Pedagogical Action Research : Balancing teaching and research in universities

1. Pedagogical Action Research: Balancing teaching and research in universities Professor Lin Norton nortonl@hope.ac.uk June 2010 CUEA

2. Outline • Why pedagogical action research? • Pedagogical action research in the university context • The role of reflective practice • The scholarship of teaching and learning (SOTL) • A case study from the UK CUEA

3. Pedagogical action research: a definition • “the fundamental purpose of pedagogical action research is to systematically investigate one’s own teaching/learning facilitation practice with the dual aim of modifying practice and contributing to theoretical knowledge”. (Norton, 2009) • Using a reflective lens to look at some problem and then determining a methodical set of steps to research that problem and to take action CUEA

4. University context is crucial • Unless we take into account the influences that are operating on us within the university context it is unlikely that carrying out pedagogical action research will be as influential as it might be: ‘ University departments are hives of intrigue and conspiracy. Trying to reach an understanding of issues concerned with teaching and learning, therefore, implies getting to grips with a whole range of human issues such as the attitude of students, the politics within departments and the ethos and environment of the institution’ (Kember, 2000, p.25) CUEA

5. The university context According to Fanghanel’s (2007) framework, there are filters that are fluid and influence the choices academics make to privilege certain activities over others: • The micro level (internal predispositions, aspirations goals) • The meso level (the department, the discipline) • The macro level (institution, external factors, research –teaching nexus) CUEA

6. The micro level:Academic identities • Why did you come into Higher Education? • How would you describe your primary role- researcher or teacher? • Which do you enjoy the most? • Which do you spend the most time on? • What does your department/institution expect you to do? • Why when we have more work than time, do we apply to ‘buy ourselves out of teaching’? • Do academics ever ask to ‘buy themselves out of research’? CUEA

7. Meso level of practice: the department • Departments and how they are run have a huge influence and hold on academics • Tacit knowledge: “that’s the way we do things around here” – more powerful than any formal mechanisms such as CPD, induction etc, includes: • norms, discourse and value sets associated with assessment, teaching practices, researchculture as well as daily work practices. • Can cause stress for new academics who are trying to establish a role identity, professional knowledge and competence (Norton et al, in press) CUEA

8. Meso level of practice: the discipline Neumann, Parry & Becher’s (2002) adaptation of Biglan’s (1973) subject classification: Pure A B Hard Soft C D Applied CUEA

9. Description of quadrants • Hard pure knowledge: concerned with universals, simplification and a quantitative approach. • Soft pure knowledge: tends to be holistic concerned with particulars and is likely to favour a qualitative approach • Hard applied knowledge : derived from hard pure knowledge, concerned with applications (i.e. mastering the physical environment), aimed at products and techniques • Soft applied knowledge: derived from soft pure knowledge, concerned with enhancing professional practice,aimed at protocols and procedures. CUEA

10. Implications for how academics view teaching and research Neumann et al findings: • hard pure and hard applied - strongly committed to research and less committed to teaching, (generally seen as relatively straightforward and unproblematic), collaborative research and teaching • soft pure and soft applied - greater emphasis on scholarly knowledge that translates readily into teaching, more emphasis on individualistic enquiry and not so much acceptance of joint teaching CUEA

11. Macro level of practice: • External factors: • Globalisation • Managerialism • Internationalisation • Entrepreneurialism • Institutional policy particularly relating to teaching and research: • Selection and Promotions policies • Resourcing • Recognitions and value CUEA

12. Expectations of university lecturers Excellent in teaching and learning Research active Income generate Subject expert CPD Reflective practitioner Scholarship of learning and teaching CUEA

13. Action research: a practical solution “Action research is action-and-research (Dick 2000). Action research combines twin aims in a single process. Action researchers wish to improve some aspect of professional practice or social process, while generating new knowledge at the same time. Action research is not action for research (doing something to increase understanding), nor research for action (increasing knowledge to be applied later). These two purposes come together in a single project.” Hughes (2004) CUEA

