An Evaluation of a Self-directed Parent Training Programme.

The aim of this thesis was to investigate the effects of a self-directed parent training programme for preschoolers externalising behaviour problems on child and parenting behaviours. The programme used was the Triple P self-help book and DVD. A non-concurrent multiple baseline design across five participants was used to examine changes in preschoolers externalising and prosocial behaviours over time and parents use of behaviour management strategies was also monitored at baseline and throughout using the self-help programme. A pre-post design was used to further test changes in preschoolers externalising behaviours and parents use of ineffective discipline, and to examine changes in parenting knowledge, competence, and depression, anxiety and stress symptoms. Significant and large effect sizes were found for increased prosocial behaviour, decreased externalising behaviour as shown by the multiple baseline data and parents' decreased ineffective discipline and increased parental competence as shown by the test battery. The pre- and post-measures showed non-significant improvements for parenting knowledge and depression, anxiety and stress symptoms. These findings are comparable to previous research. Parents were satisfied with the intervention, although some participants did not trial all of the strategies taught. This study supports the effectiveness of the self-directed Triple P intervention, without therapist assistance, and suggests that the preschool period may be a particularly important point in preventing the otherwise adverse developmental pathway of externalising behaviour problems. These results require further replication due to the small sample size in the study and the lack of a control group for the pre- post-comparisons. Future parent training research should examine changes in children's prosocial behaviours and parenting knowledge and monitor parents' use of and satisfaction with behaviour management strategies. This would be beneficial in clarifying the nature of these changes and relationship among these variables and to improve parent training programmes to maximise treatment gains

Enhancing professionalism in education through inquiry learning: a living theory research approach

Here we present a rationale for enhancing professionalism through Living Theory research drawing on the accounts of practicing teachers to provide examples of evidence-based explanations of educational influences in learning. This rationale has emerged in the course of researching and answering questions of the kind ‘How do I improve what I am doing in my professional practice?’ and generating living-educational-theories (Whitehead, 1989) as valid explanations of our educational influences in our own learning, in the learning of others and in the learning of others with values that carry hope for the flourishing of humanity. We show how teachers are able to realize in practice two responsibilities they have as professional educational practitioners. The first is to continually inquire into their practice to understand, explain and improve it. The second is to create and make public valid accounts of their educational influences in learning as contributions to the development of an educational knowledge-base

Generating living-educational-theories from changing practices for changing times: past, present and future possibilities of self-study research

The study is positioned in terms of research into the self-study of teacher education practices (S-STEP) carried out since the founding of S-STEP in 1993. The changing practices are focused on enquiries of the kind, ‘How do I improve what I am doing?’ in the changing contexts in which the enquiries are located. The main theoretical assumption is that self-study researchers can contribute to the creation of a new educational humanism (Hamilton & Zufiauure 2014) through the generation of their own unique living-educational-theories (also known as living-theories). Not all self-studies produce living-theories, as a self-study researcher can focus on an extensive range of issues related to self. However, all living-theories are self-studies in that a researcher’s living-theories are the values-based, validated explanations they give for their educational influences in their own learning, in the learning of others and in the learning of the social formations within which their practice is located (Whitehead, 1989). These explanations include the researcher’s communication of their life-affirming and life-enhancing ontological values (the values that give their lives meaning and purpose) that are clarified and evolve as they emerge through their research. We are claiming that these values distinguish a post-Enlightenment, humanist social agenda that rejects stereotypes of normality (and abnormality) and struggles to replace them with normative ideas about the inclusion of difference (Hamilton & Zufiaurre, 2014, p. 150). We are making the assumption that values such as those expressed by Nelson Mandela which include freedom, justice and democracy in his Ubuntu (Whitehead, 2011) way of being, are ones that can be included within the new educational humanism. The theoretical framework includes the following distinction between education and educational researchers. Education researchers contribute to education knowledge within the forms and fields of knowledge of the philosophy, psychology, sociology, history, economics, politics, theology, leadership and administration of education. Educational researchers contribute to educational knowledge through theories such as their living-educational-theories generated as life-enhancing, values-based explanations of educational influence. Living-educational-theories of present learning include evaluations of past learning and an intention to improve practice in the future in ways that are not yet realized in practice. Improvement in practice is understood as practice that contributes to a world in which humanity can flourish and is expressed in the values-based living standards of judgment of the living-theorist. In making this distinction we are claiming, in our theoretical framework, that S-STEP researchers can contribute to the new educational humanism (Hamilton & Zufiaurre, 2014, p. 150). They can make this contribution, as shown below, by making public their living-educational-theories in which they are holding themselves accountable for living their values that carry hope for the future of humanity, as fully as possible

