Space around the kitchen table it’s the process over the product: a phenomenological study of racially diverse teachers participating in critical participatory action research to build community and belonging in learning spaces
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Citation
Abstract
The Massachusetts Department of Education (DESE) requires schools to provide systemic, purposeful, and structured professional development opportunities over a sustained period for improved teacher practice. Yet, there is controversy about how educators find success with these opportunities across schools and districts. In this qualitative phenomenological study, six participants who self-identified as literacy educators applied and were accepted to engage in a Critical Participatory Action Research project within their own learning spaces. The study considered how a racially diverse Community of Practice (COP) engaged with culturally responsive literacy through a Black Feminist approach to community for liberatory learning. The findings reveal that time and space were critical to providing educators what they want and need in the learning process, as well as understanding how they form and build a sense of community in their COP and how they learn from the scholarship and apply it to their practice. The study found that the process of learning is essential to develop educator agency in their learning process and disrupt the fear of making mistakes in their own learning.
Description
2025
License
Attribution 4.0 International