1,721,003 research outputs found
“Hear my voice”:children and young people in schools and research
No full textPupil ‘voice’ is heralded as a key tenet of education policy, practice and research, however, ensuring that voice is authentically heard in the spaces that children occupy remains a challenge – one that is explored in this chapter. Models of participation relating to the degree of power either shared or transferred are scrutinised – ranging from tokenistic approaches to true pupil-teacher partnerships in which pupils initiate ideas and share decision-making with adults. Shier’s (2001) five step Pathway to Participation model is considered and practitioners are invited to reflect on their own position and identify necessary steps to increase pupil involvement in their local setting. For guidance, a philosophy club intervention in early years and primary is presented as a real world example. This chapter argues the case for schools to genuinely embrace and utilise pupil voice as part of a whole-school approach to improving mental health and wellbeing within learning communities
Part-time working and the teacher mother:panacea or poison?
No full textPart-time work is often suggested as a panacea to the work/life challenge for teacher parents, and most notably, mothers. This paper reports findings from a wider study on the experiences of Primary and Early Years teachers who are also mothers. Four participant stories are draw upon, collected through unstructured life-history interviews with current teacher-mothers, then analysed using ecological systems discourse analysis (ESDA) to highlight predominant discourses. These include the benefits of flexible working, as well as barriers to accessing part-time work. The barriers include perceptions of flexible working and reticence from school leaders to offer job-share, as well as practical and emotional challenges that securing part-time work can bring. It concludes that whilst the option of part-time work may be a supportive measure for some, for others it is an invitation to ‘work full-time effort for part-time reward’, both financially and emotionally
Exploring the experiences of women academics in England:the combined effects of societal, structural and life-stage factors
No full textThis study explored the experiences of women who are academics working in UK higher education (HE), using a feminist approach and narrative methods and analysis. The purpose of the research was to explore the experiences of women, with a view to highlighting potential shared experiences, informing the policies of universities, and to add to the body of knowledge on women in HE. Findings include narrative themes around gender roles, male-dominated academia and life-stage impact on career. Concluding recommendations include meaningful recognition of pastoral roles, and promotion tracks which value these skills; and support for women’s life-stages, including maternity, motherhood, menopause and sandwich caring
Being an ethical practitioner researcher:conducting your own research and applying research ethically
No full textThis chapter introduces the reader to research ethics, both from a legal, formal perspective, and in terms of being mindful of how research is carried out ethically and importantly, used ethically in the classroom. From carrying out your first piece of research, to applying research literature to your own setting, ethics is central to your decision-making. The chapter will also cover self-care for researchers with a focus on practitioner research, with practical advice, guidance and sources of support for practitioner researchers on how to ensure their work is ethical. Case studies will be shared of practitioner experiences in both carrying out research in terms of ethics, and using research literature ethically, and some examples of where ethics can go wrong and how to tackle challenges before and when they arise
The democratic skill of learning to disagree with your friends
No full textA key part of democratic life is understanding and tolerating differences of opinion. For young children, learning that you can disagree and still be friends is absolutely key to fostering an atmosphere of curiosity, openness and creativity, as children have the confidence to voice their own thoughts and follow their own interests, and to respect the thoughts and interests of others
The life histories of teacher mothers: exploring a special situation
Full text linkThis thesis, ‘The life histories of teacher mothers: exploring a special situation’ concerns a personally motivated study on the experiences and influences on Primary and Early Years teachers who are also mothers. The study involved unstructured life-history interviews with five teacher-mothers and took a postmodern feminist approach, in that it aimed to tell the stories of women, for women, whilst acknowledging and centring the individual’s experience as unique. Ethical dilemmas were a key part of the study and thesis, including negotiating insider research relationships and maintaining participant voice in the data.
It asks three questions:
1. What do the life history stories of teacher mothers suggest about this special circumstance?
2. To what extent does analysis of ‘ecological systems’ and discourses illuminate the life of a teacher mother?
3. What are the points of coalescence and convergence that groups of teacher mothers may relate to, that could be potential sites of new policy and activism?
Analysis of interview data involved use of Foucauldian Discourse Analysis, combined with Bronfenbrenner's ecological systems model to create a new model of discourse analysis: ecological systems discourse analysis (ESDA) that considers teacher-mothers’ individual worlds, as well as giving opportunities to map shared themes and positions towards the discourses of teacher-motherhood. This may have future applications for other areas of narrative research.
This thesis argues that the special circumstance of being a teacher-mother, whilst unique for every individual, has some points of coalescence of experience. These include the conflicting pressures of work and gender performativity, normalization of overwork, barriers to part-time work, guilt at being ‘good enough’ and a reluctance to identify school leaders as people in a position to change the discourse locally. It concludes that teacher-mothers’ stories are complex and that any local, regional or national policymaking, activism and supportive measures need to acknowledge this. Claims to knowledge include additions to the understanding of teacher-motherhood from coalescences of experience, flexible interview methods for hard to reach groups, the defence of teacher-motherhood as a special circumstance and a new model for discourse analysis
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