Creating a profession of educators with the living-theories of master and doctor educators

In our last paper in GEI we presented an argument for teachers to engage in Living Educational Theory research as Continuing Professional Development. In this paper we extend our analysis to show how this can empower educators to improve their practice and, by offering as a gift the knowledge they generate in the process, contribute to the creation of a profession of educators. The extension is grounded in the idea of enhancing professionalism in education through recognising and accrediting accounts of living-educational-theories as knowledge generated by professional practitioners as master and doctor educators. We distinguish Living Educational Theory research from a living-educational-theory. Living Educational Theory research refers to the conceptual principles that distinguish the research approach. A living-educational-theory is a values-based explanation offered by an individual of their educational influence in their own learning, the learning of others and the learning of social formations. It is argued that for this knowledge to be legitimated by universities, in the form of accredited awards, an extension and transformation will be required in the dominating forms of knowledge. It is also argued that educators teaching in continuing professional development programmes need to develop their talents, knowledge and expertise by researching their own practice in the same way as the teachers they are supporting. In doing so they exemplify an educational pedagogy appropriate to providing gifted education internationally for students of any age

How does Living Educational Theory research enable individuals to research into their higher education to improve it and contribute to educational knowledge?

Living Educational Theory researchers ask, research and answer questions of the form, ‘how do I improve what I am doing’, by generating valid, values-based explanations of their educational influence in their own learning, the learning of others and the learning of the social formations in which their practice is located. The ontological and relational values that form the researcher’s explanatory principles and living standards are clarified as they emerge. The self that is researched is not an egotistical ‘I’ but a relational one, similar to an African notion of Ubuntu as expressed by the phrases, ‘i am because we are’ and ‘we are because i am’ and the relational quality of self is represented by ~ in i~we. Our innovative relationally-dynamic, multimedia research methods include a process of empathetic resonance, with digital videos of professional practice, to clarify the meanings of the embodied expressions of life-enhancing, energy-flowing values that form explanatory principles in explanations of educational influence. Accounts by researchers researching into their Higher Education will show the use made of this method and how the legitimation of their living-theory doctoral theses, with their unit of appraisal, standards of judgment and living logics contribute to a new educational epistemology

Can educational psychology develop to meet the challenges, choices and changes of a 21st century world?

Since the 1970s there have been many changes in England to qualifications required to practice as an educational psychologist and the nature of the organisations for which they work. These reflect the slow transformation in societal attitudes to the purposes of public services, education and the role and responsibilities of associated professionals. As a consequence, educational psychology as a distinct field of knowledge and practice is gradually being replaced by the general practice of psychology in Education. I believe that recognising, valuing and working to improve educational psychology as a distinct field of knowledge and practice can make a valuable contribution to the educational development of children and young people as they begin their life-long learning to live satisfying, productive and worthwhile lives for themselves and others as global citizens. Since leaving the profession of educational psychology I have continued to develop theory and practice as a professional educational practitioner supporting the professional development of other educational practitioners working in diverse fields of practice and cultural contexts. I see them faced with the same challenges as educational psychologists to realise their responsibilities as professional educational practitioners working within the constraints imposed by their employers and national government. Education is a values-laden concept and the challenge to us all is not to lose sight of that. I see how members of other professions are creating possibilities of holding fast to values that distinguish educational practice, which I believe educational psychologists might find of use. In this paper I offer an argument for distinguishing between ‘educational psychology as a distinct field of knowledge and practice’ and ‘the practice of psychology in Education’, why it is important and possible ways forward