14. The role of reflective practice in action research • Over-used term (Knight,2002) • Reflective practice should be seen as systematic, active and enabling us to give up what sometimes might be our most dearly cherished beliefs about teaching and learning: • ‘reflective thinking is always more or less troublesome…it involves willingness to endure a condition of mental unrest’ • (Dewey, 1910) CUEA

15. Reflection applied to education • Work of Donald SchÖn (1983) The reflective practitioner • SchÖn’s thinking developed from earlier work with Argyris on the distinction between ‘Espoused theories’ and ‘Theories in use’ • Argyris, C & SchÖn, D. (1974) Theory into practice. San Francisco: Jossey Bass CUEA

16. How does reflective practice link to pedagogical action research? • Action research enables us to reflect on our practice systematically (Parker, 1997) • Action research enables us to take control of our own CPD • Action research can help us transform our professional perspective • Action research is often collaborative and thus guards against being too inward –looking and serving to confirm our previously-held assumptions CUEA

17. The scholarship of teaching and learning (SOTL) • Contested in the literature and not yet readily accepted by the UK sector but its core elements are valuable in helping to raise the profile of teaching in universities Boyer argued that the scholarship of teaching should have its own status and recognition CUEA

18. SOTL- why is it important? • SOTL includes both ongoing learning about teaching AND the demonstration of teaching knowledge ( Kreber & Cranton, 2000) • SOTL helps to raise the status of teaching, enables teachers to teach more knowledgeably and provides a framework in which teaching quality can be assessed (Trigwell & Shale, 2004) • SOTL has the potential to bring about significant change to how the sector sees the goals and purposes of a higher education (Kreber, 2005) CUEA

19. Key elements of scholarship of teaching and learning (Chalkely 2003) • “Keeping abreast of developments in the theory, and practice of teaching, particularly in one’s own discipline or specialist field; • Reflecting carefully and critically on one’s own teaching and on its successes and failures in promoting high quality learning; • Engaging in pedagogic research so as to help provide a firm basis of evidence for the adoption or rejection of particular learning and teaching methods; • Contributing to the communication and dissemination of good practice in the learning and teaching of one’s discipline or specialist field: • Bringing to one’s work in teaching and curriculum development the same high standards of intellectual rigour and peer review which are commonplace in research.” CUEA

20. The scholarship of teaching: what’s the problem? Bass (1999) • Bass makes the telling point that one of the differences between scholarship (teaching) and discipline based research is the way we think about the problem: In research the problem is at the heart of the enquiry process and we’re proud of it In teaching, the problem is something we don’t usually want to have and we’re ashamed of it CUEA

21. Changing the status of the problem • In pedagogical action research, this is precisely what happens…. • The teaching problem: • Psychology students don’t use enough journals in their essays • The research problem translated into a research hypothesis: • A multi-layered intervention (librarians’ input, revised formative assessment, exemplars ) will increase the use of journals in an essay (Norton, Norton & Thomas, 2004) CUEA

22. 7 characteristics of action research (Kember, 2000) • A social practice (Not decontextualised from environment or separating researcher form the researched) • Aimed towards improvement (Essential) • Cyclical (not necessarily simple spirals of reflection, acting, planning observing but progressive refinements • Systematic enquiry (does not mean ’soft option’) • Reflective (outward not inward) • Participative (guards against making mistaken assumptions about one’s own practice) • Practitioner determined (driven from own need to know) CUEA

23. Criticisms of Action research • Not ‘proper’ research as seen in the positivist scientific tradition (issues round generalisability, validity) • Largely un-theorised descriptions of practice CUEA

24. Responding to the criticisms • Positivist research is a narrow view where experimental design and cause and effect seeking is privileged over any other form of enquiry • Kember (2000) suggests ‘sensible adaptation’ and fine tuning’ rather than generalisability and validity • Bartlett & Burton (2006) say that action research is inevitably unique as its carried out by professionals in the context of their own working practice. They suggest concept of ‘relatability’ CUEA

25. Responding to the criticisms (2) • Bartlett & Burton (2006) argue that the description of practice can often actually constitute the data • Cotton & Griffiths (2007) in framing descriptive accounts we have to draw on the theoretical in order to make our research accessible and meaningful to those wedisseminate it to. • In order to be action research rather than curriculum development or reflective practice- it must be subject to peer scrutiny and review. It’s critical questioning and appraisal that makes it research CUEA

