University International Partnerships

• In Event: Roundtable Session (Wednesday V)
  In Refereed Round-Table Session: Managing complex change: promoting meaningful professional development using action research to support international educational reform

Proposal

Participants will examine how establishing university partnerships at an international level can promote educational reform. To support action research as professional development, Elliot (2007) discusses working with a university partner to support teacher growth. The success of university-school partnerships is based on the establishment of clear goals and expectations (Parker, Templin, & Setiawan, 2012), where each partner brings expertise to the collaboration. “Teachers have often felt that traditional educational research is not relevant to their needs…” (Stremmel, 2007).

University researchers have become more interested and involved in finding solutions to the problems of teaching and learning in schools. They have also begun to recognize the value of research taking place in schools by other teachers, school administrators, and research involving parents. Historically, university researchers were the only ones considered qualified to conduct research. Currently, university partnerships provide the opportunity to aid with school reform, to identify solutions to teachers’ needs through action research projects. This often occurs during teacher preparation school placements or on-site professional development. Specifically, for the Scholars from Saudi Arabia, K-12 school district partners assign one international scholar per classroom with a school mentor teacher aligned to his or her content area. Prospects for professional development benefit student learning, the experience of teaching, and exposure to school culture (Crawford, Roberts & Hickmann, 2008). University faculty with international expertise function as mentors for the international scholars by supporting the understanding of the American education system, following up on the every-day school immersion experience and by coaching them during the design and development of an individual action research project. University mentors visit mentees in their assigned classes to observe scholars applying their new knowledge during teaching, co-teaching, and teacher interaction. McCorkel-Clinard & Ariav (1998) maintain that international university partnerships impact the mentors as well as the participants through cross-cultural experiences. A university partnership creates long lasting professional relationships built strategically and carefully with a shared vision in mind. The leadership team, administrators, teachers, scholars and students understand the value of the collaboration and can identify the benefits from their participation. All university partnerships expect to see ‘change’ in the process and as an outcome of the collaboration. Parker, et al., (2012) explains the focus on change and sustainability of the projects and the challenges to reach the different levels of change. The support of key administrators, school principals, mentor teachers, and scholars is essential to the partnership. This partnership helps people grow in accountability and empowers them to meet the overall outcomes of the project.
Specific examples from Saudi Arabian Scholars informed by their experiences at Arizona State University will be shared to address how internationalizing action research can support educational reform.

Authors

• Alejandra Enriquez-Gates, Arizona State University

• Rebecca Grijalva, Arizona State University

• Ruhi Khan, Arizona State University

• Salah Meemar, Saudi Arabia Cultural Mission (SACM)