Construing Classrooms and Curricula: a framework for research

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Abstract
In recent years personal construct theory has become increasingly used to underpin research into teachers' thinking, and a number of researchers have opted to give methodological prominence to the repertory grid. This paper points to the limitations of the theory in respect of research outside the domain of psychotherapy and to some of the problems associated with repertory grid studies. It is argued that repertory grids are inherently positivistic and are thus in philosophical tension with the theory on which they are based, a tension that is not removed by researching in a ‘conversation paradigm’. The importance of events in personal construct theory is discussed, and it is suggested that an emphasis on events requires the researcher to adopt an approach that is informed by phenomenology and the philosophy of history. Finally, a return is made to the level of research practice, and a methodological approach is outlined which is—to a greater extent than the repertory grid—consistent with the main thrust of personal construct theory. Stress is given to the importance of the quality of the relationships between constructs, since these have implications for connections between construing and action—an issue which is of crucial importance is the study of teachers' thinking.

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