KEVIN SMITH & KIM HORTON JULY 2015 Educational research and teaching Wales

Introduction and Outline WISERD Education Teacher questionnaire  Research and reflection in teaching Background and literature Methods Findings Discussion

General Literature Downhill trend in educational research in Wales  Teachers’ research literacy, attitudes and active engagement Value and impact of research on training and improving practice Tensions between  role and nature of educational research  teachers’ professional identity  teachers’ outcomes in terms of pupil attainment  contribution to school as a staff member Gap between teachers’ practice and teachers conducting research  Calls for the gap to be narrowed (e.g. BERA, 2014)

Literature on Teacher Knowledge Teachers…  value research evidence and participating in research activities.  vary in their interpretations of action research.  believe research is useful, but don’t necessarily use it.  are reasonably confident about seeking general information; less-so wtih regard to research evidence.  tend to feel evaluating research is a challenge, with primary less confident in evaluating research than secondary teachers.  Are more concerned with relevance to classroom rather than validity or reliability of actual research.

Context: Teaching Tomorrow’s Teachers (Furlong, 2014) Discussion of the “Programme Level” of Teacher Education in Wales  Research is not explicitly referenced in any form in the current ‘Standards’ … it is hard to see how … features of high quality teacher education can currently be in place.  No systematic links between those with responsibility for CPD, the new Consortia, and Wales’ teacher education Centres in universities  Ensure that all of the above principles are underpinned by a clear understanding of evidence about how student teachers learn to teach and that courses themselves are the constant subject of research and development

Context: New Deal for the Education Workforce ‘Teaching is such a complex craft that one lifetime is not enough to master it’  Teaching and leadership practice can be significantly improved if practitioners are given the opportunity to engage… in career long reflection upon and development of their practice through evidence based professional learning activities.

New Deal Details The New Deal will also ensure that the wider education system is focussed on facilitating opportunities for schools and practitioners.  Changes will impact the workforce and change expectations for pedagogy, leadership and the development of practice.  Identification of schools and practitioners priorities for professional learning and leadership development, target resources and plan effective implementation set within specific timetable School development planning framework  Identification of individual and collective learning priorities through performance management objectives and renewed professional standards  Ensure practitioners are able to identify their professional learning needs and access resources  Establish career long development pathways for practitioners to take ownership and responsibility for professional learning  Masters in Continuing Educational Practice and Masters in Educational Leadership are the backbone of framework  Framework will be “…based on the principles of effective professional learning and will enable us to bring the latest academic research on the most effective practice to the heart of classrooms in Wales.”

Research Questions To what extent do teachers in Wales do action research? To what extent do teachers in Wales reflect on their practice? How does that interact with:  their capacity to conduct research?  their orientation towards research?  the context in which they work?

Methods: Sample Sample: 214 Teachers  25.7% Primary  74.3% Secondary  Male 33%  Female 67% Qualifications  21.8% Higher Degree (MA, MSc, PhD, etc.)  73.1% PGCE  93.5% First Degree (BA, Bed, BSc) Years Teaching

Methods: Questions Thinking about the ways that you improve your teaching, in the past two years, how useful do you find the following?  Reflecting on my own practice  Reviewing my practice as part of school self- evaluation  Working on my performance management objectives  Doing my own enquiry or research  Using the findings of other people’s research  Using teacher assessment data  Working with teacher colleagues How often have you experienced each of the following professional development activities in the last 12 months?  Undertaking action research (e.g. a school- based enquiry project) To what extent do you agree or disagree with the following statements?  I know where I can find relevant research that may help to inform my teaching  I have been able to understand and use research evidence I have found  My school encourages me to use research evidence to improve my practice  I have regular opportunities to discuss relevant research evidence with my colleagues  I do not have time to use research evidence in my teaching  I don’t find research evidence useful in my teaching

Thematic Organisation Data are presented in following themes:  Activity  Orientation  Capacity  Context

Activity About a third (36.4%) of the teachers had undertaken action research in the last 12 months Action research undertaken in the last 12 months by role in school  30.8% Staff  39.2% Staff+ (Staff with leadership or additional responsibilities)  46.2% SMT (Senior Management Team members) Primary vs Secondary  29.8% primary  38.9% secondary Self-reflection  All respondents engaged in reflection

Orientation ActivityVery useful Fairly useful Not useful No Experience Reflecting on my own practice 70%29.5%0.5%0% Doing my own enquiry or research 30.6%39.8%8.3%21.4% Using other people’s research findings 15%52.7%14%18.4%

Orientation Doing own enquiry or research* Using other researchers’ findings* Very usefulFairly usefulVery usefulFairly useful Research Active 45.80% 30.60%52.80% Research Inactive 20.00%37.50%6.60%52.10% *Doing own enquiry/research: χ 2 = , N = 192, df = 3, p <0.000 *Using others’ findings: χ 2 = , N = 193, df = 3, p < 0.000

Capacity AgreeNeither agree nor disagree Disagree I know where I can find relevant research that may help to inform my teaching (N=195) 73.9%18.5%7.6% I have been able to understand and use research evidence I have found (N=209)* 67.5% % Research Active 80.6%16.7%2.8% Research Inactive 59.5%33.9%6.6% *I have been able to understand and use research evidence: χ 2 = 9.123, N = 193, df = 2, p =.010

Context Agree Neither agree nor disagree Disagree My school encourages me to use research evidence to improve my practice 48.3%32.5%19.1% I have regular opportunities to discuss relevant research evidence with my colleagues 38.3%32.1%29.7% I do not have time to use research evidence in my teaching 33.8%37.7%28.5% I don’t find research evidence useful in my teaching 19.2%43.3%37.4%

Context My school encourages me to use research evidence to improve my practice AgreeNeither agree nor disagree Disagree Research Active58.3%30.6%11.1% Research Inactive40.5%33.9%25.6% I have regular opportunities to discuss relevant research evidence with my colleagues AgreeNeither agree nor disagree Disagree Research Active51.4%22.2%26.4% Research Inactive28.9%38.0%33.0% χ , N = 193, df = 2, p = χ2 = , df = 2, p = 0.006

Context I do not have time to use research evidence in my teaching AgreeNeither agree nor disagree Disagree Research Active30.5%34.7% Research Inactive28.3%38.3%23.4% I don’t find research evidence useful in my teaching AgreeNeither agree nor disagree Disagree Research Active18.3%31.0%50.7% Research Inactive21.2%50.8%28.0% χ2 = , df = 2, p = 0.05

Discussion Lack of clarity in Wales Positive value of research is not enough to counteract barriers Interpretation  Self-reflection  (Action) research Findings reflect literature vis-à-vis gap between research and pedagogical practice Teachers are confident in their capacity to find, understand and use research But question is usefulness  Which could be about interpretation Suggests effort is needed in supporting teachers to put research findings into practice