Accepting Educational Responsibility for Methodological Learning: A Small Team Tackling a National Need

• In Event: Educational Responsibilities in Problem-Based Education (PBE): Principles, Practices, and Networks Creating and Supporting PBE

Abstract

Objectives
The goal of this paper is to demonstrate how a small group of scholars in Lithuania, over six years, create opportunities that address a national need for methodological training in qualitative research.

Perspectives
We use the tenets of Problem Based Education (PBE) to examine how the educational problem was identified in the local context and how the conceptualization of a problem as a national, rather than individual or local, need led a small team of people to take up educational responsibilities for creating a series of intersecting learning opportunities across Lithuania. PBE emphasizes problem-seeking and problem-solving that is locally grounded, collaborative, and focused on meaningful learning over time (Hmelo-Silver, 2012; Chian, Bridges & Lo, 2019).

Lithuanian scholars’ actions in developing qualitative and ethnographic methodological expertise is a telling case that makes visible challenges faced in smaller, non-English-dominant, “peripheral” countries seeking to “internationalize” (Ayadinli, 2000) their knowledge, publish in English journals, and join international research networks. As Anderson-Levitt (2002, 2017) shows, exploring what happens in other, often invisible, but fast-changing places, can shed light on the knowledge, practices, and change processes that are taken for granted in more stable environments.

Modes of inquiry
This paper draws on a longitudinal study that examines research learning and teaching in Lithuania. An ethnographic perspective (Green & Bloome, 1997; Skukauskaite et al., 2017) and ethnographic principles (Green et al., 2003; 2012) guide our focus on insider perspectives, contrastive relevance, language-in use, and connections among actors, times, events, and resources that interact to create a culture-in-the-making (Collins & Green, 1992). We use domain and taxonomic analyses, event mapping, and discourse analysis methods to examine how the educational problem was conceptualized and addressed, in what ways, by whom, and with what outcomes locally and nationally.

Data sources
Data include team records of meetings, conversations, and publication drafts focused on addressing the methodological learning needs in Lithuania. We also draw on records from interview-conversations with Lithuanian faculty and doctoral students engaged in research learning. Co-author reflexive accounts, grant documents, and video records from methodological seminars are part of the dataset explored for this study.

Results
We demonstrate how a locally and nationally relevant problem was conceptualized and addressed through a series of actions undertaken by a group of people who took up the educational responsibility to create opportunities for methodological learning for others. We show a taxonomy of events and a network of people contributing to addressing the educational needs. We also demonstrate how a series of events, activities and actions led to a large EU-funded grant that created new possibilities and challenges.

Significance
This study shows how a small group of people can create methodological learning possibilities at the national level, enhancing research knowledge, quality and access to international networks for many. In this way, our study provides opportunities for others to learn about what may be possible in other “peripheral” countries seeking to address problems of access and legitimate participation in international scholarship.

Authors

• Liudmila Rupsiene, Klaipeda University

• Audra Skukauskaite, University of Central Florida

• Ruta Girdzijauskiene, Klaipeda University