Research project
Change Laboratories
Effective innovation methodologies which lead to sustainable educational transformation require room for the development of teacher agency and at same time solve systemic problems. The Change Laboratory methodology combines both.
- Duration
- 2022 - 0
- Contact
- Arjen de Vetten
Researchers
- Dr. A.J. de Vetten
- M.A. Schneider LLM
- Dr. T.M. Stevens (Utrecht University)
- M.C.J. Kusters MSc
Social relevance
Realizing sustainable change in higher education is difficult: An effective innovation methodology should solve systemic problems, but should also for teacher agency. We apply the Change Laboratory methodology and investigate whether this methodology is effective in reaching both.
Scientific relevance
The Change Laboratory methodology has been applied in higher education before. Previous studies focused primarily on what teachers said during Change Laboratory sessions and whether their expressions indicate transformative agency. Whether the Change Laboratory interventions led to actual solutions of systemic problems (so-called contradictions) and transformation of educational practice and thus to realization of transformative agency has not been investigated.
Research question
To what extent do higher education teachers who participate in a Change Laboratory intervention show transformative agency?
Material and methods
We conduct multiple Change Laboratory trajectories within a Faculty of Law, in which teachers redesign their courses. Using a mixture of data sources, including classroom observations, interviews, focus groups and learning analytics, we evaluate to what extent the redesigned courses solve the systemic problems and educational practice is transformed and how during the Change Laboratory teachers develop their transformative agency. The first Change Laboratory trajectory involved a two-year long project involving four Law teachers.
Results and conclusions
The results of the first Change Laboratory showed that the revised course designs resolved the contradictions to a large extent and led to significant transformation. The teachers implemented the changes thoughtfully and strengthened their transformative agency. This first project thus affirms the potential of the Change Laboratory methodology to transform deeply rooted teaching practices and enhance the transformative agency of teachers.
Follow-up
New cycles of Change Laboratories are conducted. These Change Laboratories are shorter and build on the analyses and results of the first round. Scientific research accompanies these Change Laboratories.