Constructing ethnographic relationships: Reflections on key issues and struggles in the field.

An ethnographer shares his insights from the field about constructing relationships in research. Focusing on a case study in a New Zealand area school, he reflects on his experiences in the field and the key issues he struggled with related to building relationships. He explores these issues from three theoretical perspectives: building ethical relationships, building trustworthy and authentic relationships, and building relationships as methodology. After identifying these key issues, he discusses some of the choices made in the field, including becoming deeply involved in the school, balancing remaining true to the data and at the same time respecting the dignity of participants, and creating friendships

The Civic School : Australian-Indonesian professional collaboration to model and audit the development of democratic primary classrooms and teacher language using the index for inclusion

The study is a pilot project in Australian-Indonesian institutional collaboration for the professional development of primary school teachers in West Sumatra in citizenship education. Senior staff in the department of Pancasila and Citizenship Education at the State University of Padang (UNP), West Sumatra initiated the project. UNP staff sought the collaboration of the Faculty of Education at the University of Tasmania for bringing about and sustaining changes in teacher practice needed to implement the new civic goals in the 1999 Suplemen. The Index for Inclusion was used to model and audit the development of democratic primary classrooms and language use in a cluster of Padang schools in West Sumatra. The paper describes the background to the project and how the Index for Inclusion was understood during the initial two-week implementation phase by teachers and school principals. The significance of the study lies in the potential of the Index for Inclusion internationally to citizenship education, a field of education that was not considered in the initial development of the Index project and the contribution of the multiple fields of inquiry to the evolving theoretical understandings of inclusive education.<br /

Teachers\u27 Perceived Influences on Technology Integration Decisions: A Grounded Theory on Instructional Decisions after Professional Development

This qualitative grounded theory study explored teachers\u27 instructional decisions around planning and practice for technology integration after participation in professional development. The purpose of this study was to determine how a long-term hybrid professional development experience influenced, if at all, math teachers\u27 instructional decisions to integrate The Geometer\u27s Sketchpad into their planning and classroom practice. There are several components for effective professional development suggested in the research literature. Professional development that is sustained over long periods of time, connected to teachers\u27 practice, and provides active engagement in learning by participating teachers\u27 is more likely to result in effective implementation of new skills and pedagogical practices (Darling-Hammond & McLaughlin, 1995; Polly & Hannafin, 2010). The seven participants in this study all experienced a seven-month hybrid professional development that was designed using these research-recommended components. The study took place ten months after the professional development. Sources of data included classroom observations, one-on-one interviews, and written lesson plans. Data generation occurred over a three-month span of time. Data were analyzed using constant-comparative methods. A theory grounded in the data found four perceived influences on teachers\u27 instructional decisions around planning and practice for technology integration: curriculum and district expectations; professional development; teaching practices; and internal and external factors. These four influences work together, with curriculum and district expectations being the central influence. The findings from this study have implications for educational leaders around their decisions for technology acquisitions, use expectations and design of technology-focused professional development

Creating art from research:a theatre play based on research interviews with senior therapists

The growing scope and influence of qualitative research methodologies has generated an interest in the use of art-informed approaches to disseminating research findings. In the present article, our aim is to present a methodological case study of the development of a theatre play based on a qualitative study of senior therapists' life and work. Lessons learned from this project are presented in relation to ethical issues, the process through which qualitative data are transformed into a theatre performance, and the distinctive perspective afforded by a dramaturgical approach. Implications for research practice are discussed

Honoring, Training, and Building a Statewide Network of Elder Activists: The California Senior Leaders Program (2002-2012)

This case study explores the first decade (2002-2012) of the California Senior Leaders Program (CSLP), including participants' creation of a formal advocacy group, the California Senior Leaders Alliance. Grounded in concerns with ageism and invisibility, the CSLP provides recognition and support for diverse California elders engaged in community building and social justice work. This study employs qualitative analysis of data from participant interviews, event evaluations, program documents, video footage, and participant observation. Findings show emotional, learning, and networking benefits for participants, intergenerational influences, collective capacity and coalition building, and contributions to policy. Program challenges are described, and future directions discussed. © 2013 Copyright Taylor and Francis Group, LLC

Constraints, Compromises and Choice: Comparing Three Qualitative Research Studies

Although a number of texts explore social research strategies and methods, most are limited to a basic discussion of such methods and their associated advantages and disadvantages. Few if any, evaluate and compare methods in the context of actual research experiences. This paper endeavours to bridge that gap by reporting the experiences of three researchers working on three separate qualitative studies. All three studies were concerned with investigating the social milieu within organizations. While the research questions were different in each case, all the researchers shared a common goal - to develop explanations for complex social phenomena manifest both internally and externally to each organization. The research strategies, methods and data analyses employed are assessed through the personal evaluations of the researchers. Thus, a singular opportunity is offered for other researchers to benefit from the practical insights and lessons learned. The collective experiences of all three researchers suggest that the contextual conditions and constraints of each study force certain compromises, but which importantly, do not compromise qualitative research studies

Incorporating funds of knowledge in school gardens

Master's Project (M.Ed.) University of Alaska Fairbanks, 2017Incorporating "funds of knowledge" with schoolyard gardening enriches a child's experience by interacting with their families, local community organizations, school faculty, and other children. A garden community is a social setting and the relationships established by working together cultivate a long-lasting commitment to education. Children are excited to learn, willing to participate, and take ownership of acquiring life skills that are fundamental to pass on from generation to generation. Incorporating "funds of knowledge" provides a venue for those inherited skill sets to be incorporated into the mainstream curriculum of the classroom. The small, yet emblematic, group of children that participated in this project at Leupp Public School were able to gain an appreciation for planting and growing a garden by being Youth Participant Action Researchers. Conducting home visits to some of the family homes also brought an invitation for increased participation in the school garden. The children incorporated their culture of gardening by learning from elders, community gardeners and their families

Elementary Preservice Teachers as Warm Demanders in an African American School

The literature related to warm demanding describes teachers who balance care and authority to create a learning environment that supports a culture of achievement for African American students. Embedded in this stance is sociopolitical consciousness that explicitly links teachers’ care and authority with a larger social justice agenda. Drawing on interviews and online course assignments, we describe two preservice teachers’ conceptions and enactments of warm demanding in full-time elementary school internships in an African American elementary school. Findings reveal that although the preservice teachers communicated similar commitments to warm demanding, they enacted the stance differently, suggesting that while warm demanders share similar commitments, their practice may vary. The two cases highlight the promise of teacher education courses and field experiences to be structured in ways that promote the development of teacher aptitudes for strengthening equity and excellence in the education of an historically marginalized population of students

Tour guiding, organisational culture and learning: lessons from an entrepreneurial company

This paper examines the impacts of organisational culture on the learning and development of tour guides. Drawing on a case study of a small entrepreneurial tour company, the paper considers the nature of the organisation's culture, the tours it provides, including their narrative contents and the processes of organisational learning and socialisation. The paper suggests that the development of a learning culture within such an organisation may benefit from the provision of appropriate learning opportunities among the guides and facilitators who coordinate guide development