Exploring Practitioner Research in Further Education

Kerry Scattergood is Lecturer in Adult Literacy at Solihull College & University Centre, UK.Samantha Jones is Principal Lecturer at the University of Hertfordshire, UK.

"This book is a vital resource for anyone involved in post-compulsory education, from practitioners seeking to improve their craft to leaders looking to foster a culture of research within their institutions. Each chapter is a timely and valuable contribution: empowering practitioners to become researchers, fostering a culture of continuous improvement and innovation within the FE sector."Amy Woodrow, Director of Student Experience, Quality and Safeguarding, City of Bristol College, UK"As a Further Education based research practitioner and research lead, the need to grow the practitioner research within the sector cannot be clearer to me. This book contains a plethora of examples about how this has been done and provides a range of examples that can elucidate the process and motivate readers to start to carry out similar research themselves. It is also a book which shows the powers that be (like the Department for Education and OFSTED) that there is a growing, and thriving, research community in the Post-16 sector which they ignore at their peril."Debi Saunders (She/Her), Senior Quality and Compliance Officer, York College, UK"Research should be ‘rooted in…curiosity’ and ‘made public’, asserted Lawrence Stenhouse, a great champion of practitioner researcher. Edited by Sam Jones and Kerry Scattergood, this book is fine example of this as it showcases 12 further education-based practitioner research stories and ‘maps’ FE’s research organisations. As such, it will be of great interest to academics researching the sector and an essential and valuable resource to those working in the sector who want to do some practitioner research. Here are three reasons why. First, it provides excellent examples of how to do and write up practitioner research that will inspire aspiring researchers in the sector to ‘take action’. Second, it offers lesson learned from doing practitioner research so that aspiring researchers can build on them rather than trying to find the same ‘trail of breadcrumbs’ as the editors when they started out. Third, these stories reflect the diversity of this most diverse of sectors, showing the aspiring researcher that practitioner research can be done in their setting too. So, if you are curious about the value of practitioner research to an individual or organisation, how to do it or how to write it up, this book is a great place to start."Dr David Powell, University of Huddersfield, UK

• ForewordPrefaceIntroductionMapping the sector: further education research organisationsPart 1: Developing pedagogy1) Changing the lens: developing teaching practice through taking a diffractive and dialogical approach to self and peer observation.2) Shaping practice and pedagogy in offender learning.3) Teach the Teacher: tackling a failure mindset with GCSE resit learners in Further Education through a ‘bridging the empathy gap’ intervention.4) Investigating the teaching of agriculture in further education in EnglandPart 2: Overcoming barriers in the sector5) Reducing barriers to learning opportunities for healthcare professionals to improve attendance.6) Time: The Hidden Challenge for Course Leaders for College-Based Higher Education7) Making Learning Diaries Meaningful for Learners in the CommunityPart 3: Models for practitioner research in FE8) Coleg Sir Gar Coleg Ceredigion: The Evolution of our Culture of Curiosity9) The Progress of Research and Scholarship in Scottish Colleges: charting some key developments.10) The Power of Community: Developing Intergenerational Learning Spaces.11) Developing the capacity for, and use of, practitioner research: The Research College Group.Part 4: Stories of leadership12) Unblocking the FE leadership pipeline: understanding today’s senior leaders in order to inspire tomorrow’s.Conclusion