Complete thesis - Murdoch University

esearch, others triggered by changing School and University policy. These could be accommodatedwithin the research framework, due to the emergent nature of the research design,and the opportunistic use of tools to observe the interventions and changes occurring.Figure 5.10 summarises the overall Action Research cycles of this project. Cycle 1 investigatedan Apprenticeship model for authentic learning of RE, as a mechanism for assisting transfer;Cycle 2 addressed issues raised in Cycle 1 by examining models that focussed on studentcentredapproaches to learning in ‘wicked’ domains, where problems are generally (if notinvariably) ill-structured and required creativity to tackle them. Cycle 3 developed a hybridmodel that focussed on adaptable and flexible learning.The data collected through the use of instruments described in Section 5.3 were subject tothematic analysis and evaluation. Triangulation was achieved by comparing the interpretationof each sub-group of data, and of quantitative with qualitative results. In general,this evaluation addressed several aspects of the study: the success of the implementation ofthe intervention; the appropriateness of the model for addressing the issues raised and theimpact on students learning in the short term (their level of success and perception of theenvironment) and longer term (student performance in tasks dependent on learning (in Cycle1) in the unit under investigation and (in Cycle 3) demonstration of independent learning inthe follow-on unit).The next three chapters describe the Action Research project undertaken. As noted inChapter 1, each of three chapters discusses a discrete cycle in the Action Research project.This includes the following:• a section describing the Murdoch context, and, in particular, changes to it which impacton the cycle• the planning required to implement the intervention• the implementation and the data collected• analysis and interpretation• reflection and then reporting of the intervention.In keeping with the narrative nature of the journey metaphor employed (also discussed inChapter 1), the chronological aspects of each cycle are important, as is the thematic analysisof the ‘stories’ collected from the student participants.246