ACADEMIA Letters

The Aha! moments in self-studies

Charis-Olga Papadopoulou

The present paper portrays the experience of conducting a self-study and the changes it can
bring about. It aims to demonstrate how self-study research transforms the thinking and prac-
tice of the teacher/researcher in ways not foreseen or aimed at. Written as a retrospective
reflection upon an Aha! moment in higher education research it shows how intense and at the
same time important it is to embrace candid exposure, respond to research findings and be-
come aware of the necessary steps towards change. This new research focus of mine emerged
while working on the interim findings of a longitudinal self-study on how European princi-
ples of inclusive education, and more specifically the Profile of Inclusive Teachers, can be
applied in post-graduate language teacher education. Additional data was collected by means
of a teaching portfolio and a self-reflective research journal. The new insights gained, and the
data analysis and interpretation amounted to an Aha! moment related to the issue of collabo-
ration in teaching and self-study research.

How it all began

In the years 2016-2018 I taught a post-graduate course at Aristotle University, Thessaloniki,
Greece, on learning difficulties and inclusive education for language teachers. The course was
part of a two-year MA program of studies, offered by Modern Languages Departments of the
university, in which students with a four-year BA on Languages (twenty students on average
every year, most of them women) took part. They were all language teachers but varied in
many ways: the languages they taught (Greek, English, Italian, French and German), their
working contexts (primary or secondary schools, private or state institutions), their age and
their years of teaching experience.

Academia Letters, March 2021 ©2021 by the author — Open Access — Distributed under CC BY 4.0

Corresponding Author: Charis-Olga Papadopoulou, olgapa@del.auth.gr

Citation: Papadopoulou, C. (2021). The Aha! moments in self-studies. Academia Letters, Article 522.
https://doi.org/10.20935/AL522.

1
 The central objective of the course was to promote inclusive education. It was inspired by
the principles of the European Agency’s work, and more specifically by the Profile of Inclu-
sive Teachers and its four core values, Valuing Learner Diversity, Supporting All Learners,
Working With Others and Personal Professional Development (EAfDiSNE, 2012). At the
same time there was a focus on language teaching methodology, on both a theoretical and
a practical level, since the course participants were all teaching languages. Overall, it was
aimed to enable teachers to cope with differences in the language classroom, since learner
difficulties, diverse needs and inclusive education were top priorities in teacher education and
previous research. Starting from the idea that justification for inclusive education is in today’s
thinking a given it seemed a logical step to move from the ‘why’ to the ‘how’ of inclusive
education.

What research triggered

Data analysis and conclusion-drawing concerning the student data shed light to my own think-
ing and practice and the research process itself motivated me to pursue further questions fo-
cusing on me as an educator/researcher. While analyzing and interpreting the data it was
becoming gradually apparent that student teachers resisted collaboration. Teachers appeared
reluctant to collaborate with their pupils’ families, feeling mainly that families are difficult
to work with. They also considered that the acquisition of skills to build schools as learning
communities was generally not a priority, mainly because schools in their context would not
encourage or even allow for that to happen. Responding to such findings in my educator’s
role, I placed a greater emphasis on promoting the issues of collaboration in the course.
At the same time, a new, somewhat provocative, question emerged for my research. Where
do I stand when it comes to collaboration? While I was making the necessary course improve-
ments in order to strengthen my students’ willingness for collaboration, I started questioning
my own willingness and practice of collaboration. Could it be that I too resisted collaboration
with others (students, colleagues, other researchers) in class or in my research or both?

The Aha! moment

New foci were added to the on-going data collection in my self-study. I decided to addition-
ally focus on me in order to respond to what LaBoskey calls “a pedagogical responsibility”
(LaBoskey, 2004, p. 839). The responsibility, that is, to explore, assess and improve one’s
ideals and practice, to become aware of one’s assumptions and to negotiate one’s own teach-
ing/research practice. It was essential to “determine whether or not practice is consistent with

Academia Letters, March 2021 ©2021 by the author — Open Access — Distributed under CC BY 4.0

Corresponding Author: Charis-Olga Papadopoulou, olgapa@del.auth.gr

Citation: Papadopoulou, C. (2021). The Aha! moments in self-studies. Academia Letters, Article 522.
https://doi.org/10.20935/AL522.

2
[the] evolving ideals and theoretical perspectives” (ibid., p. 820). In order to live up to this
objective it was necessary to understand my thinking and practice more deeply.
Two data collection strategies were already in use: a teaching portfolio which documented
all teaching materials, activities and communication in the course, and a self-reflective re-
search journal in which the information gathered in the portfolio was commented and reflected
upon. So, in order to “provoke, challenge, and illuminate rather than confirm and settle” (Bul-
lough and Pinnegar, 2001, p. 20) I systematically collected additional data in relation to my
teaching and what my stance towards collaboration was.
Data indicated that there was no collaboration between me and the students. The roles
assigned to them and presumed by me preserved the separation between us. I supported and
catered for them. We might have communicated as a group, but we did not ‘work together’,
which would comply with the true meaning of the Latin verb ‘collaborare’. In addition, re-
flection focused solely upon the students’ thinking and practice. Looking at it retrospectively
this indicates my assumption that progress and change is expected only from students and that
there is little to be addressed and changed when it comes to teacher educators. It also shows
that no room was created (by me) for the students’ voice and their contribution. These findings
painted the picture of my stance towards collaboration in class. Having regarded myself as a
modern educator it was disturbing. Apparently not modern enough.
Towards the end of the project, and in relation to the findings, it dawned on me that in
these three years I had not once considered the option of collaborating with other researchers
to conduct this self-study. Disconcerting and at the same time, or maybe because of this,
an opportunity for personal advancement (Loughran, 2014, p. 278). My concept of a self-
study was restricted to a personal study. Collaboration was not something I had, for whatever
reasons, dismissed; it was not part of my thinking to begin with. So, it boils down to my
concept of what a self-study is/is not and how it is/is not done. Collaboration was found to be
absent for the second time.
It felt like the student data analyzed up to that point mirrored these new understandings
about me and there were new insights. Although the processes of data interpretation and
conclusion drawing were known to from my previous research experience, these insights were
different. The comprehension on my behalf felt sudden, as if the insights were thrown at
me. Reconsideration of the information was stimulated, and changes were triggered both
concerning my concepts and my action. Hence, the Aha! moment.
This Aha! experience and the insight problem solving that followed differed from my
previous research conduct. I believe the development which resulted from these “insight so-
lutions” was qualitatively different too and probably better than similar self-improving steps I
had taken in the past. This seems to be supported by what Danek and Salvi (2018, p. 486) con-

