1. Fiona Partridge Education Doctorate Research Candidate Currently in 2nd Phase of Research Research Methods… Div EAS Research Forum August 12th 2006

2. Structure of the Education Doctorate Program 4 units of compulsory course work: which explore research writing, reading, methods Writing the Proposal Ethics Approval 3 Research Projects - triangulation Meta-analysis Aimed at Practitioners

3. Research topic: Exploring the construction of knowledge about middle years teaching and learning in the practice of pre-service teacher education.

4. My study / research so far:  2001-2003 - Completed the compulsory Education Doctorate course work  2004 - Wrote proposal and gained approval from the Colloquium Panel  2005 - Ethics Committee approval for Stage One and commenced first project  2006 - Ethics Committee approval for Stage Two  Currently conducting 2nd project

5. Platform for my research Beyond the Middle (DEST, 2003) identified several implications for middle years reform - Highlighted concerns for pre-service teacher training

6.  lack of pre-service teacher training in Australia for teaching middle years  the need for middle years schooling pre-service teachers to develop high level specialist content knowledge and pedagogical content knowledge in all areas but specifically for teaching literacy and numeracy across the curriculum  the need for traditional secondary teacher preparation emphasis on developing content knowledge to be balanced with the traditional primary teacher preparation orientation towards student focused pedagogy and generalist preparation for teachers. They included:

7.  the need for specific pedagogical content knowledge for teaching literacy and numeracy to be given particular attention if graduates are to provide intellectually engaging learning opportunities for their students  the need for graduates to learn new ways of working together in teams with teaching colleagues and a range of agencies  the need for the isolationism of much primary teaching and the balkanised structure of many secondary schools to be challenged if beginning teachers are to work effectively in professional learning and teaching teams (DEST, 2003)

8. Phase One Methods and Methodology Case Study inquiry Qualitative Research methods - three main types of data collection (Patton, 2002, pg 10)  in-depth, open ended interviews - direct quotations from people about their experiences, opinions, feelings, knowledge  direct observation - as an outsider  written documents - analysis of records, publications, reports

9. Phase One research questions: 1. What were the educational, social and political factors that influenced the development of the new Middle School teacher education programs at the University of South Australia being constructed throughout 2001-03, to be implemented in 2005? 2. What micro-political strategies did the proponents of the pre-service teacher education courses use to secure the approval of the new programs within the School of Education at UniSA?

10. 1st Phase - two main research methods  Conducted a literature review, focussing on the historical setting in which the review of education and resulting report, Shaping the Future: Educating Professional Educators (Reid & O’Donoghue, 2001) was conducted and released The Review sparked the change process, leading to the implementation of the new teacher education programs, now situated at the Mawson lakes Campus of UniSA  Conducted open-ended interview with the Review facilitators / authors of The Review

11. First emerging theme; applying organisational theory  Large-scale change imposed by economic rationalism (in this case, the University’s decision to close the Underdale Campus by the year 2004) - affected the entire learning culture.  Began to explore the change process leading up to the new programs - using a Learning Community Organisational Framework, as identified by Bolman and Deal (2003)

12. Four frames of reality within the culture of learning communities:  Structural frame - the organisational design, the way human, physical and financial resources come together  Human resource frame – the human needs of the individuals within the community  Political frame – the community is represented as a competitive arena characterised by scarce resources and self-interest, and focuses attention on policy and regulations  Symbolic / cultural frame – representing shared meaning and cultural expression, putting ritual and expected behaviours, or the community ‘story’ at the heart of the learning culture.

13. 2nd Phase of Research - Questions 1. What is the concept of an “Educator of the Future” as represented by the new UniSA pre-service teacher education programs? 2. What is the construction of knowledge about middle years teaching and learning in the practice of pre-service teacher education at the UniSA? 3. How were each of the four frames of reality (Bolman & Deal, 2003) within the learning culture shaped throughout the design and implementation process?

14. Phase 2 Methods and Methodology Case study inquiry  Document analysis - reviewing the key documents, meeting notes, memos issued during the design and implementation process  Open-ended interviews - with those involved in the change process  Analysis of the new program curriculum content

15. Phase 3 Case study inquiry  Will explore the experience of students in the teacher education programs  Focus on the program scope and field placement experiences