Donna Rigano - Academia.edu (original) (raw)
Papers by Donna Rigano
Journal of Intercultural Studies, 2001
James Cook University is the site of an off-campus, community-based program of teacher education ... more James Cook University is the site of an off-campus, community-based program of teacher education for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples living in remote parts of Queensland, Australia. Known as the Remote Area Teacher Education Program (RATEP) ...
Teaching and Teacher Education, 2000
Some researchers have argued that student teachers should be encouraged to access the wisdom of t... more Some researchers have argued that student teachers should be encouraged to access the wisdom of their supervising teachers through observations and interviews. In this article we discuss two student teachers’ contrasting stories about their experiences in trying to access experienced teachers’ wisdom. In particular, we focus on the power relations between the student teachers and their cooperating teachers. Through this
Research in Science Education, 1995
... Donna L. Rigano and Stephen M. Ritchie James ... of meta-analyses of science education resear... more ... Donna L. Rigano and Stephen M. Ritchie James ... of meta-analyses of science education research studies revealed there was little evidence that students were gaining understanding of the nature of scientific inquiry through classroom instruction (Lott, 1983; Shymansky, Kyle ...
Research in Science Education, 1994
... descriptive profiles of the students generated by the observations and general interviews and... more ... descriptive profiles of the students generated by the observations and general interviews andwil~ be discussed below with reference to students' experiences over the course of the project. Assertion 1: Lack of laboratory skills interfered with conceptual learn.in.q Wanda was by ...
Research in Science Education, 2006
Given that the subject department is recognised by subject specialist teachers as the central and... more Given that the subject department is recognised by subject specialist teachers as the central and immediate unit of organization in secondary schools it is surprising that so little attention has been paid by researchers to the leadership dynamics within science departments. The leadership dynamics within the science departments of two contrasting school contexts were explored dialectically in this study. The structure | agency and individual | collective dialectics guided our interpretation of data from lesson observations, interviews and questionnaire responses, especially as they related to teachers' preparation of units of work (i.e., planned curriculum). As well as recognising thin coherence in teachers' responses we identify contradictions in teachers' perceived and enacted leadership roles, and perceptions of influences on curriculum planning and teaming within the two science departments. Throughout the article we disrupt traditional individualistic leadership discourses and suggest possibilities for more widespread application of an individual | collective leadership dialectic in school science departments.
Reflective Practice, 2007
Ritchie, Stephen M. and Rigano, Donna L. (2007) Writing together metaphorically and bodily side-b... more Ritchie, Stephen M. and Rigano, Donna L. (2007) Writing together metaphorically and bodily side-by-side: An inquiry into collaborative academic writing. Reflective Practice 8(1):pp. 123-135. This is an electronic version of an article published in [Reflective Practice 8(1):pp. 123-135.]. [Reflective Practice] is available online at informaworldTM with Abstract
Society & Natural Resources - SOC NATUR RESOUR, 2012
Catchment-derived pollution of the Great Barrier Reef, Australia, is instigating the development ... more Catchment-derived pollution of the Great Barrier Reef, Australia, is instigating the development of novel policy, including community assessments and monitoring of their own resilience to water quality decline. This article explores community perspectives of social resilience to changing water quality in local waterways, and potential indicator domains for framing community-derived indicators. In a regional case study in northern Australia, we interviewed knowledgeable individuals with a specific interest in water quality management to elicit their understandings of social resilience in relation to water quality change. From their responses we identified 18 domains for the future development of indicators to be applied in the catchment. These included large social networks, numbers of stewardship volunteers, and cross-scale government–community partnerships. We discuss the utility of our results for targeting investment by policymakers to promote community adaptive capacity to water quality decline in the Townsville catchment.
