Methodological dilemmas in action research

• The present study is part of an action research project on science and gender conducted with parts of the working teams at one school in Sweden; the teams’ work activities included preschool and K-6. The collaboration was underway from September 2005 until May 2010, a total of 57 months. The most intense period was from spring 2007 until summer 2009. The core group consisted of three kindergarten teachers, one recreational teacher and one math/science teacher for grades 1-7, all of whom participated during the entire period. Over the years, other teachers joined the group, quit or were away for various periods owing to parental leave or illness absence. When we began our collaboration and asked if they might be interested in participating in a project on gender and science/technology, the teachers felt competent and secure regarding gender issues, but science/technology was new, unexplored territory, particularly for the preschool teachers. They had only used elements of science in their classroom activities to a limited extent, and then primarily elements of biology. One reason the teachers agreed to participate in the project was to receive support and to have the opportunity to initiate and work continually with activities in physics, chemistry and technology as well.

Subject headings

SAMHÄLLSVETENSKAP  -- Utbildningsvetenskap -- Didaktik (hsv//swe)

SOCIAL SCIENCES  -- Educational Sciences -- Didactics (hsv//eng)

Keyword

Subject didactics

Ämnesdidaktik

Publication and Content Type

vet (subject category)

ovr (subject category)