A CASE STUDY OF A BLENDED E-LEARNING PROGRAMME FOR CARERS AND PRACTITIONERS IN THE FIELD OF AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDERS. By Karen Guldberg A thesis submitted to the University of Birmingham For the degree of Doctor of Philosophy School of Education The University of Birmingham September 2008 University of Birmingham Research Archive e-theses repository This unpublished thesis/dissertation is copyright of the author and/or third parties. The intellectual property rights of the author or third parties in respect of this work are as defined by The Copyright Designs and Patents Act 1988 or as modified by any successor legislation. Any use made of information contained in this thesis/dissertation must be in accordance with that legislation and must be properly acknowledged. Further distribution or reproduction in any format is prohibited without the permission of the copyright holder. ABSTRACT This research focuses on the productive learning processes of students studying a blended e-learning programme for practitioners and carers of individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). It is an ethnographic case study undertaking a holistic analysis of learning processes. It draws upon socio cultural and activity theory as theoretical lenses and using dimensions from the communities of practice framework to interpret the kinds of discourse that are suggestive of a community of practice. The study examines how learners appropriate the professional discourse, values and goals of the ASD carer and the kind of collaborative engagement students have with each other’s contributions. Findings highlight that online discussions are powerful mechanisms for the development of reflection, for giving parents a strong voice and for shaping the values of this community. The research suggests that a facilitation model that enables students to be co-learners and co-tutors together, supports the development of a community of practice, thus enabling students to acquire knowledge in one context in order to transform it to another. Recommendations include the need for further studies that examine a particular communication medium in detail and over time, that communities of practice can add value to pedagogy in higher education and that programme tutors need to consider the specific properties of different communication mediums when designing programmes. DEDICATION I would like to dedicate this PhD to some important people in my life who passed away in the last two years. It is first and foremost dedicated to my late mother Dr Ann Mary Rathie Guldberg who encouraged me in my work and who was passionate in her quest for further knowledge and her own continued personal and professional development. I would also like to honour my uncle, Dr John Black, whose life as a compassionate and caring doctor gave inspiration. He helped me gain a better perspective on what really matters in life. To my good friend, Gina Owens, who died after a long period of suffering, as thanks for those exciting discussions about a variety of topics, for her gentle warm nature and positive relationship with us all as a family. To Alison Tucker as a deep thanks for her involvement in creating the WebAutism programme. She gave guidance, calmness and a sense of perspective to us novices, filming with us in a variety of provisions and editing our audiovisual material, never failing in her belief of how worthwhile our project was. To Dave Hallsworth, an inspirational friend, for inspiring me to believe in change and in the importance of striving for a better world. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This PhD would never have even have been started without the encouragement and support of my husband Derek and my sons Marcus, Aidan and Stefan. They know best what they have had to put up with. My father, Dr Hans Cato Guldberg, has provided me with inspiration throughout. I have a number of colleagues and friends to thank too. Rachel Pilkington for her gentle support and for allowing me to develop at my own pace. Paul Edwards, Dan Corlett, and Danielle Hinton for transforming the vision into reality on the WebAutism programme; Claire Robson for holding everything together and for keeping me sane; Professor Ann Lewis, Andrea Macleod, my colleagues in the autism team and the wonderful tutors on our programme, for their positive outlook and excellent work. I would also like to thank all those dedicated students I have had the privilege to meet, sometimes only ‘virtually’. I will always be grateful for having been given the permission to conduct this research and for being given a glimpse into the window of their learning. NOTE ON PUBLICATIONS ASSOCIATED WITH THESIS An earlier version of chapter seven appeared in the Journal of Computer Assisted Learning: Guldberg, K. and Pilkington, R. (2006) A community of practice approach to the development of non-traditional learners through networked learning, Journal of Computer Assisted Learning, Vol. 22, No. 3, pp. 159-171. This was a joint paper written with my supervisor. The paper has been extended in the thesis by exploring further data and themes, analysing existing data in more depth and integrating it with the thesis. In the original paper, Dr Pilkington and I worked alongside one another but the extension work is mine alone. The original paper represented seventy percent of my work and thirty percent of Dr Pilkington’s. An earlier version of chapter eight appeared in the International Journal of Lifelong Education: Guldberg, K. (2008) Adult learners and professional development: How students show reflection, sensitivity towards the perspectives of others and teamwork through online dialogue, International Journal of Lifelong Education, Vol. 27, No. 1, pp. 35-49. The paper has been substantially extended and re-structured in this chapter to integrate it with the thesis and by exploring further data and themes arising from the data in the discussion section. An earlier version of chapter nine appeared in a special issue of the Journal of Educational Technology and Society: Guldberg, K. and Pilkington, R. (2007) Tutor roles in facilitating reflection on practice through online discussion, Special Issue of Journal of Educational Technology and Society, Vol. 10, No. 1, pp. 61- 72. I wrote the majority of the chapter myself with some input from Dr Pilkington. On the whole, it is my own work. The paper has been extensively extended in this chapter by undertaking further data analysis, integrating it with the thesis and exploring themes in more detail in the discussion section of the chapter. List of abbreviations ABA Applied Behavioural Analysis ASD Autism Spectrum Disorder AS Asperger Syndrome CSCL Computer Supported Collaborative Learning CPD Continuing Professional Development DfES Department for Education and Skills DoH Department of Health DSM IV Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (Edition 4) ICD International Classification of Diseases NIASA National Institute for Autism: Screening and Assessment PECS Picture Exchange Communication System SEN Special Educational Needs TEACCH Treatment and Education of Autistic and Communication handicapped Children. VLE Virtual Learning Environment CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION.................................................... 1 1.1. BACKGROUND ..................................................................................................................................... 1 1.2. THE TEACHER RESEARCHER................................................................................................................. 3 1.3. TIMELINESS AND RELEVANCE .............................................................................................................. 5 1.4. THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK................................................................................................................. 8 1.5. METHODS .......................................................................................................................................... 12 1.6. STRUCTURE ....................................................................................................................................... 14 CHAPTER TWO: THEORETICAL PERSPECTIVES AND RESEARCH DESIGN....................................................................... 18 2.1. INTRODUCTION: KNOWLEDGE AND PRACTICE ................................................................................... 18 2.2. BACKGROUND ................................................................................................................................... 19 2.3. AN INTERPRETATIVE PARADIGM ........................................................................................................ 24 2.4. THE CASE STUDY ............................................................................................................................... 26 2.5. THEORETICAL FRAMEWORKS ............................................................................................................ 29 2.6. PRODUCTIVE LEARNING AND A COMMUNITY OF PRACTICE ................................................................ 35 2.7. ACTION RESEARCH ............................................................................................................................ 37 2.8. RESEARCH DESIGN: AN ETHNOGRAPHIC APPROACH .......................................................................... 41 2.9. MY OWN POSITIONED VIEW................................................................................................................ 43 2.10. VALIDITY AND RELIABILITY ...........................................................................................................