Education Sciences

Research

12 pages, 212 KiB

Open AccessFeature PaperArticle

Ethical Data Collection and Recognizing the Impact of Semi-Structured Interviews on Research Respondents

by Gary Husband

Educ. Sci. 2020, 10(8), 206; https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci10080206 - 11 Aug 2020

Cited by 34 | Viewed by 31884

This article explores the complex relationship between researcher and respondent through shared experience and interaction in the interview processes. Ethical considerations related to the balance of power and potential for change in respondents’ professional actions and decisions post-interview are discussed whilst problematizing the [...] Read more.

This article explores the complex relationship between researcher and respondent through shared experience and interaction in the interview processes. Ethical considerations related to the balance of power and potential for change in respondents’ professional actions and decisions post-interview are discussed whilst problematizing the concept of truly informed consent. Informed by critical incident analysis, the article draws on the researcher’s experience of undertaking a qualitative-based study founded in the principles of phenomenological hermeneutics. Concluded in 2016, the research investigates the impact of pedagogical training programs on respondents’ teaching practice and engagement with professional learning. Respondents, experienced lecturers working in the adult education sectors in Scotland and Wales, contacted the researcher to share their post-interview experiences. The research was not designed to elicit change in respondents, nor influence professional choice or practice. However, each communication received attributed participating in the research as the source for renewed interest and engagement in professional learning. Although research interviews becoming an enriching experience for respondents is a recorded phenomenon the ascribed effects were profound, potentially life-changing, and not fully anticipated. Ethical considerations for researchers designing and undertaking interview-based research are considered alongside the potential for engagement in research interviews as a catalyst for professional learning in practice. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Post-Compulsory Education)

12 pages, 222 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Reflections of a Practitioner—Researcher in the Field of Widening Participation in Arts Education

by Martell Baines and Margaret Gregson

Educ. Sci. 2020, 10(5), 133; https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci10050133 - 09 May 2020

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2847

Abstract

This article provides an auto-ethnographic narrative to offer insights into my experience as a practitioner–researcher working in widening participation (WP) in post-compulsory education (PCE). It relates how I came to join the Education and Training Foundation (ETF) Practitioner Research Programme (PRP). It provides [...] Read more.

This article provides an auto-ethnographic narrative to offer insights into my experience as a practitioner–researcher working in widening participation (WP) in post-compulsory education (PCE). It relates how I came to join the Education and Training Foundation (ETF) Practitioner Research Programme (PRP). It provides insights into the role of WP practitioner and manager and offers a reflection upon my experiences as an early practitioner–researcher conducting research in the field of WP. Writing in the first person, I reflect upon the positionality within my professional practice as someone who is immersed in the context that is being researched. I make my story as authentic as possible in order to throw new light upon knowledge in the field of widening participation (WP) practice. This immersion has enabled me to increase my professional knowledge and to establish a stronger voice in and for WP practitioners in the profession and for learners in the WP community. This empowerment has come about as my knowledge of the factors influencing the context of my work has expanded. I hope that it will be of interest to other researchers working in the field of WP and that they will accept my invitation to contribute to this conversation and reflect upon their own journey. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Post-Compulsory Education)

14 pages, 224 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Stories of Supervision

by Trish Spedding

Educ. Sci. 2020, 10(4), 93; https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci10040093 - 31 Mar 2020

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2707

Abstract

This article centres upon experiences of supervising practitioner-researchers engaged in the first year of a Customised Master of Philosophy (MPhil) programme of study. This pathway resides within a larger collaboration between the University of Sunderland’s Centre for Excellence in Teacher Training (SUNCETT) and [...] Read more.

This article centres upon experiences of supervising practitioner-researchers engaged in the first year of a Customised Master of Philosophy (MPhil) programme of study. This pathway resides within a larger collaboration between the University of Sunderland’s Centre for Excellence in Teacher Training (SUNCETT) and the Education and Training Foundation (ETF) delivering a National Practitioner Research Programme (PRP) in England. It takes as its starting point how non-traditional research students from the further adult and vocational education (FAVE) sector experience entry into the programme and their subsequent development of scholarship and research skills as they pursue their studies at research degree level in higher education (HE). Using six guiding principles underpinning the PRP as a framework for analysis, illustrative stories of the experiences of supervisors and research students provide insights into ways in which supervision is enacted. Some key characteristics of supervision practice are described. These often bring to light differences between supervision on the Customised MPhil with that of conventional MPhil programmes. The most striking finding supports how the development of collaborative and cooperative practice helps to shift the customary dynamic of research degree study away from isolation towards a shared experience as members of an inclusive and active research community. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Post-Compulsory Education)

18 pages, 243 KiB

Open AccessArticle

In Practice: The Importance of Practitioner Research in Vocational Education

by Maggie Gregson

Educ. Sci. 2020, 10(3), 79; https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci10030079 - 20 Mar 2020

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 3519

Abstract

This article presents the background to and rationale for a practice-focused model of educational change and improvement. In contrast to autocratic top-down models, this democratic and pragmatic approach begins with the educational concerns of teachers. In this model, responsibility and accountability for educational [...] Read more.

