The Unveiled Potential: The Transformative Power of Collaborative Teacher Research in Fostering Collective Teacher Efficacy for School Development

• In Event: Creating Collaborative Structures Within and Between Schools as a Basis for School Development

Abstract

This symposium contribution delves into the transformative potential of collaborative teacher research (CTR) within a small public secondary school in an urban area that ranks highly on deprivation indicators in education. Focused on the broader theme of "creating collaborative structures within schools as a basis for school development," this in-depth single case study offers insights derived from videotaped meeting and fieldnotes of a CTR team engaged in a school–university partnership. It allows us to deal with the subtleties and interaction within this complex social context (Denscombe, 2008). The study explores how diverse voices within the CTR process generate constructive disruption (Mitra & Gross, 2010), thereby influencing in-service teachers' collective teacher efficacy beliefs.

Building on existing literature affirming CTR as a powerful avenue for professional learning (e.g. Donohoo & Katz, 2017) and its impact on teachers’ professional development and collective teacher efficacy, this study contributes a unique and inside perspective. Most studies examine CTR in an ideal supportive environment while this study explores into the complex dynamics of an emerging CTR team situated in a school with no prior experience in teacher research or collaboration, and with low collective teacher efficacy beliefs (Cantrell & Hughes, 2008).

Based on the videotaped meetings, this single case study provides insight into how multiple voices in a collaborative teacher research team can be pivotal in breaking away from a detrimental cycle of teacher voices, raising awareness of student voices and equity challenges, and ultimately improving collective teacher efficacy beliefs.

Analyzing disruptions and teachers' responses during the CTR process, we identify four types of constructive disruptions: disturbance of groupthink, processing unwelcoming research evidence, the power of student voices, and empowering mastery experiences. These disruptions, though challenging, prove instrumental in fostering shifts in collective teacher efficacy beliefs.

The study emphasizes the slow process of change, acknowledging that deeply rooted beliefs require time and repeated CTR cycles for transformation. It highlights the facilitative role of external stakeholders, particularly teacher educators, in modeling research skills and attitudes to navigate the complexities of the CTR process. While recognizing the limitations of a single case study, we advocate for school–university partnerships that jointly assume responsibility for student learning in challenging school environments. The paper concludes with recommendations for fostering collaboration, involving student voices, and breaking the hold of low collective teacher efficacy beliefs through the integration of CTR in teacher education and professional development.

Authors

• Vicky Willegems, Vrije Universiteit Brussel

• Katrien Struyven, Hasselt University

• Els Fabiola Consuegra, Vrije Universiteit Brussel

• Nadine S.L. Engels, Vrije Universiteit Brussel