Appraisal

last updated:October 2009

Robustness
This project involved seven secondary comprehensive schools (five in Wales and two in England) in developing their inclusive practice using action research. In each school, a group of teachers worked together to develop a piece of action research to enhance pupils’ attitude to and engagement with learning. Educational psychologists facilitated the process by holding regular meetings with the teacher group. The researchers followed what the teachers, school leaders and educational psychologists did in order to understand the challenges of the process in each school. The project took place over two nine-month periods which meant that the process could be improved the second time, based on findings from the first.

The researchers:

• used questionnaires to investigate teacher, pupil and the educational psychologists’ views before and after the process
• held focus group discussions with teachers and pupils to further develop an understanding of their perspectives
• interviewed head teachers at the beginning and the end of the project, and
  asked the educational psychologists for their views about the development of the process in regular project meetings.

The changes the teachers reported  to their practice included:

• inviting pupils to set group targets for lessons with a view to achieving rewards
• offering pupils choice of learning through different materials
• increasing the amount of and structuring group work in response to pupil preferences.

Following the changes, the pupils involved in the inclusion work participated more, showed significantly increased motivation and in some cases attained at a higher level.

The key factors the researcher identified as helping the teachers make changes to their classroom practice were that they:

• had ownership of the action research they undertook
• worked collaboratively
• focused on the effects of their practice on pupils’ learning and participation, and
• had the support of the school management.

The facilitators needed certain skills to enable the projects to move forward. The study found a number of effective approaches adopted by the facilitators:

• the ‘minute taker’ assumed a low-status role but was able to maintain momentum and direct the detail of the process
• the ‘conversationalist’ occasionally stopped the discussions short with a really well directed critical question
• the ‘strategist’ kept cool in the face of the continuing frustrations of getting a group of teachers to debate and looked for alternative approaches in the expectation that something would happen soon, and
• the ‘carrier of the backpack of ideas’ allowed discussions to flow and brought out theoretical ideas as and when they were useful.

The support of the school management was vital too. It was important that leaders demonstrated, for example, active concern and interest, provided ‘professional space’ for teachers to develop new thinking and practice, helped with access to resources and encouraged dissemination rather than be directly involved in the teachers’ action research.

Relevance
Many teachers find implementing inclusion a major challenge. Teachers may also be unfamiliar with the process of action research and unaware how it can be used to develop their practice and their pupils’ learning experience, whilst leaders may be uncertain about how to support their colleagues as they engage in action research. This project helpfully provides support on all three fronts: it shows how teachers can make their practice more inclusive through action research and how leaders can introduce and sustain a culture of enquiry and reflective practice within their school. Although this research involved secondary schools, the findings and processes used are applicable to all phases.

Applicability
This project illustrates how action research can draw more teachers into the challenge of engaging all their pupils in learning. It also shows one way of getting action research going in schools.  This involved teachers working collaboratively and having ownership of the research, and focusing on the effects of their change in practice on pupils’ learning and participation. Ownership meant that teachers didn’t view action research as another imposition on their time and energy. Owning their own projects released their energy and creativity. Facilitators needed to understand the nature of action research and supported groups of teachers in systematically evaluating the consequences of actions to help them refine and develop their interpretations and solutions. Leaders needed to show that they value the process of action research.

Writing
The project findings are spread across a number of separate papers, but the project briefing provides a helpful overview of the whole project, whilst the book provides more detail. All the outputs are clearly written and many helpfully include a selection of illustrative quotes and case study examples.   But teachers may find the researchers’ explanations of the relationship between their findings and the theoretical background a little overbearing.