Elizabeth Ferrell | Loyola University Chicago (original) (raw)
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Papers by Elizabeth Ferrell
In this dissertation, I present three frameworks through which participatory action research (PAR... more In this dissertation, I present three frameworks through which participatory action research (PAR) can be investigated. PAR is a cyclical process through which members of a community identify a problem, create a solution that is customized to their setting, implement their solution, and collect data to assess their improvement plan's effectiveness and to guide modifications for subsequent iterations. In each of three articles, I focus on one framework, its contributing theories, and present findings from my nine month study which took place at a high school on Chicago's northwest side. Each article and framework has its own guiding research questions, which allowed me to investigate the effects of facilitating a PAR group at Smith High School through three distinct lenses: northern hemispheric PAR, focused on organizational learning and the improvement of systems and procedures; southern hemispheric PAR, rooted in autonomy, empowerment, and giving voice to marginalized populations; and a reflective process that charges participants to look inward, at their immediate context, and at the larger landscape of public education. In separate yet corresponding articles, I hope to contribute to the literature on the potential of PAR as a vehicle for school improvement.
Anthropology & Education Quarterly, 2012
In this dissertation, I present three frameworks through which participatory action research (PAR... more In this dissertation, I present three frameworks through which participatory action research (PAR) can be investigated. PAR is a cyclical process through which members of a community identify a problem, create a solution that is customized to their setting, implement their solution, and collect data to assess their improvement plan's effectiveness and to guide modifications for subsequent iterations. In each of three articles, I focus on one framework, its contributing theories, and present findings from my nine month study which took place at a high school on Chicago's northwest side. Each article and framework has its own guiding research questions, which allowed me to investigate the effects of facilitating a PAR group at Smith High School through three distinct lenses: northern hemispheric PAR, focused on organizational learning and the improvement of systems and procedures; southern hemispheric PAR, rooted in autonomy, empowerment, and giving voice to marginalized populations; and a reflective process that charges participants to look inward, at their immediate context, and at the larger landscape of public education. In separate yet corresponding articles, I hope to contribute to the literature on the potential of PAR as a vehicle for school improvement.
Http Dx Doi Org 10 1080 14767333 2014 909184, Jun 18, 2014
ABSTRACT Many urban high schools serving low-income families have below-average attendance rates,... more ABSTRACT Many urban high schools serving low-income families have below-average attendance rates, which can indicate that fewer students are prepared to matriculate into college and career opportunities. Through the use of participatory action research (PAR), we – a group of four educators at Wilson High School – have changed school policies and procedures in order to address our school's most problematic behavior: students cutting class. Through the processes and outcomes that our group, the Class Cutting Task Force, has experienced, we have called upon action learning (AL) in our focus on practical and experienced problems, and we have learned an important lesson: without clear and consistent school-wide expectations, our students cannot meet their potentials. Additionally, we have become empowered to drive a school-wide improvement initiative from the ground up by using the four-stage PAR process. It is our experience with the PAR process as a method of engagement in AL for school practitioners that we aim to share in this account of practice.
Action Learning: Research and Practice, 2014
ABSTRACT Many urban high schools serving low-income families have below-average attendance rates,... more ABSTRACT Many urban high schools serving low-income families have below-average attendance rates, which can indicate that fewer students are prepared to matriculate into college and career opportunities. Through the use of participatory action research (PAR), we – a group of four educators at Wilson High School – have changed school policies and procedures in order to address our school's most problematic behavior: students cutting class. Through the processes and outcomes that our group, the Class Cutting Task Force, has experienced, we have called upon action learning (AL) in our focus on practical and experienced problems, and we have learned an important lesson: without clear and consistent school-wide expectations, our students cannot meet their potentials. Additionally, we have become empowered to drive a school-wide improvement initiative from the ground up by using the four-stage PAR process. It is our experience with the PAR process as a method of engagement in AL for school practitioners that we aim to share in this account of practice.
Improving Schools
In this article, we outline the necessary action steps for schools to improve the achievement of ... more In this article, we outline the necessary action steps for schools to improve the achievement of bilingual students. We review, summarize, and utilize the pertinent scholarly literature to make suggestions for school-wide, collaborative efforts to support the achievement of bilingual learners through linguistically responsive pedagogy and practice. Our research-based recommendations include the need for school actors to negotiate language policy and mandates, lay the necessary ideological foundations, build effective school structures and systems, and foster meaningful collaboration with families and communities. When teachers, administrators, counselors, families, and community members work together, schools can improve to promote the social, cultural, linguistic, and academic achievement of bilingual students.