Academia Letters, March 2021 ©2021 by the author — Open Access — Distributed under CC BY 4.0

Corresponding Author: Charis-Olga Papadopoulou, olgapa@del.auth.gr

Citation: Papadopoulou, C. (2021). The Aha! moments in self-studies. Academia Letters, Article 522.
https://doi.org/10.20935/AL522.

3
clude when they suggest that “insight solutions are distinct from non-insight solutions because
they feel different, they are processed at different levels of awareness and, importantly, they
lead to qualitatively distinct outcomes, with one being more accurate than the other”. Even if
the accuracy of such solution remains to be proven, as suggested by Webb et al. (2019, p. 3),
I did experience the positive feeling of motivation they bring about (Danek and Salvi, 2018
and Webb et al., 2019).

Still developing
To embrace exposure and become aware of such observations was the first step. Then, new
dimensions concerning the interpretation of the data developed and suggestions for improve-
ment became apparent, both whilst the project was still in progress and afterwards.
There was a pattern in the data concerning which goals and objectives were absent from
my teaching. Although it was stated at the beginning of the paper that the need to deal with
the ‘how’ of inclusive education was a starting point for the course, it appears that aspects of
its ‘why’ are still pertinent for me. My starting point as a teacher educator for inclusion was
correct but there is much more to be discovered. I realized that in my teaching I successfully
served inclusion as a process but not always entirely as a principle.
Motivated and intrigued by the study’s findings concerning myself as a researcher, I con-
tinued my investigation in the literature concerning collaborative self-studies in general and
on inclusive education more specifically. Forms of collaboration amongst teacher educators,
whether equally experienced or in tandems of experienced ones and novices, seemed very
interesting not only as a means of induction, as in the latter case, but, most importantly, as a
gateway to learning from each other.
Similarly, and perhaps even more exciting, would be the collaborative conduct of research.
Thinking research ideas aloud and negotiating them with a critical friend, would encourage,
force one might say, each research partner to clarify concepts, outline processes and justify
conclusions, which, when pondered upon in solitude, appear self-evident, insightful and cor-
rect even though they might very well be blurred, unjustified and in need of further elaboration
and clarification.
It is a bit like the Indian story about the elephant and the blind children, in which each of
them touches a different part of the animal and, therefore, comes up with a different kind of
interpretation as to what this animal looks like (a rope because of the tail, a fan because of the
ears, a tree because of the elephant’s leg).

Academia Letters, March 2021 ©2021 by the author — Open Access — Distributed under CC BY 4.0

Corresponding Author: Charis-Olga Papadopoulou, olgapa@del.auth.gr

Citation: Papadopoulou, C. (2021). The Aha! moments in self-studies. Academia Letters, Article 522.
https://doi.org/10.20935/AL522.

4
Afterthought
Conclusions drawn by means of research aim to come closer to the reality under investigation.
Interpretation on behalf of the researcher, however, is present at all stages. Sometimes it
enables and sometimes it restricts our findings. If we accept that the truth is not out there, the
best we can do is systematically document the complex reality of teaching (and learning) and
candidly reflect upon it. In my case, the conclusions exceeded my expected findings.
I now view myself as a lifelong learner, striving to be active and to pursue continuous
professional development opportunities, aiming at personal and professional growth (Cole-
man and Leider, 2014). Despite my inclination for reflection and my sensitivity and openness
towards research, it was only during this self-study that I saw, how dynamic research can be.
It is important to look back at one’s professional life story. Our profile plays a role, since it
shapes to a great extent how we view ourselves as educators and researchers, accounts for our
decisions and illustrates our experiences when it comes to self-study. It is, therefore, impor-
tant to focus on personal as well as work-related issues, on our life story (Kelchtermans (2009)
and Vanassche & Kelchterman (2016)), since they can support or hinder how we develop as
teacher educators

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Academia Letters, March 2021 ©2021 by the author — Open Access — Distributed under CC BY 4.0

Corresponding Author: Charis-Olga Papadopoulou, olgapa@del.auth.gr

Citation: Papadopoulou, C. (2021). The Aha! moments in self-studies. Academia Letters, Article 522.
https://doi.org/10.20935/AL522.

5
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Academia Letters, March 2021 ©2021 by the author — Open Access — Distributed under CC BY 4.0

Corresponding Author: Charis-Olga Papadopoulou, olgapa@del.auth.gr

Citation: Papadopoulou, C. (2021). The Aha! moments in self-studies. Academia Letters, Article 522.
https://doi.org/10.20935/AL522.