Asher Shkedi

Multiple case narrative : a qualitative approach to studying multiple populations

This book introduces a methodology for the construction of a comprehensive narrative description and narrative-based theory from the study of multiple populations. The book has two parallel foci. On the one hand, it is a conceptual treatise, focusing on the principles of the Multiple Case Narrative. On the other hand, it also has a practical “how-to” focus with a step-by-step guide to conducting a Multiple Case Narrative. The book is accessible and comprehensive and addresses both those in the field as well as those with little background in the methodologies of narrative study and qualitative research.This book is also relevant to those who are interested in other qualitative varieties like single and collective narrative inquiry, single and collective case study, as well as ethnography, because each of the procedures and techniques described here can be easily utilized for conducting other types of qualitative research.

From Curriculum Guide to Classroom Practice: Teachers' Narratives of Curriculum Application.

The paper examines the implementation of an external written curriculum in the classroom. The study is based on observation of and interviews with 26 Israeli Bible teachers who followed a formal curriculum and used a teachers’ guide. The study identified three types of curriculum narrative: the frame narrative, the task narrative, and the meta‐narrative. Whereas both curriculum writers and teachers were conscious of the existence of the frame and task narratives, neither group was aware of the existence of the curriculum meta‐narrative. Moreover, most teachers felt no obligation to adhere to the curriculum writers’ frame narrative and suggested curriculum activities, and, indeed, some 80% of the curriculum tasks analysed in this study were devised by teachers, not suggested by curriculum writers. Teachers were also unaware of the curriculum writers’ meta‐narrative and constructed their own meta‐narratives, which differed almost completely from that of the writers. This study reveals that the conception of teachers as ‘obedient’ to a written curriculum, which they interpret and adapt while preserving its essential principles, is inconsistent with the teachers’ own curriculum thinking. That thinking, founded on narrative thought, understands both curriculum and teaching as revealed stories which are used as a source of stimulation and inspiration.

Second‐order theoretical analysis: a method for constructing theoretical explanation

In this paper a model is offered that allows for the construction of a theoretical explanation on the basis of data accumulated in the field for the purpose of constructing a meaningful description. In this endeavour a distinction is proposed between two methods of theoretical analysis: first‐order analysis and second‐order analysis. First‐order theoretical analysis is the process of constructing a theoretical explanation that we arrive at by way of directly translating descriptive categories into theoretical categories. Second‐order theoretical analysis is a process of constructing theoretical explanation through a conversion of the descriptive categories based on the less than ideally dense data pool we already have. The theory that qualitative researchers attempt to construct is ‘low level theory’ that evolves from the study of a phenomenon in a particular situational context and is applicable to immediate and specific situations. In this paper, the second‐order theoretical procedure will be explained and exemplified in an analysis of teachers’ images, which is presented as a theoretical model for understanding teachers’ conceptions of the pedagogical encounter between teachers and students in Bible classes.

School-based workshops for teacher participation in curriculum development

This paper examines a guideline for deliberation within the framework of a teachers’ workshop for school‐based adaptation of curriculum. This framework allows teachers to participate in the curriculum development process. The underlying assumption is that the appropriate way to conduct workshop deliberation is to relate the teachers’ thinking to the curriculum process. The ‘dilemma’ is suggested as expressive of the state of teachers’ thinking. A case study of a teachers’ workshop is reported and excerpts of the teachers’ deliberations are analyzed.

Studying culturally valued texts: teachers’ conception vs. students’ conceptions

Abstract This study is based on in-depth interviews with Israeli teachers and students studying culturally valued texts and focuses on their respective conceptions of Bible studies. The findings indicate that the students see their encounter with the Bible as first and foremost a process of cultural encounter with the text. On the other hand, teachers see their role as one of imparting knowledge and one which is almost devoid of any cultural dimension. The paper concludes that the teachers of Bible and other culturally valued texts should change their conception of their role from one focusing on the transmitting of knowledge to one focusing on intercultural mediating.

Curriculum and teachers: an encounter of languages and literatures

This paper focuses on an innovative curriculum for teaching culturally valued texts and the issues around the curriculum’s implementation by teachers. The writers of this curriculum considered the subject‐matter of this curriculum as a cultural ‘language’ containing specific concepts, attitudes, and modes of thought. The curriculum itself is seen as a ‘literature’ by means of which the subject‐matter is formed into an educational approach. I argue that the actual encounter between the teachers and the written curriculum can be seen as an encounter between different subject‐matters and different educational approaches of the curriculum and the teachers. In the encounter the teachers create their own approaches for teaching the culturally‐valued texts, and this is different from the one offered them by the writers of the curriculum. I contend that the lack of compatibility between the subject‐matter and educational understandings of the curriculum writers and teachers may explain why the teachers failed to adopt the approach of the curriculum.

The tension between ‘ought’ and ‘is’: teachers’ conceptions of the encounter between students and culturally valued texts

Summary This study attempts to arrive at an understanding of the pedagogical content knowledge of teachers of culturally valued texts. It focuses on the teaching of the Bible in Israel and in Jewish schools outside Israel. The Bible is the central cultural text valued by the Jewish people. In‐depth interviews were conducted with 52 teachers of the Bible. The first two research questions examined the encounter between students and text as perceived by the teachers and reflected their views regarding students’ attitudes towards the text and the difficulties faced by them. The third research question attempted to assess the role of the text in the educational process from the teachers’ point of view. Our findings suggest that teachers’ conception of students and their conception of the educational subject‐matter are frequently inconsistent. We claim that teachers’ pedagogical content knowledge usually involves tensions between these two perspectives.

Teachers’ Workshop Encounters with Jewish Moral Texts

Abstract This paper deals with the concept of pedagogical content knowledge in the context of the teaching of Jewish moral texts in Jewish day‐schools. The authors approach views pedagogical content knowledge as the dimension of translating subject‐matter knowledge for teaching. Teaching Jewish texts is nowadays becoming a highly complicated task, because most Jews no longer accept the a priori authority of the Jewish texts. In order to understand the pedagogical content knowledge involved in teaching moral texts, an analysis is presented here of the process taking place during teachers’ workshops.

Educating Reflective Teachers for Teaching Culturally Valued Subjects: Evaluation of a Teacher-training Project.

This paper describes and evaluates a teacher-training project for teaching culturally valued subjects. The study focuses on the practicum activities of the first year of the training programme. The assumption of the staff members was that appropriate teaching is reflective teaching and that teachers who teach culturally valued subjects should have the characteristics of critical reflection. However, they believed that reflective ability could be achieved spontaneously by every student teacher without any special training. The findings of the study have shown that although the student-teachers indeed displayed a significant measure of reflectivity, their critical reflection was almost completely undeveloped. On the basis of these findings we may conclude that the key to educating reflective teachers lies in the quality of the pedagogical guidance provided. Neglecting such reflective guidance limits the professional growth of critical-reflective teachers and restricts their ability to deal effectively with culturally valued subjects. In achieving all these objectives, the reflective-internship approach to training teachers of culturally valued subjects is perhaps the strategy of choice.

Experienced teachers react to a case

Abstract This study explores the potential of the case method in teacher professional development. In the course of this study, the authors exposed experienced teachers to a case and attempted to characterize the “dialogue” that took place between each teacher and the case. The data were collected from interviews with 41 Israeli teachers. All of the teachers found the language of the case to be communicative, and the overwhelming majority viewed this method of presenting teaching knowledge as respectable and credible. On the other hand, most of the teachers did not grasp all of the reflective characteristics of the case and basically examined the case according to their own “personal stories,” ignoring other layers and aspects of the case.