Theory Of Practice Architectures Research Articles

The new Norwegian Education Act as arrangements for inclusive education practices for students with SEN: the vanishing concept of the Nordic model?

ABSTRACT Despite commitment to the values of one school for all in Norway, there has been an increasing number of segregated units for students with special educational needs (SEN) over the years, highlighting a discrepancy between legislative intentions and the practical implementation of inclusive education. Barriers to inclusion can emerge in any setting, especially when there is a lack of a shared understanding of inclusion and inclusive education within legislative frameworks. This study investigates how the new Norwegian Education Act (EA) could constrain and facilitate inclusive education practices for students with SEN by analysing the EA and its preparatory documents through the lens of Theory of Practice Architectures (TPA). The findings indicate that the EA promotes a discourse consistent with a broad definition of inclusion. The enhanced focus on students’ democratic rights to be involved in decision-making aligns with the values of the Nordic model of education. However, the broad definition of inclusion, the ambiguous concept of students with SEN, the reduced emphasis on SEN in legislation and the endorsement of alternative educational settings in preparatory work could exacerbate the segregation of students with SEN, thus undermining the fundamental values of the Nordic educational model.

Circle time in preschool as a practice for developing language support between teachers and children using the structured ELSA model

ABSTRACT This paper focuses on how early childhood teachers developed deeper understandings of their communication support for children in everyday practice through professional learning conversations by introducing the Early Language Support Activity (ELSA) model. With this model, communication patterns were studied using a proven observation tool based on language research and developed by Dockrell et al. (2015). This protocol was used in a process of action research focused on communication patterns in circle time, which gave the early childhood teachers data to discuss and reflect on what happens in their conversations with children. The theory of practice architectures was used as a theoretical lens to understand the conditions of possibility that action research might provide for learners and leaders of professional learning .In conclusion, through changed practice architectures, participants developed awareness of themselves as educators and learned that communication with children can be supported and developed by circle time. Moreover, the interaction and communication practices among members of the teacher team were enhanced through realization of the importance of a structure in developing their communication patterns.

Enabling and constraining ‘vulnerability ready’ teachers in mentee–mentor relations

ABSTRACT Becoming a teacher is complex and relies on productive relations forged in practicum contexts that support expressions of uncertainty. Supportive mentor–mentee practices are integral to enabling relationships that can nurture expressions of vulnerability in workplace learning. However, workplace conditions are affected by the sociocultural arrangements that shape how relationships are enabled and constrained, affecting how preservice teachers (PST) perceive and respond to expressions of vulnerability. The added requirement of a teacher performance assessment to endorse PSTs to the profession adds another layer of complexity to expressions of uncertainty. When performative demands are framed within social conditions, educators can feel powerless to act agentically in response to these demands and be less likely to express their vulnerabilities. Drawing on the theory of practice architectures and adopting a comparative case study methodology, two cases of learning teaching in open-plan learning classrooms are examined. Expressions of vulnerability are grounded in the stories of PSTs’ practicum relations they build with mentors to legitimise their readiness for classrooms. Conditions that enabled dialogue, interactions and collaboration support an openness to expressions of vulnerability in early career experiences, shaping resilience as vulnerability-ready agency as teachers. However, findings also highlight constraining elements of practicum learning that limit PSTs’ transformation and may be supported by a thinking-feeling praxis.

‘It’s like being there, but not in the way'. Exploring the use of virtual reality tools to stimulate reflection in Norwegian physical education teacher education

