ABSTRACT

The article reflects on ways in which the use of participatory action research (PAR) in a study to improve the teaching of English as a second or additional language, promoted knowledge democracy. In the article, we pay special attention to how nine Senior Phase/Junior Secondary (Grade 7–9) school-teachers of English as a second or additional language, together with two researchers/the authors, reflected and identified factors that needed to be engaged with to improve teaching and make learning English meaningful to the Bafokeng children’s language, community values and ways of living. In developing the partnerships that were crucial for PAR, first, we acknowledged and affirmed how the teachers described and accounted for their teaching and, second, how together with the researchers, individually and collectively co-produced knowledge democratically about the teaching that was studied and how it could be improved. The argument is that without the partnerships that were developed and continuously constructed during field-work, the collaborative ways of identifying how to improve the teaching of English while recognizing language, values and ways of living they brought into lessons would have been impossible. Finally, the article reflects on the conditions that made the partnerships and roles played by all eleven participants in the study crucial in laying the foundations for meaningful professional development for the teachers.

摘要

这篇文章反映了在一项研究中使用参与式行动研究 (PAR) 来改善英语作为第二语言或附加语言的教学、促进知识民主的方式。在这篇文章中，我们特别关注九名高中/初中（7-9 年级）英语作为第二语言或附加语言的学校教师，以及两名研究人员/作者，如何反映和确定需要考虑的因素致力于改善教学，使学习英语对 Bafokeng 儿童的语言、社区价值观和生活方式有意义。在发展对 PAR 至关重要的伙伴关系时，首先，我们承认并肯定了教师如何描述和解释他们的教学，其次，我们如何与研究人员一起，个人和集体民主地共同生产关于所研究的教学以及如何改进它的知识。争论的焦点是，如果没有在实地工作期间发展和持续构建的伙伴关系，就不可能通过协作方式确定如何改进英语教学，同时认识到他们带入课程的语言、价值观和生活方式。最后，本文反思了研究中所有 11 名参与者的伙伴关系和所扮演的角色对于为教师有意义的专业发展奠定基础至关重要的条件。在识别他们带入课程的语言、价值观和生活方式的同时，确定如何改进英语教学的协作方式是不可能的。最后，本文反思了研究中所有 11 名参与者的伙伴关系和所扮演的角色对于为教师有意义的专业发展奠定基础至关重要的条件。在识别他们带入课程的语言、价值观和生活方式的同时，确定如何改进英语教学的协作方式是不可能的。最后，本文反思了研究中所有 11 名参与者的伙伴关系和所扮演的角色对于为教师有意义的专业发展奠定基础至关重要的条件。