Problematising Pupil Voice Using Visual Methods - Assignment Example

?End of Module Assessment Work This paper will examine two articles d Problematising pupil voice using visual methods: findings from a study of engaged and disaffected pupils in an urban secondary school by Hilary Cremin, Carolynne Mason and Hugh Busher, and Inside The Primary Classroom: Examples of Dissatisfaction Behind A Veil of Compliance by Helen Fisher. It will consider the differences and similarities of the pair of articles in relation to several areas such as topics, methodology, scope, conclusion, among others. Part A: Differences and similarities of the pair of articles Similarities and differences in topic There exist several similarities and differences in the topics of the two articles. One similarity is that both articles are exploring the issues of school pupils and students, together with the problems that they face. One article examines how pupils in mixed secondary schools within the UK together with their teachers experience pupil voice. It problematizes the philosophy of pupil voice, examining the idea of young people being enabled to influence the outcomes of their own education, highlighting the need for them to speak out about issues concerning them. The other article explores the feelings of students towards the literary lessons in an academic year, together with their behavior towards it (Carter-Steel & Al-Hakim 2009). A difference occurs in that while one article is a study of the feelings of several students over a course of time, the other is just an article that examines the experiences of teachers and students about a certain issue, and it does not involve an actual study. The pupil voice article applies visual methods to find out how the pupils’ voice, discipline, and engagement are carried out within a school, while the primary classroom article applies an actual study of the pupils involved. It uses a typology of the pupils on a basis an analysis of the school policy’s documentation (Fisher 2011). Similarities and differences in scope and scale When examining the scope and scale of the two essays, some similarities as well as differences occur. The scope is the area covered by an essay. In both essays, the area covered involves the interaction of pupils and students with their teachers and tutors within a school environment. The pupil voice article is a study of how secondary school students express their feelings and ideas to their teachers such that they will be heard and understood. It offers advice on how the pupils and students can do this in the best possible way. The primary classroom article on the other hand, explores the perception of the students towards their lessons and the academic year as a whole, providing examples of how they are dissatisfied with the learning process although they comply with the rules and regulations. This is an apparent similarity in scope that is present in the two articles (Fisher 2011). Perhaps the only difference in the scope of the two articles occurs in the study area explored. In the primary classroom article, its study involved only the pupils that are in year six of their primary education. Although it sampled over 100 pupils, it limited its study area to just a certain class year, as opposed to the pupil voice article. The pupil voice article has a wide study area that is an urban secondary school for students aged between 11 and 16 years old. This means that unlike the classroom article, it examines students of several class years, not just one, thus it has a wider sampling data (Carter-Steel & Al-Hakim 2009). Similarities and differences in paradigm Paradigm involves a set of forms all of them containing a certain theme. In the two articles, the common theme is the expression of pupils and students’ feelings while they are at school. Both articles explore this theme using several ways or forms, both of which have similarities as well as differences. One similarity in the forms is the use of study techniques and study methods, involving the examination of a certain group of pupils and students. The primary classroom article samples pupils in year six of their primary education, while the pupil voice article samples the students in a school for students aged between 11 and 16 years. The paradigm similarity is that they have the same way of forming a study area, which is sampling pupils (Fisher 2011). A difference in paradigm in the two articles occurs in the form of the articles themselves. While one article involves an actual study of the behavior and reactions of students, the other just explores the experiences of pupils and students together with their teachers about issues of expression. This is one of the differences in the ways of exploring the main theme of the two articles, which is the issue of how students express their feelings to the student administration (Carter-Steel & Al-Hakim 2009). Similarities and differences in epistemology When considering the exact definition of epistemology, it is clear that it is not relevant in any of the two articles, and therefore is not applicable for comparison of similarities or differences in the two articles. Epistemology can be narrowly defined as the study of knowledge and belief that is justified. When it comes to knowledge study, epistemology deals with the sufficient ad necessary conditions of knowledge, it sources, its structure, as well as its limits. It is apparent that none of these areas is present or can be studied within the two articles in question. When exploring the study