Designing a consequentially based study into the online support of pre-service teachers in the UK

Kontopoulou, Konstantina and Fox, Alison (2015). Designing a consequentially based study into the online support of pre-service teachers in the UK. Educational Research and Evaluation, 21(2) pp. 122–138.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/13803611.2015.1024422

Abstract

This paper reports on the design of a pilot doctoral study into the online support of pre-service teachers. It highlights the significance of a consequential, rather than deontological, perspective in guiding the development of a study's design. The study initially aimed to explore pre-service teachers’ perceptions and use of social media on their school placements by setting up groups on Facebook and Twitter. However, several problems occurred in relation to the recruitment of participants. It became increasingly clear that there was significance in the positionality of the researcher as an “outsider” to the research context and the potential role for gatekeepers in understanding remote research sites. An ethical framework was used to make a more comprehensive analysis of the issues at play, which helped identify ways of proceeding. A redesign of the study followed with a stronger rationale for the way consequential considerations can help address deontological concerns.