What kind of research culture do we want? And how do we get it?
Building a Research Culture in a Teacher Education Environment: What kind of research culture do we want? And how do we get it?
Joan Cutting
Richard Easton
Tony Gemmell
Morwenna Griffiths
Neil Houston
Bob Kibble
Heather Malcolm
Jannet Robinson
Hamish Ross
A paper presented under Network 10, Teacher Education Research.
European Conference on Educational Research,
Ghent, September 2007
In the first instance contact:
Heather Malcolm
School of Education
University of Edinburgh
EH8 8AQ
Introduction: Morwenna Griffiths
I was appointed to my post at the School of Education at Edinburgh University in September 2006 to encourage a research culture in the Department of Curriculum Research and Development which is the Department most responsible for initial teacher education secondary school teachers. I think one of the reasons for my appointment was that I have done a lot of action research. I have also done a lot of self-study as part of the Self-Study of Teacher Education Practices group which meets at Herstmonceux every two years. Both these forms of research seem to be quite rare in Scottish universities. Most university researchers are more likely to do more orthodox qualitative or quantitative research – most often highly theoretical or large-scale research – or, alternatively, evaluations for the government. In recent years school teachers have been encouraged to do small-scale classroom-based research, including action research. But for some reason this has not spread to universities very much. At least that is my impression as a newcomer to Scotland. However, at least some of the appointment board agreed with me that action research (or self-study) would be a kind of research more suited to lecturers heavily involved in initial teacher education.
I was happy to encourage research culture because I am convinced that it can only enhance teacher education (if for no other reason). However I would have been very unhappy to impose a research culture, especially if the reason for doing so was basically instrumental: piling up publications for the UK research assessment exercise (R.A.E.) to count. Counting papers is what the UK research assessment exercise does – and University funding depends on it. No wonder then that research can become mere performativity for the sake of funding. Perhaps it is partly my commitment to social justice which made me want to consult colleagues about the kind of research culture they would want. Heather Malcolm, whose appointment like mine is to encourage a research culture in the Department, was equally concerned to build a Departmental research ethos responsive to individuals’ needs and wants.
Happily, when, in April 2007, we asked colleagues if they would like to participate in a collaborative piece of action research focused on the research question ‘What kind of research culture do we want?’, there was an enthusiastic response. We had carefully selected our dream team, using criteria based on having a range of subject specialisms, stage of career, knowledge of research and geographical location on campus. (The Department is scattered over the campus in four different buildings.) All of them agreed to take part – to our surprise. Again to our surprise – and delighted amazement – they were and continue to be enthusiastic about the project.
In this presentation we would like to share with you what we have done so far, what we have learned, the evidence we have used, the methods of reflection we have tried, and we would like to ask for your comments about what we have done and what we think about where we might go next.
Personal comment – Joan Cutting
I’ve been researching since about 1982, and publishing in Britain since 1993. My research went floppy while I transitioned from my last job to this but I’ve been back on track ever since my new boss encouraged me to do what gives me a buzz! I make time to research by blanking out an untouchable day a week. Then when I’ve got a deadline, I go full steam ahead through weekends. (Oh dear, what a string of mixed metaphors! Whoops there goes another.) When I research, I like a quantitative/qualitative mix - I analyse linguistic data, count things up and then discuss the whys and wherefores.
I’ve always worked on my own though, and am now looking for groupwork and partnerships, so when Mo and Heather suggested I joined their group, I thought I’d give it a go. Apparently my scepticism at the first meeting I came to showed. I didn’t know if I was researched or researching. I’d never done 100% qualitative research, let alone an unstructured, unguided exploration of everyone’s feelings and goals. I’m a busy person (‘hectic’, I think Mo calls me): my life is not about musing and communing with no obvious direction.
Somehow the second meeting was different. People seemed to be particularly inspired by the group support and were thinking of research projects. There was almost an air of achievement. It was interesting for me, because part of my remit in this job is to help the staff in our team to become research active. I’d tried discussing their ideas on a one-to-one basis and we’d run research seminars in which each one presented ideas, but we’d not mused and communed as a group about the process of getting research active. It’s a model we might follow: maybe Mo and Heather could come and lead the musings. And I have to admit that I took a paper to a conference last week that was 100% qualitative: just a description of student diaries. Now whose fault was that?
