Session Information
15 SES 14, International Boundary-Crossing Study of Higher Education Institutions Working in Partnership with Schools to Improve Participation in Systems and Learning
Symposium
Contribution
The purpose of this symposium is to share an innovative and creative pilot study of an action research project that aims to fill a gap in the theory and practice about teachers’ and students’ participation in their schools’ processes and practices (Ruddock and McIntyre, 2007). The research is based on developing partnerships between Higher Education Institutions (HEI) and secondary schools through school improvement, and critical discourse (Frost, Durrant, Head, & Holden, 2000). At ECER 2013, Istanbul, professional researchers representing higher education institutions in England, Finland, Guyana, India, Israel, Kazakhstan, Northern Ireland, and the Republic of Ireland, reported the findings of the first phase of the action research pilot case study conducted in a secondary school in each nation state. The findings focused on the views of teachers, and students in each school. The empirical evidence revealed that students and teachers wanted to participate in educational processes and practices, and that they valued building relationships characterized by trust, positive regard, respect, and social justice. However, participation in the processes and practices did or did not allow this to happen. After the ECER 2013 conference, the HEI researchers presented their findings to the school leadership/ management team as part of the second phase of the action research. The team of educational professionals worked together to make sense of the impact of the research, and created change strategies informed by the evidence. We intend to present the second stage of the action research at the British Educational Leadership, Management and Administration Society Annual Conference in Stratford July, 2014.
The third phase of the pilot study action research, which is the focus of this symposium, is to repeat the first phase of the research and document the impact of the change strategies. The limitations of the research are that it is a pilot study and a fuller funded study is recommended to include the voices of parents and role incumbents from each context specific governance structures.
To address the aims of the action research we ask the following research questions: One, what cultures, practices and leadership systems influence the participation of different stake-holders in decision making in their institution? Two, how do leaders, teachers and students engage with different participatory processes in their institution? Three, on which characteristics of participatory institutions do they place most value? Four, how are learning, skills, character building, and the building of life narratives influenced through optimizing community members’ participation in relationships and school processes and practices? Finally, how are the partnerships between the academy and schools developed that respect national and local research priorities in balance with shared research aims, themes and methods?
Three practical and social implications emerge from the pilot case-studies. First, they promote the exchange of stories of participation from one context to another facilitating critical discourse of transcultural challenges and diversities. Second, they strengthen a network to facilitate knowledge exchange, mobilization, and dissemination activities that may offer robust, evidence informed suggestions and solutions to improve participation, learning, and skills. Such suggestions for solutions may facilitate students' participation in systems of production and exchange when they leave school, and the development of character to address societal challenges. Third, in a climate of increasing global and European protectionism the research reveals shared aims, themes and methods used to further understand and respect national and local research priorities and practices.
Frost, D., Durrant, J., Head, M., & Holden, G. (2000). Teacher-led School Improvement. London: Falmer Press. Retrieved from http://www.questia.com
Oplatka, I. (2004) The principalship in developing countries: Context, characteristics and reality. Comparative Education, 40 (3).
Ruddock, J., and McIntyre, D. (2007). Improving Learning through Consulting Pupils. Oxon:Routledge.
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