This dissertation describes a research study that investigated cooperative inquiry as a strategy for professional learning of inner-city school principals in a large urban centre in Western Canada. The study attempted to identify the central issues of concern and means of redress for school leaders in high-poverty communities, many of which focused on educational leadership, school management, the context of their schools within impoverished communities, and the challenges of personal well-being. The findings suggest that cooperative inquiry was an effective strategy in that the approach was participatory, democratic, empowering, life-enhancing, and fostered community-building among participants. The findings also suggest that the approach was effective in that it was grounded in the action research cycle of planning, action, observation, and reflection. The study further examined the use of dialogue as a means of constructing knowledge regarding these issues, and identified the ways in which such knowledge impacts upon the professional practice of these principals. Findings suggest that participants gained knowledge from each other, offered knowledge from others, constructed knowledge together as a group, and developed deeper understandings of their own perspectives. Findings also suggest that meaning is lost when dialogic interactions are transcribed into print. Thus, dialogue is a form of communication in and of itself, one that cannot simply be transformed into the written word without losing part of that dialogic essence. Further, this study posits that dialogue has unique power to be both a process for meaning making, as well as an ontological means of clarifying one’s own sense of reality. / October 2008

This dissertation describes a research study that investigated cooperative inquiry as a strategy for professional learning of inner-city school principals in a large urban centre in Western Canada. The study attempted to identify the central issues of concern and means of redress for school leaders in high-poverty communities, many of which focused on educational leadership, school management, the context of their schools within impoverished communities, and the challenges of personal well-being. The findings suggest that cooperative inquiry was an effective strategy in that the approach was participatory, democratic, empowering, life-enhancing, and fostered community-building among participants. The findings also suggest that the approach was effective in that it was grounded in the action research cycle of planning, action, observation, and reflection. The study further examined the use of dialogue as a means of constructing knowledge regarding these issues, and identified the ways in which such knowledge impacts upon the professional practice of these principals. Findings suggest that participants gained knowledge from each other, offered knowledge from others, constructed knowledge together as a group, and developed deeper understandings of their own perspectives. Findings also suggest that meaning is lost when dialogic interactions are transcribed into print. Thus, dialogue is a form of communication in and of itself, one that cannot simply be transformed into the written word without losing part of that dialogic essence. Further, this study posits that dialogue has unique power to be both a process for meaning making, as well as an ontological means of clarifying one’s own sense of reality.

This dissertation describes a research study that investigated cooperative inquiry as a strategy for professional learning of inner-city school principals in a large urban centre in Western Canada. The study attempted to identify the central issues of concern and means of redress for school leaders in high-poverty communities, many of which focused on educational leadership, school management, the context of their schools within impoverished communities, and the challenges of personal well-being. The findings suggest that cooperative inquiry was an effective strategy in that the approach was participatory, democratic, empowering, life-enhancing, and fostered community-building among participants. The findings also suggest that the approach was effective in that it was grounded in the action research cycle of planning, action, observation, and reflection. The study further examined the use of dialogue as a means of constructing knowledge regarding these issues, and identified the ways in which such knowledge impacts upon the professional practice of these principals. Findings suggest that participants gained knowledge from each other, offered knowledge from others, constructed knowledge together as a group, and developed deeper understandings of their own perspectives. Findings also suggest that meaning is lost when dialogic interactions are transcribed into print. Thus, dialogue is a form of communication in and of itself, one that cannot simply be transformed into the written word without losing part of that dialogic essence. Further, this study posits that dialogue has unique power to be both a process for meaning making, as well as an ontological means of clarifying one’s own sense of reality.

Yes / In this paper, I would like to share some thoughts provoked by the idea of establishing ‘dialogue studies’ as a distinct academic field, as suggested in the inaugural call for contributions to the new journal. These are not meant to be exhaustive of all the relevant questions that could be considered under this heading. I do not, for example, consider the question of disciplinary contributions or boundaries. My emphasis, rather, is on questions to do with ethos and coherence. In particular, I am interested in exploring the possibility, and the challenges, of cultivating a dialogic approach to the study of dialogue itself. My reflections begin with a look at the tendency, within academia, to privilege debate as a form of communication and the question of whether we might conceive a Journal of Dialogue Studies as a forum for a different kind of exchange. I then reflect on some of the difficulties of studying dialogue itself, particularly where this involves outside observers. The final section raises some issues around ‘studying dialogue’ in relation to teaching, learning and assessment. My overall intention here is to share some current, tentative thoughts in the hope that this contributes to a dialogue on the idea, and perhaps the practice, of ‘dialogue studies’.

