William Barry, PhD
Living Educational Theory
Living educational theory was first defined and developed by California Professor William Barry in Liz Atkins and Susan Wallace's book (2012), Qualitative Research in Education, co- published by Sage and the British Educational Research Association (BERA) . This book was one of four in a series sponsored by the BERA regarding best practice progressive research methods in educational research. The originality and uniqueness of Barry's development of living educational theory (LET) action research is the importance of gaining ontological weight through the action research process. Ontological weight empowers the researcher's ability, and the ability of other people involved in the action research project, to have the research experience and focus of the research be transformational and add, or at least reinforce, a sense of meaning in learning and life. Professor Barry was influenced to use the concept ontological weight by the existentialist Catholic philosopher Gabriel Marcel (1963).
Dr. Barry proposed the following definition and approach to action research he calls living educational theory and his approach has been used as an action research method in undergraduate and graduate courses and research at Notre Dame de Namur University in Silicon Valley, California as well as by other researchers around the world.
Professor Barry explained that Living Educational Theory "{It is}a critical and transformational approach to action research. It confronts the researcher to challenge the status quo of their educational practice and to answer the question, 'How can I improve that I'm doing?' Researchers who use this approach must be willing to recognize and assume responsibility for being a 'living contradictions' in their professional practice – thinking one way and acting in another. The mission of the LET action researcher is to overcome workplace norms and self- behavior which contradict the researcher's values and beliefs. The vision of the LET researcher is to make an original contribution to knowledge through generating an educational theory proven to improve the learning of people within a social learning space. The standard of judgment for theory validity is evidence of workplace reform, transformational growth of the researcher, and improved learning by the people researcher claimed to have influenced..." (Atkins and Wallace, 2012, p. 131).
Dr. Barry and Living Educational Theory are featured in:
Atkins, L. and Wallace, S. (2012). Qualitative research in education. Sage. DOI:https://doi.org/10.4135/9781473957602
Action Research: The Ultimate Problem-Solving Strategy for Educators
https://www.opencolleges.edu.au/informed/features/action-research/
Maria Gomez Rachelle, EdD
AI Researcher: Human-Robot Interaction
The literature on social educational robotics literature suggests that robots have positively impacted learners since their introduction into the educational sphere. A key question remains: what is the lived experience of student interaction with social educational robots in the education environment?
In her research, Dr. Gomez Rachelle employed a qualitative phenomenological methodology to investigate the firsthand lived experience of students who interacted with an autonomous, artificially intelligent (AI), social educational robot (SER) in a university classroom. The study examined the intersection of human interaction and teaming with AI artificial intelligence in a learning ecosystem. The results provide an insight into the human centric experience of the interaction with a co-located AI social educational robot in a university setting. The AI social educational robot in the study was the humanoid-android, BINA 48.
Title of Doctorate: An Existential-Phenomenological Study of University Student Interaction With A Social Educational Robot (AI humanoid-android, BINA 48).
https://www.proquest.com/openview/024973586d041e241b4743c6be60f075/1?pq-origsite=gscholar&cbl=18750&diss=y
Embodied Action Research
Embodied Action Research (EAR) is a Transpersonal Approach to Action Research created by Maria Rachelle an educational entrepreneur and a former Biotech leader in Silicon Valley, California. Maria created a unique approach to transpersonal based action research called "Embodied Action Research" (EAR) focused on seeking understanding first from a phenomenological perspective based in the participatory action research approach (PAR) of Freire and body experience outlined by Merleau-Ponty (1945). The second stage of the EAR approach focuses on Feminist Pedagogy in the spirit of Bell hooks (1994) and her book, "Teaching to Transgress: Education as the Practice of Freedom" and liberation pedagogy/theology approach under the methodological umbrella of hermeneutics as professed by Gadamer (1960). Article submitted for publication.
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