Lesson Study in Kazakhstan: case study of benefits and barriers for teachers

Shaped as an exploratory pilot case study, the purpose of this paper is threefold: to describe a case of how Lesson Study (LS) is implemented at a school in Kazakhstan; to identify if and in which ways teachers benefit from participating in LS and what barriers they encounter; and to discuss the possible implications for practice. Mainly, this research endeavors to produce knowledge that might serve as a base for further large-scale studies and interventions as well as inform policy makers and LS program developers and executors of the teachers’ perspective on the quality of assistance they require and, thus, stimulate reflection on the possible ways to overcome existing barriers.

This research adopts qualitative paradigm and utilizes a pilot exploratory case study framework (Gillham, 2000). The data were analyzed by means of what Thomas (2003) refers to as “general inductive approach” which “is intended to aid an understanding of meaning in complex data through the development of summary themes or categories from the raw data, i.e. data reduction” (p. 2). The data were analyzed as text and reduced by means of inductive coding. The text was read rigorously and systematically in order to identify emerging themes based on the recurrence of patterns (Thomas, 2003, p. 3).

LS is a growing phenomenon in Kazakhstan which, if systemically supported and organized properly based on the shared understanding, has a great potential to make a positive impact on teachers’ learning, knowledge sharing and collegiality as well as to become a powerful tool to help teachers overcome collaboratively the pressure of the nationwide reforms. It has profound potential to change teachers’ values and beliefs about the effective pedagogies applicable to students’ learning and developing skills, required in the twenty-first century.

The research is limited by the chosen methodology since there is a wide criticism in the literature related to inability of single case studies to provide generalizable data (Yin, 1994 in Woodside, 2010, p. 249). Another limitation, as the literature puts it forward, is that case studies are biased by researcher’s perspective and tend to report what the researcher “wants to find” (Gillham, 2000, p.28 ); thus, in its core, case study is subjective. However, Gillham (2000) proposes how these problems could be addressed by means of what he calls following the principals of “researcher of integrity” who is “constantly challenging and scrutinizing” himself and “detached honesty,” which implies acknowledging your own place in the scheme of things and striving to “decentre from yourself” (p. 28). Thus, the researcher tried her best to comply with the mentioned above principals.

The findings within this research could be used by researchers as a starting point for in-depth studies, the case studies of Lesson Studies practices in specific schools or regions of Kazakhstan as well as by the policy makers and school leaders as a thought-provoking source on how to effectively structure teachers’ professional development in schools.

This paper is the first academic source to shed light on LS as a means to in-school teachers’ professional development in the context of Kazakhstan.