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Teacher's Practices Through Adaptation of Open Educational Resources for Online Language Teaching

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Open Research Online The Open University’s repository of research publications and other research outputs Teacher’s Practices through Adaptation of Open Educational Resources for Online Language Teaching Thesis How to cite: Pulker, Hélène (2019). Teacher’s Practices through Adaptation of Open Educational Resources for Online Language Teaching. EdD thesis The Open University. For guidance on citations see FAQs. c 2018 The Author https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/ Version: Redacted Version of Record Link(s) to article on publisher’s website: http://dx.doi.org/doi:10.21954/ou.ro.0000f29d Copyright and Moral Rights for the articles on this site are retained by the individual authors and/or other copyright owners. For more information on Open Research Online’s data policy on reuse of materials please consult the policies page. oro.open.ac.uk Teachers’ practices through adaptation of open educational resources for online language teaching Thesis submitted for the award of Doctor of Education (EdD) by Hélène Pulker The Open University October 2018 Redacted copy (Appendix M – Ethics committee documentation 1 and 4 removed) ABSTRACT One significant development that has recently come to disrupt teaching practices is the emergence of Open Educational Resources (OER). In the last 15-20 years, researchers have mainly focused on the creation, reuse and sharing of OER. However, little attention has been paid to what users do with the resources in their classroom and to date, there is scant evidence of OER reuse impacting on teaching practices. This study examines the process that a group of online synchronous language teachers undergo while adapting and repurposing digital resources. The research participants are part-time language teachers, with a range of experiences and cultural backgrounds, who teach online across a range of languages and levels at the Open University, a distance learning Higher Education institution in the UK. Data were collected and analysed within a constructivist grounded theory methodology. The experience of teachers’ reuse of OER was explored via seventeen semi- structured interviews. Consistent with a grounded theory approach, conceptual categories for the analysis of data were allowed to emerge, rather than initially driven by a theoretical framework. The findings can be summarised as follows: 1) As previously found in OER reuse studies in language teaching, teachers select resources they can adapt to suit their teaching styles and students’ needs; at the same time, teachers are reluctant to share their adapted resources publicly; 2) OER reuse promotes self-reflection and can play a significant role in teachers’ development as online educators; however, findings also challenge the assumption that teachers develop open educational practices as a result of working with OER; and, 3) OER reuse supports teachers’ development of technical online skills, but without necessarily resulting in changes in online teaching methodologies or beliefs. These findings therefore provide insights into the connection between OER reuse and reflections on practices, while raising questions with regard to the apparent normalisation of OER reuse and its promise to improve the quality of teaching. i ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I am profoundly grateful to my supervisors Professor Emeritus Marie-Noëlle Lamy and Professor Agnes Kukulska-Hulme for their adept supervision and relentless encouragement. They have provided support every step of the way, particularly in the final stages, and challenged my thinking in productive ways. I am indebted to my dear friend and colleague Dr Bea de los Arcos for her continued support, constructive critical reading and confidence in my ability to complete this work. Special thanks also go to my GO-GN open research fellows who participated in the 2018 Delft workshop, especially Dr Chrissi Nerantzi for her critical reading. My heartfelt gratitude goes to all my colleagues in the School of Languages and Applied Studies for their help and support, and particularly to Dr Uwe Baumann and Dr Élodie Vialleton for their unstinting encouragement, without which none of this work would have been achievable. I would also like to thank the seventeen research participants for their time and generous contributions and the Open University for funding this doctorate. Finally, my special thanks are due to my friends and my family who supported me wholeheartedly throughout this tumultuous journey, especially Bob and Charlie, for their patience, love and understanding. ii CONTENTS Abstract .................................................................................................................................................... i Acknowledgements ................................................................................................................................. ii Contents ................................................................................................................................................. iii List of figures and tables ......................................................................................................................... x List of appendices .................................................................................................................................. xi Glossary and Acronyms ......................................................................................................................... xii Chapter 1 – Introduction ......................................................................................................................... 1 1.1 Scope of the study ........................................................................................................................ 2 1.2 Personal motivations for the research ......................................................................................... 5 1.3 Research aims and research questions ........................................................................................ 6 1.4 Structure of the thesis .................................................................................................................. 6 1.5 Conclusion .................................................................................................................................... 7 Chapter 2 – Literature review ................................................................................................................. 8 2.1 Introduction .................................................................................................................................. 8 2.2 OER and open education .............................................................................................................. 8 2.2.1 Definitions of OER ................................................................................................................. 9 2.2.2 Interpretations of open education ...................................................................................... 11 a. Open education as open access ............................................................................................... 11 b. Open education as free open content ...................................................................................... 11 c. Open education as freedom to use ........................................................................................... 12 d. Open education as Open Educational Practices ....................................................................... 13 2.2.3 Critical views of open education and OER .......................................................................... 14 2.2.4 A definition of OER for this research ................................................................................... 16 iii 2.3 OER reuse by teachers ................................................................................................................ 17 2.3.1 Types and levels of reuse .................................................................................................... 17 2.3.2 Reusability ........................................................................................................................... 20 a. Granularity ............................................................................................................................... 20 b. Permissions ............................................................................................................................... 20 c. Clear learning objectives ........................................................................................................... 21 d. Suitability and discoverability................................................................................................... 21 e. Portability and interoperability ................................................................................................ 22 2.3.3 Factors preventing teachers’ reuse of OER ......................................................................... 22 a. Lack of incentives and career rewards ..................................................................................... 23 b. Poor understanding of CC licenses ........................................................................................... 23 c. Lack of understanding of the resources .................................................................................... 24 d. Quality and trust......................................................................................................................
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