In the context described above, there has been a resurgence of interest in the
methodology of [collaborative] professional enquiry and similarly termed processes
such as practitioner enquiry/inquiry or research^2 (Butler et al. 2015 ), most of which
have their origins in Action Research. Such approaches offer considerable potential
to facilitate engagement with educational policies and principles, and to afford
teacher agency. As a result, professional enquiry is becoming an increasingly
popular framework or methodology for professional learning in the twenty-first
century as a means of engaging members of the education community to work in
partnership to explore aspects of mutual interest or concern with‘the ultimate aim
of improving educational outcomes for students’(DeLuca et al. 2015 , p. 640). The
remainder of this chapter describes a particular school/university partnership to
develop CfE. This programme developed a systematic approach to curriculum
development, utilising a collaborative professional enquiry methodology, and at the
time of writing draws upon empirical evidence from three cohorts of participating
teachers. In this chapter, we first draw upon literature related to professional
enquiry, identifying some of the benefits and criticisms of this approach. We then
set out the key features of the programme in question, illustrating how it has
addressed some of the critiques in the literature. We conclude by reflecting upon the
outcomes of the programme, and the benefits experienced by the participating
teachers and school leaders.
52.2 Professional Enquiry—Some Themes
from the Literature
According to Butler et al. ( 2015 , p. 2),‘inquiry-based approaches, [...] have
potential to impact not only teachers’learning but also their practice in classrooms’,
thus offering a promising alternative to top-down dissemination and implementation
of educational policy. These authors point to the potential for such approaches to
actively engage teachers, encourage risk-taking and foster persistence as teachers
undertaken innovation; thus, professional enquiry is now widely seen as a powerful
means of fostering both teacher professional learning and innovation. Nevertheless,
we note that many authors have problematized the approach—and indeed, in for-
mulating and developing the programme described in this chapter, we have atten-
ded to some of these critiques. Space precludes a detailed examination of these
critiques, but we highlight some of the key criticisms in the following paragraphs.
A fundamental tension in professional enquiry relates to its purpose. Such
approaches can be driven by a deep concern with educational purposes, principles
and values; or they can be reduced to more instrumental and/or short-term concerns,
(^2) Please note that we employ the spelling most commonly used in Scotland, namely‘enquiry’,
throughout this paper, except where quoting directly from other authors using the alternative
spelling‘inquiry’.
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