontline police officers are developing rapidly in many western societies. Various organizations, such as police forces and unions, view this development as necessary in the face of increasing numbers of assaults, knife crime, rampages and terrorist attacks. Also, current research seems to promote a progressive aggregation of OSH focusing on frontline officers on the beat. This article aims to explore possible side effects of the current development, based on a recent qualitative small-scale research project with the participation of 12 highly experienced frontline police constables in Hampshire, England, all having around 24 years of service. Methods. As a clearly explorative study, semi-structured interviews were deployed. While using inductive theorizing and understanding the participating police constables as humans at work, the identification and collection of inner context components such as the participants’ perceptions, motivations, emotions, beliefs, values or attitudes have been intentionally put at front. Conclusions. Particularly, emphasizing individual risk assessment and risk perception, current research has identified that an organizational over-reliance on standardized risk management processes might trigger police officers’ risk averseness, overall leading to a habitual over-worrying about things and bringing safety culture and occupational cop culture into disagreement.

Building, Encoding, and Annotating a Corpus of Parliamentary Debates in TEI XML: A Cross-Linguistic Account

This paper introduces an integrative and comprehensive method for the linguistic annotation of parliamentary discourse. Initially conceived as documentation for a specific and small-scale research project, the annotation scheme takes into account national specificities and is geared to proposing an annotation scheme that is both highly standardized and adaptable to other research contexts. In this paper we present a specific application of the Text Encoding Initiative (TEI) framework applied to a subset of official transcripts of plenary proceedings in three parliamentary cultures. The TEI annotation scheme proposed here has two main applications: first, it serves as a basis for encoding parliamentary corpora by providing a systematic way of annotating both elements within the text (e.g., turns, incidents, and interruptions) and the metadata associated with it (e.g., variables pertaining to the speaker or the speech event); second, it provides a cross-linguistic empirical basis for further annotation projects.