Participation and democratization of knowledge: living theory research for reconciliation

This presentation is intended to develop ideas from the 8th May 2015 ARNA Town Hall meeting in Toronto to the June 2017 ARNA conference in Cartagena, Colombia. It is focused on emerging understandings of knowledge democracy with convergences among those creating knowledge. We will show how Living Theorists draw on diverse approaches including living-cultures-of-inquiry, participatory frameworks, narrative inquiry, self-study and various forms of action research. Data from epistemologies of the South, East-Asian epistemologies and Western epistemologies, are analysed and used to show the mutual exclusion of different forms of rationality. In contrast to the exclusion expressed as ‘epistemicide’ by de Sousa Santos (2014) the living-logics of Living Theory research are used to show how different knowledges can be reconciled to contribute to the evolution of knowledge for the flourishing of humanity without denying the rationality of a different perspective. Multi-media narratives with digital visual data from a range of professional and community practices are used to clarify and communicate the meanings of embodied expressions of ontological and relational lifeaffirming values. These values are being used as explanatory principles in the explanations of individuals of their educational influences in their own learning, in the learning of others and in the learning of the social formations that influence practice and understandings

Enhancing Research Literacy for Educators: A Living Educational Theory Research Approach

We extend the notion of teacher’s research literacy to include skills and knowledge, which enable teachers to fulfil their professional responsibility to research their educational practice to understand, improve and explain it and to contribute to their professional knowledge-bases. Education is a values laden activity. As professional educators, teachers have a responsibility to enable their pupils/students to progress through a given curriculum and to generate and progress through the learner’s evolving educational curriculum. A given curriculum is a programme of study developed by the Education organisation the teacher is working in. A person’s ‘evolving educational curriculum’ is comprised by the lifelong programme of study they develop to improve their ability to live a satisfying, productive and worthwhile life for themselves and others. We illustrate how, as they engage in Living Educational Theory Research, teachers develop their research literacy as they realise their educational responsibilities as professional educators

Developing a living educational theory research approach to community-based educational research

What educational practitioners have in common is the intention of contributing to the learning of communities and those who comprise them, to live values of human flourishing, and to help other people and communities to do so too. Professional educational-practitioner researchers can contribute to communities creating positive futures locally and globally by making public valid values-laden explanations of educational influence in learning. Whitehead (1989) coined the term living-educational-theory for such explanations. The implications of educational practitioners accepting professional responsibility for realising their humane values as fully as possible in practice, and contributing to the growth of a global educational knowledgebase by developing a Living Educational Theory Research approach to community based educational research, are explored in this article. These include individuals and communities identifying where they experience their educational-practitioner self as a living contradiction and their values negated, and creating constructive ways forward—testing the validity of claims of improving educational practice that enhances educational, values-laden influences in learning—and strengthening accounts of learning to make positive social change in this complex and interconnected world through a process of social validation. Illustrative examples are given and limitations, challenges, and next steps identified

Living Educational Theory Research as an epistemology for practice: the role of values in practitioners’ professional development

This book explores a value-based research methodology, Living Educational Theory Research (LETR), which aligns a values-based approach with key tenets of professional development to inform and inspire future educators’ practice. Written by world-leading scholars in the field of LETR, the chapters are global in reach and promote the evolving and dynamic nature of the methodology and its application with real-world professional training within higher education. Through discussion and dialogue on the evolution of Living Educational Theory Research, the chapters explore topics such as professional development and community-based contexts, supporting academics wishing to improve their practice by placing the theory within a scholarly paradigm to legitimise its use for scholarly learning. Demonstrating how insights from disciplines such as philosophy, sociology and psychology are integrated within the generation of living-educational-theories, this outwardly looking volume will appeal to postgraduate students, scholars and researchers involved with educational theory, action research and other forms of practitioner research, and education research methods more broadly