ABSTRACT The ongoing discussion surrounding the incorporation of technology in education has persisted over time. While technology offers significant advantages, such as improved collaboration and access to quality educational materials, it also introduces complexities such as the digital divide and concerns about data privacy, awareness and appropriate use. VR presents opportunities for future teachers to practice decision-making skills in controlled environments, although its effectiveness varies depending on the context and user perceptions. Research indicates that 360° videos enhance reflexivity, support practice and improve observation skills and content knowledge. However, the impact of viewing these videos individually versus in groups remains inconclusive. This study aims to explore students’ perspectives on the use of primary school physical education (PE) 360° video recordings and VR technology to enhance reflexivity. To this end, the theory of practice architectures was reviewed to provide a framework for analysing how educational practices interact with wider contexts, while another theory, reflection, helps to examine students’ critical thinking and introspection. The study intervention involved fourth-year students at a Norwegian university, who observed 360° recordings of physical education lessons using VR technology. Data were generated through these observations, which included the 360° recordings and small group interviews, and were analysed using reflective thematic analysis. The results highlight the importance of group dynamics, and that the authenticity of VR experiences can foster motivation and reflection. These insights can inform the design of future educational approaches in physical education teacher education (PETE), emphasising the need for careful consideration of technological and pedagogical practices to support effective and innovative teaching and learning to enhance experience and teaching.

Co-design practice in higher education: practice theory insights into collaborative curriculum development

ABSTRACT Higher education curricula require regular renewal. Varied expertise is needed to meet the multi-faceted challenges of curriculum development, hence the importance of collaborative approaches. Co-design is one approach to curriculum making as a relational practice, with evidence showing it can improve pedagogical quality and stakeholder involvement via a collaborative ethos that breaks through constraints of individual imagination and assumptions. The actual doing of co-design in higher education remains largely undocumented, limiting our understanding of this crucial feature of contemporary pedagogical innovation and development. This paper combines the theory of practice architectures with practitioner inquiry to explore three co-design projects within a large curriculum transformation initiative at an Australian university. Each involved a course coordinator, educational developer and learning designer working with tutors, students, industry representatives and media producers. Analysis focuses on how co-design team members connected their own actions to those of others, and how they collectively accomplished things that could not have been achieved alone. Identifying these highlights co-design as a process of learning, coming to practise differently, shaped by the site at which it unfolds, but also reshaping this wider context. This analysis sheds new conceptual light on the black box of co-design as enacted in higher education.

Practitioner architects who teach design: evaluative judgement and identity

PurposePractitioner architects who teach design move between their professional practice and teaching, and these different work contexts and cultures shape their identity. When teaching, they need to self-regulate in order to perform independently and develop their teaching. This paper discusses what practitioner architects who teach design say they do in design studios, their conceptions about roles in design studios, how they develop their ability for evaluative judgement and shape their identity.Design/methodology/approachThis study employs case study methodology. It relies on data collected via semi-structured interviews and focus group discussions. The audio recordings were transcribed and analysed by identifying persistent words, phrases and ideas that were grouped into themes. Each “idea” is drawn from terms used by participants (e.g. characterising aspects of their practices) and researchers’ interpretations and/or based on existing ideas (e.g. found in the literature). The “theory of practice architectures” is employed as a framework of analysis to investigate what professional architects who teach design say they do in studios and their conceptions of their roles, design teaching and development of teaching expertise.FindingsFindings show that practitioner architects who teach design employ evaluative judgement to provide constructive feedback to students and monitor the quality of their own projects. They also use evaluative judgement to assess the quality of their own teaching and hence self-regulate their professional development as design educators. Participants do not identify as teachers; rather their identity is firmly rooted in professional practice.Originality/valueThe study focuses on practitioner architects who teach design and explores how they develop their ability for evaluative judgement and shape their identity through the lens of “theory of practice architectures” which offered a comprehensive view of practices as encompassing conceptions, intentions, actions and outcomes.

