Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/66418
Title: Tracking the birth and growth of an online collaborative research team during COVID-19 : a narrative inquiry of eight female academics in Malta
Authors: Bonello, Charmaine
Camilleri, Rosienne
Gatt, Suzanne
Deguara, Josephine
Milton, Josephine
Muscat, Tania
Said, Lara
Spiteri, Jane
Keywords: Research -- Data processing
Research -- Social aspects
Narrative inquiry (Research method)
Issue Date: 2020-12
Publisher: University of Malta. Faculty of Education
Citation: Bonello, C., Farrugia, R. C., Gatt, S., Deguara, J., Milton, J., Muscat, T., ... Spiteri, J. (2020). Tracking the birth and growth of an online collaborative research team during COVID-19 : a narrative inquiry of eight female academics in Malta. Malta Review of Educational Research, 14(2), 327-359.
Abstract: The world is currently experiencing the unimaginable impact of a pandemic. From one day to the other, academics at the University of Malta were forced to shift to working remotely as the COVID-19 pandemic hit the Maltese islands. This paper uncovers the lived shared experiences of eight female academics (authors of this paper) who, despite the perceived challenges, considered it also as an opportunity to explore how to conduct research together through online collaboration. This paper thus presents a qualitative study grounded in a narrative inquiry of this collective experience. The collaborative work is informed by: social learning theories influenced by Vygostky; elements from feminist thinking; and literature on collaborative research, online collaboration and academic identity. Our recorded views, as participant-researchers and part of the narrative inquiry, focus on the birth and growth of what we now refer to as the ‘Early Childhood and Primary Education (ECPE) research team’. A thematic analysis of the accounts on our experiences have led to the development of a six-tier framework, the ‘SKRIPT’ framework, for collaborative work in academia. The progressive six concepts identified refer to trust, philosophy, identity, relationships, knowledge and skills. They underpin the inception and course of our online collaborative research experience. The shared stories from which the framework emerged, aim to inspire and encourage other academics to be part of research teams and share their ‘SKRIPT’ of collaborative experiences within online spaces and beyond. Implications for future research are discussed.
URI: https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/66418
Appears in Collections:MRER, Volume 14, Issue 2
MRER, Volume 14, Issue 2
Scholarly Works - FacEduECPE

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