Seeking Wholeheartedness in Education

Abstract

This article describes a Cooperative Inquiry (CI) undertaken by seven transformative educators who set out to explore how they could better walk with the authority inherent in their professional roles so as to avoid unconsciously replicating unhealthy power dynamics. Their process revealed the insidious and cyclical nature of hegemony, enabling co-inquirers to uncover deeply ingrained patterns vis-a-vis power. Action/reflection cycles highlighted the role of self-policing, vulnerability, hegemonic traps, interruption practices, and the significance of wholeheartedness. Furthermore, the CI process itself was found to be empowering, as presentational knowledge and collective meaning-making supported the dismantling of isolation and shame that often accompanied and perpetuated feelings of disempowerment. Co-inquirers more effectively identified when and how cultural constructs affected them, thereby claiming greater agency in both personal and professional lives. The need for ongoing individual and collaborative reflexivity to reinforce and affirm positive, wholesome power dynamics was also shown.

Collaborative Transformations

“…This cyclical analysis of our data and musings resulted in significant learning and discovery that enhanced individual reflective cycles. Like Duenkel, Pratt, and Sullivan (2014), we found the learning gained through the CI process of group and individual reflection both personal and empowering. These reflections and analyses subsequently informed the next phase of action/implementation over the months which followed.…”

“…These concerns aligned well with our genuine desire to explore CI in order to pursue a paradigm shift in practice (Almanza et al, 2004; Bolton & Stolcis, 2003; Charles & Glennie, 2002; Coghlan & Brannick, 2014; Deer, 2003). CI offered us a pathway, a different way of working that is both “inherently empowering and transformative” (Duenkel, Pratt, & Sullivan, 2014, p. 285).…”

A many‐splendored thing? Transformative learning for social justice

“…Many of the texts across all perspectives and clusters treat consciousness raising as the main precondition for acting for social justice. The types of social action that do, or might follow, from this are not often discussed in much detail (for example, Baily et al., 2014; Duenkel et al., 2014). How changes in attitude or consciousness on a small‐scale link to collective efforts for social justice are often not clear and/or seen as self‐evident.…”

Experiencing Collaborative Inquiry Online: A Literature Review

“…Unlike discussion forums, participants did not find that email created a collaborative group space (Astle, 2001). Discussion boards were seen to enable vulnerable sharing (Crowther et al, 2021), facilitate organizing documents in centrally accessible locations (Duenkel et al, 2014;Hanlin-Rowney et al, 2006), provide individual and commons spaces for reflection (Feller et al, 2004), and accommodate diverse and flexible participation across time zones (Astle, 2001;Crowther et al, 2021;Dale, 2001;Howell, 2020;Moreira-Ramirez, 2020;Thorpe, 2008). Further, asynchronous forums enabled time for deeper reflection (Hanlin-Rowney et al, 2006) and for non-native English speakers to communicate more confidently (Crowther et al, 2021).…”