Running head: COLLABORATIVE LEARNING COMMUNITIES 1

Collaborative Learning Communities: Self As a Lens of Learning

Ashley Hull

University of Calgary

EDER 603.21

August 15, 2018

COLLABORATIVE LEARNING COMMUNITIES 2

Table of Contents

Introduction........................................................................................................................... 3

Role of Researcher................................................................................................................ 4

Research Statement............................................................................................................... 5

Conceptualizing and Inquiry................................................................................................. 9

Methods of Inquiry.............................................................................................................. 11

Ethical Issues....................................................................................................................... 13

Conclusion........................................................................................................................... 15

References........................................................................................................................... 17
COLLABORATIVE LEARNING COMMUNITIES 3

Lifelong learning is a term many school districts across Canada employ within their

strategic plans to denote the importance of foundational educational skills in assisting students

on all educational pursuits, no matter their age or stage in life. Educators have long since realized

the value of learning within a social context and professional teaching staff have integrated the

concepts of collaborative learning communities into the classroom with varying degrees of

success (Oxford, 1997). Despite these efforts throughout the years, little research has examined

the use of collaborative learning outside of a standardized, Western, context. Many qualitative

studies justify their research based on too unique of circumstances or contexts to apply current

data to their situation (Creswell, 2014); however, based on personal experience, I argue that

broader cultural lenses and vastly different contexts help illuminate and offer grounds for

introspective and reflexive work that may not have otherwise occurred.

For my research, I aim to examine the effect collaborative learning communities have on

personal and professional growth within the context of matriarchal multigenerational classrooms

of the Bundelkhand region in rural India, as well as from a comprehensive literature review on

the topic. This examination will occur under a social constructivist lens, maintaining a human-

centered approach, while utilizing an autoethnographic methodology to create meaning of the

journals, notes, written memories and informal interviews I conducted in the fall of 2017.

Beyond the benefit of self-illumination during the process of story-telling (Ellis, 2004), I aim to

present a narrative that allows the reader to reflect and form their own personal meaning from the

composed text (Gillmore, 2011). While I cannot infer what each individual may gain through the

careful consideration and crafting of this research, one would hope that improved understanding,

whether personal or professional, would occur.

COLLABORATIVE LEARNING COMMUNITIES 4

Role of Researcher

Formulating a collection of interests throughout a lifetime, my role as researcher is likely

no different than any other educator who has arrived at a problem of practice. The summation of

experience and profound learning and growth opportunities over the years created for me

multiple entry points from which I could examine a problem of practice. I have unearthed a deep

and impassioned stance as a social constructivist, believing in the collective objective of adding

to understanding and providing meaning in this world through lived human experience

(Creswell, 2014). The personal and subjective make for fascinating and profound insights into

our selves and our environments. Additionally, I resonate with the personal connection

associated with the approach to this worldview: human to human connection for the sake of

understanding and broadening views of cultural norms and historical impact. Interpretation by a

researcher cannot reflect a perfect understanding, however the personal growth and creation of

new and more accurate meaning is an engaging and illuminating outcome.

What brought me to my problem of practice was a fascination of culture and peoples I

had studied in my first year of undergrad studies at the University of Victoria in 2002. Studying

away from home as a young seventeen-year-old, I stepped onto a path of self-exploration and

into a world of academia that pushed my boundaries of understanding and worldview. It was my

History of India class that impacted me most heavily. As those transformative moments often do,

that semester implanted a seed of inquiry that would be fulfilled 15 years later as an intern with a

social development group in India, participating as a Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Scholar for the

University of Calgary. However, much had changed for me in my personal circumstances. I had

now been a wife of 14 years and a mother of five young children. I participated in a very

patriarchal faith and yet had a very non-conservative, feminist core belief. Navigating my three-
COLLABORATIVE LEARNING COMMUNITIES 5

month internship would cause me to reevaluate and question every facet of self while learning,

empathizing and growing to love the people I met throughout the assignment. This reflexive

process brought me deeper understanding into the beauty and power of the female will and

pursuit of knowledge and empowerment. These stories became the inspiration of my research

and shape the person I am today.