This thesis examines the potential of experiential education as a 'best practice' pedagogy for pre-service teacher education in environmental education. The study involves forty pre-service teachers working collaboratively with the researcher in 1998 to test the assumptions of two previous groups of beginning teachers (1996 and 1997) who indicated in their course evaluations that experiential education may provide an effective teaching and learning approach for environmental education. This study combines two approaches to participative inquiry: action inquiry and cooperative inquiry. Both research approaches promote reflection-in-action and involve groups of individuals working collaboratively together as reflective practitioners. The data sources included reflective journals, a researcher diary, pre and post course questionnaires, individual interviews and group interviews. The environmental education course is a single case study and reflects the experience of three groups of students. The first group completed a 20 hour course in experiential education before starting the environmental education course, the second group completed both courses concurrently, while the third group only completed the environmental education course. The purpose of the literature review in experiential education and environmental education in teacher education is to provide a rationale for using a transformative teaching and learning approach in pre-service teacher education for environmental education. Contemporary best practice pedagogical approaches for environmental education are supported by many of the core principles of experiential education highlighting compatibility between theory and practice. The findings show that a transformative teaching and learning approach in environmental education was achieved by combining four key characteristics of experiential education in a holistic process. The four characteristics included reflection, connection to personal experience, emotionally engaged learning and student-centred teaching and learning. The impact of combining these four characteristics resulted in higher interest, motivation and enthusiasm for achieving the social action outcomes of environmental education. Thus, the pre-service teachers confirmed a synergy emerged between the outcomes of environmental education and the pedagogical process of experiential education. The experiential approach allowed the pre-service teachers to engage in the role of the critical reflective practitioner. Consequently, the pre-service teachers were able to identify the potential and possibilities for implementing experiential education strategies in environmental education and also recognise and challenge the barriers that confine and constrain its use in teacher education and formal schooling. As a consequence the pre-service teachers identified that working in collaborative groups of reflective practitioners was essential to continue developing effective facilitation skills and also to help them challenge traditional practice that limited their professional development. They also identified significant changes to the pre-service environmental education course to ensure a higher quality experience for subsequent groups of beginning teachers. The study highlights the need for more research into how well beginning teacher implementing environmental education function as reflective practitioners in their first few years in teaching and are able to challenge the barriers that limit transformative pedagogical approaches in schools.

The focus of this thesis was to explore educational professionals' everyday experience of English educational policies; narrowing its focus to policy which promotes an inclusion agenda. The findings are presented in three sections with the first two papers prepared in accordance with the author guidelines of the journals proposed for submission. The first paper offers a review of literature which represents teacher relationship (see Braun, Maguire and Ball, 2010; Fullan, 2006; Luttenberg, Imants and van Veen, 2013; Luttenberg, van Veen and Imants, 2013; Wexler, 2002) with English educational policies. Teacher perspectives illustrate how the implementation and practice of policy heavily guides practice, both in terms of pedagogy and content, and detail the difficulties teachers have in establishing professional identity whilst trying to accommodate policy into practice. It is suggested that in order for teachers to adopt new educational policies they need to be able to take some ownership of both the policies themselves and of their own professional development; but most importantly, that they need the space to engage in dialogue around their practice to do this. The first paper provided a frame for the second by offering a description of the current climate teachers find themselves in and by discussing what might be needed to bring about the professional development necessary to embed policy into practice. The second paper then presents a description of a collaborative action research project within an English high school; a group of educational psychology, teaching, support and pastoral professionals worked collaboratively to develop person-centred practice through their engagement in an inquiry group. The inquiry group engaged in dialogue around practice; exploring their own personal and professional values as well as the values embedded within person-centred practice. This paper offers an account of the inquiry group's journey, highlighting key themes as identified by the group: ownership of, and confidence in, the learning process; developing reflective practice; and the challenge of engaging others in the learning process. The findings suggest that an action research approach can facilitate the learning and development necessary to embody collaborative person-centred practice. The third paper then offers a critical appraisal of the role that educational psychology can have in disseminating findings and promoting teacher development; in particular through the facilitation of collaborative action research within the school context.