of beliefs that are justified, epistemology aims at making people understand the justification concept, what makes beliefs that are justified to be so, and whether justification is external or internal to a person’s own mind. Again, none of these areas can be applied in the two articles, making the irrelevant and cannot form a basis of comparison for differences or similarities. When understood under a more broad sense, epistemology is about creating and disseminating knowledge in certain areas of inquiry, and thus is not relevant to articles dealing with the expression of pupils and student’s feelings to their teachers (Fisher 2011). Similarities and differences in ontology Just like in the case of epistemology, ontology is irrelevant in the two articles, and thus it cannot be applied when it comes to similarities and differences in the two articles. The definition of ontology generates a lot of controversy in its discussion, and it has a long philosophy history, in which is a reference to the existence subject. Additionally, it is also often confused with epistemology that is about knowing and knowledge. When examining the knowledge sharing context, ontology can be defined as a specification of a certain conceptualization, meaning that it is a description of the relationships and concepts that can exist for a certain agent (Cremin, Mason & Busher 2011). Ontology is designed for the purpose of enabling knowledge to be shared and reused. Therefore, it cannot be applied when comparing the two articles since it has no basis for comparison. The two articles deal with the expression of students feelings towards their teachers and the school curriculum in general; hence, ontology cannot be applied in comparing similarities and differences. This clearly shows that this area is completely irrelevant concerning the two articles in question, hence there is no need to attempt to from a comparison basis using ontology (Fisher 2011). Similarities and differences in the literature reviewed When examining the literature review of the two articles, some similarities can be observed, one of the most prominent one being that in both cases, the review is divided into several sections. In the pupil voice article, the literature review is divided into three sections. The first section deals with the documentation of the school policy, the second section presenting findings from the pupil scrapbooks analysis, and the third section giving the findings from the analysis of photo-elicitation interviews of both pupils and teachers. The primary classroom article is also divided into three sections. Section one explores the perspective of the student in the expression of opinions and ideas, the second section looks at the curriculum of primary schools in the United Kingdom, while the third section is about the power, dominance, and control that is possessed by teachers in the classroom(Carter-Steel & Al-Hakim 2009). The most prominent difference in the literature review of the two articles is the way they are presented. In the pupils’ voice article, it is a study of how the teachers and pupils react to the voicing of the pupils’ expressions. Therefore, the literature review of this article is presented in the form of findings of this study. It applies visual methods to find out the ways in which the feelings and ideas of the pupils are dealt with by the school administration, with the findings discussed in the literature review. The primary class article’s literature review, on the other hand, is a theoretical exploration of the feelings of the students towards the school curriculum and education in general. The findings of this article are contained in a section of its own, and are not included in the literature review (Fisher 2011). Similarities and differences in the methodology One similarity in the methodology of the two articles is that both collected data and information from pupils and students of certain primary and secondary schools. The pupil voice article got information from pupils in a mixed secondary school from students aged between 11 and 16 years old. On the other hand, the primary classroom article collected its views from over one hundred pupils who are in the sixth year of their primary education. They were observed through progressive sampling in a variety of subjects, exploring the efforts applied in the concealment of the pupils’ feelings. Another similarity is that in the methodology of both articles, interviews were conducted. In the pupil voice article photo- elicitation interviews were conducted on pupils, class teachers, and senior teachers. The other article conducted semi-structured interviews were conducted on the students and pupils (Fisher 2011). There are also some differences in the methodology of the two articles, the main one being the ways used to get data. While the primary classroom article used semi-structured interviews to gather information from respondents, the pupil voice article applied photo- elicitation interviews. Another difference is the number of methods used to get the data. The pupil voice article used interviews as the only source of data from its respondents, and did not apply other sources. The primary classroom used a variety of methods for collecting data, including interviews, observations, ethics and coding. Additionally, while the pupil voice article interviewed a wide variety of respondents including pupils and students, senior teachers and class teachers, the other articles limited itself to interviewing pupils and students only (Carter-Steel & Al-Hakim 2009). Similarities and differences in the research methods The primary classroom article applied several research methods such as structured interviews, coding, observations, and ethics. Time-sampled observations were applied to accompany the interviews. Across a sixty-minute lesson, a structure was established, with the observations being recorded. These recordings at the observation times were descriptive in order to eliminate the possibility of personal interpretation risk, since there was no other person to act as a co-observer. In addition to the interviews and observations, ethical guidelines were also applied to ensure that the participants had an understanding of the project such as the issues of data confidentiality and anonymity, and that they should participate willingly and can withdraw at any time. In the coding research method, since it was not possible to define themes clearly, it was intended that they would emerge from the data. Thus, the collection and analysis of the data were not rigidly separated. It was therefore necessary to apply a descriptive coding. However, the inferential coding was only applied towards the end of round one of the interviews and observations. A difference occurred in that the pupil voice article did not include ethics and coding in their research methods (Cremin, Mason & Busher 2011). Similarities and differences in the research instruments Since the research methodology applied in both articles involved oral interviews, there were no research instruments that could be applied. Perhaps the only physical instrument that was applied was a tape recorder that was used to record the responses of the respondents to be used later for analysis. Therefore, comparison of the similarities and differences of research instruments in the two articles was fund to be irrelevant and was not applicable to the two articles (Carter-Steel & Al-Hakim 2009). Similarities and differences in the data generated The data generated in the two articles had some similarities as well as some differences. One way in which they are similar is the way they were presented. In both the articles, the findings were divided into three sections. In the pupil voice article, the first article was about the documentation of the school policy while the second section was about presenting the findings of the pupil scrapbooks analysis. The third section is about the presentation of the interviews involving teachers and students. The findings of the other article was also separated into three sections. Section one explores the perspective of the student in the expression of opinions and ideas, the second section looks at the curriculum of primary schools in the United Kingdom, while the third section is about the power, dominance, and control that is possessed by teachers in the classroom. The other similarity is that in each section of the articles’ findings, there was a discussion of each of the sources of data. Each article had several data sources that are discussed in detail at the findings section (Cremin, Mason & Busher 2011). The main difference in the data generated by the two articles is that the primary article had more accurate data than the other article due to more data verification methods applied. This article applied interviews, observations, coding and ethics. On the other hand, the pupil voice article had interviews as the only way of gathering data and it did not have ways of verifying data as in the case of the other article. Therefore a difference occurs in that one article has more accurate gathered data than the other has (Carter-Steel & Al-Hakim 2009). Similarities and differences in the analysis When analyzing the data gathered in the two articles some similarities occur, one of them being the presentation. Both articles do not have an analysis section, instead incorporating the analysis of data in other sections of the essay. In the pupil voice article, the analysis of the data is included in the findings section, whereby an analysis of each finding is discussed in detail. Each finding is examined then an analysis of that particular finding is presented just below it. In the primary classroom article, the analysis section is combined with the conclusion section towards the end of the paper, under the discussion title. The discussion analyses some of the findings that are most suitable to be applied in the requirements of the essay scope (Cremin, Mason & Busher 2011). One possible difference in the analysis of the two articles occurs in how they are presented. Since one article involves an actual study involving pupils and the other article is about examining the experiences of students, the presentation of findings discussion is therefore different from one another. The pupil voice article’s discussion is centered on analyzing the findings of the study and what can be learnt from them so that the pupils can express themselves in a so they will be understood by their teachers. On the other hand, the primary classroom article’s discussion is an analysis the extent to which students are dissatisfied by the school administration but they are unable to express their opinions. It analyses and then offers suggestions on the approach the students can take to express themselves and how the school administration can be sensitive to the student’s issues and opinions (Cremin, Mason & Busher 2011). Similarities and differences in the conclusions/implications One difference between the conclusions of the two articles is that while in the pupil voice article the conclusion