Research Statement

Through a long and challenging process of refinement, the purpose of this

autoethnographic study will be to understand personal and professional growth through my

experiences in India and a review on the literature of collaborative learning communities. At this

stage in the research, collaborative learning communities will be generally defined as the

construction of knowledge within a social context.

The central question posed places collaborative learning communities as the central

phenomenon to explore: In what ways do collaborative learning communities contribute to

personal/professional growth? My current two sub-questions include: 1) What are the ways in

which matriarchal multigenerational leaders impact collaborative learning communities? 2) How

do collaborative learning communities shape cultural landscapes? The first sub-question lends

itself to an investigation of the feelings and impressions I had while interning in India, while the

second helps blend my Eastern experiences with the Western classroom and educational model.

Feedback from my final slide presentation question the linkage of the sub-questions to my

central question. I will investigate this over the coming weeks and seek out the assistance of my

colleagues to perhaps find more congruency if there is, in fact, a disconnect.

As my research intention, methodology and question has shifted to my current one most

recently, the literature I collected for LT2 is no longer relevant. Exploration of the various
COLLABORATIVE LEARNING COMMUNITIES 6

methodologies helped inform me as a future researcher; however, for the purposes of this

assignment, my previous experience, data collection and research on autoethnography will better

serve me moving forward. My approach to examining topics for research include looking for

information regarding my two sub-questions, including: collaborative learning communities,

multigenerational sharing of information, matriarchal classrooms, and impact of cultural

landscapes. Each of these topics helps inform and provide research to support, explain or even

contrast my already-lived experiences and data. As a preliminary filter, I will attempt to limit my

selection of studies to use those written by female authors as I feel particularly passionate about

creating space for female voices. This aligns with my social constructivist viewpoint, as my

general sense of belief supports the notion that it is the people who create the phenomenon, not

the other way around. As an autoethnographic study authored by a woman who examines

personal and professional transformation because of her interactions with other women, I feel

justified in applying this limitation on studies utilized in my research.

At present, preliminary research into collaborative learning communities suggests that

many of the recent studies published examine the use of assistive technology or online realms of

learning (Hitosugi, 2016; Sotomayer, 2016; Edmondson, 2012). Others view the creation of

community as a phenomenon that must extend beyond the digital plane and into a physical

meeting space, such as a classroom (Lichtenstein, 2005). No matter the building space, defining

the term learning community remains a challenge that, to present, researchers have yet to agree

upon (West & Williams, 2017). On an instructional level, leadership roles are examined by the

successful implementation of these collaborative learning communities (Harris, Jones & Baba,

2013; Mullen & Hutinger, 2008). What is currently lacking in the literature is a student-centric

approach or view to the impact collaborative learning communities can have. Kooy (2015)
COLLABORATIVE LEARNING COMMUNITIES 7

emphasizes the teacher-student relationship and value of fostering these connections and

implications for learning environments, nevertheless, very few additional studies examine the

non-online sphere of learning from the student side. Herein presents an opportunity for my

research to contribute to the limited body of knowledge on the subject.

When investigating matriarchal classrooms, the search term single-sex had to be

employed to find studies on the impact of homogenous gendered classes. Much has been

discussed within the formal structure of either private or public education including case studies

and evaluations of the impact of single-sex classes on student achievement (Hart, 2016; Martin

& Beese, 2016; Scoggings, 2009; Laster, 2004). Shifting focus to women’s literacy programs

likewise identifies gaps in the literature that addressed education for rural women. Studies

overwhelmingly assumed a health focus, despite narrowing topics to those dealing specifically

with education. There is some promising research and interest around female empowerment

(Acharya, Jimba & Wakai, 2007) where foundational literacy skills supported a larger

community development goal, as well as a longitudinal study of impact and women’s agency

within the complexity of negotiating within the power structures of Northern India (Ghose &

Mullick, 2015). Overall, my impression of preliminary research on the topic is one of need to

gather bits and pieces from a multitude of sources to explore the complexities and intricacies of

learning within a matriarchal classroom.