Synthesizing lifeworld and system to sustain and grow cross school connections: a consideration of practice architectures

ABSTRACT Policies for cross school collaboration can be devised with intentions to strengthen practices across communities; however, their enactments may vary greatly across contexts. Drawing on the Habermasian theory of communicative action and Kemmis and colleagues’ theory of practice architectures, this article addresses the dynamics of the lived experience of school leaders within a policy context that fosters cross school collaborations and networking. This article examines the interplay between lifeworld dynamics and system logic within an Aotearoa New Zealand policy initiative that emphasizes professional learning, transitions across schooling sectors, and inter-school collaborations. Drawing on interviews with 10 school principals, the research investigates the dynamics produced through professional learning and collaboration across schools. The principals’ experiences reveal both the potential for synergies between lifeworld and system logic in fostering educational collaboration and tensions that arise from the doubleness of the different system demands that layer with lifeworld experiences. The theory of practice architectures is used to highlight the complexities of policy enactment in educational settings. The findings underscore the delicate balance required to navigate the benefits of collaboration and the challenges posed by different systems, ultimately calling for a nuanced understanding of the interdependencies between educational policies, enactments across communities, and professional practices.

Mentors and sponsors: Making a difference for racially and culturally minoritised academics in Australian universities

AbstractMentorship and sponsorships play a significant role in faculty experiences, career trajectories, well‐being and academic success in higher education. In this study, 23 racially and culturally minoritised (RACM) academics were interviewed about their experiences working in Australian universities, and all spoke about the key importance of their mentoring experiences. Mentorship was understood as both enabling and constricting, with unspoken rules of conduct and an embedded hierarchical relationship that could perpetuate the exclusion of both marginalised scholars and scholarship. In this paper, the theory of practice architectures, part of a wider ‘practice turn’ within education and the social sciences, was used to conceptualise the qualitative analysis of how mentoring arrangements are experienced by RACM academics in Australian universities. Here, we view academic mentoring as a social architectural practice whose power is articulated in discursive, material‐economic and social‐political arrangements and enacted through language (sayings), actions (doings) and relationships (relatings). This study offers insight not only into the structural and experiential landscape of mentoring for RACM academics but also provides an opportunity to envision pathways for its transformation.

ALLin4IPE- an international research study on interprofessional health professions education: a protocol for an ethnographic multiple-case study of practice architectures in sites of students’ interprofessional clinical placements across four universities

BackgroundThe global discourse on future health care emphasises that learning to collaborate across professions is crucial to assure patient safety and meet the changing demands of health care. The research on interprofessional education (IPE) is diverse but with gaps in curricula design and how IPE is enacted in practice.Purpose and aimsThis research project will identify. 1) how IPE in clinical placements emerges, evolves, and is enacted by students when embedded in local health care practices, 2) factors critical for the design of IPE for students at clinical placements across the four countries.MethodsA study involving four countries (Sweden, Norway, Australia and New Zealand) using the theory of practice architectures will be undertaken between 2023 and 2027. The project is designed as an international, collaborative multiple-case ethnographic study, using the theoretical framework of practice architectures (TPA). It will include four ethnographic case studies of IPE, one in each country. Data will be collected in the following sequence: (1) participant observation of students during interprofessional placements, (2) interviews with students at clinical placement and stakeholders/professionals, (3) Non-clinical documents may be used to support the analysis, and collection of photos may be use as memory aids for documenting context. An analysis of “sayings, doings and relatings” will address features of the cultural- discursive, material-economic, social-political elements making up the three key dimensions of TPA. Each of the four international cases will be analysed separately. A cross case analysis will be undertaken to establish common learning and critical IPE design elements across the four collaborating universities.DiscussionThe use of TPA framework and methodology in the analysis of data will make it possible to identify comparable dimensions across the four research sites, enabling core questions to be addressed critical for the design of IPE. The ethnographic field studies will generate detailed descriptions that take account of country-specific cultural and practice contexts. The study will also generate new knowledge as to how IPE can be collaboratively researched.

