Lärares medverkan i praktiknära forskning : Förutsättningar och hinder

In contemporary society there is a growing idea of the importance of teachers’ participation in practice relevant research aiming for a science-based teaching. However, there is no clear common understanding of the meaning of teachers’ participation. The aim of the article is to contribute to the discussion such a meaning through an analysis of three collaborative practice-developing research projects. What conditions facilitate or prevent teachers’ participation as members of a research group? Besides time and support from the headmaster, the analysis indicates some important aspects: a) teachers need to be involved from the start, already in identifying the problem and in the overall research planning, b) especially the researchers must take responsibility for securing that teachers can cooperate as members of the research group on equal basis, bearing in mind that it is easy for teachers to positions themselves as learners and c) the research aim needs to be shared between teachers and researchers. Further, ethical issues need to be considered thoroughly, since e.g. aspects of anonymity are challenged if teachers’ contribution are to be acknowledged