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A teacher's perspective on teacher research and its impact
It seems that there are many bodies encouraging teachers to engage in classroom based research and according great value to the process. This encouragement comes from the DCSF, the GTCE, and professional bodies among others. As a teacher who has and continues to engage in the research process I wanted to try to ascertain the actual impact of all the intellectual energy and time committed to it in my own school and to test some of the claims other commentators have made.The study: testing claims and investigating experiencesMy study focused on the impact of research undertaken by teachers working on a Master’s level programme run by a local HEI over the preceding 10 years or so. During that time upwards of 40 different teachers had been involved at some point, with a few choosing to continue their research beyond the first module. The relatively long length of time that the programme had run for offered the opportunity for a summative analysis of impact in terms of outcomes. Additionally, though, I was interested to see how the programme was viewed by one particular cohort of researchers as they moved through the process.The notion of impact is one that is difficult to define and even harder to evidence in complex educational settings where many variables are inter-related and many different strategies and initiatives are underway simultaneously. Identifying and isolating the impact of teacher research is thus an imprecise activity. In order to address these issues I drew a deliberately broad definition of impact and considered as wide an evidence base as possible.An initial questionnaire survey of those involved in the programme uncovered a wide range of self-reported impact at the individual, departmental and school levels. Through semi-structured interviews with some researchers I was able to follow up some of the points raised and seek their views on some further questions that emerged, for example, the possible reasons why the impact of individual projects seemed to vary so widely. Interviews with a senior teacher and head of department allowed me to cross reference findings from the earlier data collection and explore the perspective of those less directly involved in the research process. Analysis of documentary evidence sources,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], such as staff responsibilities and the length of time elapsed since completion of the project, allowed me to test out some of the claims made about research impact both by those involved and from the wider literature.The second element of my study focused directly on the experiences of teachers while they were engaged in the research process. Using a mix of data gathering techniques including a simple perception profile I was able to record how their view of the process changed over time.Principal findings The findings showed a wide range of impact. The greatest number of forms of impact was identified at the individual level with teachers describing increasing confidence, greater knowledge of educational issues and the adoption of new practices in their classroom among many others. These results bear a strong relationship to those quoted in other studies and the professional growth that teachers reported was corroborated by colleagues. Fewer examples of department level, and fewer still of school level,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], impact were identified. However, their significance was greater. For example, changes to curriculum organisation and improving links with partner schools have impacted on many more students than changes made by individual teachers in individual classrooms. Teachers’ perception of the level of impact of their project seemed to increase as time went on, perhaps the result of teachers’ recognising the deeper professional learning that had gone on and transferring that to new settings,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], particularly as their responsibilities developed. My study found no support for the idea that a teacher’s position in the school hierarchy was important in determining the impact a research project would have. What seemed more significant were the timing and focus of particular work – projects which meshed with current developments tended to lead to greater impact at the department and school level. My analysis also showed a correlation between the quality of the research, indicated by the mark awarded, and level of impact. A further fundamental factor I believe, though one I was not able to easily investigate, is the personal attributes of the researcher. The determination, enthusiasm and competing commitment on time vary for teachers, as others, and I feel sure this is a major factor.Investigating researchers’ perceptions of the research process revealed changes over time. At the outset there was a degree of uncertainty, even apprehension about what they had let themselves in for, but alongside this there was a clear desire on the part of the teachers involved to improve what they do in the classroom. Gaining a qualification was a motivating factor for a minority of participants. As the programme unfolded and the school year moved on the most obvious change was the growing difficulty of balancing workload and other commitments with time for research, but the completion of the course led to a real sense of pride and achievement.The clear evidence from my study reinforced others’ findings that engagement in teacher research is positive and beneficial for individuals and their school. There was, however, very little direct reference to impact on students. Increasingly this is seen as the true measure of impact for all CPD activities and this is an area worthy of more study.Supporting researchersPerhaps the key issue that has emerged from this study is the importance of supporting researchers. The school in question does a good job in providing research mentors and the HEI-approved tutor’s input is invaluable but time is very limited, and almost all of it has to be found by the already busy teacher researcher. Equally, getting the focus of the project right is critical, but there is a dilemma here between being too prescriptive and just commissioning research that fits the development plan, and allowing teachers to investigate whatever issue interests them. What remains clear though is that teacher research is valuable to those doing it, to their colleagues and to their school.
The Court of Appeal pointed out that R and F's submission in the county court was of overt, conscious racism, and it was not prepared to find that there had been unconscious discrimination.The decisionThe Court of Appeal said that, unlike the ordinary civil claim where the judge decides, on the claimant's evidence only, whether the claimant has made out a case, in this case the judge had had the benefit of the whole of the evidence. Despite the school's failure to comply with the statutory requirements, the judge had been entitled to find on the basis of all the evidence that R and F had not proved racial discrimination.

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