Module 2: Task 4c - Professional Backing and Developing Questions

Who and Why?

I wanted my professional backing to come from someone who fits the following criteria;

a) Someone with experience of working in state schools

b) Someone who I trust and value the opinions of

c) Someone with many years of expertise and knowledge in practice

d) Someone who's professional career I aspire to achieve for myself one day

I found this person in the form of the Head of Key Stage three (the age group I want to work with upon completion of the BAPP and a PGCE) at the school in which I currently work as a TA.  Although this is a SEN school, she worked in a mainstream secondary setting for many years before undertaking a role within a Special Needs setting. 

Developing Questions:

I have also taken my original list of questions to the head of performing arts at the same school to see how he felt would be best to develop them.  I did this in the form of email (as being the head of department, his time within the school day is precious and I did not want to create additional work for him during his already long days) and here is the response I got:

Hi Emma,

I have had a look at your blog, and had a look at the questions. I have a few pointers below just to keep the questions as open as possible and so as not to lead your participant in the direction that you want them to go. this way you are keeping your research as loose as possible and giving participants freedom to express what they really feel rather than feeling they should be conforming to what they should be saying. If you want any help closer to the time when you are writing up your research then let me know and we can have a chat. Below are your questions and a few suggestions.

Questions:

Would you say performing arts has a valid place within an SEN setting?  If so, why?
How do you feel about the performing arts in an SEN setting?

Can you think of an instance where a child has responded particularly positively in SEN setting?

Can you think of an instance where a child has responded particularly negatively in SEN setting?

Make these two separate questions

Would you say groups of children respond differently to performing arts depending on their SEN (i.e. Do autistic children have a more positive response than downs syndrome children or is it always a completely individual result?(maybe don't give an example unless you feel it is essential, otherwise you may already unwittingly have got them thinking about downs and autism as opposed to the whole range).

What skills, if any, does performing arts give SEN children?
What do you believe the performing arts offers pupils with SEN? Unless you specifically want the participant to talk about 'skills' (eg ability to use voice to represent a character) as opposed to qualities such as confidence/self esteem

Do you have any further information on the performing arts and SEN children that I could use for further research purposes?

Is there anything else you want to add? (might be worth including this as they may give you a pearls of wisdom that otherwise might have been lost!!)

Conclusion:

Task '4c' has really opened my eyes to how easy it is to be unintentionally biased/leading when plotting questions and this is something that I feel I will need to be overly aware of when conducting research in Module three.  I am also glad that I have been made aware of my own personal potential ethical vices now, rather than going into my research blind to them, as to keep research ethical, it has to be fair and non leading.

Image Source:

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