Personal comment – Richard Easton
The notion of developing a specific research culture was initially a difficult one for me to grasp. Coming to teacher education after a long period in the secondary school classroom meant that I had a period of adjusting to the idea that part of my job was and is to engage in research. To begin with, research for me meant something done by other people which I read to develop my own professional knowledge and understanding. And research was not something which could be done in the daily round of teaching and visiting students on placement. Then I realised that research was one facet of the changing role of staff in Moray House. The difficulty was and remains that of the interpretation of roles or seeking to resolve a clash of roles within one’s own work. However, undertaking further study which involved research methods courses and having to write up research carried out for my dissertation convinced me that research activity is useful to me, and also that the skills and techniques learnt are both directly and indirectly useful to the students I teach. I had benefited from an institutional culture which supported staff studying for higher degrees but the culture also seemed to foster a very individualistic approach to research activity. Fortunately I had the opportunity of working closely with a colleague on a piece of research and this experience reinforced my belief in the benefits of working collaboratively. Again, this piece of research examined a real situation which had a direct impact on teacher education and on teaching. So we were actively engaged in what I came to recognise as ‘ action research’. This particular experience represented something of a watershed and in many ways led me to undertake further research on a related topic. Once again I felt very privileged to work closely with a colleague who offered support on many levels and the learning on my part is also of benefit to my students.
When I was asked to join our departmental group working on developing a ‘research culture’ I really wondered if there was anything I could contribute to the discussion as my own experiences depended more on informal relationships rather than ones which had an institutional framework. Discussion in the group highlighted the shared areas of concern: the pressure on time caused by our own commitment to teaching and supporting students and our own fears of moving out of ‘the comfort zone’. These shared concerns pointed to a need to develop a culture which values research as something which benefits teacher education and which specifically and deliberately fosters collaboration and mutual support.
There is a prima facie case for supporting action research which will improve teacher education and the quality of teaching in school classrooms. There is also another facet to this, namely that of promoting social justice. The kind of research culture we want is one which equips staff with the necessary investigative skills to understand the public place of work and promotes a spirit of enquiry. Only by engaging in research ourselves can we encourage our students to question what they see and experience and hope that they will not fall into an acceptance of conformity. Perhaps one of the most important lessons to be learnt from engaging in action research and engaging with one’s colleagues is to recognise one’s own reflexivity and through that to develop an ability to accept and interpret changes in one’s self and in one’s learners.
The kind of research culture I would like to see is one which structured support for members of staff until such times as they can begin to work more independently. Is this not what we tell our students to do when they have their own learners in their own classrooms?
Personal comment – Tony Gemmell
The characteristics of the processes used by our working group which set out to explore the kind of research culture we want in the School of Education can best be described by grouping discussions into emerging themes. First, the recognition by members of the benefits of the collaborative nature of the process of sharing issues of common interest about the kind of research culture we want. Second, identifying and discussing issues of common interest about what kind research culture we want. And third, exploring strategies for accommodating research into our many roles and responsibilities. Despite deliberations of the group being in the early stages of discussion, significant progress has been made.
In relation to the collaborative process of discussion, tutors have expressed a positive appreciation of the way in which ideas have been exchanged. Meetings take on a type of Socratic Seminar approach (Walling, 2000:63). There is a strong sense of informality and openness in relation to agendas and directions. Minutes of meetings record words such as ‘rich time’, ‘enjoyable’, ‘friendly’, ‘relaxed’, ‘spontaneous’. Encouragement has been given to a wide variety of ways of collecting data about how we undertake and share the process of research including the use of photography and video, personal diaries of research, research autobiographies, reflective journals, open blog discussions, etc. It is clear that the openness of the ‘methods’ of sharing is helping to stimulate discussion.
Issues of common interest have emerged in discussion which may be familiar to other institutions involved in teacher education. One interesting example is of the need for tutors to ‘feel good about our research’. The road to developing the necessary research skills and confidence expected of the university teacher can be a difficult challenge for many teacher educators who entered university teaching from an expertise as a classroom teacher. Several tutors in the group discussed the very real tensions they experienced in finding quality time to fit research into their busy schedule.