Perhaps most surprising was the lack of peer-reviewed studies examining

multigenerational classrooms, a topic I was expecting a lot of literature on due to its popularity

and current “hot topic” appeal. Is this an indication that there is more talk than action/research on

the topic? Do educators like the idea of integrating multi/intergenerational teaching and learning

in classrooms but find it practically challenging? Pedagogical methods and considerations have
COLLABORATIVE LEARNING COMMUNITIES 8

been examined from a lens to support learners across the generations (Notaianni, Curry-

Lourenco & Palmer, 2009), as well as the impact “older” mentors have on expanding struggling

bilingual students’ viewpoints (Martínez-Álvarez, 2017). Shifting the terminology from

multigenerational classrooms to multigenerational learning did little to improve the quality or

relevance of returns on the University of Calgary library search query tool.

Moving forward, I will focus on foundational work of experts in each of these areas and

examine who they cite as sources, looking for relevance to my over-arching central question

without being too critically discerning, knowing that a simple phrase or idea presented in one

study may be the turning point in my literature review. Locating appropriate studies will require

a needle-in-the-haystack approach, which is ultimately very surprising as I had assumed female-

only classroom and multigenerational learning to be so broad of topics that there would be too

much literature to refine from. Additionally, I will aim to search out case studies from similar

contextual environments to build upon.

My overall impressions also indicate that it will be a challenge to apply literature that is

based on data collected from formal, mostly Western, classrooms to my experiences in rural

India. Nevertheless, learning is learning, and contextual considerations will be spoken to in my

research in addition to the foundational elements of my central phenomenon: collaborative

learning communities. Here, my research will present an extreme divergence from what has been

published. I have yet to locate a specific niche from which my research can stem, though it may

find more relevance among the public health category where more similar publications have

been recorded.
COLLABORATIVE LEARNING COMMUNITIES 9

Conceptualizing an Inquiry

I have selected to utilize autoethnography as a lens to examine my problem of practice. As it

assumes a narrative form of writing, the autoethnographic methodology maintains the reflexive

process I feel is paramount to sharing lived experience. Here, personal and social context is

valued and maintained throughout the approach (Reed-Danahay, 1997) as well as cultural

considerations applied (Chang, 2008). What brought me to this approach was the

transformational experiences I had while getting to know the local village women in rural India.

Some of these interactions were structured as I fulfilled my assignment on site, whereas others

occurred as social visits and were unplanned. However, none of the interactions were

purposefully designed with the intention of personal or professional growth. This occurred as I

worked through my own feelings and recognition of the central phenomenon at play:

collaborative learning communities. The time apart from my family and native culture also

proved to be fertile grounds for a lot of introspective work, viewing my situation in relation to

those I was now serving and working with abroad. Since I had become aware of the

autoethnographic process before I commenced my internship, I was extremely purposeful and

diligent in maintaining a journal, noting impressions and collecting photos that represented my

journey.

I believe the process of arriving at my research question regarding collaborative learning

communities and personal/professional growth has certainly been emergent, and while not all of

my current documentation reflects or suits my current purposes, having a lens from which to

view my entries and experiences has been nothing short of illuminating. Emerging design, I

believe, will undertake more of a self-realization and actualization piece as I recount my stories

and feelings and make meaning throughout my research. Likewise, the fact that subjectivity and
COLLABORATIVE LEARNING COMMUNITIES 10

emotionality is considered a strength in the method help me position myself more authentically

as a researcher and the influence and bias I bring to the table (Ellis, Adams & Bochner, 2011).

Literature collected and analyzed will inevitably provide another avenue for understanding

transformative growth and will assist in clarifying the process I have experienced.

Over the course of this short semester I have struggled with my multi-facetted interests

leading me down one path and then another to consider for research. Perhaps I have a

researcher’s heart! I am inquisitive and love challenging myself to meet ambitious goals, which

are all facets of my learning style and that bring me to education as a career and passion. I take

comfort in Creswell’s (2014) assurance that the evolutionary process of defining a problem of

practice is typical and oftentimes necessary in research endeavors. Nevertheless, I believe I have

landed on a purpose that can speak the most truth and profundity of self.

