Collaborative Investigation of Inclusive Early Education Practices A Blueprint for Teacher-Researcher Partnership

• Published in: Journal of early intervention Vol. 22; no. 3; pp. 257 - 265
• Main Authors: GETTINGER, MARIBETH, STOIBER, KAREN CALLAN, LANGE, JENNY
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Los Angeles, CA SAGE Publications 01-07-1999
• Subjects: Action Research; College School Cooperation; Disabilities; Educational Cooperation; Inclusive Schools; Partnerships in Education; Preschool Children; Preschool Education; Program Effectiveness; Research Utilization; Teacher Researchers; Theory Practice Relationship
• ISSN: 1053-8151; 2154-3992
• DOI: 10.1177/105381519902200308

This paper describes the rationale, development, and first-year implementation of Wisconsin's Preschool Action Research and Development Initiative (PARDI) which evolved from a desire to enhance the utility of research on early childhood inclusion through collaboration between teachers and researchers. PARDI is a school-university partnership that creates opportunities for researchers and teachers to work collaboratively while examining issues related to early childhood inclusion. Specifically, 38 teachers from 22 inclusive early childhood classrooms in Wisconsin participated in 2 collaborative research activities: (a) systematic recording and analysis of critical incidents (CIs); and, (b) quarterly meetings for analysis of CIs by researchers and teachers. In addition to describing PARDI's collaborative research model and methodology, this paper presents preliminary findings concerning the impact of PARDI on teachers' thinking and classroom practices.