Group Membership and Social Identities in a Formative Intervention in a Mexican Hospital

Formative intervention is a participatory methodology that supports organizational change by means of an interactive and systematic dialogue carried out by researchers and participants. In this process, the researchers contribute to expanding the conversational space in the organization by supporting participants in examining and reflecting on their own work practices, as well as in modeling, shaping, and experimenting with innovations. Drawing on transcripts of videotaped sessions, this study analyzes how change is discursively sustained by the researchers who conduct the meetings within a formative intervention in a Mexican hospital. The quantitative and qualitative analysis focuses on the collective pronoun “we” as a membership categorization device deployed by the researchers for rhetorical and pragmatical aims, such as questioning about the state of necessity for the intervention, engaging the participants, or introducing a proposal of innovation with the participants. Results show how group membership and social identity markers are used by researchers to support emerging forms of collaboration, involvement of participants and the creation of common ground during the intervention process. In terms of the practical implications of the study, an informed and strategic use of membership categorization devices used by the researcher can increase the effectiveness of their formative and expansive role.

Teacher Education during the COVID-19 Lockdown: Insights from a Formative Intervention Approach Involving Online Feedback

This paper examines preservice teachers’ perspectives on assessment feedback developed in a teacher education course during the first lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic. As initially negotiated with students, feedback was learner-centred and involved a formative intervention approach applied iteratively by the teacher educator over the course of one semester. Although such feedback was initially face-to-face, it had to be given exclusively online following the unexpected closure of the university. Analysis of student teachers’ perspectives, which were collected through an online questionnaire completed after their final assessment, reveals both positive and critical aspects regarding the feedback provided by the teacher educator. While reaffirming the significance of feedback as a crucial element for learning in online teacher education contexts, the findings also show that the clarity, affective bonding and multimodal meaning-making involved in face-to-face interaction are particularly challenging when the communication of feedback is digitally mediated. The implications and limitations of such findings are discussed.

The Role of Formative Intervention in Diabetes in Primary and Secondary School Teachers

The children with diabetes mellitus have often difficulties regarding school adaptation and integration, generated largely by the special conditions of the disease. On the other hand, how the child succeds in this adaptation, interferes with the management of chronic disease and the quality of his life. An important role for the child with diabetes in school is played by the head teachers.The informations about this disease and the attitude towards the children affected by this disease are important variables in this direction. The objective of our study is improving the teachers knowledge and attitude toward diabetes in children by providing quality information and practical intervention techniques. 86 head teachers from elementary and secondary schools were interviewed regarding their knowledge about diabetes in children, and participated to a formative course about this disease. After their participation in a theoretical and practical training course, their knowledge and their attitude have been improved considerably and the follow-up evaluation (after 3 months) indicated a stability of informations and practical techniques for granting first aid, over time. The conclusion is that formative intervention of teachers is an important step in helping children with diabetes to better school adaptation and, also in improving the quality of their life.