is a section of its own, the conclusion of the primary classroom article is combined with another section. The later article has a discussion and conclusion section put together such that it is not clear where the discussion part ends and the conclusion section begins. The various points that are examined this article are discussed in this section, with the last few paragraphs of the article offering a conclusion to the points discussed in a hasty and dismissive manner. In a sharp contrast, the pupil voice article’s conclusion section is detailed and offers a genuine summary of all the points discussed in the article. Additionally, this conclusion is presented in a clear cut manner such that the reader can understand what the paper is all about by just going though the conclusion section only (Cremin, Mason & Busher 2011). A possible similarity in the discussion sections of the two articles is that the authors offer their own opinions and recommendations about the issues discussed in their respective articles. Under normal circumstances, the conclusion section of most research papers offers a summary of how other sections of the paper, from the introduction to the discussion section. However, in this case the authors of the two articles go one step ahead and offer their own opinions that are not referenced. Such opinions are aimed at convincing the reader that the issues discussed in the paper are serious and therefore need to be taken seriously (Carter-Steel & Al-Hakim 2009). Similarities and differences in the overall presentation The two articles contain some differences as well as similarities in the manner in which they are presented. One similarly is that since both are dissertation papers, they are divided into various sections. These sections include an introduction, methodology, discussion, findings, analysis, and a conclusion at the end. As much as the order and presentation of these sections is not exactly the same, at least each of the sections is examined. In addition, some of the sections are divided into several subsections for more details and accuracy. Another notable similarity is that in both articles, the author or authors use a first person narrative to present the paper. Since the pupil voice article is written by three authors, they use the collective term ‘we’ in their explanations. On the other hand, the primary classroom article is written by one author, who used the word ‘I’ in her explanations. The use of first person narrative in the two articles is aimed at convincing the reader of the authenticity of the research findings, in that the author or authors have conducted the research study themselves. A difference in the presentation occurs in the division of the articles into sections. Some sections are present in one article while they are missing in the other article. For example, the pupil voice article does not have a methodology section, unlike the other article. Instead, it has an article titled the study in hand that explains the steps taken to gather the data concerning the study. Additionally, it does not have a literature review section, with all the literature being discussed in the ‘study at hand’ section. PART B In the second part of the module, one of the theories discussed was the scientific theory that also includes the positivist paradigm. This theory treats the educational theory as factual, involving how things are as opposed to how they should be. This theory is derived in large part from natural science influence when it is used as a model. This theory is perceived as a system of laws that offer an explanation to certain event types, particularly the types of circumstances, through identifying the mechanisms used. Science searches for relationships between the variables involved to explain and explore any natural phenomena. Particularly, since science shows concern for cause and effect, it is seen as capable of showing the reasons as to why a certain practice or policy might be successful in some circumstances while it fails in others. Positivism is a research paradigm that is related to scientific theories. It can be historically characterized as a way of thinking about enquiry and knowledge that takes natural science, and seeks to use scientific methodology as the best way for understanding and researching on psychological and social phenomena. Positivists are of the opinion that natural science success in modern times is as a result of the refusal by scientists to consider anything beyond what can be supported using empirical evidence, especially the evidence that has been gotten from careful observation of any phenomena or experimental manipulation. This theory challenges religious claims about knowledge of the world, as well; as the various speculative philosophies that fail to pay attention to the findings presented by empirical evidence, or appeal to what considered by common sense as obvious. These positivists had high hopes that human social life science would lead to substantial political and social progress, through undermining practices and belies that have their basis solely on tradition or superstition, replacing them with the ones who have their basis on scientific evidence. If Hilary Cremin, Carolynne Mason and Hugh Busher had applied this theory in their article entitled Problematising pupil voice using visual methods: findings from a study of engaged and disaffected pupils in an urban secondary school, the article would have a much better presentation that it is. For example, the article would not have some of the