The importance of the personal element in collaborative research     

Zinnia Mitchell-Williams  Paul Wilkins  Meabh Mclean  Wendy Nevin  Karyn Wastell  Rebecca Wheat 《Educational Action Research》2013,21(3):329-346

This account draws on the experience of five final-year students of human communication and one tutor from the Manchester Metropolitan University who conducted collaborative research into life stages. The research was personally developmental for all those involved and resulted in an increased sense of personal power. The authors discuss the use of their personal development as a research tool, using the models of cooperative inquiry and heuristic inquiry. Ultimately, they consider how their ‘therapeutic’ process can be termed ‘research’, and how their approach can be utilised in research that is personally and socially educational.  相似文献   

Increasing inclusion in early childhood: Key Word Sign as a communication partner intervention     

Kathy Cologon  Zinnia Mevawalla 《International Journal of Inclusive Education》2018,22(8):902-920

The importance of communication partner intervention to support the successful implementation of augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) strategies has been established. Despite this, limited knowledge and use of AAC form serious barriers to inclusion. In this study, 196 pre-service early childhood teachers were taught key word signing (KWS), one common form of AAC, along with approximately 80 Auslan signs. Participants were asked to develop ideas for implementing KWS in early childhood settings. Using participant journal entries, we conducted a thematic analysis to investigate the perceived impact of using KWS in early childhood practice. Participants reported the belief that KWS was beneficial for supporting communication development. Participants identified that using KWS can facilitate inclusive approaches through reducing barriers to participation, valuing diversity, and supporting a sense of belonging. Additionally, participants reported that engaging with inclusive approaches to using KWS formed a catalyst for fostering openness to inclusion more broadly. Overall, the findings demonstrate that approaching KWS as a communication partner intervention holds potential for contributing to the conditions for inclusion in early childhood settings in line with social relational and human rights models of disability. Implications for teacher education and inclusive practice are discussed, as are the limitations of this study.  相似文献