Here, autoethnography offers a reflexive and narrative approach to gaining

understanding. However, I am acutely aware that this approach must serve a higher purpose than

that of personal growth and fulfilment. In her account of returning from Kenya to her western

life, Gilmore (2011) described how:

Each person who listened to my story was reminded of his or her own journey. Their

stories were different from mine, but they found familiarity: a calling to help, embarking

on adventures that taught them about multiple ways of being, weaving an old life with a

new experience. I was not supposed to teach people about my experience. I was to share a

story, which just happened to be mine, so that others could remember their own

experiences. (p. 330-331)

I must affirm and commit in my research that my stories will serve as examples for challenging

assumptions and for inspiring personal growth beyond imposed or perceived limitations.
COLLABORATIVE LEARNING COMMUNITIES 11

Contrasting the male heteronormative culture in the Western traditional classrooms I’ve

experienced, the cultural landscape and context of the matriarchal, multigenerational classrooms

in India provided a strong sense of community that is certainly worthy of investigating further. If

collaborative learning communities are a desirable environment for learning, then curiosity and

consideration of how it is accomplished in other contexts should merit the research worthy of

investigation. As our education model moves away from competitive ranking systems and into

criterion-based systems (Guskey & Jung, 2012), I anticipate the phenomenon of collaborative

learning communities to be one that will increase in popularity and relevance.

Methods of Inquiry

Creswell’s (2014) description of formulating research questions was invaluable to me in

setting forth my intention through to the development of the questions themselves. As a

qualitative methodology, autoethnography takes the approach of exploring “the general, complex

set of factors surrounding the central phenomenon and present[ing] the broad, varied

perspectives or meanings that participants hold” (Creswell, 2014, p. 140). What I recognized in

my multiple re-writes of my research question was the need to keep the central phenomenon at

the core and permit the methods of data to be narrowed by my selected methodology. This

challenged my desire to tell the stories of the people I interacted with in India, nevertheless, I can

only speak to personal experience and interpretation as collecting new data is not possible at this

time in my life and career. Personal truth is not proven truth, and the design and reflexive

process will reflect this distinction. Following Creswell’s (2014) suggestions to present the

design as open and emerging, the words what and how were used to exclusively in draft and

current form of my research question.

COLLABORATIVE LEARNING COMMUNITIES 12

As mentioned previously, I intend to research the sub-question topics relevant to

collaborative learning communities in the contexts I would like to examine, specifically:

matriarchal and multigenerational learners in addition to cultural landscapes. Each of these sub-

question topics present a new opportunity for researching current thoughts and data on

components of the learning environment I was a part of and observed in India. I plan to integrate

personal stories to supplement the current literature on each topic, giving a more human appeal,

again reflecting the social constructivist viewpoint I hold. Heading Hendricks’ (2016)

admonition, multiple sources including books, articles, dissertations and conference reports will

build the theoretical and practical application of the central phenomenon I selected of

collaborative leaning communities. Filtering for technical statistical information that is “not very

useful for informing practitioner research” (Hendricks, 2016, p. 34), I aim to analyze researched

information based on the lens I have selected for this problem of practice and remain committed

to keeping a human-centered approach. Again, I intend to utilize the female voice exclusively

when selecting studies to share within my research. These methods align with the

autoethnographic methodology and will help me stay both on time and within purpose on this

assignment.

I also must become personally aware that the process of revisiting these experiences will

cause some emotional triggers that cannot always be anticipated. In sharing my truth, I am

committing to remaining vulnerable throughout the research study. I may face criticism or

skepticism based on my interpretation of events and the literature. Uncovering undesirable

attributes in myself may cause personal pain or embarrassment when brought to light and written

down. Inevitably, this opening is a part of the transformative process and growth described in my
COLLABORATIVE LEARNING COMMUNITIES 13

central question. I will have to focus my attention as a researcher and push past the personal

resistance in order to remain professional.

Despite the multiple computer-centric options for research organization, my tactile and

visual learning style will likely see me pulling and printing the resources I will analyze for my

literature review. Color coding based on trends, as well as sticky notes for thoughts and

impressions will be utilized as well. A one paragraph summary cover page will be written and

stapled to each article for quick review. As a method of triangulation, I plan to reach out to the

scholar I travelled and lived with in India and debrief concerning the stories I select to record in

my research. As she was present for some of these interactions and served as the first point of

contact each day with whom I would share my thoughts, she plays a vital role in contributing to

the validity of the experiences shared.

