The contribution of teachers of research-intensive teacher education programmes to a culture of inquiry in primary schools

Abstract

A culture of inquiry in schools, where teachers work collaboratively and inquiry based, can contribute to the quality of education. It is assumed that teachers of research-intensive teacher education programmes can play an important role in creating such a culture. Little is known, however, about how these teachers function. This case-study research investigates how primary school teachers of research-intensive teacher education programmes in the Netherlands contribute to a culture of inquiry and which factors influence this. In five schools semi-structured interviews were conducted with a teacher and her/his school leader. Also school policy documents were analysed and team meetings were observed. The teachers contributed to a culture of inquiry in their schools in three ways, by 1) initiating collective critical reflection on school policy, 2) sharing knowledge with colleagues and 3) initiating innovations. According to the teachers, self-efficacy in collaboration with colleagues in inquiry-based working and a formal research position in the school facilitates the contribution they can make to a culture of inquiry. ARTICLE HISTORY

Unpacking the rural-urban gap of teacher involvement in inquiry-based working: the roles of school research culture and infrastructure

“…Previous empirical evidence and the results of our previous study highlight several individual-level background characteristics that may be strongly related to the extent to which teachers engage in inquiry-based working (Baan et al 2020, Verhoef et al 2020. These include research function and academic level.…”

“…This study extends contributes to the domain at theoretical, methodological, and practical level. At the theoretical level, this study represents the first investigation of student teachers in a real school context can better prepare them to contribute to a research culture in their future workplace (Baan et al 2020, Verhoef et al 2022). This could inspire future practices that narrow the opportunity gap that exists in the ruralurban structure of schools.…”

“…In this study, we suggest that research culture refers to the overall appreciation of school members of participation in research-related activities (Worrall 2004, Godfrey 2016. A high-quality school culture, therefore, means that most school members (including principals and teachers) value research activities and think that research activities will help improve their educational practice and enhance student development (Schipper et al 2020, Verhoef et al 2020.…”

“…Many studies emphasize the importance of a research culture in primary schools (e.g., Ebbutt 2002, Worrall 2004, Earl and Katz 2006, Godfrey 2016. However, few studies utilize a clear and unequivocal definition of research culture in the context of primary schools, despite superficial agreement about its importance (Verhoef et al 2020). This may reflect the complex cultural context (Hargreaves 1995, Schoen and Teddlie 2008, Zhu et al 2014.…”

Professional development in inquiry-based working; the experiences of graduates from academic teacher education programmes

“…We do know from previous research that this inquiry-based collaboration is important for systematic quality improvement in the school (Katz and Dack 2013;Godfrey and Brown 2019). We also know from the study of Verhoef, Volman, and Gaikhorst (2020) that such leadership roles are of particular importance for beginning academic teachers, because it enables them to work collaboratively inquiry-based and, in the end, to contribute to a culture of inquiry in schools. However, this study also shows that academic teachers do not feel adequately prepared for such leadership roles.…”