important sections missing, such as the methodology and the literature review sections. Additionally, the article would have more convincing presentations and points that would offer great support to the issue being discussed. The article would not have applied visual methods to search for findings about disaffected pupils. Instead, the authors would have applied a scientific methodology for finding out the causes of students’ disaffection with the school curriculum (Fisher 2011). PART C After going through the study of E891, I learnt several important things that would assist me in analyzing such articles in the future. One of the things I learnt is that I got to build an understanding of how to evaluate research literature through thinking about research approaches and perspectives. This is how the research question is conceptualized together with how the designing of the research process is done so that particular data and particular evidence is obtained. The manner in which the research is conceptualized should inform the decision regarding the approach to take in the research process to have the required success. After going through the module, I was able to adopt a more broad understanding of tools that are more than just the physical and include even the psychological. The tools enabled me to engage in certain activities in a certain way, as they from the meditational means with which people act. The choosing of which tool to use and its eventual use in shaping activity. In order to develop an understanding of a certain tool, one needs to know when the tools are judged as appropriate for use. A good example can be seen in the need to measure quantities within different activities and the practices that are related to this need. Taking measurements using instruments and scales are merely practices that serve as tools within certain contexts. People may use or may not use them in cooking depending on their experience, but may be applied in situations whereby accuracy is paramount and possible errors can be problematic. People’s decisions are influenced not only through the apparent need for accuracy, but also whether the quantity being considered can be measured (Cremin, Mason & Busher 2011). Another vital thing I learnt is that language is one of the key mediation tools or means. The meaning of this is that our use of expressions, terms, and convictions is dependent on the context, and that this context forms both the situation that cues their use, and the practices and the meanings that are associated with them. For example in order to read a recipe, one must have the ability to read and also need much more, such as what different measures means, what food labels signify, and many more. We gather all these understandings and apply them in the activity of cooking using a cookery book. How the reporting of research is done together with how the process takes place is a demonstration of many of the tools that are required in doing research within an educational community. The debate about educational research quality together with the constituents of educational research led to the need for distinguishing between research based on discipline and research based on practice. The distinction made between world perspectives and theories is that world perspectives a larger and combine several theories to form an orientation that is a lenses through which people organize their experiences. On the other hand, theories can be defined as attempts to offer explanations to aspects of that experience. These theories play a crucial role of helping in making sense of the experiences (Carter-Steel & Al-Hakim 2009). It is obvious that there are other theories that may offer challenge to the above explanation. When looking at these theories, knowledge is perceived to be pre-existence in that there exist an objective reality that is external and what is seen and experienced is stable across contexts and people, and thus it is shared. This manner of forming theories legitimizes the practices of assessment that form an assumption that an item under test has a similar meaning to all who are taking the test, what is being measured is stable. Therefore, failing to provide the appropriate response can be interpreted as indicating inability or ignorance. The problem lies with the person taking the assessment as opposed to the assessment instrument and the backgrounds that are very different and the experiences of the individual. This view is often described as the leaner’s’ deficit view. In the view of knowledge and of learning, where meanings are social and negotiated in nature, failing to respond to a test item correctly can lead to many explanations. It could mean that the words meaning in the item were not made available to the learner, or they may not have gotten a chance to find out what was being processed. Another possible reason might be that the learners assume they cannot undertake certain things, thus, they assume they are incompetent and cannot respond. References Carter-Steel, A and Al-Hakim, L., 2009, Information Systems Research Methods, Epistemology, And Applications, Idea Group Inc (IGI). Cremin, H., Mason, C., and Busher, H., 2011, Problematising pupil voice using visual methods: findings from a study of engaged and disaffected pupils in an urban secondary school, British Journal of Educational Studies, 37 (2), 585-603 Fisher, H., 2011, Inside The Primary Classroom: Examples of Dissatisfaction Behind A Veil of Compliance. British Journal of Educational Studies, 59 (2), 121-141 Read More