An investigation into partnerships between schools and service provider in an education district

[摘要] ENGLISH ABSTRACT : The role of partnerships between schools and service providers remains an important partof school improvement processes. In this study the role of the READ Education Trust inassisting teachers with the implementation of a Balanced Language Approach is exploredand researched.This study focuses on the experiences of the three partners, the READ facilitator, thecurriculum advisor and the teachers from participating schools. The study looks at thefactors promoting or hindering the success of the partnership and develops ideas based onthe data produced for ways in which such partnerships might be improved and planned formore 'successful' interactions. The study is framed and interpreted within the CulturalHistorical Activity Theory framework as it lends itself to the multiple dimensions of differentactivities within a system. Each partner is viewed as an activity system and the processes ofinteraction between the systems, what facilitates interactions and provides positivedevelopments are recorded and discussed in terms of literature reviewed.The three partners were investigated separately and data developed by way of interviews,questionnaires and document analysis (teacher lesson plans). Overall the partners showcomplimentary interactions that supported the intervention to improve language teaching.A well planned professional developed process which included new teaching ideas that weresupported by materials were mentioned by teachers as an important factor in their ownlearning and professional development. The curriculum advisor and the READ facilitatorcited interactions with teachers and between themselves as important sharing processes(boundary crossing) where new ideas, adaptations to materials and new approaches toteaching were developed (boundary objects) that promoted the objectives of thepartnership mainly the implementation of the balanced language approach to languageteaching.Issues raised as barriers included lack of support at school level, the 'exclusion of schoolmanagement teams in the partnership process, the lack of enthusiasm for the partnershipdemonstrated by school management teams. Another issue raised was the limited time theREAD facilitator could spend in classrooms. Suggestions for further research include a formof cascade process to include more teachers at schools and a greater collaboration betweenneighbouring schools in order to extend the useful ideas and value of the partnership.

[发布机构] Stellenbosch University