Towards a New Learning Ecology: A Critical Participatory Action Research for a Transformative Mission

Abstract

The aim of this study is to serve as a self-transformative process targeting undergraduate students’ professional perspectives, sayings, doings and meaning makings on the conventional classroom management thought by introducing them to the possibilities of Web 3.0 technologies. The study was designed as a critical participatory action research (CPAR) and conducted with the participation of 46 undergraduate students (29 female, 17 male) from English Language Teaching department during the first term of 2019-2020 academic year (just before the COVID-19 closures) in Gaziantep University. To guide participants, a Video Clip Assessment Rubric was developed collaboratively. Critical self-reflections and in-class discussions were the sources of data. A great majority of the participants reflected that flipped learning could be a promising alternative over conventional pedagogies. They also declared the need for a comprehensive preparation and professional guidance in video clip casting for flipped classes. The most outstanding actionable knowledge, on the part of participants, produced by this CPAR would be the internal transformation enabled through reinterpretation of the facts and first hand learning experiences they encountered. Some further suggestions are made for the redesign of conventional classroom management courses at undergraduate level.