Based on what children tell us. Results of an improvement process starting from student voice

Author(s):

Susana Lázaro-Visa(submitting)Susana Rojas(presenting)Marta García Lastra(presenting)

Conference:

ECER 2014

Network:

11. Educational Improvement and Quality Assurance

Format:

Paper

Session Information

11 SES 06 B, Students’ and Teachers’ Perceptions of Quality of Education

Paper Session

Time:

2014-09-03

15:30-17:00

Room:

B232A/B Sala de Aulas

Chair:

Rita Birzina

Contribution

This work collects the main results of a research carried out at the University of Cantabria in an ongoing study with the University of Seville and University of Vigo. The research is based on the analysis of school improvement from an inclusive education perspective. Specifically in Cantabria, the main objective has been focussed on the study and increase of students’ participation processes, from the theoretical concepts that defend the student voice research model based on participative democracy and inclusive education (Fielding, 2011; Rudduck & Flutter, 2007; Susinos, 2009; 2013). In fact, it is a research study committed to the change in schools in which recognizes the personal, social and educational worth for the students that feel that their voices are being heard and recognised. This is likewise for professionals in the education system and schools that live the research process as an opportunity for analysing their teaching strategies and incorporating changes into the curriculum and organisation.

Our starting point rests on a number of ideas. As will be shown in this paper, these ideas can be observed in the proposals for improvement designed by the students and carried out in some schools:

- Student as the motor for school change (Rudduck & Flutter, 2007; Susinos, 2009; 2013).The projects developed by the students represent the introduction of improvement in schools which incorporate what students say. These improvements have different paths and can be observed in the results from the students’ consultation process. The improvements include a wide spectrum that range from organisational changes in the classroom –such as the establishing of new rules from the final assembly in the first years of Primary School- to changes in the public areas of the school from a Secondary student group.

- Student participation can be extended to all education stages (Susinos, 2009; 2013). The experiences of school improvement proposed by the students have been carried out in Pre-school Education, Primary and Secondary, including Initial Professional Qualification Programmes.

- Participation of all students in school life as a desirable means to enhance the necessary feeling of belonging (Fielding, 2011; Rojas, Haya y Lázaro-Visa, 2012). Feeling part of the decisions that affect them enhances the development of citizens who are able of moving in a global society. They experience the meaning of living in a community, supporting and developing activities group initiatives. This further favours the feeling of being linked to a shared teaching-learning project.

- Student voice as a stimulus for professional development (Rojas, Lázaro-Visa & Susinos, 2010; Rojas, Haya & Lázaro-Visa, 2012). Student participation brings a new meaning to the teaching activity as is demonstrated in the follow-up interviews with the professionals participating, changing the kind of relationships that are established between the students and the different professionals in the school context. Elsewhere, the dialogue around student participation processes brings about a change in the concept of participation that the professionals have, spreading it to all areas of school life. Finally, its setting in motion in the classrooms represents a change in teaching strategies which are modifying and opening up this new meaning that the idea of student participation has acquired.

Method

Along three years, different schools have taken part in the research. In fact, twelve classes of Pre-school, Primary and Secondary have been involved. All of them participate one year, although in some cases participation extended to three academic years (Rojas, Haya & Lázaro-Visa, 2012). In all schools, the experience has been set in motion in five phases: entry in the school, agreement on the meanings of students’ participation, pupil consultation, design and development of the improvement project, and evaluation of the process (Susinos, 2013). Here, we focus on the fourth and fifth phases, presenting the results of the improvement processes carried out in different schools that use student voice as a basis for school organisation. Using an ethnographical methodology with the purpose of knowing, understanding, promoting or facilitating student participation in the classroom or school, we select different data collection methods: semi-structured interviews to the professionals involved, observations in the classroom prior to student consultation and during the setting in motion of the improvements with them. These methods allow us to compile a set of situations and strategies that we define as opportunities for student participation. In each school the research process and development of proposals is organized in mixed work teams making up of professionals from the school (tutors, support teachers, guidance staff) and from the university. These teams maintain a dialogue throughout the process which promotes the joint construction of meanings in the area of student participation. School professionals are who gradually broaden in the classroom the limits of student participation designing consultation processes as to the possibilities of classroom or school improvement that are set in motion in the next phase.