In this dissertation, I present three frameworks through which participatory action research (PAR... more In this dissertation, I present three frameworks through which participatory action research (PAR) can be investigated. PAR is a cyclical process through which members of a community identify a problem, create a solution that is customized to their setting, implement their solution, and collect data to assess their improvement plan's effectiveness and to guide modifications for subsequent iterations. In each of three articles, I focus on one framework, its contributing theories, and present findings from my nine month study which took place at a high school on Chicago's northwest side. Each article and framework has its own guiding research questions, which allowed me to investigate the effects of facilitating a PAR group at Smith High School through three distinct lenses: northern hemispheric PAR, focused on organizational learning and the improvement of systems and procedures; southern hemispheric PAR, rooted in autonomy, empowerment, and giving voice to marginalized populations; and a reflective process that charges participants to look inward, at their immediate context, and at the larger landscape of public education. In separate yet corresponding articles, I hope to contribute to the literature on the potential of PAR as a vehicle for school improvement.
Anthropology & Education Quarterly, 2012
In this dissertation, I present three frameworks through which participatory action research (PAR... more In this dissertation, I present three frameworks through which participatory action research (PAR) can be investigated. PAR is a cyclical process through which members of a community identify a problem, create a solution that is customized to their setting, implement their solution, and collect data to assess their improvement plan's effectiveness and to guide modifications for subsequent iterations. In each of three articles, I focus on one framework, its contributing theories, and present findings from my nine month study which took place at a high school on Chicago's northwest side. Each article and framework has its own guiding research questions, which allowed me to investigate the effects of facilitating a PAR group at Smith High School through three distinct lenses: northern hemispheric PAR, focused on organizational learning and the improvement of systems and procedures; southern hemispheric PAR, rooted in autonomy, empowerment, and giving voice to marginalized populations; and a reflective process that charges participants to look inward, at their immediate context, and at the larger landscape of public education. In separate yet corresponding articles, I hope to contribute to the literature on the potential of PAR as a vehicle for school improvement.
Http Dx Doi Org 10 1080 14767333 2014 909184, Jun 18, 2014
ABSTRACT Many urban high schools serving low-income families have below-average attendance rates,... more ABSTRACT Many urban high schools serving low-income families have below-average attendance rates, which can indicate that fewer students are prepared to matriculate into college and career opportunities. Through the use of participatory action research (PAR), we – a group of four educators at Wilson High School – have changed school policies and procedures in order to address our school's most problematic behavior: students cutting class. Through the processes and outcomes that our group, the Class Cutting Task Force, has experienced, we have called upon action learning (AL) in our focus on practical and experienced problems, and we have learned an important lesson: without clear and consistent school-wide expectations, our students cannot meet their potentials. Additionally, we have become empowered to drive a school-wide improvement initiative from the ground up by using the four-stage PAR process. It is our experience with the PAR process as a method of engagement in AL for school practitioners that we aim to share in this account of practice.
Action Learning: Research and Practice, 2014
ABSTRACT Many urban high schools serving low-income families have below-average attendance rates,... more ABSTRACT Many urban high schools serving low-income families have below-average attendance rates, which can indicate that fewer students are prepared to matriculate into college and career opportunities. Through the use of participatory action research (PAR), we – a group of four educators at Wilson High School – have changed school policies and procedures in order to address our school's most problematic behavior: students cutting class. Through the processes and outcomes that our group, the Class Cutting Task Force, has experienced, we have called upon action learning (AL) in our focus on practical and experienced problems, and we have learned an important lesson: without clear and consistent school-wide expectations, our students cannot meet their potentials. Additionally, we have become empowered to drive a school-wide improvement initiative from the ground up by using the four-stage PAR process. It is our experience with the PAR process as a method of engagement in AL for school practitioners that we aim to share in this account of practice.
Improving Schools
In this article, we outline the necessary action steps for schools to improve the achievement of ... more In this article, we outline the necessary action steps for schools to improve the achievement of bilingual students. We review, summarize, and utilize the pertinent scholarly literature to make suggestions for school-wide, collaborative efforts to support the achievement of bilingual learners through linguistically responsive pedagogy and practice. Our research-based recommendations include the need for school actors to negotiate language policy and mandates, lay the necessary ideological foundations, build effective school structures and systems, and foster meaningful collaboration with families and communities. When teachers, administrators, counselors, families, and community members work together, schools can improve to promote the social, cultural, linguistic, and academic achievement of bilingual students.