Abstract:
This presentation will focus on the role of collaboration in facilitating critical reflection and interpretation of data in a collaborative research project undertaken by school-based and university - based researchers.
The popular image of research in natural and social sciences has long been dominated by the figure of the lone researcher. This image is contrary to the very social nature of the research process and renders invisible, the researcher's connections to the participants and others who make valuable contributions. A shift is now being recognised however, not only in the research culture but in the value being given to collaborative research. As researchers begin to deconstruct their own research practices, they are beginning to see how the social, collaborative interactions shape their outcomes. (Wassler & Bressler, 1996) Increasing acknowledgment is being given to the collective nature of knowing and the social theories of development advocated by Rogoff & Lave, (1984) and Vygotsky (1986). The power of collaboration in interpretation and the co-construction of professional knowledge however, has not been focused upon to the same degree. This concept must surely provide one of the best reasons for collaborative research in education.
This presentation aims to:
- briefly overview the nature of the collaborative research project
- discuss the reality of collaborative research - the challenges and rewards
- explore the role of collaboration in critical reflection, interpretation and the co-construction of professional knowledge.
The popular image of research in natural and social sciences has long been dominated by the figure of the lone researcher. This image is contrary to the very social nature of the research process and renders invisible, the researcher's connections to the participants and others who make valuable contributions. A shift is now being recognised however, not only in the research culture but in the value being given to collaborative research. As researchers begin to deconstruct their own research practices, they are beginning to see how the social, collaborative interactions shape their outcomes. (Wassler & Bressler, 1996) Increasing acknowledgment is being given to the collective nature of knowing and the social theories of development advocated by Rogoff & Lave, (1984) and Vygotsky (1986). The power of collaboration in interpretation and the co-construction of professional knowledge however, has not been focused upon to the same degree. This concept must surely provide one of the best reasons for collaborative research in education.
This presentation aims to:
- briefly overview the nature of the collaborative research project
- discuss the reality of collaborative research - the challenges and rewards
- explore the role of collaboration in critical reflection, interpretation and the co-construction of professional knowledge.