Unit Title
An Action Research Approach to
Constructing a Thesis/Project
Unit Tutor
Jack Whitehead
Aims
To enable you to:
i) construct a Thesis /Project proposal
on research into your professional development.
ii) to include in the proposal a living
form of theorising which can relate your analysis of your professional learning
to the processes of improving the quality of pupilsÕ and/or your colleaguesÕ learning.
Learning Outcomes
We will focus your learning on
i) how to gather data which can be used
in your theorising as evidence of your professional development as you work at
questions related to improving the quality of your professional practice.
ii) how to gather valid data on:
* prior
professional development;
* pupils'
test scores;
* pupils'
work which shows their learning;
* contributions
to departmental or school policy;
* autobiographical
accounts which reveal professional values and commitments;
* action
plans;
* data
from classroom, school and other activities used as evidence in a description
and explanation of your professional learning;
* an
annotated bibliography of your professional reading;
* critical
familiarity with relevant research;
* application
of research evidence in your school based project;
* video-tapes
and other visual and audio records of classrooms and other professional
practices;
* evaluations
of actions in terms of values, skills and understanding;
* new
action plans which show a modification of concerns, action plans and actions in
the light of the evaluations;
* evaluations
from colleagues which show how you have validated your claims to understand
your professional learning as you influence/improve/understand your pupils'
learning;
* evidence
from another colleague's portfolio which shows how you are influencing their
professional development in the process of helping pupils to improve their
learning;
* creative
use of a variety of media for analysis and sharing of work in progress e.g.
hypertext.
iii) how to construct a thesis/project
proposal in a form which shows and explains the relationships between your
professional learning and the processes of improving the quality of
pupilsÕ/colleaguesÕ learning.
Content
The content of the programme will include the action learning principles
of expressing individual concerns, related to School and/or Board priorities of
improving pupilsÕ and teachersÕ learning; constructing action plans and
gathering data (see above); evaluating the effectiveness of actions; modifying
the concerns, plans and actions in the light of the evaluations. It will include issues of
ÔrigourÕ, ÔvalidityÕ and the
adequacy of explanations for the professional learning of individual teachers.
The questions which will form the basis
of your thesis/project proposal will be determined by you in terms of your own unique enquiry. This enquiry is
likely to be related to the
educational policies of your School and/or Board.
Participants in this program will produce
a thesis/project proposal.
Indicative Reading:
Anderson, G.L. & Herr, K. (1999) The
New Paradigm Wars: Is There Room for rigorous Practitioner Knowledge in Schools
and Universities. Vol. 28, No.5, pp. 12-21,40.
Connelly,
F.M. & Clandinin, J. (1990) Stories of experience and narrative inquiry,
Vol. No.5, pp. 2-14.
Donmoyer,
R. 1996) Educational Research in an Era of Paradigm Proliferation: What's a
Journal Editor to do? Vol. 25,
No.2, pp 19-25.
Berliner,
D.C., Resnick, L.B., Cuban, L., Cole, N., Popham, W.J., Goodlad, J.I. (1997)
"The Vision Thing": Educational Research and AERA in the 21st Century
- Part 2: Competing Visions for Enhancing the Impact of Educational Research.
Vol. 26, No.5, pp.12-27.
Eisner,
E. (1997) The Promise and Perils of Alternative Forms of Data Representation.
Vol. 26, No.6, pp. 4-10.
Rhine,
S. (1998) The Role of Research and Teachers' Knowledge Base in Professional
Development. Vol. 27, No.5, pp. 27-31.
Korthagen,
F. A.J. & Kessels, J.P.A. (1999) Linking Theory and Practice: Changing the
Pedagogy of Teacher Education, Vol. 28, No.4, pp. 4-17.
Other
Texts
McNiff,J
Lomax,P & Whitehead,J. (1996) You and your Action Research Project London, Routledge.
Hamilton,
M.L. (Ed) (1998) Reconceptualizing Teaching Practice: Self-Study in Teacher
Education, London; Falmer. See
Chapter 15, Cole, A.L. & Knowles, G. The Self-Study of Teacher Education
Practices and the Reform of Teacher Education.
We will also draw material from the
following action research accounts in the living theory section of
http://www.actionresearch.net
D'Arcy,P (1998) The Whole Story
See section 17 on 'Assessing pupils as
story writers' and section 18 on 'Does it Matter?'
Pat is a former Advisor for English
Eames,K (1995) How do I, as a teacher
and an educational action-researcher, describe and explain the nature of my
professional knowledge?
See the section on 'How Action Research
can be used in an Educational Community'.
Kevin is Head of English.
Evans,M (1996) An action research inquiry into reflection in action as
part of my role as a deputy headteacher.
See section 8 on Creating my own living
educational theory.
Moyra is Deputy Head at Denbigh school in
Milton Keynes.
Holly,E (1997) How do I, as a teacher researcher, contribute to the
development of living educational theory through an exploration of my values in
my professional practice?
See section 4 on 'I can speak for
myself. My account of working with
Poppy and how I struggled to come to terms with what I saw as academic accounts
of teaching.'
In this work Erica shows how she responded to 'managerial
demands' that she 'appraise' staff in relation to linguistic lists, through a
collaborative form of peer appraisal which was focused on a mutual concern to
help each other to improve the quality of pupils' learning.
Erica is Head of Upper School at
Greendown School, Swindon.
Hughes,J (1996) Action Planning and Assessment in Guidance Contexts: How can I understand and support these
processes?
Laidlaw,M (1996) How can I create my own living
educational theory through accounting to you for my own educational
development?
See The General Prologue - an
exceptionally good piece of reflective writing and Part One on 'A search for my
Educational Standards of Judgement'.
Moira is an English teacher at Oldfield
Girls School in Bath.