Research Strategy Paper and Glossary

Parreira do Amaral, Marcelo; Zelinka, Jozef; Neves, Tiago; Benasso, Sebastiano

Projektbericht

Zusammenfassung

The European funded research project Constructing Learning Outcomes in Europe. A MultiLevel Analysis of (Under-)Achievement in the Life Course (CLEAR) is focusing the factors that affect the quality of learning outcomes across European regions and intents to spark innovative policy approaches to tackle underachievement and increase social upward mobility for young people. CLEAR is inquiring into the construction of learning outcomes and perceives the latter as resulting from manifold intersecting institutional arrangements, spatial and socio-economic determinants, discursive and socio-cultural influences, as well as individual experiences, dispositions, cognitive and psychoemotional abilities. It is the combination of these multiple factors that CLEAR seeks to examine and understand. In order to research this complex issue, CLEAR is designed as a mixed-method, multi-level study based on empirical and comparative analyses, as well as innovative participatory strategies. In this vein, the goal of the Research Strategy Paper and Glossary (Report) is to establish an analytical and conceptual framework, which will inform and guide the subsequent empirical, analytical, and participatory work. The Report is an integral and constitutive part of all subsequent analyses, as it reduces the complexity of diverse approaches to a coherent and applicable framework without, however, limiting their potential to enrich the study. The strategic importance of the Report is further underlined by the necessity to incorporate various disciplinary and expert backgrounds of the members of Consortium. For the international and interdisciplinary team to function and cooperate smoothly, it is inevitable to find a common conceptual ground and to share the same understandings of core concepts and definitions. Thus, the Report has the function to integrate the theoretical, conceptual, and methodological points of departure to one single and coherent strategy. It also functions as a unifier of the expert team, helping to unearth each members’ potential, while avoiding misunderstandings and redundancies. Finally, it functions as a ground for shared terminological understanding, while giving space for sharpening and deepening the initial interpretations of key terms and concepts. The Report is structured alongside several thematic sections, which present step by step the project’s theoretical and methodological foundations, the choice and definition of key terms and concepts of the study, the application of participatory elements and the development of impact strategy, the integration of Open Science approach and the application of rules for quality assurance, as well as the assessment of ethical concerns and possible risks. The Report also includes a concise description of our time and research management. The largest part of the Report is the project’s Glossary, which entails 26 entries with research definitions and exemplifications on how the terms will be used in the study. IX The core result of the Report concerns the integration of multiple perspectives, methodological approaches and analytical dimensions in one single research strategy. We have successfully integrated both well-established theoretical approaches (Life Course Research) and newly developed critical theories (Intersectionality, Spatial Justice) with analytical dimensions that focus on the individual, institutional, structural, spatial, and relational aspects of the construction of learning outcomes. The role of this strategic procedure was not to exhaustively and meticulously define each research step, but instead to offer a sound and coherent approach to the complex examination of learning outcomes, which offers multiple entry points for the analysis, comparison, and interpretation of the issues at stake. Another result of the Report is the precise application of our methodological bases in each Work Package. As the research work is divided in several Work Packages, each of which is concerned with one particular methodological approach more than with others, the Report has established a common dialogical approach to the use of the methods and results provided, enabling each Work Package to use its methodology, while carefully interpreting and integrating the preliminary results from other Work Packages. Split into empirical, analytical, and participatory methodologies, the Report has succeeded in installing a common ground for fruitful inspiration and collaboration. In addition, the Report has thoroughly described the working procedures in terms of the management and coordination of research work. Since the study includes diverse teams and research cultures, the joint coordination helps to structure, visualise and monitor the research progress, signalling the important steps to be done and assessing the most possible and predictable risks to avoid. In this line, the Report contains a risk mitigation and contingency plan that takes into account the most probable risks, which might occur during the research work. The plan is a living part of the Report, which is constantly actualised according to internal and external changes and challenges. The Report has further delineated the rules for ethical conduct and self-assessment, which apply both to the internal issues related to the Consortium partners, as well as to the research work itself. Since the Working Paper on Ethical Issues is a distinct document following this Report, the Report has outlined the core ethical standards to be acknowledged and integrated. Moreover, the Report contains a thorough description of the application of our Transversal Participatory Approach, which is an innovative part of the study. The application of participatory activities is done both form a theoretical viewpoint, considering the existing knowledge on this matter, as well as in terms of practical application to be completed in each Work Package. The result is an ambitious plan to integrate participatory elements whenever possible and relevant. Also, the Report has presented a strategy to brief the Consortium members on all relevant issues regarding the application of participatory strategies, including research ethics and misleading theoretical assumptions. X The Report has further explicated how the Consortium intends to disseminate the results and reach the various addressees. The Impact Pathway Strategy describes the means of communication and dissemination to various groups – young people, policy experts, practitioners from education, training, or labour market, as well as the expected benefits for each of the groups. An important and integrative result of this Report is the development of the Glossary entries, which have been drafted by several authors from different partner institutions. During the drafting of the entries, the partners entered into vital dialogue on epistemological, linguistic, and theoretical nuances of each term. The goal was not to offer a compromise on each term, but a working definition, which enables further sharpening and critique.

Details zur Publikation

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2022
Sprache, in der die Publikation verfasst ist: Englisch
Veranstaltung: Münster
Link zum Volltext: https://clear-horizon.eu/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/D2.1_CLEAR_Research_Strategy_Paper_and_Glossary.pdf