Action research in the graphics classroom: reflections of educational change initiatives in two schools

dc.contributor.advisordu Plooy, Lucinda
dc.contributor.authorCowan, Gillian Margaret
dc.date.accessioned2023-06-21T09:06:56Z
dc.date.accessioned2024-04-15T08:01:04Z
dc.date.available2023-06-21T09:06:56Z
dc.date.available2024-04-15T08:01:04Z
dc.date.issued1990
dc.descriptionMagister Educationis - MEden_US
dc.description.abstractThis thesis is an account of my experiences as a Graphics teacher using critical action research to examine my educational practice while working with standard nine students in two white high schools in Cape Town. The subject that I taught, since it was predominantly a "practical" one, was primarily for students who were often labelled, not only by teachers but by the students themselves, as academically "weak" or "stupid" as well as "delinquent". While my initial intention was to try to improve my own educational practice and, as a consequence be better able to help my students, it became apparent that I could not begin to understand the emerging issues in isolation from the context in which the research was undertaken. Issues, which at first seemed relatively simple, became increasingly complex as the research cycles proceeded. Three particular issues are further discussed: i) The problems of qualitative research, particularly those of data collection and narrative language; The value of "thick" description as opposed to the surface representations of positivistic research modes justifies the difficulty of following the qualitative research method. ii) The ways in which the curriculum and school organisation can perpetuate social inequalities and injustices, which may be further reinforced by student resistance; my experience of my project students strongly suggested that for whatever other reasons they were doing so badly at school, it certainly was not because they were academically "weak" or "stupid". iii) The value that critical action research has as a form of praxis or critical pedagogy. By closing the gap between theory and practice, it has enabled me to come to understand better the ideological nature of organised education and the consequences thereof.en_US
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/10566/10618
dc.language.isoenen_US
dc.publisherUniversity of the Western Capeen_US
dc.rights.holderUniversity of the Western Capeen_US
dc.subjectAction research in educationen_US
dc.subjectGraphic artsen_US
dc.subjectGraphics teacheren_US
dc.subjectCape Townen_US
dc.subjectHigh schoolsen_US
dc.titleAction research in the graphics classroom: reflections of educational change initiatives in two schoolsen_US

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