26. The methodological-cum-organizational problem (Lindsay et al, 2002) • Managers rarely use pedagogical evidence so while academic staff can and do make changes within their own courses, the chances of influencing institutional policy in learning and teaching are modest, but practical principles can help: • Choose research studies that are directly relevant to your institution’s policies • Design studies where evidence is compelling as possible (often quantitative) • Present your findings to as many committees as possible CUEA

27. The action research process: an easy step by step approach ITDEM Identifying a problem/paradox/ issue/difficulty Thinking of ways to tackle the problem Doing it Evaluating it Modifying future teaching. Norton (2001) CUEA

28. An example of action research and its effects on practice in a PBL context(Norton 2004) Context: 3rd year Counselling Psychology module Psychology Applied Learning Scenarios (PALS): a text-based hypothetical vignette which can be used in a wide variety of learning and assessment situations to engage psychology students in holistic and relational learning and to prepare them for the world of work either as psychologists or as professional practitioners with psychological expertise Available at http://www.psychology.heacademy.ac.uk/docs/pdf/p20040422_pals.pdf CUEA

29. PALS as assessment technique: the difference between curriculum development and action research • Cycle 1: PALS used in examinations (Curriculum development) • Cycle 2: PALS used in course work essay worth 70% (Curriculum development) • Cycle 3: PALS used in course work essay and the essay feedback checklist (action research) • Cycle 4: PALS as the ‘heart’ of the course (action research) CUEA

30. Cycle 3 using ITDEM • Identifying the problem: Students asked to evaluate two theories of their choice to a PALS were relying on description rather than evaluation • Thinking of ways to tackle the problem: Give explicit assessment criteria • Doing it: Use the essay feedback checklist • Evaluating it: Research matching tutor and student ratings, interviews with staff, questionnaires with students (Norton et al 2002) • Modifying future practice: Cycle 4 CUEA

31. Cycle 4: using ITDEM • Identifying the problem: too much focus on assessment criteria raised students anxieties encouraged a strategic approach • Thinking of ways of tackling it: reconceptualising assessment criteria as learning criteria (LO’s) • Doing it: through PALS group presentation and essay • Evaluating it: Research analysis of essays and student feedback ( Norton, 2004) • Modifying future practice: Students needed earlier feedback on presentations to help with the essay task CUEA

32. Pedagogical action research as an intensity spectrum(adapted from Kember 2006) Reflection Action research Action research on L & T on L&T which contributes to theory Seminar Refereed Journal paper conference paper paper CUEA

33. Turning teaching problems into pedagogical action research • Why are students not attending my lectures? • Why don’t students read? • What can I do to enthuse my students? • What can I do to help students become more analytical in their writing? • How can I help students to link theory with their practice? • What is going wrong in my seminars when my students don’t speak? • Why won’t students use the library? • Why are retention and progression rates falling? • What can I do to make my lecturing style more accessible? CUEA

34. Pedagogical Action Research, reflective practice and SOTL: killing three birds with one stone • Carrying out research on your own teaching and/or on your students’ learning is interwoven with being a reflective practitioner. • Pedagogical action research is an empowering form of CPD, particularly in engaging with the scholarship of learning and teaching (SOTL) • Pedagogical action research needs to be disseminated and open to public scrutiny through peer reviewed conference papers and journal articles CUEA

35. Growing a pedagogical action research network: a case study PAR established in 2001, and then became part of the University Learning and Teaching strategy (2002-05) with government funding to support its activities: • monthly meetings on annual institutional theme • giving support to small-scale PAR projects • annual PAR symposium • Now a recognized research group of the University http://www.hope.ac.uk/learningandteaching/lat.php?page=par&current=par • PRIME: in house journal http://www.hope.ac.uk/learningandteaching/lat.php?page=prime&current=prime • Biennial Pedagogical Research in Higher Education conference (PRHE) http://www.hope.ac.uk/learningandteaching/lat.php?page=prhe&current=prhe CUEA