Management Learning, 1998
Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 1996
There has been a long tradition of laboratory activities associated with science instruction. Des... more There has been a long tradition of laboratory activities associated with science instruction. Despite constructivists' claims advocating open-ended inquiry and mentoring, little is known about what students are thinking when engaged in laboratory activities. Laboratory learning as a process of cognitive apprenticeship has been proposed as a metaphor to guide teacher practice and student learning. The viability of cognitive apprenticeship for learning science in school is discussed in relation to findings from an investigation of a research project involving high school students working in a university chemical engineering laboratory under the mentorship of a university-based scientist. Data from a variety of techniques were analyzed in an interpretive style. We found that the students were empowered to seek empirically viable knowledge claims as they became independent researchers. However, we argue that caution needs to be exercised before advocating open-ended inquiry as a general model for laboratory learning without additional studies in different contexts.
International Journal of Science Education, 2002
... Stephen M. Ritchie and Donna L. Rigano, School of Education, James Cook University, Townsvill... more ... Stephen M. Ritchie and Donna L. Rigano, School of Education, James Cook University, Townsville, Queesnland 4811, Australia; e-mail: Stephen ... where inquiry is regarded as part of larger efforts to transform teaching, learning, and schooling' (Cochran-Smith and Lytle 1999: 278 ...
International Journal of Qualitative Studies in Education, 2007
International Journal of Qualitative Studies in Education, 2001
ABSTRACT Now that the discursive practices of students and teachers consume the attention of many... more ABSTRACT Now that the discursive practices of students and teachers consume the attention of many classroom researchers, it is timely to consider the interrelationships between researchers and their participants or "subjects." Positioning theory gives prominence to the position/speech-act/storyline triad in conversations. While positioning theory has informed several poststucturalist scholars in a variety of settings, the authors are unaware of other studies where the positions/positioning of researcher and participants have become the focus of investigation. In this article the authors demonstrate how the application of positioning theory can be helpful in understanding conversations between researchers and their research participants, particularly in interviews. Also, they discuss the issues of power relations, subjectivities, validity, and ethics as they relate to the research relationships identified in the study.
Environmental Education Research, 2008
Integrated unit plans with an environmental focus can provide opportunities for school students t... more Integrated unit plans with an environmental focus can provide opportunities for school students to develop critical thinking skills, and to act in responsible ways–that is, to develop 'action competence'. In this study, environmentally focused integrated unit plans, ...
International Journal of Science …, 2008
Reading and writing stories with science‐related themes make it possible for students to develop ... more Reading and writing stories with science‐related themes make it possible for students to develop interest in and capacity for scientific thinking when specialist science and more popular genres converge. Additionally, feminist scholars have called for greater use of ...
Australian Geographer, 2010
... to respond to changes in water quality and its subsequent impact at the ... with an understan... more ... to respond to changes in water quality and its subsequent impact at the ... with an understanding of the social contextattitudes, language, values, norms, acceptable behaviour, acquisition of ... Groups of groups: the role of group learning in building social capital ', paper presented ...
Asia-Pacific Journal of Teacher Education, 1999
... Similarly, Cochran-Smith & Lytle (1993) argued that inquiry should feature strongly in an... more ... Similarly, Cochran-Smith & Lytle (1993) argued that inquiry should feature strongly in any teacher education programme where 'classrooms and ... We extended these methods to explore how a student teacher (ie Donna) became a more effective observer-questioner which, in ...
Research in Science Education, 2003
The purpose of this study was to describe the teaching and leadership experiences of a science te... more The purpose of this study was to describe the teaching and leadership experiences of a science teacher who, as head of department, was preparing to introduce changes in the science department of an independent school in response to the requirements of the new junior science syllabus in Queensland, Australia. This teacher consented to classroom observations and interviews with the researchers where his beliefs about teaching practice and change were explored. Other science teachers at the school also were interviewed about their reactions to the planned changes. Interpretive analysis of the data provides an account of the complex interactions, negotiations, compromises, concessions, and trade-offs faced by the teacher during a period of education reform. Perceived barriers existing within the school that impeded proposed change are identified.