Expected Outcomes

The fourth phase of the project schools is focussed on the design and development of an improvement proposal that comes from the students and which will thus be different in each school, education stage and classroom. The tangible results take different forms, such as posters, murals, lists of “do’s and don’ts”, blogs, or research work carried out by the students from the different education stages. These products express changes at different levels -at curriculum and also organisational levels, for both the classroom and school (Calvo, Rodríguez-Hoyos & García Lastra, 2012 García Lastra, 2012; Rojas, Haya & Lázaro-Visa, 2012)- and progress towards more autonomous forms of student participation in which they become co-researchers (Haya, Rojas, Lázaro-Visa, 2011). However, we do not consider these results as an end product but rather one more element down the road to redefining relationships between teacher and pupil, which are closer to a deliberative democracy and intergenerational learning (Fielding, 2007; Rojas, Haya & Lázaro-Visa, 2012; Susinos, 2013). It is therefore one of the main results of change that is nurtured progressively along the implementation of the project and the dynamics of student participation. There is also the broadening, on the part of the professionals participating, of the concept of participation as a phenomenon that encapsulates the different aspects of the teaching task, which is reflected in teaching strategies.

References

Fielding, M. (2011) La voz del alumnado y la inclusión educativa: una aproximación democrática radical para el aprendizaje intergeneracional. Revista Interuniversitaria de Formación del Profesorado, 70 (25, 1), 31- 61. Calvo, Rodríguez-Hoyos & García Lastra, M. (2012) What’s best all is for you listen to us. Investigating the increase in student participation in Diversification and Initial Vocational Qualification Programmes. Revista de Educación, 359, 164-183. García Lastra, M. (2012) Improving School through the Voice of the Students. Notes about an Experience Carried out in Cantabria (Spain). International Journal for Cross-Disciplinary Subjects in Education, 3(4), 852-858. Haya, I. & Calvo, A (2010) Mejorar la escuela “dando voz” al alumnado en la etapa de educación infantil. Una investigación en curso. En Susinos, T (coord) (2010): Actas del Congreso Internacional "La Educación Inclusiva hoy: escenarios y protagonistas". pp 1026- 1041. Santander, Universidad de Cantabria. Haya, I., Rojas, S. & Lázaro-Visa, S. (2011) The "voice" of children in classroom management and organization. Participation experiences in primary schools in Spain. In European Educational Research Association. Berlín, 2011. Rojas, S., Lázaro-Visa, S. & Susinos, T. (2010) ’La voz del alumnado’ como dinamizador de las estrategias docentes. El proceso de investigación. Parrilla, A. y López Melero, M. (Coord.) Actas I Congreso Internacional “Reinventar la profesión docente” (pp. 266-273). Málaga, Universidad de Málaga. Rojas, S., Haya, I. & Lázaro-Visa, S. (2012) Student voice in school improvement: Children as reseachers in Primary School. Revista de Educación, 359, 81-101. Susinos, T. (2009) Listening to share. Acknowledging students’ authority in the project for an inclusive school. Revista de Educación, 349, 119-136. Susinos, T. (2013) Desde el mismo lugar no vemos lo mismo. Investigar la participación de los estudiantes como un proceso multivocal. Revista de Investigación en Educación, 11 (3), 120-132. Rudduck, J y Flutter, J. (2007) Cómo mejorar tu centro escolar dando la voz al alumnado. Madrid: Morata.

Author Information

Susana Lázaro-Visa (submitting)

University of Cantabria

Education

Santander

Susana Rojas (presenting)

University of Cantabria

Education

Santander

Marta García Lastra (presenting)

Universidad de Cantabria

Santander

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