Framing inquiry: a case study of experienced social studies teachers conducting teacher research

McGlinn, Meghan M.

Framing inquiry: a case study of experienced social studies teachers conducting teacher research Public Deposited

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March 21, 2019

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McGlinn, Meghan M.
- Affiliation: School of Education

Abstract

This study examined the extent to which fourteen experienced social studies teachers pursued critical inquiry in the teacher research process. The social studies teachers in this study were all former members of the social studies cohort in the Masters of Education (M.Ed.) program at a large research university. During the M.Ed. program the teachers took a course on teacher research in which they conducted their own teacher research projects. Using a case study method, data was collected from documentary evidence [including final teacher research reports, course documents, and other supporting documents] and one-on-one interviews with the teacher researchers and the instructor of the Teacher as Researcher course. Postmodernism served as the theoretical framework for presenting the findings of this study. Whereas the literature on teacher research presents two distinct forms of teacher research - practical and critical, the research conducted by members of the social studies cohort spread out along a continuum of critical inquiry. For organizational purposes the fourteen teachers where grouped as: practical teacher research that resulted in little classroom change, practical teacher iv research that resulted in classroom change, critical teacher research that resulted in classroom change, and critical teacher research that resulted in classroom and school change. This study describes the multiple and varied iterations of critical inquiry pursued by social studies teachers in the teacher research process. These findings are significant in forming a new theoretical understanding of teacher research and determining ways for social studies teacher educators and policy makers to support the work of teacher researchers.

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