Preparing a First Change Laboratory Session Linked to the Issue of Homework and Addressing Methodological Challenges

Abstract

The issue of homework has been generating debates not only in schools but also in scientific circles and the media. In response to the challenging questions regarding that issue, the Conseil supérieur de l’Éducation (2010) recommended a collective consideration of homework at the local level. In this study, we focus on the methodological challenges of the preparation, implementation and analysis of a first session of a Change Laboratory (CL) undertaken in a low SES elementary school. Building on the principle of double-stimulation and focusing on the expansive learning actions taken by 11 teachers, we identified the transformative actions expressed in their discourse. Findings revealed a predominance of expressions related to explicating and criticising. It was possible to make sense of the participants’ statements to prepare the next steps of the intervention.