Online Registration for the AARE Workshop: The utility of theory (theories) in educational research’

Due to overwhelming enthusiasm as a result of the success of 2008 AARE workshop The utility of theory (theories) in educational research’ AARE will again offer this residential workshop for research students and early career researchers at Charles Sturt University, Bathurst, from 1-3 October 2009. The workshop will start on the late afternoon of Thursday 1st October with a welcome and a panel of researchers talking about the use of theory in their scholarly work. It will continue on Friday 2nd and Saturday 3rd October with workshops, presentations and opportunities to consult with presenters.

The aims of the workshop are to provide:

• A broad understanding of how theory(ies) might be used in the research process, from the identification of theory-based research problems, the formulation of research questions, the choice of methodology, the development of an analytical framework and the interpretation and explanation of findings.
• An understanding of the broad landscape of theories available for educational research; their relationship with each other; similarities and differences; commensurabilities and in-commensurabilities; and,
• An indepth familiarity with two or three theories selected by participants from a list of several theories / theorists.

The following leading theoreticians in the field of educational research will present at the workshop.  Once participants have been allocated to workshops, the presenters will send out some references for prior reading.

Karl Maton (Bernstein and Bourdieu)

The theories of Pierre Bourdieu and Basil Bernstein are the foremost sociological frameworks for researching education. These seminars will introduce you to their key ideas and how to use them in research studies.

Valerie Harwood (Foucault)

There are numerous ways in which to approach the work of Michel Foucault, as the many guides to Foucault attest. One way of conceiving of Foucault’s oeuvre is via the three axes of ‘ethics’, ‘power’ and ‘knowledge’, which would be, roughly, to organize his work along lines of inquiry together with theoretical approaches. Another is to consider his books chronologically, along with the numerous essays and interviews. The publication of Foucault’s Lectures at the Collège de France has enriched the extent and depth of this material. Foucault’s work can also be considered from a methodological perspective: his archaeology and his genealogy. In this seminar we will be working from an orientation proposed by Gary Gutting (2003), which draws particular attention to Foucault’s use of history and of theory.

Irina Verenikina (Activity theory)

Over the past three decades there has been a growing interest in Vygotsky’s theory. While many ideas of his theory have been further explored and developed, one theory which gained a special recognition by researchers in a variety of fields is Activity Theory (AT). In this workshop we will discuss the key ideas of AT in connection to Vygotskian concepts of social and cultural mediation and cognitive tools. Two generations of Activity theory will be presented: Engerstrom’s “triangle” and the triarchic model of human activity by Leontiev. The workshop will focus on the implications of AT for educational research; some examples of AT- based research will be provided.

Anna Hickey-Moody (Giles Deleuze)

Anna will explore four key Deleuzian concepts: 'Different/ciation, the Simulacra and the Virtual 'Different/ciation'. Differenciation is the material process by which something becomes different from itself. Deleuze draws a distinction between this material change and the virtual process of an idea changing, or becoming different from itself, which he calls 'differentiation'. Differenciation is a fundamental aspect of Deleuze, and Deleuze and Guattari's (1987) productive concept of desire. 'Simulacrum': Deleuze offers an appreciative concept of simulacra, or 'copie'. Rather than rehearsing the 'postmodern' position made famous by Baudrillard; the notion that the simulacrum is hyper-real, Deleuze contends that simulacra are "those systems in which different relates to different by means of difference itself. What is essential is that we find in these systems no prior identity, no internal resemblance." (Deleuze, 1994: 299). 'The Virtual': The virtual is 'pure difference', or the non-spatio-temporal real aspect of the world. Deleuze draws on Bergson and Spinoza in developing is conception of the virtual.

Mary Lou Rasmussen (Judith Butler)

This workshop will critically engage with the ways that Judith Butler's work is taken up in Education in other fields of research. Discussion of the possibilities and limitations of Butlerian analysis will be considered via recent engagements with interlocutors such as Rosi Braidotti, Saba Mahmood and Geoff Boucher. There will also be a consideration of the notion of critique in Judith Butler's work and discussion of how this mode of questioning might inform the production of research questions. Participants will also be invited to a viewing of a recent French film on the life and times of Judith.

Trevor Bond (The place of theory in quantitative research)

This workshop is grounded in two claims about the nature meaningful quantitative research in education. This first concerns the role of theory in how we go about measurement in education (i.e., a theory of measurement) and the second concerns the role of theory about the substantive area under investigation (i.e., a theory of what is to be measured). Ideally, the substantive theory tells us which attributes are (are not) parts of any particular theoretical construct; as well as what evidence would suggest more (or less) of the construct under investigation. The researcher’s task is to then to flesh out the tasks, items, prompts, observation schedules which would indicate progression from less to more of that construct.

The theory of measurement then specifies the nature of the relationships which must exist in the empirical data in order that inferences can be made about the existence and nature of the underlying latent trait from the evidence in the performances of the indicators and learners in the data collection processes. The workshop goes on the show how the Rasch model for measurement has both theoretical and practical benefits in the construction of invariant interval levels measurement scales from what are essentially ordinal level theoretically driven data. Practical application of the Rasch model to data concerning achievement testing, cognitive development, fitness testing and satisfaction of clients in educational settings will demonstrate both the theoretical integrity and the practicability of this preferred approach to quantitative research in education.

Lesley Farrell (Globalisation)

This workshop will focus on the strengths, limitations and implications of theories of globalization for the ways we understand education and frame problems in educational research. It will also offer an opportunity to consider the implications of globalisation theories on the methodological approaches we take in educational research, considering particularly the challenges that the methodological work of theorists like Burawoy, Appadurai and others present to researchers in education.

Christine Halse (Narrative Inquiry)

This workshop will focus on extended narrative accounts or stories, such as life stories, oral history, autoethnography, chronicles etc. The focus will be on narratives as they are told and as socio-cultural accounts, rather than texts that are independent of the teller or setting. We will examine different forms of narrative, how narrative is and can be used in educational and social science research, the epistemological, ontological and ethical issues involved in doing narrative research and using narrative inquiry; key strategies for analysing extended narrative accounts and using stories in combination with other theories.

To assist with the programming of the workshop, participants are asked to indicate their first three preferences for workshops on the online registration form. Participants will be allocated to two workshops, hopefully on the basis of their first two preferences, although we may need to go to the third preferences. Opportunities will also be provided for one-on-one meetings with a researcher.

Places are limited and preference will be given firstly to AARE members, followed by those who have indicated their interest by email.

A registration fee of $100.00 (plus GST) for AARE members and $150 (plus GST) for non-members will apply to cover the cost of the venue and the presenters. Morning tea, lunch and afternoon tea are covered in the registration fee. Venues for dinner will be identified each evening which participants may choose to attend at their own cost. For booking purposes you will be asked to indicate on the online registration form whether you plan to join us for dinner in town on the opening night of the workshop on Thursday 1 October 2009.

Participants will need to arrange their own travel and accommodation. Limited accommodation is available on a first in first served basis at the Charles Sturt University Campus Professional Development Centre motel at a cost of $95.00/night for bed and breakfast. A range of other accommodation is available in the town.

To book accommodation at the CSU motel please call directly on 02 6338 6900 or download a booking form from the website at http://www.csu.edu.au/division/studserv/events/bathurst/cpd_rates.html and fax to 02 6338 6950.

On-Line Registration Form

More information will be sent to successful applicants once the on-line registration form has been completed and the programme finalised.