Correia, Catarina

McGregor, Debra

Simon, Shirley

Woodhouse, Fiona

University of Huddersfield Repository

University of Huddersfield RepositorySimon, Shirley, Correia, Catarina, McGregor, Debra and Woodhouse, FionaA spotlight on action research the Research Specialist GroupOriginal CitationSimon, Shirley, Correia, Catarina, McGregor, Debra and Woodhouse, Fiona (2016) A spotlight on action research the Research Specialist Group. Education in Science, 263. p. 19. ISSN 0013­1377 This version is available at http://eprints.hud.ac.uk/id/eprint/33768/The University Repository is a digital collection of the research output of theUniversity, available on Open Access. Copyright and Moral Rights for the itemson this site are retained by the individual author and/or other copyright owners.Users may access full items free of charge; copies of full text items generallycan be reproduced, displayed or performed and given to third parties in anyformat or medium for personal research or study, educational or not­for­profitpurposes without prior permission or charge, provided:• The authors, title and full bibliographic details is credited in any copy;• A hyperlink and/or URL is included for the original metadata page; and• The content is not changed in any way.For more information, including our policy and submission procedure, pleasecontact the Repository Team at: E.mailbox@hud.ac.uk.http://eprints.hud.ac.uk/2016ConferenceASE Annual6th–9th JanuaryUniversity of BirminghamAction Research (AR) was under thespotlight at this year’s Conference with a series of science teacher practitionerresearch workshops and posterpresentations, organised by members ofthe ASE Research Specialist Group.The first workshop, led by Deb McGregorof Oxford Brookes University, was anintroduction to AR, and was designed topromote discussion in small groups toconsider the nature of AR and the ways itcould be designed and implemented inreal classrooms. Participants engaged in alively discussion characterising AR, thinkingabout the different methodologicalapproaches that are at its core andreflecting on the different stages of a research design.The second session, led by FionaWoodhouse (Huddersfield University) andIndira Banner (University of Leeds),generated discussion around the variedways practitioners can collect data inschools. It began with an engaging activityconsidering data collection and fromwhom data can be collected (e.g.teachers, pupils, heads, governors, parents,etc.). Creative ways of garnering dataincluded researcher-led narrative andpupil-pupil interviews, creative (pictorial)versions of questionnaires, students’drawings, photos of learning-in-action andreflective diaries. Specific examples ofthese were presented and shared,highlighting the advantages of using theseless traditional strategies to provide richerdata-sets of evidence to draw from.Presenting creative ways of collecting data.The third workshop, led by Shirley Simon,Sheila Curtis and Jo Nicholl (Institute ofEducation UCL), presented two AR casestudies from Havering College. Theoutcomes from teacher AR presentedshowed how teachers focused on issues ofimportance in their practice, choseappropriate methodologies and achievedpersonal learning as a result of reflectionon practice. One of the AR projectsfeatured was Student perceptions in BTECScience in relation to progression on tohigher education. This research arose from the premise that BTEC courses are for those students not eligible for a full A-level programme. Findings from theresearch highlighted how investigatingstudents’ perceptions about theirexpectations of sixth form experiences andcareer aspirations should be more carefullyconsidered and reflected upon whenadvising and guiding students in their A-level or BTEC course choices. The processof the AR was as important as the findingsand participating in the project impactedsignificantly on the professionaldevelopment of the teachers involved.Participants engaged in livelydiscussion during one of the workshops.The poster presentations comprised ageneral overview given by each of theposter authors, followed by informaldiscussion with listeners in the audience.The research posters (20 in total)illustrated a wide range of different topicsand methodological approaches. Therewere examples of projects that gatheredqualitative and quantitative data, as wellas some that involved mixed methods.The projects spanned primary andsecondary science classrooms, as well asoutdoor learning environments. Someprojects focused on pedagogicalapproaches to develop inquiry skills (e.g. teacher posters from EU FP7 SAILSproject). There were projects that focused on pupils’ attitudes to STEM and STEM careers, and others thatexplored the nature of creativity inteaching and learning. The posters represented a valuableengagement with research at variouslevels, from teacher inquiry to highereducation studies. All showed howteachers as researchers had beenreflective and analytical about practice.The posters incorporated theory in variableways; this is of interest, as teacher inquirywork can be enhanced if practice andreflection draws on theoretical concepts,for example of assessment, or of learningtheory. Theory can provide explanatorypower to teachers engaging in research,be it for doctoral/masters study, or teacheraction research.Overall, the workshops and postersession created a friendly and supportiveenvironment for teacher-researchers toengage with AR and educational researchin general. Regardless of the progressalong the teacher-researcher learningjourney, the workshops and posterpresentations provoked further thinkingabout the different ways that AR can beused to support practitioner developmentand inform practice. The interactivesessions provided an opportunity to thinkabout engaging with AR, planning an ARproject, discussing issues and concerns andbeing inspired by different approachesresulting in intriguing findings!The Research Specialist Group is alreadypreparing for the 2017 ASE AnnualConference in Reading. We plan to expandthis series of workshops and have adedicated space for posters to be ondisplay throughout the Conference.If you have an interest in research andwould like to share with otherpractitioners, we would love to hear from you. Please e-mailcatarina.correia@kcl.ac.uk ordmcgregor@brookes.ac.ukArticles about AR have been published in EiS (May 2015 and November 2015)with a third due to appear in the May 2016 issue.A spotlight on action research – the Research Specialist Group19EiS   February 2016Deb McGregor is Chair and CatarinaCorreia and Fiona Woodhouse aremembers of the ASE Research inScience Education Specialist Group.Shirley Simon is Professor in Educationat UCL Institute of Education.EiS FEBRUARY 2016_EiS September 2005 Issue  27/01/2016  18:05  Page 19

A spotlight on action research the Research Specialist Group

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