Transcript The evidence debate: where does action research stand?

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The evidence debate: where
does action research stand?
Colleen McLaughlin
University of Sussex
CARN study day
March 8, University of Nottingham
+Where are we now? Some trends in policy
 Acceptance
of the central role of the teacher in
developing the quality of education
 Acceptance
of the importance of the role of
professional development and teacher as learner
 Need
for transformation and development of the
teaching profession
 The
need to create a knowledge base about
practice and share this knowledge in schools and
more widely
+ Acceptance of the central role of the teacher in
developing the quality of education
All the evidence from different education systems around
the world shows that the most important factor in
determining how well children do is the quality of
teachers and teaching. The best education systems in the
world draw their teachers from among the top graduates
and train them rigorously and effectively, focusing on
classroom practice. They then make sure that teachers
receive effective professional development throughout
their career, with opportunities to observe and work with
other teachers, and appropriate training for leadership
positions. (p.9)
Schools White Paper (DFE, 2010) The Importance of Teaching.
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Importance of teacher practices and
teacher learning
The pressure to increase equity and improve educational outcomes for
students is growing around the world. Teaching practices, in contrast to
student background variables such as socio-economic status and cultural
capital, are factors affecting student learning that are more readily
modifiable. Moreover, additional professional practices have received
attention, especially those that help transform the school into a
professional learning community.
(Teaching Practices and Pedagogical Innovation Evidence from TALIS (2013) OECD - CERI
Svenja Vieluf, David Kaplan, Eckhard Klieme, Sonja Baye)
+ Need for transformation and
development of the teaching profession
Press Release
Obama Administration Seeks to Elevate Teaching Profession, Duncan
to Launch RESPECT Project: Teacher Led National Conversation
The Obama Administration's 2013 proposed budget includes a
new $5 billion competitive program to challenge states and
districts to work with teachers, unions, colleges of education and
other stakeholders to comprehensively reform the field of
teaching. The proposal touches on every phase of teaching from
Training and tenure to compensation and car eer opportunities.
+ Movements to learn about practice and
share it
 Teaching
schools and joint practice
development
 Use
of research and enquiry in policy and
practice
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Key questions
Underneath
these policy statements is a
desire to create knowledge about
practice
How
should we create the knowledge
base both for practice and teacher
development?
+ Enter Action Research stage left

Action research is best through of as a large family, in which beliefs
and relationships vary a great deal. (Nofke, 1997)

Action research is simply a form of self-reflective enquiry undertaken
by participants in social situations in order to improve the rationality
and justice of their own practices, their understanding of these
practices, and the situations in which the practices are carried out.
(Carr and Kemmis 1986: 162)
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Action research as living theory – Jack Whitehead
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Systematic enquiry made public – Stenhouse
+ Can it help out with the issues around
knowledge base for teaching practice
and development?
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Validity
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Scale
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From the individual to the generalisable?
 Have
we tried and failed to use action research
for these purposes?
+ But what is the view of knowledge
creation?
+ Education Endowment Foundation
(EEF) - Evaluation
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A central aim of the is to find out what works to raise the attainment of
disadvantaged pupils in schools in England. To achieve this, all EEF
projects will be rigorously evaluated by independent experts in
educational research. These evaluations will be funded by the EEF.

The aim of our evaluations is to improve knowledge and extend the
evidence-base on what works in order to raise attainment. The impact of
projects on attainment will be evaluated, where possible, using
randomised controlled trials, with a linked process evaluation to
understand the elements of successful delivery. The size of evaluation,
and therefore the number of schools or projects that we would require
grantees to work with, will be determined by what we already know or
whether there is a need to either pilot a new approach or demonstrate that
an intervention can work at scale.
+ Do we need a completely different idea?
A
new paradigm – Yoland Wadsworth
 Build a house of micro interactions to make the bigger
patterns
 More integrated model of practice, development and
research
 How we can use evaluation, research, action research to
improve our living systems?
 Build in to the everyday research and evaluation
Will that do for our purposes? Will that be accepted?
What form of development is now needed to take this
forward?