Within the orbiting spheres of knowledge which form the wealth of AMALIMWC website, the Research-Informed Narratives Page is a shining sphere. The stories and experiences put into writing within this page are not only worthy of being read by a wide audience, but, through the medium of academic writing, they are also imbued with depth, knowledge and research, thus becoming suitable for academic publication. The various articles on this page are NOT mere accounts or stories of people’s lives or experiences of events, and although these are present, the articles are primarily and above all else well-researched and thoroughly and systematically analyzed information, thus informed, through which people can gain knowledge and insight.
When carried out with integrity, research of all kinds can be more than a mere systematic search for information and answers. It can be a journey into the unknown to develop greater understanding of many things, not least of all education, culture and community. In the end however, research needs narrative, human voice, interpretation and context in order to be communicated and to be of use to anyone else. What follows are writings of research informed narrative.
One can clearly see that this page is in fact a distinct but most important contribution within the identity structure of the AMALIMWC website. The Research‑Informed Narratives Page will thus, provide a foundation of scholarly merit that gives substance to the website’s words and inspire the actions and achievements that become part of the AMALIMWC’s dream of Aspire, Motivate and Achieve.
Educational issues and problems are described in the stories on this page from a range of perspectives and with reference to a variety of different research including that which centers the experiences of rural and/or Indigenous learners and their cultures. Issues affecting learners, teachers, and schooling in the face of change – including policy, technology and demographic change – are described. Issues affecting instruction, as well as issues affecting those in formal leadership positions and those in formal community positions are highlighted through the use of evidence-based written accounts.
The quality of language on this page has clearly been deliberately raised to reflect the respect with which research and narrative have been handled. Writing which is based upon research is not easily or synonymously exchanged with, written. Rather, it is a sophisticated craft that requires an academic writer of considerable intellect to fine-tune his/her best quality writing for publication purposes. High-quality research-based writing is creative yet precision-fine, a highly sophisticated weave of ideas that are carefully spelled out in the form of narrative that has the publication value to ensure substantial reader benefit.
The page holds a number of qualities that are distinctive to the writer and to the aspect of the website on which it is found. In becoming a writer of research‑informed narratives of educational practice and research‑based stories, he brings a number of qualities to the written page of this website. Above all he is a storyteller of considerable experience who writes from within the space of a deeply culture‑aware and community‑engaged educator. What he writes about will necessarily include learners and teaching and learning; he writes also about educators and schools and other organizations, about leaders, policies, programs and practices. The space in which he writes draws upon a broad and deep base of experience of educational research and much more, and in becoming a writer for this website he brings the perspective of one who seeks always to honor the space of lived experience.
This page underpins the structural identity of AMALIMWC’s website. The site has four main pages and the Research‑Informed Narratives Page provides the most substantive content as the scholar’s behind the site’s homepage, reflecting on aspects of education, draw upon their experience of, and ongoing study of, research to engage in informed discussion of the many facets of Education that are outlined.
Research‑Informed Narratives Page is the scholarly imagination voiced on the AMALIMWC website, where research becomes story, and evidence becomes meaning to foster the greatest academic learning and intellectual growth within the context of the AMA identity, to educate, inspire and challenge all who engage with the Educational Writing of AMALIMWC, to engage readers in the Research while sharing human experiences associated with that Research, to provoke learning, critical examination and new ideas concerning approaches to optimizing Education within diverse Communities and Cultures.
As the AMALIMWC website continues to progress, I envisage the Research‑Informed Narratives Page developing into the intellectual and scholarly heart of the website. Opportunities to bring additional research‑informed narratives will evolve, I anticipate. On one hand, new ‘seek and share’ stories will be explored and written in a professional manner, whilst on the other hand the archive of established stories will expand as we explore numerous other aspects of current and emerging education, research, and community, in order to continuously evolve the tapestry of established research‑based written work via the writings of an educator‑researcher with proven capacity of cross‑disciplinary researched knowledge.
The Research‑Informed Narratives Page functions as a gateway to proving the concept that education is a science as well as an art form. Behind each dataset, research finding, and study conclusion lies a very human and relatable story of interest, of trial and error, of discovery and hope. Through this body of work, AMALIMWC will function as more than a simple website. It shall grow into a rich research archive and cultural repository filled with impassioned stories that illustrate the power of researched information as told by humans.
