Raising awareness of classroom constructs: an application of Kelly’s repertory grid technique

Abstract

English: This article argues that Kelly’s repertory grid technique allows prospective teachers and their trainers to gain critical-reflective depth when they respond to statistically computed relationships between the poles of pairs of constructs in their group and personal grids. Using ten classroom-specific scenarios as elements, the teachertrainer elicited approximately 800 constructs from a cohort of prospective teachers in the first stage of this awareness-raising project. From these, 12 constructs were selected to include in a repertory ratings grid. Tentative hypotheses about the meaning making within the group and for each individual were formulated. These hypotheses were ten-tative trainer-formulated accounts which could only be accepted or rejected by the participating cohort of teachers in “dialogically accomplished” task-response se-quences based on relational subjectivity. Writing tasks were formulated requiring the teachers to validate or reject these tentative hypotheses. These responses were logged and used as evidence of critical-reflective analyses directed at meaning making.

Afrikaans: Hierdie artikel vestig aandag op Kelly se repertoriese matriks as ’n tegniek wat deur voornemende onderwysers en hul opleiers gebruik kan word om krities-reflektiewe diepte te verkry. Die doel kan bereik word wanneer hulle statistiese korrelasies tussen die pole van afgepaarde konstrukte in hul matrikse interpreteer. Op grond van tien klaskamer-spesifieke scenarios wat as elemente gebruik is, is ongeveer 800 onderwyserkonstrukte geïdentifiseer. Uit die poel is 12 konstrukte geselekteer om ’n repertoriese matriks te genereer. Beide ’n groepsmatriks en individuele matrikse is ontleed. Die bevindings is geformuleer as tentatiewe hipoteses wat deur die deelnemende onderwysers bevestig of verwerp is. Daar word geargumenteer dat gedeelde betekenisgewing aan matriksuitkomste slegs deur interaktiewe dialoog en geskrewe response met deelnemende onderwysers geskep kan word.