This article presents the background to and rationale for a practice-focused model of educational change and improvement. In contrast to autocratic top-down models, this democratic and pragmatic approach begins with the educational concerns of teachers. In this model, responsibility and accountability for educational improvement is shared between policy professionals, the university team and sector practitioners. Contributions from the literature explore the question of the nature and purpose of educational practice; how concepts of educational practice influence curriculum design and content in programmes for the initial and continuing professional development for teachers of vocational education; and how these can enhance or inhibit the improvement of educational practice. Drawing upon case study examples from a national programme of university-supported practitioner research in England, results illustrate how this model offers insights into ways of increasing research capacity and achieving sustainable improvements in educational practice. It concludes that programmes of university-supported practitioner research, which encourage and enable teachers to engage in the systematic investigation of educational practice, can realize educational improvements which other approaches to educational evaluation and improvement (including external inspection regimes) struggle to do. It invites politicians and policy professionals to consider potential applications of this approach in other national systems of vocational education. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Post-Compulsory Education)

14 pages, 288 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Thinking Skills Deficit: What Role Does a Poetry Group Have in Developing Critical Thinking Skills for Adult Lifelong Learners in a Further Education Art College?

by Frances Norton and Margaret Gregson

Educ. Sci. 2020, 10(3), 73; https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci10030073 - 13 Mar 2020

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 3813

Abstract

This article investigates Brown’s assertion that students today exhibit an unwillingness/inability to engage in critical thinking (CT). He describes this as a ‘critical thinking deficit’. The question of whether CT can be taught or whether we can only create the conditions in which [...] Read more.

This article investigates Brown’s assertion that students today exhibit an unwillingness/inability to engage in critical thinking (CT). He describes this as a ‘critical thinking deficit’. The question of whether CT can be taught or whether we can only create the conditions in which CT can thrive and develop is explored through analysis of data from a pedagogical intervention of a Poetry Group; it aims to develop CT by employing Community of Inquiry as a methodology. This intervention was offered to a group of Further Education (FE) students over a period of six months with the intention of preparing them for progression into Higher Education (HE). Findings from the study lend support to the claim that sharing stories and poems is helpful in developing social and cultural capital across the group and in supporting CT and academic development. Students in the study report that they found the Poetry Group particularly valuable in encouraging both critical engagement with their Arts subject, deeper levels of learning and supporting improvements in attainment. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Post-Compulsory Education)

15 pages, 230 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Drawn to Story

by Daniel Gregson

Educ. Sci. 2020, 10(3), 71; https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci10030071 - 13 Mar 2020

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2477

Abstract

Rising to the demands of academic writing, scholarship and research is challenging for many practitioners in post compulsory education. Only a small number manage to see their research through to completion and write-up. Therefore, their work is under-represented in peer-reviewed, published literature in [...] Read more.

Rising to the demands of academic writing, scholarship and research is challenging for many practitioners in post compulsory education. Only a small number manage to see their research through to completion and write-up. Therefore, their work is under-represented in peer-reviewed, published literature in the field of educational research. This article foregrounds the role of stories, storytelling and image in the development of different kinds of language, including scholarship and academic writing. Narrative accounts of experiences of practitioner-researchers beginning to engage in research through intensive residential research development workshops, delivered as part of a national Practitioner Research Programme (PRP), are used to illustrate the power of oracy, imagery and story in extending our ability to develop language; research and represent experience; and portray different forms of understanding in a range of educational contexts. The results indicate that being able to listen, read and ‘see’ the research stories of more experienced researchers, as well as telling stories of their own experiences of research, enables participants to become more comfortable in using experiences of educational practice as a starting point for research and to regard research and practice not as a dichotomy or as separate activities, but as dynamic and integral aspects of educational improvement. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Post-Compulsory Education)

11 pages, 207 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Less but Better? Teaching Maths in Further Education and Collateral Growth

by Lawrence Nixon and John B. Cooper

Educ. Sci. 2020, 10(3), 61; https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci10030061 - 06 Mar 2020

Viewed by 3124

Abstract

The paper presents and explores the experience of maths students studying in a context shaped by a core concept maths curriculum. The three vignettes that illuminate experience are drawn from a larger research project that worked with five teachers and 630 learners aged [...] Read more.

The paper presents and explores the experience of maths students studying in a context shaped by a core concept maths curriculum. The three vignettes that illuminate experience are drawn from a larger research project that worked with five teachers and 630 learners aged 16–18 in Further Education classrooms in England. Analysis involved distinguishing different understandings of being good at maths, different views of a good maths curriculum and identifying enablers and barriers to being a ‘successful’ maths student. Dewey’s ideas about focused experience and collateral learning were used to deepen this analysis. The paper reports a surprising finding. In some cases, students recognize the positive impact learning maths had on developing their wider human capabilities. Maths teachers in England, working in the context of ‘new public management’, may find reasons to take heart from the accounts of teaching and learning presented. For the international reader who is grappling with the challenge of reengaging maths students, the accounts of what matters to students could spur a reconsideration of priorities and practice. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Post-Compulsory Education)

10 pages, 212 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Mature Students Matter: The Impact of the Research Development Fellowship in Accessing Art and Design Education

by Samantha Broadhead

Educ. Sci. 2020, 10(2), 31; https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci10020031 - 03 Feb 2020

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 3247

Abstract

In the United Kingdom, the number of mature students studying in higher education is diminishing. This is also the case within the subject of art and design. This article reports on a project “Mature Students Matter,” a study that aims to widen participation [...] Read more.

In the United Kingdom, the number of mature students studying in higher education is diminishing. This is also the case within the subject of art and design. This article reports on a project “Mature Students Matter,” a study that aims to widen participation in art and design education within a small specialist university. The approach was developed from a Research Development Fellowship, which provided a model for the project. A case study is used as a method of inquiry through which the project is described and evaluated using a form of narrative inquiry. The study found that the principles of Joint Practice Development (JPD) underpinning the design and development of the project enabled practitioners from different parts of the university to work together and to share similar aims, objectives and values in their research. Drawing some tentative conclusions, the project also found that the wider institutional context was important in the success of the project. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Post-Compulsory Education)

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