Abstract
Opportunities for students to undertake Independent Research Projects (IRPs) whilst at school and as undergraduates have long been recognised as valuable. More recently, the affordances of teachers’ participation in research projects for supporting professional development and teacher identity have been highlighted. Here, we explore the perspectives of 30 high school teachers based in England, Scotland and Norway who mentor student research with a geographical focus. Mentoring high school research enables teachers to further develop: (1) specialist subject knowledge; (2) innovative pedagogical approaches; and (3) build and extend professional networks within and beyond their school setting. This chapter supports previous research which highlights the potential for using Ten Salient Practices to initiate individual teacher reflection and wider professional development, and a way of disseminating effective practice across the school sector (Walkington & Rushton, 2019). Several teachers interviewed as part of this study suggest that engaging in mentoring as an approach to teacher professional development can support teacher recruitment and retention and should be an opportunity made available to all teachers regardless of previous experience in post-graduate research.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Barton, J., & Pretty, J. (2010). What is the best dose of nature and green exercise for improving mental health? A multi-study analysis. Environmental Science & Technology, 44(10), 3947–3955. https://doi.org/10.1021/es903183r
Bennett, J., Dunlop, L., Knox, K. J., Reiss, M. J., & Torrance-Jenkins, R. (2018). Practical independent research projects in science: A synthesis and evaluation of the evidence of impact on high school students. International Journal of Science Education, 40, 1755–1773. https://doi.org/10.1080/09500693.2018.1511936
Department for Education. (2011). Teachers’ standards. Online. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/teachers-standards. Accessed 21 Dec 2020.
Department for Education. (2014). GCE AS and A level subject content for science. Online. https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/593849/Science_AS_and_level_formatted.pdf. Accessed 21 Dec 2020.
Department for Education. (2020). Early career framework reforms: overview. Online. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/early-career-framework-reforms-overview/earlycareer-framework-reforms-overview. Accessed 21 December 2020.
Dewey, J. (2004). Democracy and education. Dover Publications.
Dunlop, L., Turkenburg-van Diepen, M., Knox, K. J., & Bennett, J. (2020). Open-ended investigations in high school science: Teacher learning intentions, approaches and perspectives. International Journal of Science Education, 42(10), 1715–1738. https://doi.org/10.1080/09500693.2020.1778211
Elgren, T., & Hensel, N. (2006). Undergraduate research experiences: Synergies between scholarship and teaching. Peer Review, 8, 4–7. https://search.proquest.com/docview/216599047?pq-origsite=gscholar
Elrod, S., Husic, D., & Kinzie, J. (2010). Research and discovery across the curriculum. Peer Review, 12, 4. https://search.proquest.com/docview/734766996?pq-origsite=gscholar
GEOverse. (n.d.). GEOverse—eJournal of undergraduate research in geography. [online]. https://www.brookes.ac.uk/geoverse. Accessed 25 Mar 2021.
Hall, E., Walkington, H., Shanahan, J., Ackley, E., & Stewart, K. (2018). Mentor perspectives on the place of undergraduate research mentoring in academic identity and career development: An analysis of award-winning mentors. International Journal for Academic Development, 23(1), 15–27. https://doi.org/10.1080/1360144X.2017.1412972
Healey, M., & Jenkins, A. (2009). Developing undergraduate research and inquiry. Higher Education Academy.
Hill, J. L., & Walkington, H. (2016). Developing graduate attributes through participation in undergraduate research conferences. Journal of Geography in Higher Education, 40(2), 222–237. https://doi.org/10.1080/03098265.2016.1140128
International Baccalaureate. (2020). Extended essay. https://www.ibo.org/programmes/diploma-programme/curriculum/extended-essay/. Accessed 21 Dec 2020.
Ketcham, C., Hall, E., Fitzgibbon, H., & Walkington, H. (2018). Co-mentoring in undergraduate research: A faculty development perspective. In M. Vandermaas Peeler, P. Miller, & J. Moore (Eds.), Excellence in mentoring undergraduate research (pp. 155–179). Council on Undergraduate Research.
Kuh, G., & O’Donnell, K. (2013). Ensuring quality and taking high-impact practices to scale. Association of American Colleges and Universities.
Lopatto, D. (2003). The essential features of undergraduate research. Council on Undergraduate Research Quarterly, 24, 139–142.