Viewing science teacher learning and curriculum enactment through the lens of theory of practice architectures

Viewing science teacher learning and curriculum enactment through the lens of theory of practice architectures

Challenges and opportunities for early career researchers: using the theory of practice architectures to unpack enabling and constraining conditions

ABSTRACT Globally, there are growing examinations of what it means to be ‘early career’ in contemporary academia. Across international contexts, the experiences of early career researchers appear to be similar. This paper explores the similarities and differences of the Australian early career experience, through the lens of pathways to the academy and career stage. We use the autoethnographic reflections of two early career researchers, one following the ‘traditional’ pipeline to the academy and the other as a ‘second career’ academic. We use the theory of practice architectures to frame the study and to generate and analyse our reflections: we identify the enabling and constraining conditions and how these differ depending on previous life and professional experiences. The autoethnographic reflections illuminate how practices are shaped by the organisational arrangements within the site of the institution. This study makes a theoretical contribution by using the theory of practice architectures to illuminate early career researcher experiences. By using a practice theory, our analysis and insight provide guidance for institutional policy, professional learning, and development strategies for early career researchers.

Symposium 1: Doctoral education in a national network: providing an epistemic space?

In 2018 the Swedish National Graduate School for Digital Technologies in Education (GRADE) was initiated as a cooperative venture between six Swedish universities. In 2020, the Swedish national research school for the digitalisation of teacher education (in short called UPGRADE) was initiated. GRADE and UPGRADE aims to strengthen the expertise in these areas on a national level in Sweden and, in doing so, increase both national and international cooperation in research training activities. One of the fundamental pillars of GRADE and UPGRADE is the networked character of the doctoral studies, with joint courses provided by the participating universities and arranged using an interdisciplinary approach. The doctoral students are admitted to different disciplines, among others Applied IT, Computer science, Curriculum studies, Education, Educational Work, Informatics, Media technology, Technology and Learning, and Work Integrated Learning. This implies that several issues with a bearing on the digitalization of education, will be researched by the doctoral students from different epistemological and analytical perspectives and with different methodological approaches. At the 2020 Networked Learning Conference in Kolding, a first symposium was held where six of the doctoral students from the GRADE research school presented their work (Lindberg & Lundin, 2020). These reported on theoretical frameworks ranging from the theory of practice architectures (Kemmis et al., 2014; Mahon, Francisco, & Kemmis, 2017), basic conceptual underpinnings of behaviorism (Skinner, 1974); Actor-Network Theory (ANT) (Latour, 2005); Wenger's expanded theory of Communities of Practice; a multimodal perspective including things-to-things, things-to-human and human-to-human connections (Bonderup Dohn, Cranmer, Sime, de Laat, and Ryberg, 2018; Jones, 2015); and a focus on the technologies and their functions.

Making teacher educators’ experiences visible: seeing inside the hopeful and ambiguous dimensions of practice

ABSTRACT The field of teacher education is subject to intense scrutiny and policy reform and within this context, the voices of those working within the field are often marginalised. Drawing on our larger study of teacher educators, we addressed the key research question: “How do those who work in the field of teacher education articulate and represent the nature of their work?.” Using a fusion of arts-based and data science research methods and the theory of practice architectures, we examined the ways that teacher educators’ work is mediated within cultural-discursive, material-economic, and social-political domains. We argue that while ambiguous dimensions exist in teacher educators’ practices, they remain hopeful about their work and find spaces to create alternative sayings, doings and relatings as they prepare teachers for the profession. We contend that using both text-based and visual images facilitates the generation of enhanced meanings to highlight the complexity of teacher educators’ work to those within and outside the profession.

A response to Variyan and Edwards-Groves

ABSTRACT This article responds to ‘The theory of practice architectures and its discontents: disturbing received wisdom to make it dangerous again’ by George Variyan and Christine Edwards-Groves, published in Critical Studies in Education in March 2024. The authors use Foucault’s genealogical approach to explore the theory but do not show that or how the theory leads to misunderstandings of social realities, in the way that Foucault’s critiques did. I address the authors’ doubts about whether the theory is characterised by a ‘flat ontology’; whether it has a dualistic or dialectical understanding of the relationship between individuals and societies; and whether the visual depictions of the theory ‘reify and mystify’ social realities. I also consider the authors’ speculation about whether the theory has lost the critical and self-critical capacities necessary for its continuing development. I argue that, in general, researchers using the theory have not lost those capacities, although Variyan and Edwards-Groves are right that, in some hands, it has been used descriptively rather than critically or transformatively (with an emancipatory intent). The article concludes that the critique by Variyan and Edwards-Groves is a sceptical rather than a critical exploration of the theory and the empirical findings it has generated.

