To read this content please select one of the options below:

Revisiting student's learning experiences appreciatively: Findings from a course evaluation using an appreciative inquiry process

David Giles (School of Education, Flinders University, Adelaide, Australia)
Susie Kung (Department of Early Childhood Education, Manukau Institute of Technology, St Manukau City, New Zealand)

Journal of Applied Research in Higher Education

ISSN: 2050-7003

Article publication date: 2 September 2014

277

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to focuses on the use of Appreciative Inquiry (AI) to acquire and analyse student's life-centric experiences in an undergraduate early childhood course entitled, “Philosophy in Action”. The course has as a foundational belief that a teacher's sense of identity is central to effective teaching. As such, this research sought to capture the essence of the connection between students’ beliefs about early childhood teaching and the real world of practice.

Design/methodology/approach

Using an AI approach peak performances were analysed for causes of success and emergent themes, after which provocative propositions and an action plan were co-constructed.

Findings

The findings of this research evoke discourse around the influence of the student-teacher relationship as a means of enhancing life centric learning experiences in educational programmes.

Originality/value

The authors wondered whether an AI approach to a course evaluation might open themes that show a taken-for-granted depth of the learning experiences. The authors were not disappointed.

Keywords

Citation

Giles, D. and Kung, S. (2014), "Revisiting student's learning experiences appreciatively: Findings from a course evaluation using an appreciative inquiry process", Journal of Applied Research in Higher Education, Vol. 6 No. 2, pp. 215-230. https://doi.org/10.1108/JARHE-01-2012-0002

Publisher

:

Emerald Group Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2014, Emerald Group Publishing Limited

Related articles