Over the course of many years supporting both undergraduate and postgraduate students with their dissertations and research projects, and doctoral researchers over the course of PhDs and EdDs, we have identified and experienced students’ different approaches to and concerns about ‘theory’ in educational research.
In relation to doctoral pedagogy we often reflected on these in conversation with each other, and particularly in our experiences directing and supervising on the EdD programme.
Building on these discussions, together, as an interdisciplinary team and led by Dr Louise Kay, we developed a pedagogy-focused project, through which we engaged with questions arising from discussions with students.
We conceptualised these questions as ‘intellectual curiosity about the entangled relationship between theory and what might be understood as the ‘real world’. These questions included 'how should I be using theory in my work?' and 'how do I know what theoretical framework to use?', as well as 'can I draw on multiple theories?'.
For our Thinking About Theory project, we worked with colleagues from different areas across the School of Education to create ten films which showcased different approaches to working with theory, exploring diverse perspectives across the school’s research clusters.
In so doing we have established an online discursive space that focuses on interdisciplinary theoretical perspectives that are applied in and beyond the School of Education. We invited students from across all levels, as well as doctoral researchers, to tell us what they think about theory and what some of their fears are.
Colleagues were also asked to contribute, sharing examples from their own research and from their experiences teaching and supervising. These shared reflections from the School of Education community shaped our resource.
We then worked with Ed Cartledge from sort of…films to produce films in which colleagues explained their own approaches to theory, working with theory, contributing to theory, giving examples from their own work.
On Friday 23 February 2024 we launched the theory resource with our EdD researchers as part of the February study school activities, with Dr Louise Kay presenting the project to attendees.
We were delighted that our colleague Dr Darren Webb accepted our invitation to deliver a keynote presentation which responded to the films. He offered provocations about theory, drawing on work by bell hooks and Paulo Freire, discussing how theory and practice intersect and entangle, stating that practice is illuminated and guided by theory just as theory is illuminated and deepened through practice. Darren, alongside Professors Jennifer Rowsell and David Hyatt then participated in a question and answer panel convened by Dr Jessica Bradley.
The films and additional readings engage with socio-cultural theory in early childhood research, theory in childhood studies, posthumanism and socio-materiality, engaging with the ‘fear’ of theory, theories of a ‘usable past’, the journey of theory through the educational context from a psychological perspective, statistical thinking, self-determination theory and cultural-historical activity theory.
We hope that these films will be useful for colleagues, doctoral researchers and students and we’d love to hear your feedback on the resource and you’re invited to fill in the short feedback form.
Feedback will help us develop this resource in the future. We’d also love to hear your thoughts on teaching theory - watch this space for future events.
For more information, contact the project team:
Dr Louise Kay is EdD Director and Thinking About Theory Project Lead
Dr Jessica Bradley is EdD Deputy Director and Thinking About Theory Project Co-investigator
Professor David Hyatt is School of Education Director of PGR and Thinking About Theory Project Co-investigator