Dissertation writing help - GROUNDED THEORY OF COLLABORATIVE ACTIONS

Custom Dissertation Writing Service - A MULTI-CASE STUDY OF THE SUCCESSFUL IMPLEMENTATION OF LITERACY REFORM

Today's curriculum change efforts demand collaboration for the successful implementation of reform. In spite of extensive interest and research, a theoretical understanding of the link between the two remains elusive. The purpose of this study was to construct a theory of collaborative actions that contribute, in what ways, to the successful implementation of reform. As such, I organized data collection and analysis around one central research question: What collaborative actions contribute, in what ways, to the successful implementation of reform? Two interrelated sub questions were also considered. One, what actions did curriculum directors and other study participants take to enact the attribute in their intended change processes? Two, what positive effects did these actions have on reform implementation?

In light of my purpose and research questions, I used a grounded theory approach to inquiry and a multi-case study design. Four curriculum directors and sites were selected as primary participants on the basis of potentially theoretically relevant criteria, including ontologically-held conceptions of power as "power with" others, use of participatory governance, and improvement on student literacy assessments. Data collection originated from multiple sources, including narrative inquiry interviews with curriculum directors, teachers, administrators, and parents, participant observations, site documents, and reciprocity interviews. Data analysis was concurrent with data collection, following interpretive interactionism and the constant comparative method.

Using the four overlapping stages of the constant comparative method, I constructed a grounded theory, entitled "a Democratic Theory of Collaborative Actions that Contribute to the Successful Implementation of Reform". My theory is anchored in the understanding that curriculum leaders who hold and adhere to ideal democratic conceptions, attitudes, and beliefs animate and support collaborative actions that contribute to the successful implementation of reform. More specifically, I learned that highly collaborative actions contribute to a change process through democratic expression of five interrelated clusters of attributes, each of which has positive effects on reform implementation: shared power, cultures of trust, diverse and equitable participation, authentic involvement, and developing priorities for common good. I conclude by connecting theory to practice with recommendations for curriculum leaders who are concerned about implementing reforms of all kinds.