Ethical Issues

Based on the setting of my research, main ethical considerations will need to include how

data is presented regarding the individuals I interacted with as they will form the basic tenants of

the stories I will share. As Creswell (2014) asserts, as a researcher, I must first and foremost

protect the participants in my study. As these circumstances will have occurred nearly a year’s

time since writing, I must carefully examine my memories and ensure the closest alignment to

both accuracy as well as honesty. Coming from a different culture, asserting my experiences as

my own truths and not a definitive reflection of culture is also necessary. As much is very well

likely to be “lost in translation,” maintaining the lens on self will be paramount to the success

and the integrity of the research. A clear and articulated section regarding biases and

preconceptions will be included.

COLLABORATIVE LEARNING COMMUNITIES 14

Precisely because of the language and the distance barriers of collecting additional data in

India, I have selected a methodology that utilizes my experience solely. This omits the need to

create a disclosure form or to undergo the lengthy ethics board process, which was a serious

concern when considering travel timelines to India to avoid less-productive festival seasons and

entry visa requirements. As the program I worked with served women ages 15-60, special

permissions and consent would also be required for the minors in the group, whose voices I most

certainly would have wanted to have represented in the study had I had selected a different

methodology.

Relational ethics, to act from the heart and mind (Ellis, 2007), must also be considered in

this form of research. Implications for both myself as the researcher and storyteller, as well as the

individual who shared the experience with me, must be measured. As my research question has

been emergent, the original intent and purpose of my time abroad served as a springboard to

where I land today. Though unintentional, my study will examine my interactions and feelings

from a new lens and will reflect stories of people that I do not have explicit consent to share.

Therefore, protective devices, such as disguising identifying characteristics, must be employed

and take precedence over accuracy in details (Tulus Owen, McRae, Adams & Vitale, 2009).

Considering a matter of heart, I must remain as objective as possible in my inquiry and must

consistently evaluate myself and my findings through the biases of my affinity towards the

cultural and the people of India. Despite some immensely challenging experiences, I have

selected to regard my time in India as positive and personally enriching; this choice inevitably

impacts the central research question regarding personal and professional growth. Mindset is

something that is honored in autoethnography (Plumber, 2001), nevertheless, as a researcher I

COLLABORATIVE LEARNING COMMUNITIES 15

must try to remain objective during the data collection phase and then permit myself to enter that

data through analysis and narrative storytelling.

Additionally, as my anecdotes of experience occurred while interning at a partnering

Indian social development group with formal and informal ties to the University of Calgary, I

recognize the ethical implications and potential ramifications should something be shared that

would be regarded as unfavorable in respects to either institution. Future partnerships may be at

risk and personal reputation may also be on the line, affecting potential professional

opportunities.

Conclusion

Significant reflexive work occurred in the process of arriving at a central research

question, and perhaps more is yet to be done. This consistent revision is somewhat a familiar

process to me as an English teacher, though the public nature and online platform of sharing

represent new and somewhat uncomfortable parameters I have had to work within.

Circumstances of discomfort are not new to me now and they can be viewed as opportunities for

learning and growth. Similar to my interactions and feelings in India, with each new experience I

can hold strong to the sense of capacity, even when the results are not exactly what I would have

called a “success” in the past. By illustration, this course assumed a collaborative learning

community environment to help each individual reach their goals and objectives. Our divergent

topics stem from impassioned places of interests and our trajectories lead us into different

spheres personally and professionally, however the care and support provided was paramount to

us achieving our personal desires. This social context is not devoid in our current public schools,

but perhaps there is more to consider when we claim to support collective learning communities

among our students.

COLLABORATIVE LEARNING COMMUNITIES 16

My experiences and viewpoint suggest it is the people who bring these characteristics

with them to the classroom. A greater, social understanding and shift may ultimately be what my

study reveals is necessary to see improvements to our current competitive educational systems.

For now, at the tip of the arrow, what I can see is where I am and where I plan to go; a direct

result of the learning landscapes I’ve been fortunate enough to be a part of thus far.
COLLABORATIVE LEARNING COMMUNITIES 17

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