Relasionele agentskap van onderwysers in samewerkingspraktyke in ʼn voldiensskool
Date
2020-12
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University
Abstract
AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING : Onderwysers word beskou as die belangrikste rolspelers om inklusiewe onderwys te implementeer. Samewerking word as dié sleutelvaardigheid beskou vir onderwysers om saam met kollegas en beroepslui komplekse probleme op te los sodat in leerders se diverse leerbehoeftes voorsien kan word. Verskillende tipes samewerking kom algemeen voor in skole wat verband hou met die doel of taakfokus van aktiwiteite. Relasionele agentskap blyk ’n waardevolle konsep te wees om onderwysers se gebruik van samewerking te ontrafel. Met behulp van hierdie kundigheid kan onderwysers gesamentlik probleme oplos deur van mekaar se kennis, vaardighede en sinmaak van probleme gebruik te maak. Hierdie studie het dit dus ten doel gehad om uit te vind hoe onderwysers relasionele agentskap ontwikkel tydens samewerking met ander in ʼn voldiensskool.
’n Kwalitatiewe gevallestudie-navorsingsontwerp binne ’n interpretivisties-konstruktivistiese paradigma is gebruik. Die voldiensskool is deur middel van doelgerigte steekproefneming geïdentifiseer en vier onderwysers het vrywillig aan die studie deelgeneem. Semi-gestruktureerde onderhoude het indringende kwalitatiewe beskrywings van samewerking gebied. Die dataverwerking het aan die hand van die konstruktivisties gegronde teorie geskied en deelnemers se response is deur middel van kodering in temas gegroepeer. Die kultureel-historiese aktiwiteitsteorie (Engels: “cultural-historical activity theory”, oftewel CHAT) het as ’n teoretiese raamwerk gedien om die databevindinge in die konteks van ’n voldiensskool te interpreteer.
Die bevindinge van die studie dui aan dat onderwysers samewerking as hulpmiddel gebruik om hul kennis en vaardighede uit te brei. Die gebruik van dieper-vlak-samewerking en ʼn hoër graad van span-entitativiteit het die ontwikkeling van relasionele agentskap bevorder. Die studie se resultate dui ook daarop dat relasionele agentskap, relasionele kundigheid en gemeenskaplike kennis interverweef en verbonde is aan mekaar. Relasionele kundigheid en gemeenskaplike gronde is dus noodsaaklik vir die ontwikkeling van relasionele agentskap. Ander faktore wat die ontwikkeling van relasionele agentskap bevorder, is verhouding-bou en leer-ken-van-mekaar, daadwerklike optrede om teenstrydighede in die stelsel op te los (agentskap) en laastens die gebruik van self-evaluasie en refleksie om onderrigpraktyke te bevorder.
ENGLISH SUMMARY : Teachers are considered the most important role players to implement inclusive education. Collaborating with colleagues and professionals is considered as a key skill to solve complex problems with colleagues and professionals. Generally, different types of collaboration, determined by the task focus of the activities are used. Relational agency seems to be a valuable concept to unravel teachers’ use of collaboration. This expertise enables teachers to solve problems with others by using each other’s knowledge, skills and sensemaking of the problem. Therefore, the aim of the study was to find out how teachers develop relational agency during collaboration in a full-service school. A qualitative, case study research design was used within an interpretive-constructivist paradigm. Purposeful sampling was applied to identify the school and four teachers who volunteered to take part in the study. Semi-structured interviews offered in-depth qualitative descriptions of cooperation. The data analysis was done according to the constructivist grounded theory. The participants’ responses were coded and grouped according to themes. The cultural-historical activity theory (CHAT) served as a theoretical framework to interpret the data findings within the context of a full-service school. The main findings of the study indicate that teachers use collaboration as a tool to expand their knowledge and skills. The use of deeper levels of collaboration and a higher grade of team entitativity enhanced the development of relational agency. The study results show that relational agency, relational expertise and common knowledge are interwoven and connected. Relational expertise and common knowledge are, therefore, essential for the development of relational agency. In addition to this, the development of relational agency is also supported by the building of relationships, the gaining of knowledge from one another, taking action to solve contradictions in the system (agency) and, lastly, the use of self-evaluation and reflection to promote teaching practices. Keywords: inclusive education, collaboration, deeper levels of collaboration, degree of team entitativity, extension of knowledge, human resource, relational agency, agency, common knowledge, relational expertise, self-evaluation, reflection.
ENGLISH SUMMARY : Teachers are considered the most important role players to implement inclusive education. Collaborating with colleagues and professionals is considered as a key skill to solve complex problems with colleagues and professionals. Generally, different types of collaboration, determined by the task focus of the activities are used. Relational agency seems to be a valuable concept to unravel teachers’ use of collaboration. This expertise enables teachers to solve problems with others by using each other’s knowledge, skills and sensemaking of the problem. Therefore, the aim of the study was to find out how teachers develop relational agency during collaboration in a full-service school. A qualitative, case study research design was used within an interpretive-constructivist paradigm. Purposeful sampling was applied to identify the school and four teachers who volunteered to take part in the study. Semi-structured interviews offered in-depth qualitative descriptions of cooperation. The data analysis was done according to the constructivist grounded theory. The participants’ responses were coded and grouped according to themes. The cultural-historical activity theory (CHAT) served as a theoretical framework to interpret the data findings within the context of a full-service school. The main findings of the study indicate that teachers use collaboration as a tool to expand their knowledge and skills. The use of deeper levels of collaboration and a higher grade of team entitativity enhanced the development of relational agency. The study results show that relational agency, relational expertise and common knowledge are interwoven and connected. Relational expertise and common knowledge are, therefore, essential for the development of relational agency. In addition to this, the development of relational agency is also supported by the building of relationships, the gaining of knowledge from one another, taking action to solve contradictions in the system (agency) and, lastly, the use of self-evaluation and reflection to promote teaching practices. Keywords: inclusive education, collaboration, deeper levels of collaboration, degree of team entitativity, extension of knowledge, human resource, relational agency, agency, common knowledge, relational expertise, self-evaluation, reflection.
Description
Thesis (MEdPsych)--Stellenbosch University, 2020.0.
Keywords
Teachers -- Knowledge and learning -- South Africa, Inclusive education -- South Africa, Cooperation -- South Africa, Social participation -- South Africa, Teams in the workplace -- South Africa, Entitativity, UCTD