Mawson, Kate (2022) Pedagogic engagement with literature : how a pedagogic journal club became a higher education community of practice. PhD thesis, University of Warwick.

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Abstract

This thesis investigates the impact of a pedagogic journal club (PJC) for teaching-focussed staff at a research-intensive UK university in light of sector-specific drivers such as the Teaching Excellence and Student Outcomes Framework (TEF) and the United Kingdom Professional Standards Framework (UKPSF). A three-year cycle of action research was undertaken and the impact of the PJC on individuals who attended examined: with reference to teaching practice; promotion and professional recognition; confidence; identity, and pedagogic engagement with literature (PedEL). The impact on the wider university community in terms of module and course design, interdisciplinary collaboration and networking, as well as how the dissemination of new knowledge affected the perceived value of teaching-focussed activity, is discussed. Conducted within a pragmatist paradigm, data were gathered at regular intervals via memoing, mixed method questionnaires and participant unstructured interviews. Interrogation of the literature problematised ‘scholarship of teaching and learning’ (SoTL) and the difficulties faced when engaging staff in it. Differences between ‘professional learning community’ and ‘community of practice’ were expounded demonstrating the paucity of research concerning theoretical understanding of communities in HEIs. Professional development was explored, focusing on its often-ineffective design, as well as highlighting issues that teaching-focussed professional development can face in a research-intensive institution. The conclusion of this thesis primarily concerns the creation of the pedagogic journal club (PJC) as a vehicle for dialogic pedagogic engagement with literature, which was found to engender an effective professional development community in an HE setting. Guidance on how to create a PJC is provided for HEIs to explore in their own settings. Conclusions are also made around the reconceptualising of SoTL with pedagogic engagement with literature (PedEL) sitting between the two established forms of SoTL: pedagogic development (PedD) and pedagogic research (PedR). Thus, creating a new definitional framework that HEIs can adapt to their own context and practices. Creation of a new context specific Higher Education Community of Practice (HECoP) is also reported on with respect to membership, leadership, organisational culture and knowledge sharing. Participants and the researcher became boundary spanners 12 within the institution and time is devoted in this publication to the reflexive nature of action research. Knowledge generated by the participants changes practice and policy and this publication contributes a required, robust record of action research methodology.

Item Type:	Thesis (PhD)
Subjects:	L Education > LB Theory and practice of education > LB2300 Higher Education L Education > LC Special aspects of education
Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH):	Education, Higher, Professional development, Pedagogy, Professional learning communities, Educational research
Official Date:	March 2022
Dates:	Date Event March 2022 UNSPECIFIED
Institution:	University of Warwick
Theses Department:	Centre for Education Studies
Thesis Type:	PhD
Publication Status:	Unpublished
Supervisor(s)/Advisor:	Mercer, Justine
Format of File:	pdf
Extent:	270 leaves : colour illustrations
Language:	eng

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