Sarah and Naeema,e

Generally (if I can make one of my sweeping statements), the research on the research education process is relatively scant.  (A typical example of reflexive incongruence/blindness?)

Typically also (yet another sweeping scanning observation), the research-student to research-supervisor(or mentor, or coach, or examiner) relationship is a one-to-one relationship and therefore not particularly amenable to the quantitative 'sample' approach of certain research paradigms.  Donald Schon describes this kind of thing as a universe-of-one, and discounted, or outside, 'technical-rationality' approaches.   Schon recommends the 'reflective practice' approach that can be considered to be a 'case study', and also suggests that the phenomenological examination is the route to take for this kind of inquiry.

This kind of inquiry does use, and honour, and examine the 'anecdotal' - accepting the story as what Bateson calls a 'knot of relevance' with its own strengths, while keeping a critical eye on its other inherent weaknesses.

Dianne Allen
Kiama Australia
http://www.cfkeep.org/html/snapshot.php?id=60792183653258


----- Original Message ----- From: "Sarah Fletcher" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Friday, September 28, 2007 2:59 AM
Subject: Re: What research mentoring support would teachers like to receive?


Dear Naeema, and All

I think the point you make about being able to work with some research
mentors  from in school or not applies equally to working with a research
tutor who is - or is not - the research tutor... It depends on the
individual, doesn't it?

I am open to being persuaded I am mistaken!  Is there any evidence either
way beyond the anecdotal? Has there been any research about this?  I can
give some anecdotal evidence from my own research mentoring as a mentor and
mentee but I am thinking it might be a super research project and
presentation for BERA 08!

The anecdotal is useful but I'd like to see a more systematic long-term study.
If anybody would like to undertake a study of this area - let's get
planning? What if, for example, we here who offer tutoring and r/mentoring
ask students?

Best wishes,

Sarah