Abstract: Research Informed Practice Education in Pluricultural Context

Purpose – The purpose of RIPE is to integrate educational research to classroom practice with the aim of promoting robust research informed practice in international education. The proposed project has a strong sense of international mindedness to promote education in diversity considering pluricultural context. It targets to develop a shared sense of language and purpose to identify, consolidate and create new opportunities for enhancing research in teaching.
Design/approach – Comparison of teaching cases and research cases to create or contrast mono- or multi-cultural context. Students participate in research-informed learning to map their own research experience in terms of knowledge, skills and activities in their own respective culture. Later shared learning across cultures will be promoted to gain insights in international issues and development of sustainable solutions.

Findings – The approach provides a rich zone of mutuality between research, teaching and learning as well as mutual gains in pluricultural context.

Research limitations/implications – Such Research Informed practice in Education will create a teaching- learning environment which can be used in international schools to enhance theoretical and practical understanding of complex process-based phenomena. This will basically lead to Nature of Science based learning.

Practical implications – The approach needs an understanding of the individual differences among the students as well as their potentials and limitations. The pluricultural context enables education in diversity which will foster the development of global citizenship. Virtual Learning Communities will be facilitators for such an approach.

Significance to IB education – The project aims to stimulate reflection on alternative approaches to teaching and learning in education, and to theory development from practice. Undertaking research and connecting research to real life scenarios in pluricultural context through the development of critical questioning helps students to foster identity as inquirers, critical thinkers, knowledgeable, reflective and change agents. This also makes the students caring, open-minded and responsible for their personal learning experiences. Students can ask informed, constructive and critical questions of the world around them.