This article explores the use of the circle as a shape metaphor in qualitative and education research and particularly in research designs. Circles dominate the shape metaphors found in the literature and the paper argues that this is because circles have key features that align well with designing and conducting qualitative research. Circles…

Reflexive commitments tend to be lacking, particularly from the perspective of early career scholars. This is particularly true in relation to published research, but evident in doctoral studies exploring teachers work. Using principles of phenomenological reflexivity, this methodological paper explores the critical incidents that have come to…

The problem addressed in this study was the lack of clarity around K-12 teachers' use and value of using social media as a resource for professional development. Many K-12 teachers are accessing social media for professional development. The purpose of this qualitative narrative inquiry study was to examine the experiences of K-12 teachers using…

Philosophy for Children is a pedagogical approach practised worldwide. Although well known for its contribution to democratic teaching and learning its contribution to critical research is relatively unknown. In this paper we present the use of a Community of Enquiry (CoE), as conceptualised in Philosophy for Children, as a qualitative research…

Librarians continually seek innovative ways to integrate library expertise and resources into campus research endeavors. Although qualitative research has grown across disciplines, researchers using these methods often receive little campus-based support. The authors investigate this shortfall in support of qualitative researchers through…

Using "banking" and "kitchen" metaphors to illustrate the educational frameworks of Freire's banking concept and constructivist learning theory, we--students and instructor--describe an innovative pedagogical adult learning-teaching model utilized in a required course, "Qualitative Research," within the curriculum of…

This paper reports on findings from a study that examined students' online asynchronous discussions in five online courses on qualitative research methods. Online asynchronous discussion data from 22 students in 5 courses over a period of two years were analyzed iteratively, revealing two themes: (1) patterns of writing in students' posts that…

Purpose: This paper aims to explore the relationship between the contemporary forms of manufacturing rationalization and the reproduction of communities of practice (CoPs) centred on tasks and craft. Building on critical literature highlighting the tensions between CoPs and rationalization, this paper aims to develop a nuanced account of how CoPs…

This research draws on the concepts of practice architecture, middle leader and scholarship and uses narrative analysis drawn from a 'community of practice' of HE in FE practitioners. Whilst being an existing 'community of practice', the university concerned changed the collaborative framework of support and this provided a platform for the…

Professional learning communities can be effective vehicles for teacher learning and instructional improvement, partly because they help change professional culture. However, little is known about "how" these changes occur. We used activity systems analysis to investigate the development of professional learning communities and their…

Adult learners often experience uncertainty, isolation, and, in graduate school, angst about meeting program requirements. Therefore, graduate students created and facilitated a seminar series and preliminary examination study group. The experience, however, transcended seminars and study meetings to build relevant and meaningful community. The…

Opportunities for self-directed and connected professional learning are made possible by applications and tools available on the Internet and are part of an educator's professional learning network (PLN). For the past 6 years, educators across the world have reflected together through a voluntary, educator-generated, informal, online professional…

This process and outcome qualitative study describes and critically assesses the experiences of the faculty who participated in the one-semester FLC addressing CLTs through a content analysis of individual narratives completed at the end and ten months after the FLC ended. The existence and contributions of four prerequisites for successful…

In the field of Literacy Studies, online spaces have been recognised as providing many opportunities for spontaneous and self-initiated learning. While some progress has been made in understanding these important learning experiences, little attention has been paid to teachers' self-initiated professional learning. Contributing to the debates…

Journal clubs are meetings where participants engage in discussion or appraisal of professional literature and research. This study investigates the perceived value of librarians' participation in journal clubs. Using a hermeneutic dialectic process, we built a construction of the value of journal club participation based on interviews with…