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Session Information
20 SES 07 B, Making It Matter: Educational research's transformative potential - moving beyond ambivalence by reframing the production of ourselves and “The Other”'
Symposium
Contribution
From a social constructivist perspective, it is appreciated that we are all products of the world in which we are located, and that meaning-making is embedded in context and dependent upon collaboration with others (Davidson & Tolich, 1999). This includes the filters through which we see the world and others, and the paradigms in which we choose to work and research (Dockett et al., 2009). Yet, in terms of reframing, one could question whether it is possible for educational researchers to challenge well-established paradigms and the ways that we and others are positioned. Further, one could question whether it is naïve or ambitious to view the potentiality that new constructions of “the Other” may have in maximising respectful dialogic opportunities and contributing to equitable educational reform, particularly engaging with those who have historically been marginalised or those, such as young children, whose voices are typically silenced in decision-making processes on matters that affect them (Bermúdez, Muruthi, & Jordan, 2016). These questions are particularly timely given the growing ambivalence with which learners, educators, researchers and other stakeholders perceive national and international efforts to implement educational reform. In this presentation two Australian researchers investigate this topic based on their associated research areas and doctoral studies, which include children and young families (Brown, 2012) and the educational experiences of the children of occupationally mobile fairground communities (Danaher, 2001). The presenters explore the existing paradigms in which research participants are currently positioned. They then illustrate key discourses, evolving paradigms, counter-narratives and practical frames, such as adopting a strengths-based/rights-based axiology and viewing others as agentic, that attempt to decentre dominant discourses (Fenton, Walsh, Wong, & Cumming, 2015;). Finally, the presenters explore how reframing and generating alternative systems of thought regarding “the Other” (Lakoff, 2004) in educational research, such as adopting decolonising epistemologies and methodologies that promote the inclusion of the voices of others, have the potential to be transformative in terms of rethinking the privileging of “voice”, inclusive involvement and the contributions of others in decision-making as an integral part of the co-construction of educational reform agendas. More broadly, the presentation is intended to highlight the ambivalent power of educational research in shifting dominant discourses, by illustrating how educational research can be complicit in replicating such discourses and yet how by contrast educational researchers can lead a radical rethinking of the inclusion of “the Others’ voices” in educational reform agendas.
References
Bermúdez, J., Muruthi, B., & Jordan, L. (2016). Decolonizing research methods for family science: Creating space at the centre - Decolonizing research practices. Journal of Family Theory & Review, 8(2), 192-206. Brown, A. (2012). The new frontier: A social ecological exploration of factors impacting on parental support for the active play of young children within the micro-environment of the family home. Unpublished Doctor of Philosophy thesis, University of Southern Queensland, Toowoomba, Qld, Australia. Danaher, P. A. (2001). Learning on the run: Traveller education for itinerant show children in coastal and western Queensland. Unpublished Doctor of Philosophy thesis, Central Queensland University, Rockhampton, Qld, Australia. Davidson, C., & Tolich, M. (1999). Social science research in New Zealand: Many paths to understanding. Auckland: Pearson Education. Dockett, S., Perry, B., Kearney, E., Hamshire, A., Mason, J., & Schmied, V. (2009). Researching with families: Ethical issues and situations. Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood, 10(4), 353-365. Fenton, A., Walsh, K., Wong, S., & Cumming, T. (2015). Using strengths-based approaches in early years practice and research. International Journal of Early Childhood, 47(1), 27-52. Lakoff, G. (2004). Don't think of an elephant! Know your values and frame the debate: The essential guide for progressives. White River Junction, VT: Chelsea Green Publishing.
Programme by Network 2019
00. Central Events (Keynotes, EERA-Panel, EERJ Round Table, Invited Sessions)
Network 1. Continuing Professional Development: Learning for Individuals, Leaders, and Organisations
Network 2. Vocational Education and Training (VETNET)
Network 3. Curriculum Innovation
Network 4. Inclusive Education
Network 5. Children and Youth at Risk and Urban Education
Network 6. Open Learning: Media, Environments and Cultures
Network 7. Social Justice and Intercultural Education
Network 8. Research on Health Education
Network 9. Assessment, Evaluation, Testing and Measurement
Network 10. Teacher Education Research
Network 11. Educational Effectiveness and Quality Assurance
Network 12. LISnet - Library and Information Science Network
Network 13. Philosophy of Education
Network 14. Communities, Families and Schooling in Educational Research
Network 15. Research Partnerships in Education
Network 16. ICT in Education and Training
Network 17. Histories of Education
Network 18. Research in Sport Pedagogy
Network 19. Ethnography
Network 20. Research in Innovative Intercultural Learning Environments
Network 22. Research in Higher Education
Network 23. Policy Studies and Politics of Education
Network 24. Mathematics Education Research
Network 25. Research on Children's Rights in Education
Network 26. Educational Leadership
Network 27. Didactics – Learning and Teaching
Network 28. Sociologies of Education
Network 29. Reserach on Arts Education
Network 30. Research on Environmental und Sustainability Education
Network 31. Research on Language and Education (LEd)
Network 32. Organizational Education
The programme is updated regularly (each day in the morning)
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