Pedagogical Leadership in Finnish Early Childhood Education and Care through the Lens of Practice Architectures

This research examines how practice architectures, i.e., cultural-discursive, material-economic, and social-political arrangements both enable and constrain the pedagogical leadership practice of early child-hood education (ECE) center directors (N = 3). The data were collected by a qualitative shadowing method and analyzed deductively using the theory of practice architectures. The findings revealed that social- political arrangements were fundamental for directing pedagogical leadership practice, affecting both material- economic and cultural-discursive arrangements. The social- political arrangements of pedagog-ical leadership were grounded in the municipality’s organizational structure; in turn, this structure organ-ized daily pedagogical leadership practices. Social-political arrangements were narrated as the directors emphasized the importance of national guidelines, legislation, and implementation of the national and local curricula. These were related to the material-economic arrangements because they required organizing time for discussion and further training of personnel. The national guidelines combined material-economic and social-political aspects as well as cultural-discursive arrangements in leadership practice, as pedagog-ical development aligned with legislation and national curriculum demands in a wide range of leadership functions in ECE centers. The essence of pedagogical leadership practice was the focal point of joint dis-cussions regarding pedagogy and the implementation of curriculum in the ECE centers. Most significantly, the quality of these discussions could enable or constrain pedagogical leadership and were influenced by cultural-discursive arrangements and leadership philosophy of the center directors alike.

The SEN industry and teachers’ CPD: ideal elements of teaching and enabling arrangements

ABSTRACT In this study, we explored the special educational needs (SEN) industry in relation to teachers’ continuing professional development (CPD) by analysing invoices generated by CPD providers in Sweden. Guided by the theory of practice architectures (TPA), we examined the characteristics of the offered SEN content, focusing on the implied elements of ideal teaching practices and the arrangements that have led to SEN becoming a key component of the teacher CPD market in Sweden. The results provided evidence of a SEN industry operating in the interests of private economic growth rather than the needs of teachers or the teaching profession.

‘Finding the play’ – exploring with occupational therapists practice possibilities in the context of Irish schoolyards

Background Research has identified diverse constraints to the adoption of school-based occupational therapy approaches and a lack of attention to addressing the barriers to children’s play opportunities. Critical contextualised research is advocated to inform practice possibilities. Aims/Objectives This inquiry aimed to explore with occupational therapists their existing practices in Irish schoolyards to generate practice possibilities concerned with play, as an issue of occupational justice. Materials and Methods Using the theory of practice architectures, six occupational therapists from diverse sites of practice participated in the first phase of a critical action research process using dialogical focus group and occupational mapping methods. Results Three themes were generated (1) Existing practices as situated (2) (Re)mattering play and practices as occupations and (3) Practice possibilities – ‘Finding the play’ between responsiveness and responsibilities. A further interrelated dimension was how the research methods provided mechanisms of raising consciousness. Conclusions, and Significance Alongside constructing knowledges on existing practices in an Irish context, this inquiry contributes to understandings of practices as socially embedded generative processes of ‘finding the play’, highlighting ethical responsibilities to make visible inequities reproduced in habitual practices and engage in relationships of solidarity to (re)construct alternative shared practices.

