ANNUAL REPORT 2017
PRODUC I NG KNOWLE DG E
Action research
driving curriculum
KU
20
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KU recognises that the better
developed an educator’s knowledge
and skillset, the stronger and deeper
the educational program they can
offer for children. This is why KU not
only invests heavily in professional
learning, but also committed
significant additional investment in
2017 to expand KU’s own research
agenda. By producing knowledge
based on our own experience of
quality programs and service delivery,
we can contribute to the evidence
and knowledge base guiding early
education practices more broadly.
At KU, action research is both
investigative
research
and
professional learning in one, as
teachers and educators take on the
role of researcher. Often working
in partnership with academics or
Critical Friends, action research
encourages educators to examine
a particular question or challenge
within their own service. Together
they explore current practices
and reflect on and query existing
ideas, with the express purpose of
improving processes, enhancing the
educational program, or developing
practical solutions to a problem.
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KU Mayfield Preschool recently
undertook an action research project,
exploring the differing, or similar,
views held by stakeholders in relation
to the ‘transition to school’ process.
Data was collected through children’s
drawings and conversations about Big
School, families participated in focus
groups, and surveys were conducted
amongst preschool educators, as well
as school principals and teaching staff.
The research identified that each
group had very similar concerns
about the transition to school, and
perceptions about what it means to