Engaging in Educational Research-Practice Partnerships: Guided Strategies and Applied Case Studies for Scholars in the Field

191 Pages·2022·2.569 MB·English

by  Sharon Friesen, Barbara Brown

Engaging in Educational
Research-Practice Partnerships
Engaging in Educational Research-Practice Partnerships guides academic
researchers into forming mutually respectful, collaborative, and scalable
partnerships with school practitioners. Despite robust theoretical and
conceptual planning, research on learning is often removed from real
settings and generates findings with limited practical relevance, yield-
ing frustration for K-12 stakeholders. This book provides invaluable
resources to researchers seeking to work with practitioners as they solve
problems and improve outcomes while answering fundamental questions
about who gets to generate knowledge, from where, to whom, and in
what contexts. A range of illustrative case studies and strategies explores
how to apply appropriate theories and methodologies, negotiate agendas
that ensure mutually beneficial goals, determine the role of pracadem-
ics, establish institutional supports, policies, and procedures that amplify
impact and sustainability, and much more.
Sharon Friesen is a professor in the Werklund School of Education at the
University of Calgary, Canada, and President of the Galileo Educational
Network.
Barbara Brown is Associate Professor and Associate Dean, Teaching
and Learning, in the Werklund School of Education at the University of
Calgary, Canada.

Engaging in Educational
Research-Practice Partnerships
Guided Strategies and
Applied Case Studies for Scholars
in the Field
Sharon Friesen and Barbara Brown
Designed cover image: © Getty Images
First published 2023
by Routledge
605 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10158
and by Routledge
4 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon, OX14 4RN
Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business
© 2023 Sharon Friesen and Barbara Brown
The right of Sharon Friesen and Barbara Brown to be identified as
authors of this work has been asserted in accordance with sections 77
and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced
or utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other
means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and
recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without
permission in writing from the publishers.
Trademark notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks
or registered trademarks, and are used only for identification and
explanation without intent to infringe.
ISBN: 978-1-032-13220-4 (hbk)
ISBN: 978-1-032-13515-1 (pbk)
ISBN: 978-1-003-22963-6 (ebk)
DOI: 10.4324/9781003229636
Typeset in Adobe Calson Pro
by SPi Technologies India Pvt Ltd (Straive)
Contents
Preface xi
Acknowledgements xiv
1 Introduction 1
Why This Book? 1
Galileo Educational Network 3
Partner-Research Schools 4
Organization of the Book 6
2 What are Research-Practice Partnerships? 11
Introduction 11
Partnership: A Strategy for Making Research Matter 13
Types of Partnerships 15
How do Partnerships Start? 16
Teacher Professional Learning 17
Flipped Maths Classroom 18
Assessment 18
Projected Value of Educational Research Partnerships 20
Challenges 22
Indicators of Success 23
v
vi Contents
Lessons Learned 23
Possible Discussion Questions for New Research-Practice
Partnership Teams 23
3 Participatory Methodologies 25
Introduction 25
Participatory Paradigm 26
Matters of Ethics and Values 27
Design Research to Empower Learners and Promote Learning 28
Design-based Research 29
Conclusion 32
4 Long-term Partnerships 33
Introduction 33
Pre-Planning: A Commitment to Collaboration 34
Initial Meetings with Partners 35
Creating Formal Legal Agreements 37
Importance of Legal Agreements 38
Legal Agreements: Just Good Practice 38
Starting the Real Work: Enacting the Collaboration 38
Establishing Collaborative Co-Design Teams 39
Working with a Co-Design Team 41
Developing a Proof of Concept 43
Mobilizing the Proof of Concept 44
Expanding Co-Design Teams 45
Enacting and Testing the Intervention/Solution 46
Scaling to District Level 48
Building Relational Trust 50
Lessons Learned 52
5 A Partnership to Support Mathematics for Teaching 54
Introduction 54
Design-Based Professional Learning Within Design-Based
Research 57
Theoretical Framework 59
Professional Learning Design 60
Contents vii
Methodology and Methods 64
Teacher Feedback 65
Artefacts 65
Visualizations 66
Professional Learning Series Materials 66
Co-Design Team Meeting Notes and Researcher’s Field Notes 66
Ethical and Methodological Challenges in Partner-Research
Projects 67
Recommendations 68
Educational Importance of this Case 69
Lessons Learned 69
Conclusion 70
6 A Partnership to Support New Teachers to Become
Learning Designers 71
Introduction 71
Methodology and Methods 73
Cycle 1 79
Cycles 2-4 79
Cycle 5 79
Challenges 81
Limited Classroom Observations 81
Limited Number of Cycles and Topics in DBPL Series 82
Limited Scope of the Research to the DBPL Series and
No School-based Support 83
Lessons Learned 83
Partner Relationships are Important and Take Time to Develop 83
Ensure Continual Communications with all Team Members
Throughout the Project 84
Plan for Sharing Workload and Providing Sufficient Time
for Team Members to Provide Feedback and Complete Reports 84
Plan for Changes in Levels of Commitment to the Project 85
Take Time to Reflect on the Research Project and
Celebrate Progress 86
Conclusion 86
viii Contents
7 A Partnership Focused on Improving Teachers’
Assessment Literacy 87
Introduction 87
Methodology and Methods 88
Design Phase 90
Enactment Phase 90
Refinement Phase 90
Ways Participants Responded to the Phases of DBPL 94
Practice/Theory Impact 95
Challenges 95
Lessons Learned 99
Conclusion 100
8 Research Supports for Collaborative Projects 101
Introduction 101
University Institutional Commitments, Supports,
and Resources 102
Meeting Potential Partners 102
Administrative/Organizational Supports
and Resources 103
Research Ethics 104
Title 105
Researchers 105
Conflict of Interest 105
Study Objectives and Design 106
Risks 107
Benefits 107
Participant Justification 108
Participant Identification 108
Data Withdrawal 108
Provisions for Data Security 109
Recruitment Notice, Consent Form, Instruments 109
School District Requirement to Conduct Research 109
Research Funding 109
Contents ix
Legal Support and Agreements 110
Services 111
Payment 111
Ownership of Work Products and Materials 112
Intellectual Property 112
Confidentiality/Non-disclosure 113
Publications 113
Data Sharing 114
Liability 114
Knowledge Mobilization 114
Tenure, Promotion, and Performance 115
Partner Institutional Commitments, Supports,
and Resources 115
Conclusion 116
Note 117
9 Developing Partner Projects 118
Introduction 118
Lesson 1 – Coming Together for Partner Research 119
Vignette – Outline Roles and Responsibilities in an Ethics
Application 121
Lesson 2 – Develop Partner Relationships 122
Vignette – School Partner Submits Proposal for Professional
Conference 125
Lesson 3 – Converge Towards a Common Shared Purpose 126
Vignette – Scope Creep 127
Lesson 4 – Engage in Knowledge Mobilization 128
Vignette – University Research and School Partners
Attend a Network Event Together 129
Lesson 5 – Build Capacity 130
Vignette – Recruitment Conversation 131
Lesson 6 – Adapt to Unforeseen Circumstances 132
Vignette – Job Change with Team 132
Lessons Learned 133
Conclusion 134