Lopatto, D. (2010). Undergraduate research as a high-impact student experience. Peer Review, 12, 2–30. https://search.proquest.com/docview/734767118?pq-origsite=gscholar
Reiss, M. J. (1992). School ecology practicals. In D. Harding (Complier), Ecology projects: Ideas and practicals from the Journal of biological education (pp. 1–2). Institute of Biology.
Routes. (n.d.). Routes—The Journal for Student Geography. [online]. https://www.routesjournal.org. Accessed 25 Mar 2021.
Royal Geographical Society with-IBG. (2016). A Student guide to the a level independent investigation (Non-examined Assessment—NEA). https://www.rgs.org/CMSPages/GetFile.aspx?nodeguid=882a6e79-5e28-4667-a753-17d26cec8c19&lang=en-GB. Accessed 21 Dec 2020.
Rushton, E. A. C. (2019). Increasing environmental action through climate change education programmes that enable school students, teachers and technicians to contribute to genuine scientific research. In Climate change and the role of education (pp. 507–523). Springer, Cham.
Rushton, E. A. C. (2021). Science education and teacher professional development. Palgrave Macmillan. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-64107-8
Rushton, E. A. C., & Reiss, M. J. (2019). From science teacher to ‘teacher scientist’: Exploring the experiences of research-active science teachers in the UK. International Journal of Science Education, 41(11), 1541–1561. https://doi.org/10.1080/09500693.2019.1615656
Rushton, E. A. C., Charters, L., & Reiss, M. J. (2021). The experiences of active participation in academic conferences for high school science students. Research in Science and Technological Education, 39(1), 90–108. https://doi.org/10.1080/02635143.2019.1657395
Shanahan, J., Ackley-Holbrook, E., Hall, E., Stewart, K., & Walkington, H. (2015). Salient practices of undergraduate research mentors: A review of the literature. Mentoring and Tutoring, 23(5), 359–376. https://doi.org/10.1080/13611267.2015.1126162
Stock Jones, R., Annable, T., Billingham, Z., & MacDonald, Z. (2016). Quantifying CREST: What impact does the Silver CREST Award have on science scores and STEM subject selection? A Pro Bono Economics research report for the British Science Association. https://www.britishscienceassociation.org/Handlers/Download.ashx?IDMF=9aaf06e4-f24a-435c-9991-cbf6edd1293c. Accessed 21 Dec 2020.
Thiry, H., & Laursen, S. L. (2011). The role of student-advisor interactions in apprenticing undergraduate researchers into a scientific community of practice. Journal of Science Education and Technology, 20(6), 771–784. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10956-010-9271-2
UCAS. (2019). Extended project qualification (EPQ). [online]. https://www.qips.ucas.com/qip/extended-project-qualification-epq. Accessed on 25 Mar 2021.
Walkington, H. (2021) Student research—From local to global. Routes, 1(3), 258–260. https://routesjournal.org/2021/04/06/walkingtoneditorial/
Walkington, H., & Rushton, E. A. C. (2019). Ten salient practices for mentoring student research in schools: New opportunities for teacher professional development. Higher Education Studies, 9(4), 133–147. https://doi.org/10.5539/hes.v9n4p133
Walkington, H., Stewart, K. A., Hall, E. E., Ackley, E., & Shanahan, J. O. (2020). Salient practices of award-winning undergraduate research mentors–balancing freedom and control to achieve excellence. Studies in Higher Education, 45(7), 1519–1532. https://doi.org/10.1080/03075079.2019.1637838
Walkington, H., Hall, E., Shanahan, J. Ackley, E., & Stewart, K. (2018). Striving for excellence in mentoring undergraduate research: The challenges and approaches to ten salient practices. In M. Vandermaas Peeler, P. Miller, & J. Moore (Eds.), Excellence in mentoring undergraduate research (pp. 105–125). Council on Undergraduate Research.
Wood, L., Hooper, P., Foster, S., & Bull, F. (2017). Public green spaces and positive mental health–investigating the relationship between access, quantity and types of parks and mental wellbeing. Health & Place, 48, 63–71. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.healthplace.2017.09.002
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2022 The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Rushton, E., Walkington, H. (2022). Mentoring School Student Research as an Approach to Geography Teacher Professional Development. In: Artvinli, E., Gryl, I., Lee, J., Mitchell, J.T. (eds) Geography Teacher Education and Professionalization. International Perspectives on Geographical Education. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-04891-3_18
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-04891-3_18
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-031-04890-6
Online ISBN: 978-3-031-04891-3
eBook Packages: Social SciencesSocial Sciences (R0)