Ally literature suggests processes and guidelines that non-Indigenous researchers can follow in order to establish respectful relationships (Battiste, 1998; Wilson, 2008; Edward, 2006; Margaret, 2010). It also states the importance of preparedness for engaging and sustaining long term alliances (Lang, 2010; Brophey, 2011); however specific training methods; modalities that support long-term relationships; practices to develop desired qualities; or self-care approaches for Allies have not been addressed in the literature. Through autoethnographic work I sought to explore this gap in literature. This study is situated within decolonizing methodologies looking to contribute to legitimizing traditional ways of knowing; and within Anzaldúas (1987) philosophical view of “Doing Mestizaje” (1987). My work is a personal account of the complicated and conflicted situation of working as an Ally, being both Mestiza and Buddhist in a culture of colonization/decolonization. Unique to this exploration are modalities I chose to help with a deeper understanding, and as possible approaches to address emotional stress and prevent burnout in Ally work: art, meditation, mindfulness practice, prayer, dream work, and narrative/poetry. My findings show that a Mestizo view of Allyhood presents differences with those of White Allies; that implementation of the Buddhist concepts of interdependence and selflessness can support Allies during a painful or stressful process of self-reflection, as well as through out the relationship; and that doing research as ceremony, and ceremony as research contributes to the revitalization of Indigenous traditional ways of knowing and its importance in Decolonizing work. / Graduate

Made available in DSpace on 2016-03-15T19:30:50Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Marcos Bidart Carneiro de Novaes.pdf: 1974481 bytes, checksum: 0bdf7be239c5b29da7276cd04709fc88 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2012-02-09 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / Society and the individual are experiencing a moment of anxiety over risks linked to human action and climate change, from floods and famine to technology-based risks. It is in this context that concerns over economic, environmental and social sustainability emerge. Over a decade ago, a view known as the sustaincentric worldview arose. This is a dialectical synthesis which proposes to overcome the apparently irreconcilable points of view stemming from the "technocentric" and "ecocentric" worldviews. The former prescribes technological solutions for the abovementioned risks and the latter an immediate interruption of economic development as it is known today. This work s theme, the discussion about sustainability and the development of managerial competencies, is a reflection, on the organizational level, of these countless questions which clash with one another and complement one another. This is a work essentially about human and social management of organizations and the people who gather within them to work and cooperate. It is a work focused on managers reality, since they are being called to participate in a broad mentality shift, in which the interests of various stakeholders are taken into account, and not merely those of shareholders. On the theoretical level, this work is based on Giddens (1984, 2009) ideas about structure and action and Beck s (1992, 2007) concepts about risk society. It also draws on McKibben s (2007) and Söderbaum s (2000, 2008) ideas about new economic presuppositions, on Sandberg s (2000, 2007) interpretivist conceptions about competency development and on Engeström s (2001) expansive development. The objective of this research is to cooperatively investigate the development of managers competencies within an organization by introducing the sustainability discussion in this company environment. More specifically, it aims to analyze how the guiding idea of sustainability is understood and signified by corporate actors and how the discussion and practice of sustainability alters these meanings and sets competent actions in motion over time. The work also seeks to understand and problematize how the demands of various interest groups are negotiated during this process. Cooperative inquiry was used as the research methodology, following the works of Heron (1981, 1996), Reason (1994, 2003) and Moreno (1992, 1997). The research was conducted with a group of managers from the hospitality sector in Brazil. The results present a thick description of the paradoxes, limits and possibilities for advances in the reflections and actions of this group of managers, who committed themselves to a project for sustainability competency development within an interpretive and cooperative logic. In this process, face to face encounters, reflexive dialogues and exchange of best practices were the key point. The research trajectory allowed changes to occur in the way these organizational actors understood the meaning of their work and business, regarding sustainability, in the context allowed by the structure. On the level of reflexive and dialogic actions, however, implications for future changes and researches emerged, with this or other groups. / A sociedade e o indivíduo vivem um momento em que se temem riscos relacionados à ação do homem e às mudanças climáticas, desde inundações, grandes formes a riscos ligados a novas tecnologias. É neste contexto que emergem preocupações com a sustentabilidade econômica, ambiental e social. Há mais de uma década surge uma abordagem de sustentabilidade chamada de sustentocêntrica . Esta é uma síntese dialética que propõe a superação dos aparentemente irreconciliáveis pontos de vista fundamentados nas visões tecnocêntrica e ecocêntrica . A primeira pregando soluções tecnológicas para os riscos acima e a segunda uma imediata interrupção do desenvolvimento econômico como hoje é concebido. O tema deste trabalho, a discussão sobre a sustentabilidade e o desenvolvimento de competências gerenciais, é um reflexo no nível organizacional destas inúmeras questões que se chocam e complementam. Este é um trabalho em sua essência sobre a gestão humana e social das organizações e sobre as pessoas que nelas se reúnem para trabalhar e cooperar. É um trabalho focado na realidade de gestores, que são conclamados a participar de uma mudança de mentalidade ampla, na qual, não apenas interesses de acionistas são levados em consideração, mas de diferentes stakeholders. Este trabalho se embasa, no plano teórico, nas ideias sociológicas de Giddens (1984, 2009) sobre estrutura e ação, e de Beck (1992, 2007) sobre sociedade de risco. Recorre também às ideias de McKibben (2007) e Söderbaum (2000, 2008) sobre novos pressupostos econômicos, nas concepções interpretativistas sobre desenvolvimento de competências de Sandberg (2000, 2007) e do desenvolvimento expansivo de Engeström (2001). O objetivo da presente pesquisa é investigar de forma cooperativa o desenvolvimento de competências dos gestores em uma organização, ao se introduzir a discussão sobre sustentabilidade nesta mesma organização. Visa, mais especificamente, analisar como a ideia-força da sustentabilidade é compreendida e significada pelos atores corporativos e de que forma a discussão e prática em relação à sustentabilidade altera estes significados e desencadeia ações competentes, ao longo do tempo. O trabalho procura também compreender e problematizar como são negociadas as demandas dos diversos grupos de interesses durante este processo. Como metodologia de pesquisa recorreu-se à investigação-cooperativa, baseada nos trabalhos de Heron (1981, 1996), de Reason (1994, 2003) e de Moreno (1992, 1997). A pesquisa foi conduzida com um grupo de gestores do setor de Hotelaria no Brasil. Como resultados têm-se a descrição densa das contradições, paradoxos, limites e possibilidades de avanços nas reflexões e ações práticas deste grupo de gestores, que se comprometeram a participar de um processo de desenvolvimento de competências para a sustentabilidade numa lógica interpretativa e cooperativa. Neste processo, encontros vivenciais, diálogos reflexivos e trocas de melhores práticas foram pontos-chave. A trajetória da pesquisa permitiu mudanças significativas na forma como estes atores organizacionais passaram a compreender o significado do seu trabalho e dos negócios, em relação à sustentabilidade. O grupo obteve, sobretudo, avanços de ordem prática, envolvendo ações técnico-operacionais de curto e médio alcance, no contexto que a estrutura permitiu. No plano das ações reflexivas e dialógicas, no entanto, surgiram implicações para mudanças e pesquisas futuras, com este ou outros grupos.

