Learning by Researching: Achievements and Actions of Teacher Learning in a School - University Collaborative Project

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by hdkawk

This study explores the achievements and learning process of a group of Chinese primary schoolteachers in a research-based school–university collaborative project. Qualitative methods were used, drawing on participatory observations of weekly meetings, teacher interviews, and reflective journals, analyzed via thematic and discursive strategies. Teachers’ learning is categorized into five achievement types and seven successive learning actions that form an implicit mechanism for research-led professional growth and knowledge sharing.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages22

Reading Time55 min

AccessFree to download

Abstract

Purpose

Design/Approach/Methods

Findings

Originality/Value

Introduction

Teacher research and school–university partnerships

Research gap and study aims

Conceptual framework and research questions

Learning achievements and learning actions

Learning by Researching: Achievements and Actions of Teacher Learning in a School– University Collaborative Project Ge Wei (魏戈) Capital Normal University Chi-yang Chung (钟启旸) Jinggangshan University ECNU Review of Education 2023, Vol. 6(2) 215–236 © The Author(s) 2022 Article reuse guidelines: [sagepub.com/journals-permissions](sagepub.com/journals-permissions)[ ](sagepub.com/journals-permissions)[DOI: 10.1177/20965311221109278](DOI: 10.1177/20965311221109278)[ ](DOI: 10.1177/20965311221109278)[journals.sagepub.com/home/roe](journals.sagepub.com/home/roe) Abstract Purpose: This study explores the achievements and process of a group of Chinese primary schoolteachers learning from a research-based school–university collaborative project. Design/Approach/Methods: We used qualitative methods to construct our research design, collecting data through participatory observations of weekly meetings, teacher interviews, and participants’ reﬂective journals. Both thematic analysis and discursive analysis were employed as strategies to scrutinize the data. Findings: We categorize teachers’ learning into ﬁve achievements: outcome, processual, democratic, catalytic, and dialogic achievement. A further examination highlights seven successive learning actions composing an implicit mechanism to facilitate these achievements: questioning, analyzing, modeling, examining, implementing, reﬂecting, and consolidating. Originality/Value: Through this longitudinal study, we more comprehensively record details about teachers’ learning as they conduct their own research. Although school–university heterogeneous collaboration has potential conﬂicts, teachers can improve their problem-solving and knowledge creation and sharing abilities, promoting a sense of professional accomplishment. Corresponding author: Chi-yang Chung, Faculty of Education, Jinggangshan University, Jiangxi, China. Email: [nu10177@gmail.com](nu10177@gmail.com) Creative Commons Non Commercial CC BY-NC: This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 License ([https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/)) which permits non-commercial use, reproduction and distribution of the work without further permission provided the original work is attributed as speciﬁed on the SAGE and Open Access page ([https://us.sagepub.com/en-us/nam/open-access-at-sage](https://us.sagepub.com/en-us/nam/open-access-at-sage)). These ﬁndings also suggest the need to reconsider the authentic process of teacher research, atask equally signiﬁcant for international educators. Keywords Learning achievements, learning actions, school–university partnerships, teacher learning, teacher research Date received: 26 January 2021; revised: 20 May 2021; accepted: 12 July 2021 Introduction Teacher research has recently gained popularity as a crucial factor in the professional learning and development of teachers worldwide (Cheng & Li, 2020; Dunn et al., 2019; Lambirth & Cabral, 2017) . The growing interest in “teachers as researchers” (Stenhouse, 1981) emerges from the demand for teaching competencies necessitated by educational reforms requiring changes in both teachers’ practices and ways of thinking. A common approach to teacher research is school–university partnerships (Tsui & Law, 2007), wherein teachers, who are not researchers as such, function in that capacity through the facilitation of university experts serving as teacher educators. Existing research suggests that teacher–university researcher collaboration signiﬁcantly contributes to teachers’ professional development (Baumﬁeld & Butterworth, 2007; Burton & Barlett, 2005; Tsui & Law, 2007) . Thus, teachers and researchers exchange experiences, promoting meaningful mutual learning during such collaborations (Dresner & Worley, 2006) . Recently, van Schaik et al. (2018) revealed that the school–university partnership is an e

FAQs

What is the purpose of the study?

The study explores the achievements and the process of Chinese primary schoolteachers’ learning in a research-based school–university collaborative project.

How were the data collected and analyzed?

Data were collected through participatory observations of weekly meetings, teacher interviews, and participants’ reflective journals. The study used thematic analysis and discursive analysis to scrutinize the data.

What learning achievements and actions did the study identify?

Teachers’ learning achievements are categorized into five types: outcome, processual, democratic, catalytic, and dialogic achievements. Seven successive learning actions—questioning, analyzing, modeling, examining, implementing, reflecting, and consolidating—compose an implicit mechanism supporting these achievements.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by hdkawk