Time for digital inclusion at scale

Problem statements: Schools have not been included in the web regulations therefore may have no knowledge or skills to be able to teach (web regs ref) Teachers have indicated a negative perception of digital accessibility as being complex and time consuming (refs) Low level of workplace skills (refs) Digital curriculum written in 2013 and does not refer to digital accessibility (ref)  Education related to the needs of those with disabilities not on curriculum (ref) This has influenced what my aims for research are. An intervention maybe a step too far with nobody able to support or teach if it were too be implemented, therefore I need to explore the level of the issue first e.g. reflect on the issue as well as investigate the response to some basic key concepts and what they would be capable and comfortable to understand and teach. Research backs these problem statements up (Find references to add) Citizenship national curriculum: https://www.gov.uk/government/public...

Phase 1 will be an initial survey to paint a basic picture of knowledge in schools. This survey I aim to do with a large number of respondents to get a broad picture of a range of schools and scale to have more reliable data to be able to group and analyse. This will be followed up with semi structured interviews to add more detail and to explain and better understand the findings. This will be smaller in scale but across a cross section of participants from a range of settings. *This in terms of Dewey is going to help identify the extent of the problem and help reflect on the problem. Any findings can also be located in literature to triangulate and discuss. Phase 2 will be focus groups exploring a range of knowledge concepts and resources (suggested solutions) with both teachers and learners to identify their level of understanding of each of them is and what could be realistically embedded into the curriculum and at what point or made visible and understood in the education space to...

 It’s been a strange week or so with the queen, but more personal is that my son has moved to his university halls. He’s only up the road but it’s hit me like a train and I miss his massively. So, to reboot my stalled mind, out came my post it notes and ideas around a pragmatic mixed methods research plan all across my dining room table, something I intend to now write up, now life has a big hole to fill. I’ve also been making more contacts on LinkedIn to facilitate my ideas and building my resources to support the latter stages of focus groups. Next week I’ll be back on track and the proper writing will start again. I’m aiming to write a more rounded research proposal to discuss and explain my chosen research design and methods to use.

I feel confident in my previous posts that I have now worked out a plan of a sequential collection of data, focus and rationale for my study. It’s taken a while to nail my thoughts, focus any ideas and get some good reading behind me. Using the structure below I’m going to now start to explore drafting initial iterations of my research proposal.  This will be based on my previous diagrams and sketched  models whilst thinking through the research design and intentions. The below structure is taken from Cresswell, J. W (2003) Research design, qualitative, quantitative and mixed methods approaches 2nd Ed. Sage Publications, London (P. 55) Use page 73 onwards to guide the following now I know my ideas and plan of using pragmatic mixed methods approach. This book has been a huge help to focus, make some key decisions and help make sense of my mind maps, thoughts and scribbles. STRUCTURE: Introduction: Statement of the problem Purpose of the study (include both qualitative and quant...

  Image of my mind map linking thoughts together on the school context, topics to explore and organising it around a pragmatic research structure. Basic idea: Where are we now (problem - frame and reflect on problem in literature) Where we want to be (suggest a solution based on reflections and insights from literature) Research to give insights into how it can be done (solution ‘how to’ informed by research findings) #Aim is to understand and derive knowledge about the problem. Aim in to explore problem and solution suggestions - no one answer but an understanding of the situation baseline. Dewey structure: Frame, introduce and explain the problem (use literature) Literature review to reflect on the problem and all that is associated with it - widely explore problem and beliefs around it. Literature should highlight some key statements or ideas for an initial q-methodology activity Results of q-methodology to inform in-depth interviews of any issues or themes raised.  Paints ...

Interesting to explore for what I’m planning Dewey’s pragmatism model: Pragmatism as a research design (interpretivist and social construction of knowledge)   https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0760/8/9/255/htm http://www.sfu.ca/~rwakkary/thesis/Wakkary_Chapter_3.pdf https://www.simplypsychology.org/John-Dewey.html https://www.atlantis-press.com/article/125919033.pdf https://youtu.be/KRgNg--JXog Pragmatic inquiry research  https://orsociety.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1057/palgrave.jors.2602443 https://www.researchgate.net/profile/John-Kalolo/publication/276489509_The_Drive_towards_Application_of_Pragmatic_Perspective_in_Educational_Research_Opportunities_and_Challenges/links/568244df08ae051f9aecf8d6/The-Drive-towards-Application-of-Pragmatic-Perspective-in-Educational-Research-Opportunities-and-Challenges.pdf?origin=publication_detail https://www.nottingham.ac.uk/helmopen/rlos/research-evidence-based-practice/designing-research/types-of-study/understanding-pragmatic-research/section01...

 As a society we now need to be digital citizens. For equality and to be accessible this comes with new responsibilities, the need for awareness and core digital values for inclusion. Currently as a society awareness in the area of digital accessibility is not really being raised or addressed beyond those directly affected by the web regulations, such as web developers, users or enthusiasts. On the diffusion of innovation model (below), I'd suggest in wider society this is at the stage of innovators and some early adopters.  With the momentum of the digital world we need to ensure society is more prepared than this, surely? We need the knowledge and skills of knowing how to be inclusive more widespread to prevent current and future barriers and exclusion, so everyone can more effectively engage in the digital space, at least at a very basic level.  Barriers in society align to the social model of disability, yet this social model can only be addressed if people are willin...

  https://youtu.be/qeGK_r4nWmQ When you find a webinar, get up early and watch it before work, that's dedication :) A great video to help structure thoughts and consider 10 pedagogic principles. The first one completely resonates with what I’d love to explore. It's potentially my research aim, only I aim to explore the landscape of what is known and what isn't in the school context prior to one day seeing that principle become a reality for lifelong skills for digital accessibility including awareness, skills and understanding of it's positive impact in people and society. 'Effective pedagogy equips learners for life in its broadest sense.' I shall explore these in more depth soon.