Students with learning difficulties are said by many writers to be prohibited from having a valued learner identity and denied a voice in which to influence their educational circumstances. They are, it is argued, kept submerged in a ‘culture of silence’, where they are homogenised as a deficit category of learners and, therefore, perceived in a one-dimensional way. Such disabling barriers stem from practitioner assumptions and wider sociological influences, which are also part of this same culture. The by-products of this thinking have prevented practitioners from developing more interactive and enabling relationships with their students. Starting with a commitment to listen to student views, and explore accessible, flexible and innovative ways in which to advocate these, the research reported in this thesis sought ways to address this agenda. Set in a further education college, five student co-researchers, four practitioner co-researchers and a facilitator co-researcher embarked on a year long project to learn how the same students could be supported in contributing to their own learning. Being a transparent account, the inquiry was also interested in exploring the difficulties of this endeavour and whether student empowerment would alter the relational dynamics and, therefore, practitioner roles. As the facilitator was instrumental in introducing these ideas, she also examined her own influential role. Data were generated from observations and co-researcher experiences of engaging with roles, body collages, student interviews, photo voice, journals, portfolios and reflective meetings. These exploratory processes and methods were predicated upon the ideological frameworks of the social model of disability and multiple intelligences theory. The study revealed that renegotiated co-researcher roles and body collages were effective processes for enabling reciprocal engagement, causing students to empower themselves and leading practitioners to rethink in ways that had not been anticipated. These processes were also felt to be educationally effective in relation to curriculum aims. Whilst journals and lengthy meetings proved to be impractical and of little use, the reflective journal did prove to be an essential tool for the facilitator, allowing her to draw upon further evidence. The findings indicate that student voice can be raised through collaboration and forging relationships of trust and co-ownership. The thesis concludes by arguing that silences were broken, not least since these collaborative actions are still being used in the particular context in ways that are conducive to everyday practices. Although time and commitment are needed, these are valuable strategies that other marginalised educational communities may benefit from adopting.

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