The research circle: a possible utopia? Possibilities and constraints of knowledge development within a research-circle practice

ABSTRACT This article highlights the methodology of the research circle (RC), a variation of participatory action research (PAR). The aim was to examine and discuss possibilities and constraints for knowledge development based on democratic ideals within the RC practice. An empirical example of a Swedish RC project, including fifteen teachers and two academic researchers, was analysed through the theory of practice architectures. Interconnections between the aspects of participants’ actions, conditions or practice architectures and surrounding practices emerged. How these were interlinked appears coherent but contradictory, and these interconnections seem to be both enabling and constraining for knowledge development based on democratic ideals. Space was created for experienced-based knowledge and scientific knowledge to interact. Equal relationships between the teachers and academic researchers and power asymmetries seem to have been created and re-created through different and sometimes conflicting traditions and idea(l)s of research and resources for participation. A question regarding the potential of the RC is whether it can be portrayed as a possible utopia? This article can contribute methodologically to the PAR field by visualising and discussing the prerequisites, power relations, possibilities and constraints of an RC project.

Abandoning a discourse of poverty to develop equitable educational practices through family school partnerships

ABSTRACT A discourse of poverty can influence teachers’ perceptions towards and ways of supporting parents’ engagement in their children’s learning. In 2021, Goodall invited us to examine the discourse surrounding a culture of poverty and seek ways to engage with parents so that we might dismantle systemic inequities. This study explored four primary school teachers’ consideration of how they could adapt their own practices to strengthen families’ engagement in their children’s learning. Data collection incorporated transcripts from reflective practice meetings and semi-structured interviews utilised throughout a two-cycle process of Critical Participatory Action Research. The theory of practice architectures framed analysis of the teachers’ language (sayings), activities (doings) and relationships (relatings) within parent engagement and the specific conditions which support and hinder practice. Within this study the participating teachers perceived that parent engagement is more achievable in a dominant community. Within the nondominant community where the teachers worked, social and cultural factors were perceived to problematise parent engagement. This paper advocates for schools to routinely embed reflexive practices which support teachers to examine and address systemic impediments to parent engagement.

Reconceptualising emotions-as-practices in education

Emotions play a pivotal role in shaping educational experiences, yet their subjective and transient nature presents considerable challenges for research. This conceptual paper seeks to address these challenges by employing the Theory of Practice Architectures (TPA) as a lens to explore emotions as socially distributed and constructed phenomena within educational settings. TPA's holistic lens of 'sayings', 'doings', and 'relatings' offers a novel multi-dimensional approach to investigate emotions-as-practices.In education contexts, including the evolving landscape of Networked Learning, emotions significantly influence learners' motivation, engagement, and achievement. Beyond individual impact, they contribute to the collective atmosphere of educational institutions, affecting classroom dynamics, inclusivity, and collaboration. However, research methods often struggle with capturing the complexity and fluidity of emotions, which creates a need for a revised methodology.This paper, underpinned by Scheer's work on emotional practices and Wilkinson’s theorisation of emotions in practice, argues for a reconceptualisation of emotions. It presents them as distributed and entangled actions, discourses, and relationships rather than merely individualised physiological responses. In Networked Learning, the interplay of emotions and learning is emphasised by digital architectures, creating unique emotional experiences and challenges. The rise of affectivism in social sciences calls for a deeper understanding of these experiences, as digital spaces alter the ways emotions are expressed, perceived, and performed.Utilising TPA, this paper conceptualises emotions-as-practices and highlights the importance of researching them through the tangible anchors of 'doings', 'sayings', and 'relatings'. This approach transcends the individualistic perspective and enables researchers to illuminate the collective nature of emotions-as-practices within education. In the context of Networked Learning, this conceptualisation reveals how digital learning can shape and is shaped by the emotional landscape through actions, discourse, and relational dynamics, and thus provides insights in the practice-oriented research on emotions.By focusing on emotions-as-practices, the paper advances a nuanced view to investigate the holistic experiences of emotion that are sensitive to the active, discursive, and relational aspects. This perspective pushes the boundaries of emotion research, and suggests novel pathways for Networked Learning. The TPA serves as a valuable lens for researchers, educators, and policy makers to understand and integrate emotions-as-practices in the wider networks of educational practices. As educational paradigms evolve with advances in technology and artificial intelligence, the need to recognise and support emotions in education becomes increasingly critical, ensuring they are not only felt but actively fostered and integrated in learning environments.