Table Of ContentExperiments in Agency
NEW RESEARCH – NEW VOICES
Volume 7
Series Editor
Halla B. Holmarsdottir, Oslo and Akershus University College of Applied Sciences, Norway
International Advisory Board
Karen Biraimah, University of Central Florida, USA
Heidi Biseth, Buskerud University College, Norway
Joan DeJaeghere, University of Minnesota, USA
Zubeida Desai, University of the Western Cape, South Africa
Alawia Farag, Ahfad University for Women, Sudan
Fatma Gok, Bogazici University, Turkey
Lihong Huang, Norwegian Social Research (NOVA) Institute, Norway
Suzanne Majhanovich, University of Western Ontario, Canada
Diane Napier, University of Georgia, USA
Vuyokazi Nomlomo, University of the Western Cape, South Africa
Gerald Ouma, University of Pretoria, South Africa
Adila Pašalić-Kreso, University of Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina
Yusuf Sayed, University of Sussex, UK
New Research – New Voices involves two strands, leaving open the possibility of others as
the series grows:
Strand 1: New Voices and New Knowledge in Research Methodology
This strand in the book series is dedicated to producing cutting-edge titles focusing on Re-
search Methodology. While it might be generally acknowledged that educational researchers
often tend to import methods developed in neighboring disciplines, this is not always ac-
knowledged in the literature on methodology. This series intends to contribute to the knowl-
edge foundation in educational research by specifically seeking out those who work both
across disciplines and inter-disciplinary in terms of their methodological approaches. The
overall focus is to develop a series focusing on those methods which are appropriate in dealing
with the specific research problems of the discipline.
The series provides students and scholars with state-of-the-art scholarship on methodology,
methods and techniques focusing on a range of research topics. It comprises innovative and
intellectually rigorous monographs and edited collections which bridge schools of thought
and cross the boundaries of conventional approaches. The series covers a broad range of is-
sues focusing on not only empirical-analytical and interpretive approaches, but moreover on
micro and macro studies, and quantitative and qualitative methods.
Strand 2: New Voices and New Knowledge in Educational Research
This part of the series will focus on theoretical and empirical contributions that are unique and
will provide important insights into the field of educational research across a range of contexts
globally. This part of the series will collectively communicate new voices, new insights and
new possibilities within the field of educational research. In particular the focus will be on
scholars, students and communities that have often been excluded or marginalized within
educational research and practice.
Experiments in Agency
A Global Partnership to Transform Teacher Research
Edited by
Supriya Baily, Farnoosh Shahrokhi and Tami Carsillo
George Mason University, USA
A C.I.P. record for this book is available from the Library of Congress.
ISBN: 978-94-6300-942-3 (paperback)
ISBN: 978-94-6300-943-0 (hardback)
ISBN: 978-94-6300-944-7 (e-book)
Published by: Sense Publishers,
P.O. Box 21858,
3001 AW Rotterdam,
The Netherlands
https://www.sensepublishers.com/
All chapters in this book have undergone peer review.
Cover image by Nishaad S. Lorengo
Printed on acid-free paper
All Rights Reserved © 2017 Sense Publishers
No part of this work may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted
in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, microfilming,
recording or otherwise, without written permission from the Publisher, with the
exception of any material supplied specifically for the purpose of being entered and
executed on a computer system, for exclusive use by the purchaser of the work.
To teachers who make a difference – Pratima Rao, the first
teacher who showed me that relationships matter, and
Laura Conley and Jonathan Baker who have had a
profound impact on my two boys – Supriya Baily
To Ida, our one and only child. As an American, may you
always find ways to connect to the world and value your
Iranian heritage – Farnoosh Shahrokhi
To my parents for instilling a love for learning that has
literally taken me around the world. To Drs. Baily and
Shahrokhi for the opportunity to be a co-editor of this book.
