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Div EAS Research Forum August 12th 2006
Fiona Partridge Education Doctorate Research
Candidate Currently in 2nd Phase of Research
Research Methods
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• Structure of the Education Doctorate Program
• 4 units of compulsory course work which explore
  research writing, reading, methods
• Writing the Proposal
• Ethics Approval
• 3 Research Projects - triangulation
• Meta-analysis
• Aimed at Practitioners

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Research topic Exploring the construction of
knowledge about middle years teaching and
learning in the practice of pre-service teacher
education.
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• My study / research so far
• 2001-2003 - Completed the compulsory Education
  Doctorate course work
• 2004 - Wrote proposal and gained approval from
  the Colloquium Panel
• 2005 - Ethics Committee approval for Stage One
  and commenced first project
• 2006 - Ethics Committee approval for Stage Two
• Currently conducting 2nd project

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• Platform for my research
• Beyond the Middle (DEST, 2003) identified several
  implications for middle years reform
• - Highlighted concerns for pre-service teacher
  training

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They included

• lack of pre-service teacher training in
  Australia for teaching middle years
• the need for middle years schooling pre-service
  teachers to develop high level specialist content
  knowledge and pedagogical content knowledge in
  all areas but specifically for teaching literacy
  and numeracy across the curriculum
• the need for traditional secondary teacher
  preparation emphasis on developing content
  knowledge to be balanced with the traditional
  primary teacher preparation orientation towards
  student focused pedagogy and generalist
  preparation for teachers.

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• the need for specific pedagogical content
  knowledge for teaching literacy and numeracy to
  be given particular attention if graduates are to
  provide intellectually engaging learning
  opportunities for their students
• the need for graduates to learn new ways of
  working together in teams with teaching
  colleagues and a range of agencies
• the need for the isolationism of much primary
  teaching and the balkanised structure of many
  secondary schools to be challenged if beginning
  teachers are to work effectively in professional
  learning and teaching teams
• (DEST, 2003)

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• Phase One Methods and Methodology
• Case Study inquiry
• Qualitative Research methods - three main types
  of data collection (Patton, 2002, pg 10)
• in-depth, open ended interviews - direct
  quotations from people about their experiences,
  opinions, feelings, knowledge
• direct observation - as an outsider
• written documents - analysis of records,
  publications, reports

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Phase One research questions 1. What were the
educational, social and political factors that
influenced the development of the new Middle
School teacher education programs at the
University of South Australia being constructed
throughout 2001-03, to be implemented in 2005?
2. What micro-political strategies did the
proponents of the pre-service teacher education
courses use to secure the approval of the new
programs within the School of Education at UniSA?
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• 1st Phase - two main research methods
• Conducted a literature review, focussing on the
  historical setting in which the review of
  education and resulting report, Shaping the
  Future Educating Professional Educators (Reid
  ODonoghue, 2001) was conducted and released
• The Review sparked the change process, leading to
  the implementation of the new teacher education
  programs, now situated at the Mawson lakes Campus
  of UniSA
• Conducted open-ended interview with the Review
  facilitators / authors of The Review

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• First emerging theme applying organisational
  theory
• Large-scale change imposed by economic
  rationalism (in this case, the Universitys
  decision to close the Underdale Campus by the
  year 2004) - affected the entire learning
  culture.
• Began to explore the change process leading up
  to the new programs - using a Learning Community
  Organisational Framework, as identified by Bolman
  and Deal (2003)

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• Four frames of reality within the culture of
  learning communities
•  Structural frame - the organisational design,
  the way human, physical and financial resources
  come together
• Human resource frame the human needs of the
  individuals within the community
• Political frame the community is represented
  as a competitive arena characterised by scarce
  resources and self-interest, and focuses
  attention on policy and regulations
• Symbolic / cultural frame representing shared
  meaning and cultural expression, putting ritual
  and expected behaviours, or the community story
  at the heart of the learning culture.

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2nd Phase of Research - Questions 1. What is the
concept of an Educator of the Future as
represented by the new UniSA pre-service teacher
education programs? 2. What is the construction
of knowledge about middle years teaching and
learning in the practice of pre-service teacher
education at the UniSA? 3. How were each of the
four frames of reality (Bolman Deal, 2003)
within the learning culture shaped throughout the
design and implementation process?
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• Phase 2 Methods and Methodology
• Case study inquiry
• Document analysis - reviewing the key documents,
  meeting notes, memos issued during the design and
  implementation process
• Open-ended interviews - with those involved in
  the change process
• Analysis of the new program curriculum content

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• Phase 3
• Case study inquiry
• Will explore the experience of students in the
  teacher education programs
• Focus on the program scope and field placement
  experiences