Title:

How do I improve my practice as a University Educational Researcher seeking to contribute to educational knowledge through research into the logics and values of inclusionality?

Abstract: (Your abstract must use 10pt Arial font and must not be longer than this box)

Background to the topic


The logics and values that constitute educational knowledge are contentious issues in the history of both the American and British Educational Research Associations. Whitty's 2005 Presidential Address to BERA raised the question of the need for a clear distinction between education research and educational research with the suggestions that we should reserve the term educational research for work that is consciously geared towards improving policy and practice and that trying to make the distinction clearer would also involve BERA in a re-branding exercise which may not necessarily be the best way of spending our time and resources. But it is at least worth considering (Whitty, 2005). This paper is focused on the logics and values that are constituting forms of living educational theory. Living theories are focused on generating explanations of educational influences in learning that are directly connected to processes of improving educational practice. A living educational theory is taken to be an explanation produced by an individual to explain his or her educational influences in their own learning, in the learning of others and in the learning of social formations (Whitehead & Mcniff, 2006)

Research questions and foci of enquiry.

The research questions are focused on:

What logics and values constitute educational knowledge from a perception of inclusionality?

Three forms of logic, propositional, dialectical and inclusional form the foci of the enquiry. These are shown to characterize the rationality of practitioner educational researchers who are generating their living educational theories of educational influences in learning. Living values, including those of compassion, love, care, knowledge-creation and justice also form the foci of the enquiry. These are shown to constitute the contributions to educational knowledge of some 20 living theory doctorates legitimated in the Academy over the past ten years.

Research methods and mapping of literature

An action research approach to questions of the kind, 'How do I improve what I am doing?' will be used to clarify the meanings of ontological values as these emerge in practice and to show how these values can be formed into living epistemological standards of judgment. An authethnographic approach will be used to show the socio-cultural influences in explanations of educational influences in learning. Methodology issues of rigour and validity will be addressed through methods advocated by Winter (1989) and Habermas (1976) and developed by McNiff and Whitehead (2006)

Analytical and theoretical frames

The key tension to be explored in the analytic and theoretical frames is that between McLaren's understanding of a revolutionary critical pedagogy (McLaren, 2005; Fassbinder, 2006) and Rayner's (2004) framing of inclusionality and creative evolution in terms of a relationally dynamic awareness of space and boundaries as connective, reflective and co-creative. The logics and values of the theoretical frames of living educational theories will draw insights from theories from the philosophy, psychology, sociology, history, politics, theology, economics and management of education.

Research findings and contribution to knowledge.

The knowledge-based of living educational theories legitimated by the Academy will be shown to contribute to a new understanding of educational theory as constituted by the explanations that individuals produce to explain their educational influences in their own learning, in the learning of others and in the learning of social formations. The contribution to knowledge of educational research methodology is focused on the action research process through which narratives of learning are produced. These hold together the living educational theories of practitioner-researchers, their ontological values, their logics and their living standards of judgement.

Habermas, J. (1976) Communication and the Evolution of Society. London; Heinemann.

McNiff, J. & Whitehead, J. (2006) All You Need To Know About Action Research, London; Sage.

Rayner, A. (2004) Inclusionality: The Science, Art and Spirituality of Place, Space and Evolution. Retrieved 18 January 2007 from

http://people.bath.ac.uk/bssadmr/inclusionality/placespaceevolution.html

Rayner, A. (2006) Essays and Talks about 'Inclusionality' by Alan Rayner. Retrieved 18 January 2007 from http://people.bath.ac.uk/bssadmr/inclusionality/

Whitehead, J. & McNiff, J. (2006) Action Research Living Theory, London; Sage.

Whitty, G. (2005) Education(al) research and education policy making: is conflict inevitable? Presidential Address to the British Educational Research Association, University of Glamorgan, 17 September 2005.

Winter, R. (1989) Learning from Experience. London; Falmer.

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