Beyond checklists: action research as transformative professional learning for culturally responsive pedagogies
Date
2026
Authors
Diplock, A.
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Journal article
Citation
Educational Action Research, 2026; 1-18
Statement of Responsibility
Abigail Diplock
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Abstract
This study explores how action research serves as transformative professional learning for developing culturally responsive pedagogies (CRP). Drawing on interviews with teacher-researchers from two Australian projects (2017–2024), the research examines how practice-based inquiry enables teachers to move beyond prescriptive approaches towards experimental and responsive teaching. Using process philosophy, particularly Deleuze and Guattari’s work, the study theorises action research as creating enabling conditions rather than fixed strategies for CRP. Teachers engaged with non-prescriptive pedagogical ideas as generative propositions that catalysed transformation through classroom experimentation. Findings reveal three key insights: first, malleable pedagogical concepts function as enabling constraints supporting contextually responsive practices; second, learning within actual pedagogical encounters proves crucial for developing responsive approaches; third, teachers moved towards experimental spaces characterised by shared power and pedagogical uncertainty. The study challenges conventional professional development models that position teachers as implementers of predetermined strategies. Instead, it demonstrates how action research creates spaces for teachers to develop responsive practices through attention to dynamic classroom events and relationships with students and communities. These insights have significant implications for professional learning in diverse educational contexts, calling for approaches that honour pedagogical complexity and both teachers’ and students’ capabilities.
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© 2026 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/ licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. The terms on which this article has been published allow the posting of the Accepted Manuscript in a repository by the author(s) or with their consent.