Becoming a Teacher-Researcher

Maria Campbell is Director of Graduate Programmes in the School of Education at St. Angela’s College, National University of Ireland, Galway, Ireland.Deirdre Harvey is Postgraduate Coordinator in the School of Education at St. Angela’s College, National University of Ireland, Galway, Ireland.Mary Shanahan is Director of Religious Education in the School of Education at St. Angela’s College, National University of Ireland, Galway, Ireland.

This text is built on an essential component for teacherresearchers: a firm grounding of teacher research. The research process is articulated through the chapters of the text—which is interesting and adds an authenticity to this book.

• Introduction: What Key Themes Need to be Addressed When Navigating the Research Journey?, Maria Campbell, Deirdre Harvey and Mary ShanahanPart I: Getting Started – Grappling with Ideas, Concepts, Frameworks and Ethics1. How Do You Develop Precision and Clarity in the Search For Answers to Research Questions? James Kelly (primary school teacher, Ireland)2. How Does Your Research Question Influence Your Methodology? Laura Balcon (primary school teacher, UK)3. What are the Epistemological Challenges Faced When Studying Teachers’ Beliefs, Judgements and Decision Making? Rebecca Thompson (University of Roehampton, UK)4. How to Navigate Ontology and Epistemology to Develop a Conceptual Framework? Marc Turu Porcel (Leeds Beckett University, UK)5. How Can the Lens of Cultural Historical Activity Theory (CHAT) Help Conceptualisation? Ciara Molloy (primary school teacher, Ireland)6. Why Do I Need a Conceptual Framework Anyway? Tanya Davies (Charles Sturt University, Australia)7. Is Objectivity the Aim? Ceridwen Owen (secondary school teacher, Australia)Part II: Up and Running – Grappling with Methodology, Tools, Participants and Ethics8. How Can We Design Data Collection to Explore Children's Learning? Kirstin Mulholland (Northumbria University, UK)9. What Research Tools Might Be Appropriate to Use with Young School Age Children?, Sinéad Gallagher (Juniata College, USA)10. How Do You Choose an Appropriate Data-Gathering Tool? Christion Hutchinson (teacher, Ireland)11. How Do You Design and Use a Questionnaire to Answer Your Research Questions? Caoimhe Donovan (post-primary school teacher, Ireland)12. How Do You Use Semi-Structured Interviews and Fortune Lines? Kath McCrorie (University of Strathclyde, UK)13. How Does Your Choice of Participants Influence Your Research Study? Kathryn McClure (teacher, UK)14. How Can You Address the Power Imbalance Between Researcher and Participants? Alison Weatherston (University of Strathclyde, UK)15. How Do You Address Ethical Issues When Engaged in Online Research? Diana Tremayne (Leeds Beckett University, UK)16. What Does Ethical Inquiry Within a Transformative, Critical Educational Framework Look Like? Victoria Wasner (University of Teacher Education, Lucerne, Switzerland)Conclusion: What Can We Learn From the Insights of Other Teacher-Researchers? Maria Campbell, Deirdre Harvey and Mary ShanahanIndex