Faculty of Education, Annual Dean’s Forum hosted by COMBER

COMBER Conference 2019 Extending the boundaries of Educational Research

21 November 2019 The Community-based Educational Research Executive Niche Research Director, Professor Lesley Wood welcomed all delegates and attendees to the Faculty of Educations Annual Dean’s Forum 2019 and the first COMBER Conference. COMBER is a research niche area with a focus on community-based educational research, where community refers to any group of people working together to improve their situation. We do research within the broad field of education that has an educative, emancipatory and political intent. Community-based educational research is not a methodology in itself, but rather an umbrella term for approaches that share epistemological and ontological ideals that recognize and validate knowledge generated and disseminated through various forms, other than the textual. Prof Wood encouraged the delegates to take the opportunity provided by this conference to network and form strong working relations so that we can collaborate to build effective partnerships to promote community-based educational research. Prof Wood thanked the Dean, Prof Lloyd Conley, for supporting this conference through the addition of the Deans Forum. She also thanked the keynote speakers who have strong ties with COMBER, Prof Mary Brydon-Miller and Prof Petra Engelbrecht. A special mention must go to Dr Carolina Botha for her hard work in coordinating the conference, and to the team from COMBER who assisted her. She offered a special issue of Educational Research for Social Change, a Scopus journal, as a means of publishing the research presented.

COMBER newsflash…

The welcoming from Research Director, Prof Wood was followed by the E.S Le Grange choir with an outstanding performance.

The performance from the E.S Le Grange choir was followed with a welcoming address from the North-West University, Faculty of Education Executive Dean, Professor Lloyd Conley. Following the welcoming address by the Executive Dean, Lloyd Conley was the opening address by the North-West University Deputy Dean: Community Engagement and Stakeholders Relations, Dr Elize Kung, followed by the Conference Coordinator and COMBER subgroup leader: Community-based Teaching and Learning, Carolina Botha

Keynote: “The Road to Hell” The Problem of Good Intentions in Community-

based Research Professor Mary Brydon-Miller (University of Louisville, Kentucky)

Professor Mary Brydon-Miller addressed ethical potential areas involved with good intentions in community-based research such as: partnership, collaboration and power; blurring the boundaries between researcher and researched, academic and activist; community rights, conflict and democratic representation, ownership, dissemination and impact of data, findings and publications; anonymity, privacy and confidentiality; institutional ethical review processes social action and social change.

Community panel discussion: Michael Matlapeng – Gate Lapele Youth Development Consultancy Bruce Damons - Nelson Mandela University Nomthandazo Gedze - Nelson Mandela University Bibi Bouwman - North-West University The panel members followed Prof Brydon-Millers keynote to respond from their findings and experiences with community-based research.

The Keynote was then wrapped up with an interactive session where all attendees had a chance to ask questions Later that night the delegates enjoyed lovely evening at the gala dinner.