Journal of Intercultural Studies, 2001
James Cook University is the site of an off-campus, community-based program of teacher education ... more James Cook University is the site of an off-campus, community-based program of teacher education for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples living in remote parts of Queensland, Australia. Known as the Remote Area Teacher Education Program (RATEP) ...
Teaching and Teacher Education, 2000
Some researchers have argued that student teachers should be encouraged to access the wisdom of t... more Some researchers have argued that student teachers should be encouraged to access the wisdom of their supervising teachers through observations and interviews. In this article we discuss two student teachers’ contrasting stories about their experiences in trying to access experienced teachers’ wisdom. In particular, we focus on the power relations between the student teachers and their cooperating teachers. Through this
Research in Science Education, 1995
... Donna L. Rigano and Stephen M. Ritchie James ... of meta-analyses of science education resear... more ... Donna L. Rigano and Stephen M. Ritchie James ... of meta-analyses of science education research studies revealed there was little evidence that students were gaining understanding of the nature of scientific inquiry through classroom instruction (Lott, 1983; Shymansky, Kyle ...
Research in Science Education, 1994
... descriptive profiles of the students generated by the observations and general interviews and... more ... descriptive profiles of the students generated by the observations and general interviews andwil~ be discussed below with reference to students' experiences over the course of the project. Assertion 1: Lack of laboratory skills interfered with conceptual learn.in.q Wanda was by ...
Research in Science Education, 2006
Given that the subject department is recognised by subject specialist teachers as the central and... more Given that the subject department is recognised by subject specialist teachers as the central and immediate unit of organization in secondary schools it is surprising that so little attention has been paid by researchers to the leadership dynamics within science departments. The leadership dynamics within the science departments of two contrasting school contexts were explored dialectically in this study. The structure | agency and individual | collective dialectics guided our interpretation of data from lesson observations, interviews and questionnaire responses, especially as they related to teachers' preparation of units of work (i.e., planned curriculum). As well as recognising thin coherence in teachers' responses we identify contradictions in teachers' perceived and enacted leadership roles, and perceptions of influences on curriculum planning and teaming within the two science departments. Throughout the article we disrupt traditional individualistic leadership discourses and suggest possibilities for more widespread application of an individual | collective leadership dialectic in school science departments.
Reflective Practice, 2007
Ritchie, Stephen M. and Rigano, Donna L. (2007) Writing together metaphorically and bodily side-b... more Ritchie, Stephen M. and Rigano, Donna L. (2007) Writing together metaphorically and bodily side-by-side: An inquiry into collaborative academic writing. Reflective Practice 8(1):pp. 123-135. This is an electronic version of an article published in [Reflective Practice 8(1):pp. 123-135.]. [Reflective Practice] is available online at informaworldTM with Abstract
Society & Natural Resources - SOC NATUR RESOUR, 2012
Catchment-derived pollution of the Great Barrier Reef, Australia, is instigating the development ... more Catchment-derived pollution of the Great Barrier Reef, Australia, is instigating the development of novel policy, including community assessments and monitoring of their own resilience to water quality decline. This article explores community perspectives of social resilience to changing water quality in local waterways, and potential indicator domains for framing community-derived indicators. In a regional case study in northern Australia, we interviewed knowledgeable individuals with a specific interest in water quality management to elicit their understandings of social resilience in relation to water quality change. From their responses we identified 18 domains for the future development of indicators to be applied in the catchment. These included large social networks, numbers of stewardship volunteers, and cross-scale government–community partnerships. We discuss the utility of our results for targeting investment by policymakers to promote community adaptive capacity to water quality decline in the Townsville catchment.
