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Jumping off the

fence or justclinging on?

ExploringRoutes

So,justhowi

Acri@calaccountotheore@calandact

Th

Consideration of themetaphorical methodological

fence in my professional doctoral

research.

Juliet MacKenzie

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1.  To share my reflectivedilemmas ofmethodological approach

and resultant data2.  To provide an opportunity

for discussion

3.  To facilitate my decision-making

Aims

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“So, just howmuch data are

you sitting on?”Geography Programme ofStudy analysis

2 Class observations28 Questionnaires

4 Focus Group Activities

12 Student interviews

2 teacher interviews

6 Pieces of work for my setactivity

6 Copies of assessments

15 Copies of students’ work 

What have Idone?

but.. why?

Am I back sittingon the fence? 

How did Iend up at this

point?

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Exploring routes to understanding 

geography learning

So, just how is it students’ bestlearn Geography?

A critical account of the relationship betweencontemporary theoretical and actual learning

for classroom-based Key Stage Three Geographystudents.

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Research Questions

1.  What are the theories/models oflearning Geography for Key StageThree classroom-based students?

2.  How do students believe they learntheir Geography?

3.  To what extent does students’geographical learning reflect theories

of learning Geography?

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 1) Listening to

students’voices

Practitioners

Atkinson et al (2001)

Eke and Lee (2009)

Issues (Alcoff, 1991)o  Eliciting correct meanings

and truths

o  Representing otherso  Creating ‘theirself’

o  Dis-authorizing

o  Accountabilityo  Responsibility

o  Language and dialogueSikes (2010)

o  Authorial honesty

o  Representationo  ReperussionsDavid et al (2001)

o  Consent

Lewis and Porter 

o  Ethicso  Communication

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2) Provide a ResearchContext – Case Study England

Midlands

Secondary School

One ClassSix students

PractitionersStake (1995)

Bassey (1999)

Hopwood (2012)

Yin (1994)

Issues (Dooley, 2002)

1.  Clarity of processes

2.  Practitioner confusionwhen combiningcomponents

3.  Role within theory-

building is unclear 

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3)Mul@-methodologyMcKendrick(1999)

Popula@onGeography

Reasonsforuse

1.  Overcomesweaknessesinmethodsordata

2.  Providesabreadthofunderstanding

3.  Togainaudienceconfidence4.  Iden@fiescasestudiesforfurther

study5.  Tosituatecasestudies

6.  Tostrengthenpriorresearch

7.  Teasesoutinconsistencies

8.  Addressesdifferentaspectsofthe

researchques@on

Problemswithuse1.  Misunderstoodasa

methodology

2.  Breadthisonlyavirtue

3.  ‘staging’requiresafurtherlook

4.  Independentor

interdependentresearch?

5. Manypossibili@es

‘ Mul%-methodresearchisana4emptto

combineresearchmethodstoaddressa

 par%cularresearchproblem.Itisageneric

termthatencompassesawiderangeofresearchstrategies;itmaybedeployed

strategically,itmaybeusedoverthecourse

ofaresearchproject;anditmaybreachthe

qualita%ve/quan%ta%vedivideoritmaybe

 prac%sedwithineachcamp.’

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Clinging onto the fence,

 jumping off or …..?

Juliet MacKenzie

Conclusion

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Atkinson,P,Coffey,A.,Delamont,S.,andLofland,J.(2001)HandbookofEthnography ,London:Sage.

Bassey,M.(1999)CaseStudyResearchinEduca%onalSeJngs,Maidenhead:OpenUniversityPress.

David,M.,Edwards,R.,andAlldred,P.(2010)ChildrenandSchool-basedResearch:‘informedconsent’

or‘educatedconsent’,Bri%shEduca%onalResearchournal (27)3:347-365.Eke,R.andLee,J.(2009)usingtalkeffec%velyintheprimaryclassroom,Abingdon:Routledge.

Fielding,M.(2003)Transforma@veapproachedtostudentvoice:theore@calunderpinnings,recalcitrant

reali@es,Bri%shEduca%onalResearchournal ,30(2):295-311.

Hopwood,N.(2012)GeographyinSecondarySchools,ResearchingPupils’ClassroomExperiences,

London:Con@nuumInterna@onalPublishingGroup.

Lewis,A.andPorter,J.(?)Researchandpupilvoice,in…McKendrick,J.H.(1999)Mul@-MethodResearch:AnIntroduc@ontoitsapplica@onsinPopula@on

Geography, professionalgeographer ,(51)1:40-46.

Sikes,P.(2010)Theethicsofwri@nglifehistoriesandnarra@vesineduca@onalresearch,inA-M

BathmakerandP.Harne(2010)ExploringLearning,iden%ty&powerthroughLifeHistory&Narra%ve

Research,Abingdon:Routledge.

Stake,R.E.(1995)TheArtofCaseStudyResearch,London:SagePublica@ons.Yin,R.K.(1994)CaseStudyResearch:DesignandMethods,2ndedn,London:Sage.

References