Primary school children becoming researchers: The use of Inclusive Inquiry

Abstract

Since the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (United Nations, 1989), there has been growing interest in the idea of focusing on students’ voices in order to facilitate improvements in schools. Cook-Sather (2006) argues that ‘“voice” signals having a legitimate perspective and opinion, being present and taking part, and/or having an active role’ (p. 362). Reflecting these concerns, this article reports findings from three cycles of collaborative action research that focused on finding ways of including all children in lessons, particularly those seen as ‘hard to reach’. Central to the approach developed through the project is the idea of teachers engaging with the ideas of students.

Funded by the European Union between 2017 and 2020, the study involved 30 primary schools in five European countries (Austria, Denmark, England, Portugal and Spain) in using inclusive inquiry, an innovative approach based on our earlier research (Messiou and Ainscow, 2015; Messiou and Ainscow, 2020; Messiou et al., 2016). The approach involves teachers and children working together to co-design lessons that are inclusive. What is distinctive, however, is the involvement of some students as researchers: collecting and analysing their classmates’ views about learning and teaching, and observing and refining the lessons in collaboration with their teachers. Small teams of university researchers in each country monitored the impact of this process.

The approach is inclusive at a number of levels. Firstly, it focuses on all students, particularly those that are seen as ‘hard to reach’, who take the roles of researchers. In addition, all the other children contribute their ideas to the design of lessons. This involves taking into account and responding to diversity
The recognition of individual differences in terms of race, ... More
of views. Most importantly, the lessons focus on enabling all students to participate and to be included in the learning process.

In this article we use an example of developments from one English primary school to illustrate the impact on the children involved, as well as on the school’s practices and cultures.

More information

Identifiers

ORCID for Kyriaki Messiou: orcid.org/0000-0003-3412-3108

Catalogue record

Export record