Page 2 ACTION RESEARCH IN PRACTICE This book presents a collection of stories from action ...

377 Pages·2002·2.21 MB·English

ACTION RESEARCH IN PRACTICE

This book presents a collection of stories from action research projects in
schools and a university. The collection is more than simply an illustration of
the scope of action research in education—it shows how projects that differ on
a variety of dimensions can raise similar themes, problems and issues. The
book begins with theme chapters discussing action research, social justice and
partnerships.
The case study chapters cover topics such as: how to make a school a healthier
place; collaboration between a university and a state education department; how
to involve parents in decision-making; students as action researchers; how to
promote gender equity in schools; improving assessment in social sciences;
staff development planning; doing a PhD through action research; writing up
action research projects.
Bill Atweh is at the Queensland University of Technology, Stephen Kemmis
is at the University of Ballarat, and Patricia Weeks is at Queensland University
of Technology.

ACTION RESEARCH
IN PRACTICE

Partnerships for Social Justice in
Education
Edited by Bill Atweh, Stephen
Kemmis and Patricia Weeks

London and New York
First published 1998
by Routledge
11 New Fetter Lane, London EC4P 4EE

This edition published in the Taylor & Francis e-Library, 2002.

Simultaneously published in the USA and Canada
by Routledge
29 West 35th Street, New York, NY 10001

© 1998 Bill Atweh, Stephen Kemmis and Patricia Weeks, selection
and editorial matter; individual chapters, the contributors
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.

British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library

Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data
Action research in practice: partnership for social justice/edited by
Bill Atweh, Stephen Kemmis and Patricia Weeks.
Includes bibliographical references.
1. Action research in education. I. Atweh, Bill. II. Kemmis, Stephen.
III. Weeks, Patricia.
LB1028.24.A285 1998
97–25558
371.2’07–dc21
CIP

ISBN 0-203-02447-8 Master e-book ISBN

ISBN 0-203-20000-4 (Adobe eReader Format)
ISBN 0-415-17151-2 (hbk)
ISBN 0-415-17152-0 (pbk)
(cid:10)
CONTENTS
List of contributors xi
Preface: The story of the book xix
BILL ATWEH, STEPHEN KEMMIS AND PATRICIA WEEKS
PART 1
The project 1
1 PARAPET: from meta-project to network 3
BILL ATWEH AND STEPHEN KEMMIS
Parapet’s achievements in its first year 7
Some issues faced by PARAPET 9
The future for PARAPET 15
PART 2
Common themes 19
2 Participatory action research and the study of practice 21
STEPHEN KEMMIS AND MERVYN WILKINSON
Participatory action research 21
The study of practice 24
Reflection on projects and on PAR 34
3 Research partnerships: principles and possibilities 37
SHIRLEY GRUNDY
Researching with the profession 39
Conclusion 45
v
CONTENTS
4 Some thoughts on contemporary theories of social justice 47
FAZAL RIZVI
PART 3
Partners in change—school-based projects and
collaborations 57
5 Parents as partners for educational change:
the Ashgrove Healthy School Environment Project 59
JULIE DAVIS AND SUE COOKE
Global issues, local perspectives 60
Health-promoting schools and PAR 61
The project 63
Reflection on the project 72
Conclusions 82
6 Bridges and broken fingernails 86
CHARMAINE MCKIBBIN, TOM J.COOPER,
JOYCE BLANCHE, PAMELA DOUGALL, JANET GRANZIEN
AND BARBARA GREER-RICHARDSON
Policy context/governmental initiatives 87
Levels of parent participation 89
The parents’ project 90
The Parents’ Survey 91
Parents’ activities 93
Reflection and learning 105
PAR issues 110
7 Students as action researchers: partnerships for
social justice 114
BILL ATWEH, CLARE CHRISTENSEN AND LOUISE DORNAN
Young people as researchers 115
Equity and access 117
Rationale of the current project 118
The project 119
Findings of the facilitating student action research project 124
Issues in facilitating student action research 132
vi
CONTENTS
PART 4
Partners supporting schools change 139
8 A journey into a learning partnership: a university and a
state system working together for curriculum change 141
IAN MACPHERSON, TANIA ASPLAND, BOB ELLIOTT, CHRISTINE
PROUDFORD, LEONIE SHAW AND GREG THURLOW
Context of the learning partnership 142
Giving birth to the learning partnership 145
Pausing to reflect on the learning partnership so far 147
Conceptualising an approach to collaborative research: critical
collaborative action research 150
Conceptualising curriculum leadership for effective learning
and teaching 153
Identifying what we have become more aware of 156
Concluding for now… 159
9 Change in schools: practice and vision 163
ROGER MARSHALL, ALISON COBB AND CHRIS LING
Initial data 164
First-phase hunch: the emanipatory myth/metaphor and
social justice through participatory action research 165
First-phase action: an action learning circle 167
Three case studies—participants’ stories 168
First-phase data: developing themes, issues and dilemmas 176
Second-phase hunch—community practice 177
Second-phase action: a community practice training course 179
Second-phase data: ways of thinking about our dilemmas 180
Second-phase action and data—part B: what was happening to
the projects 183
Current hunches: time to sum up, take stock and decide ‘where to
from here?’—again 185
10 Action research for professional development on
gender issues 189
ROSS BROOKER, GEORGIA SMEAL, LISA EHRICH,
LEONIE DAWS AND JILLIAN BRANNOCK
Action research and professional development 190
Action research in a gender equity project 193
vii
CONTENTS
First stage of project 194
Second stage of project 200
Third stage of project 202
Reflection on the effectiveness of the action research process 203
Case study—Kadina State High School 207
Conclusions 210
11 Collaborative action research: learnings from a social
sciences project in a secondary school 212
IAN MACPHERSON, CHARLES ARCODIA, SONYA GORMAN,
JILL SHEPHERD AND ROS TROST
The social sciences project 214
Reflection on the social sciences project 230
What we have learned about aspects of teaching for effective learning
in the social sciences 233
Conclusions 236
PART 5
Partnerships within the university 239
12 Action research as reflective collaboration 241
DENISE SCOTT AND PATRICIA WEEKS
The TRAC project 241
Discussion and reflection 245
Conclusions 248
13 Occasional visits to the kingdom: part-time university
teaching 250
JAMES J WATTERS, CLARE CHRISTENSEN, CHARLES ARCODIA,
YONI RYAN AND PATRICIA WEEKS
Non-dangerous liaisons 251
The study 255
Our action research model 258
The situation of part-timers 263
Action 270
Outcomes of the conference 270
Reflection by collaborating researchers 212
Conclusions: breaching the castle walls 277
viii
CONTENTS
14 A pathway for postgraduate teaching 280
TANIA ASPLAND, ROSS BROOKER
Cycle one 280
Cycle two 290
Conclusions 299
Appendix 300
15 Academic growth through action research: A doctoral
student’s narrative 302
MARY HANRAHAN
Contexts of the research 303
Finding the appropriate research methodology 306
Can a PhD study really be action research? 313
Critical action research on my own practice as a research student 316
Conclusions 320
POSTSCRIPT 327
16 Collaborative writing in participatory action research 329
CLARE CHRISTENSEN AND BILL ATWEH
Benefits from collaborative writing in PAR projects 330
Ways of writing collaboratively 331
Issues in collaborative writing 333
Learnings and issues in publishing action research stories 337
Conclusions 340
Name index 342
Subject index 347
ix