Peter Posch

Research Issues in Environmental Education

(1993). Research Issues in Environmental Education. Studies in Science Education: Vol. 21, No. 1, pp. 21-48.

The Ecologisation of Schools and its Implications for Educational Policy

Abstract Ecologisation of Schools is a relatively new development within the international Environment and School Initatives (ENSI) Programme. In this paper three issues are discussed and exemplified by developments in Austria. The first deals with the meaning of ecologisation and with pedagogical, social/organisational and technical/economic quality criteria. Innovation strategies to achieve full coverage in the school system are the focus of the second section, and some organisational and legal conditions to support ecologisation initiatives are elaborated in the final section.

Changes in the Culture of Teaching and Learning and Implications for Action Research

ABSTRACT Action research has become an International movement in a relatively short time, In this paper I want to show that action research is a correlate to changes in the culture of teaching and learning which in themselves are answers to global changes in industrialised societies. I shall first describe two generic social developments: increasing complexity and growing individualisation. They produce some of the basic challenges for the future of education which are described in the second section. Third, I want to sketch and illustrate some of the elements of a developing educational culture. In this framework I want to show that action research is a necessary development to assist teachers and schools in coping with dynamic developments, divergent demands and complex practical situations.

Reflective development and developmental research: is there a future for action research as a research strategy in German‐speaking countries?

For about two decades only marginal relevance was attributed to action research as a research strategy by large sections of the German social science community. The growing international debate on key concepts such as community participation, community‐based participatory research and participatory action research were largely ignored. In this paper we want to clarify our concept of action research and to provide arguments for the need to re‐evaluate the research potential of this approach. We illustrate the arguments by an analysis of one of the most successful in‐service education of teachers’ courses in Austria, which is based on action research (‘Education and subject matter didactics for teachers’). The second part of the paper argues that the growing number of practical action research examples in German‐speaking countries indicates a social demand for this type of research. The paper ends with a theoretical discussion of frequent objections against action research in the German research tradition.

Action Research in Austria: a review

Abstract The introduction to this article offers some tentative interpretations of the increase of reflectivity in scientific development and places action research in this tradition. Two versions of action research emerged: the relatively short-lived ‘Handlungsforschung’ in Germany and ‘Aktionsforschung’ in Austria. Stimuli and support for the latter version came from England, primarily from John Elliott and Lawrence Stenhouse. A number of influential courses and research programmes resulted from this cooperation. The most recent development is a national policy of quality evaluation in schools which is inspired by the action research philosophy.

I: Action Research in Environmental Education

ABSTRACT This paper deals with the role of action research in the International Environment and School Initiatives (ENSI) Project. The primary aims of the project are described in the introduction: Students should be Involved in ‘experiencing” the environment, in ‘investigating’ it and in “acting” on the environment. Doing this they should participate in decisions on problem definition and procedures, and teachers as well as students should systematically reflect on their activities in order to improve them, i.e. they should involve themselves in action research. On a more general level the role of action research in the ENSI project is described. The main argument is the contention that action research is a means of coping with the potential risks involved in environmental projects and a professional strategy to de‐marginalise these initiatives. The paper concludes with an introduction to the two following papers giving examples of ENSI studies, including a short analysis of specific characteristics of a...

Educational Innovations and Implications for the Teaching Force: The Case of Austria.

In Austria, as in many other countries, the educational system is confronted with challenges. Many of these challenges directly or indirectly affect the teaching profession. The first two sections in this paper describe a few system elements with special emphasis on the situation of the teaching profession. The second section describes new demand structures and how they affect the teaching profession. Sections 3 and 4 are two examples of major interventions in the system and their implications for the profession.In Austria, as in many other countries, the educational system is confronted with challenges. Many of these challenges directly or indirectly affect the teaching profession. The first two sections in this paper describe a few system elements with special emphasis on the situation of the teaching profession. The second section describes new demand structures and how they affect the teaching profession. Sections 3 and 4 are two examples of major interventions in the system and their implications for the profession.

Action research – conceptual distinctions and confronting the theory–practice divide in Lesson and Learning Studies

ABSTRACT The first part of the paper positions the action research movement in the context of other research and development concepts and describes its rationale and some basic quality criteria. Action research is regarded as an umbrella term defined by two generic characteristics: substantial practitioner control of both the practice situation investigated and the research process. These characteristics leave space for considerable variation of action research approaches, depending on the values the two defining criteria take. Selected approaches are described. In the second part, two far-eastern examples of action research are selected that are rapidly gaining ground in western countries: Lesson and Learning Studies. They appear to have potential to not only provide access to practical, mostly tacit routines but to also contribute to reconverting informed knowledge into practical knowledge. A shared characteristic of Lesson and Learning Studies, the iteration of cycles of action and reflection, could be, among other factors, responsible for this transformation. The possible contribution of this feature to overcome the theory–practice divide is discussed.

Schulautonomie: Chance zur Qualitätsverbesserung

Das Interesse an Schulentwicklung und damit verbundener Qualitatsevaluation ist in den letzten Jahren fast sprunghaft angestiegen. Die Grunde dafur sind vielfaltig: Mit der Erweiterung der Entscheidungsspielraume im Schulwesen wird sowohl die Verantwortung fur die lokale Entwicklung als auch die Rechenschaftspflicht uber die Nutzung der Spielraume an die einzelne Schule verlagert. Die Beschrankung offentlicher Haushalte erzwingt einen sorgfaltigen Umgang mit den geringer werdenden personellen und materiellen Ressourcen. Diesem Druck „von ausen“ steht ein wachsendes Interesse „von innen“ an der Entwicklung von Qualitat gegenuber: Sinkende Schulerzahlen und die Auflosung der Sprengel im Pflichtschulbereich schaffen eine Wettbewerbssituation zwischen Schulen und fordern ihre Bereitschaft, sich mit Leistungen zu profilieren. Die wachsende Heterogenitat der Schulerschaft und steigende, teilweise widerspruchliche Erwartungen an die Schule sowohl von seiten der Schulerinnen und Schuler als auch von seiten der Offentlichkeit veranlassen Schulen dazu, die Routinen des Alltags immer wieder zu verlassen und sich grundlegende Fragen zu stellen: Was sind unsere Ziele? Fur welche Werte setzen wir unsere menschlichen und materiellen Ressourcen ein? Was leisten wir und wie erhalten wir daruber verlasliche Informationen? Welche Konsequenzen fur die weitere Entwicklung ziehen wir daraus?

School Renewal through Action Research: a school‐university partnership in Austria

abstract This paper describes an action research project in which teachers and the principal of an academic high school in Austria started a school development process. Using the detailed documentation of each stage in the Project, it shows how a team of researchers worked with the school and what they learned from their collaboration. The paper starts with a short description of the two groups that worked together. Then it summarizes the events that lead up to the collaboration and gives a succinct description of the collaboration model. A large part of the paper is dedicated to a detailed reconstruction of the development of the project during the school year of 1994/95. The paper concludes with a critical analysis offered by the partners in the collaborative effort. 1. An earlier version of this paper was presented at the Annual meeting of the American Educational Research Association in New York, April 1996.