Focus

This paper explores teachers’ orientations to evidence from education research and its inclusion in their teaching practice in schools in Wales. Great emphasis is placed on research based pedagogies and classroom practices, with calls for the inclusion of teachers as not only designers of curricula and classroom instructors, but also as action researchers and enactors of educational enquiry designed to inform and improve their pedagogy, and ultimately, pupils’ learning. Factors which problematize this perspective on teaching include the lack of education research conducted in Wales and the near exclusion of teachers represented as researchers and academic professionals in teacher education, training and professional development. Daily demands on both teachers and senior management teams further exacerbate this dilemma, and continue to threaten teachers’ development of effective teaching strategies and pedagogies based on evidence collected from their own research and that conducted by scholars and experts in the field.

Methods and approaches

The data presented were collected as part of the WISERDEducation project, a longitudinal study following over 1200 school pupils in 29 schools in Wales. As part of the study, over 200 teachers were also surveyed. In regard to this paper, teachers were asked questions regarding their undertaking of action research, self-reflection and evaluation, as well as activities in personal enquiry and research. Teachers were also asked they were encouraged to use research evidence to improve their practice and if they had regular opportunities to discuss and use relevant research. Finally, teachers were asked if they found evidence from education research useful in their teaching.

Results and conclusions

Initial analyses suggest there is a substantial disconnect between teacher’s classroom practices and pedagogies and the inclusion of evidence derived from education research. Less than 15% of the teachers surveyed were actively engaged in action research. Self-reflection and working towards performance management objectives were viewed by the majority of teachers as favourable strategies for improving their practice, as were personal enquiry and collaborating with teacher colleagues. However, many teachers felt their schools did not encourage their use of research evidence to improve their teaching, nor did they feel they had adequate opportunity to discuss relevant research with their colleagues or incorporate such evidence into their teaching practices. In regard to the usefulness of education research in their teaching, the majority of teachers were ambivalent, with another substantial number stating they did not believe evidence from education research was useful in their daily teaching activities. From these initial conclusions, a more articulated strategy for envisioning the role of a teacher as an education researcher should be included in initial teacher education in Wales, as well as a greater emphasis in supporting teachers implementing evidence from existing research and their own enquiries as part of their daily practice in schools. 

David Coghlan and Teresa Brannick (2005) Doing action research in your own organization, 2nd Ed., London, Sage Publications John Loughran, Ian Mitchell and Judie Mitchell (eds),(2002) Learning from teacher research, NSW, Allen and Unwin Robert J. Marzano, (2003) What works in schools: translating research into action, Alexandria, VA., ASCD Caroline Sharp, Anna Earnes, Dawn Sanders et al (2006) Leading a research-engaged school, Nottingham, UK, National College for School Leadership Lyn Yates (2004) What does good education research look like? Situating a field and its practices, UK, Open University Press