Management Learning, 1998
Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 1996
There has been a long tradition of laboratory activities associated with science instruction. Des... more There has been a long tradition of laboratory activities associated with science instruction. Despite constructivists' claims advocating open-ended inquiry and mentoring, little is known about what students are thinking when engaged in laboratory activities. Laboratory learning as a process of cognitive apprenticeship has been proposed as a metaphor to guide teacher practice and student learning. The viability of cognitive apprenticeship for learning science in school is discussed in relation to findings from an investigation of a research project involving high school students working in a university chemical engineering laboratory under the mentorship of a university-based scientist. Data from a variety of techniques were analyzed in an interpretive style. We found that the students were empowered to seek empirically viable knowledge claims as they became independent researchers. However, we argue that caution needs to be exercised before advocating open-ended inquiry as a general model for laboratory learning without additional studies in different contexts.
International Journal of Science Education, 2002
... Stephen M. Ritchie and Donna L. Rigano, School of Education, James Cook University, Townsvill... more ... Stephen M. Ritchie and Donna L. Rigano, School of Education, James Cook University, Townsville, Queesnland 4811, Australia; e-mail: Stephen ... where inquiry is regarded as part of larger efforts to transform teaching, learning, and schooling' (Cochran-Smith and Lytle 1999: 278 ...
International Journal of Qualitative Studies in Education, 2007
International Journal of Qualitative Studies in Education, 2001
ABSTRACT Now that the discursive practices of students and teachers consume the attention of many... more ABSTRACT Now that the discursive practices of students and teachers consume the attention of many classroom researchers, it is timely to consider the interrelationships between researchers and their participants or "subjects." Positioning theory gives prominence to the position/speech-act/storyline triad in conversations. While positioning theory has informed several poststucturalist scholars in a variety of settings, the authors are unaware of other studies where the positions/positioning of researcher and participants have become the focus of investigation. In this article the authors demonstrate how the application of positioning theory can be helpful in understanding conversations between researchers and their research participants, particularly in interviews. Also, they discuss the issues of power relations, subjectivities, validity, and ethics as they relate to the research relationships identified in the study.
Environmental Education Research, 2008
Integrated unit plans with an environmental focus can provide opportunities for school students t... more Integrated unit plans with an environmental focus can provide opportunities for school students to develop critical thinking skills, and to act in responsible ways–that is, to develop 'action competence'. In this study, environmentally focused integrated unit plans, ...
International Journal of Science …, 2008
Reading and writing stories with science‐related themes make it possible for students to develop ... more Reading and writing stories with science‐related themes make it possible for students to develop interest in and capacity for scientific thinking when specialist science and more popular genres converge. Additionally, feminist scholars have called for greater use of ...
Australian Geographer, 2010
... to respond to changes in water quality and its subsequent impact at the ... with an understan... more ... to respond to changes in water quality and its subsequent impact at the ... with an understanding of the social contextattitudes, language, values, norms, acceptable behaviour, acquisition of ... Groups of groups: the role of group learning in building social capital ', paper presented ...
Asia-Pacific Journal of Teacher Education, 1999
... Similarly, Cochran-Smith & Lytle (1993) argued that inquiry should feature strongly in an... more ... Similarly, Cochran-Smith & Lytle (1993) argued that inquiry should feature strongly in any teacher education programme where 'classrooms and ... We extended these methods to explore how a student teacher (ie Donna) became a more effective observer-questioner which, in ...
Research in Science Education, 2003
The purpose of this study was to describe the teaching and leadership experiences of a science te... more The purpose of this study was to describe the teaching and leadership experiences of a science teacher who, as head of department, was preparing to introduce changes in the science department of an independent school in response to the requirements of the new junior science syllabus in Queensland, Australia. This teacher consented to classroom observations and interviews with the researchers where his beliefs about teaching practice and change were explored. Other science teachers at the school also were interviewed about their reactions to the planned changes. Interpretive analysis of the data provides an account of the complex interactions, negotiations, compromises, concessions, and trade-offs faced by the teacher during a period of education reform. Perceived barriers existing within the school that impeded proposed change are identified.