And to all the teachers and students around the world, may
all your hopes and dreams become realities – Tami Carsillo
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Foreword ix
Beverly D. Shaklee
About the Cover xiii
Acknowledgements xv
Prologue xvii
Jennifer Gibson
1. The Story of the Fellowship: An International Partnership between
Teachers and Researchers 1
Supriya Baily, Farnoosh Shahrokhi and Tami Carsillo
2. An Efficacious Professional Development Program for International
Teachers 11
Farnoosh Shahrokhi
3. The Transformative Power of Action Research 25
Stacia Stribling
The Cases – Making a Case for Action Research and Social Justice
4. First Steps toward Community: Facilitating Connections between
Indigenous and Non-Indigenous Students in Rural Argentina 39
Heather Andrews and Romina Griselda Gacio
5. A Teacher and Students’ Transformation at a Time of War: A Case from
Yemen 57
Ahmed Atef and Majid Mahdi
6. Detective Ouattara: Searching for the Female Voice in the Classroom 77
Leah Rapley and Soumaila Ouattara
The Cases – Working with Students and Transforming Practice
7. Building Intrinsic Motivation for English Writing in a Salvadoran
Classroom 95
Lily Lopez-McGee and Sonia Chavarria
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
8. Implementing a “New” Method of Teaching English in Bangladesh:
Incorporating a Communicative Language Teaching (CLT) Model
in a High School Classroom 113
Anthony Ray and Subrata Kumar Roy
9. Crossing the Border: Collaborative Critical Literacy in Istanbul 129
Melissa Hauber-Özer and Melek Gültaç Korun
10. Promoting Active and Engaged Learning through Inclusive Teaching:
A Social Studies Class in Ghana 145
Kudirat Giwa-Lawal and Kumi Ortis
The Cases – Ensuring Collaboration Across and Beyond the Classroom
11. Listen Up!!!: Exploring Metacognitive Listening Strategies in a
Kazakhstan Classroom 169
Dana V. Moore and Elena Olkhovskaya
12. Developing Communicative Competence through Content-Based
Instruction: An Action Research Study in Colombia 183
Kelley Webb and Ana Romero
13. Journeys through Changing Practice: The Chilean English Teachers’
Network 205
Jennifer L. Lebrón and Leyla Nuñez
14. Back to the Shire – At Journey’s End: Lessons Learned through a
Global Education Partnership 221
Supriya Baily
About the Contributors 231
viii
FOREWORD
What an opportunity! This is an important volume in the growth and continued
development for the field of action research. It brings together teams of classroom
practitioners with graduate students to explore problems of practice. That in and
of itself may not be astounding, but the work they have accomplished over their
year-long projects, the critical friends they have become, the writing and research
they have accomplished and the learning from each pair of authors is a significant
contribution to our understanding of continuing professional development. Beginning
with a funded project that brought together teachers of excellence from a variety
of countries, to matching them with interested and attentive graduate students, the
authors of this volume have provided a glimpse into the processes employed and
the understandings gained. They have explored the meaning of teacher agency,
empowerment and leadership.
Action research has a long and rich history of collaborative practice both within
and across cultures. It has long been associated with the continued development
of reflective practitioners through a collaborative and interactive model. It has
also been criticized as a western model of professional development, one that
perpetuates western models of teacher practice and understanding and perhaps not
relevant to the professional development of teachers living and working in other
countries and under other models of practice. It has been explained as a social action,
participatory research, community focused and links social science researchers (in
this instance current and future academics) with practicing professionals (in this
case teachers). In this instance, the participation was voluntary, the action research
topics selected by the in-country participants and the support provided, as requested
by the in-residence teacher, by the graduate student. The result is a variety of rich
descriptions of the process of engagement along with the outcomes of the action
research project itself.
A second notable achievement is the breadth and depth of the action research
projects undertaken. The range is interesting and provocative, engaging and
intriguing, thoughtful and reflective. In the first set of cases, the explorations range
from an examination of indigenous/non-indigenous rural students in Argentina to
the exploration of the female voice in classrooms in Cote D’Ivoire. Expanding
notions of agency the second section gathers information around working with
students and transforming teaching practices. Regions of the world include El
Salvador, Bangladesh, Turkey, and Ghana. In each instance, examinations of
pedagogy, teaching, technology across content domains demanded that the team
explore the topics more deeply – and contextually. The third set of cases expands
action research beyond the classroom and into communities in Kazakhstan, Chile,
and Colombia.
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