Talk as action in ‘collaborative action research’: making and taking apart teacher/researcher relationships

Abstract

This article considers the role of university researchers in a project aimed at developing inclusive practices in schools through collaborative action research. It tells the story of how these researchers became part of the action in one school—Beechbank Primary—through visits, the collection and reporting of data, and through the development of a relationship (particularly with the head teacher) that facilitated learning and change to take place. One of the issues highlighted is that it is in the process of setting up an action research project that many disturbances are evident and, perhaps, inevitable. We argue that it is in working with these disturbances that one might begin to establish the basis of a collaborative relationship, rather than implying that collaboration may result in such things. The approach taken in the section ‘Beechbank Story’ is a conscious departure from the investigations conducted as a consequence of audit mechanisms, where only particular measurable outcomes, designated in advance, constitute evidence of ‘progress’. We focus instead on process and hope to illustrate the small shifts and changes, documented ethnographically, which we argue are essential if change is to take place in the culture of a school.

When does the action start and finish? Making the case for an ethnographic action research in educational research

“…The difficulty here, as Frankham and Howes (2006) discovered is to acknowledge the familiarisation time which is required to precede any action as part of the research period. In their case, they characterise this as 'ethnographic-type engagement… leading to another useful example of "community of practice"' (629).…”

“…An occasional visitor to a class, which is often the children's view of a researcher, cannot be compared with the role of the class teacher in building relationships with children starting school. It is for this reason, it was crucial, in the same way that the talk involved in collaboration with teachers became a focus for Frankham and Howes (2006), to acknowledge and design an ethnographic period to the research which was also able to examine the partnership of the research participants.…”

“…The point of this paper, therefore, is to extend the story told by Frankham and Howes (2006) and suggest that the negotiation, and indeed possible 'disturbances' inherent in setting up a collaborative action project in education make it legitimate not only to slip in an introductory ethnographic period within the action research, but also to characterise the methodology of an entire project as having an 'ethnographic action research' methodology. Indeed, a methodology with this name has already been developed in the field of development studies by Tacchi, Slater and Hearn (2003) who suggest that ethnography can 'guide' a study while an action research component can 'link back the research to the project plans and activities' (3).…”

“…However, the potential complexities of this collaboration are rarely fully explored and documented. Frankham and Howes (2006) have made a useful contribution to the difficulties of researchers doing action research in a primary school, by creating an elision between action research and ethnography in order to tell the story of the 'disturbances' (618) involved in setting up a particular project. They suggest that the setting up period should be 'taken as part of the action in action research ' (620).…”

Professional Learning and Adult Learning Theory: A Connection

“…Sometimes critical reflection is prompted by conversations between teachers (Shulman & Sherin, 2004), and sometimes it is prompted by experience (Levine & Marcus, 2007). Regardless, the necessity of some kind of disturbance is required (Frankham & Howes, 2006) for someone to critically examine his or her own assumptions, expectations, beliefs and values.…”