Big issues of common interest raised further questions and possible solutions. For example. How does doing research help me to be a better tutor? What constitutes success in research or what conditions create the ‘feel good factor’? Where do we best do our research? Could we provide photographs of the places which allow us to undertake research best? What are the benefits and constraints created by the attendance of conferences and how can associated problems be overcomes? Which environments afford the best space for quality thinking? And how could those involved in the path to becoming research active be best supported? Solutions to some of the questions relating to time management included looking at the strengths of what we do everyday that could become a focus for research. For example, could our teaching, CPD activities or student placement visits become a focus for research? In this respect, one tutor (the writer) made a video of a placement visit to a student on distant location in the Shetland Isles. The video provided some interest because it demonstrated the possibility of video as an exciting tool for gathering data. The video also highlighted the close networking bonds many curriculum tutors have with schools. Other suggestions for supporting research included the possibility of weekly protected timetabled slots although it was recognised that other tutors may not find this way of working suitable. Another example of a discussion point centred on the function of the staff common room as a place of informal networking and stimulation - and as to why do we not have one?
Despite having had only a few meetings to discuss the type of research culture we want, we have already made significant progress. We take comfort that we are not alone in our quest to develop a research community. We feel a sense of equality with others in the group and recognise that our ideas and suggestions are critically and sensitively discussed. The method of collaboration has been therefore been relaxed, enjoyable and productive.
Personal comment – Morwenna Griffiths
A dialogue between myself (M.) and the Devil's Advocate (DA) that is also myself.
DA.So what have you learnt?
M.I'm not sure if that is the right question.
DA.Why ever not? Research is about learning isn't it?
M.Well yes. Of course it is. And I have learned some things. And some of them have been extremely interesting and also valuable. But it's also been about reminding myself.
DA.So it's been a kind of low-level replication, has it?
M.Again, that sounds like the wrong question. What we have been doing is better described, I think, as creating and re-creating practical wisdom through research. I know that sounds a bit pompous, but I can't help it. It is about working out what we should be doing for the best, using evidence, using reason, and doing all this publicly. When we wonder what we should do next (rather than what somebody else should do) it is always here and now, for us, the particular people we are living in the particular circumstances in which we are.
DA.I can see why you're arguing that that is research: all that stuff about evidence reason and public accountability. But there is more to be said about that kind of wisdom and whether it is really research. You are simply asserting it here.
M.Well, I hope I'm not. It's the kind of thing I have been arguing in my last two papers using Aristotle and Arendt. There’s the one I'm giving at EERA later this month, written with Gael Macleod, and there’s the one about to be published in David Aspin's collection on lifelong learning, written with Jean Barr. Look, we can't rehearse all that now.
DA.True. So, okay, I'll follow in your direction at least for a bit. You said that while you had learned some things, reminding yourself was also important. Reminding yourself of what?
M.It's all to do with the process. Because of my commitment to social justice, I very strongly believe in participation and collaboration. But as you know, I've written quite a lot about how hard it is not to try and control the direction. I mean it is fairly easy to be consultative but hard to be truly collaborative. Heather and I have a special responsibility for developing a research culture at the same time as having a personal/professional commitment not to impose something merely performative on our colleagues. So we worry…. I have always liked that poem by Roger McGough.
DA.What was it again?
M.I want to be the leader.
I want to be the leader.
Can I be the leader?
Can I? I can??
You really mean it?
Promise? Promise?
Yippee, I'm the leader. I'm the leader.
OK, what shall we do?
DA.And you're saying that's not just a copout?!
M.Absolutely not! It's really hard when a group goes off in a completely unexpected direction – when it's your responsibility in the long run what they do. But it's also wonderful. In fact it's been exhilarating. I have come out of meetings with the same kind of huge delight you get when teaching has gone really well. Or a party has gone really well. And what has happened is that we've now got ideas we'd never thought of, openings we'd never dreamed of and insights into what it's like being a teacher educator in this Department. And what is especially important given all that about social justice, practical wisdom and Arendt is that we are doing all this as particular individuals not as some idealised ‘teacher educator’: to use Arendt’s terminology, as who we are as well as what we are.
DA.And if it all ends up with answers or directions that dismay you – what then? What about responsibility and control then?
M.Hmm. Well, luckily, so far it hasn’t. So I’ll just side-step that right now!
Personal comment – Neil Houston
Throughout my period of time in a Teacher Education Institute I have always been concerned about how the term “research” has been defined and applied. For those, perhaps freed up from heavier teaching workloads, research is understood to be that which fits into a social research, scientific approach. The success and merit of the work is measured by its publishability and ultimately the contribution it will make in the R.A.E.