Genuine inquiry

Abstract

The concept of inquiry is central to contemporary discussions of teacher and leader professional learning and problem solving in interpersonal contexts. However, while few would debate its value, there has been little discussion of the significant challenges inherent in engaging in genuine inquiry. In this article, we distinguish between genuine and pseudo-inquiry, and define the former as motivated by an open-minded stance and desire to learn. We argue in our literature review, that while both forms of inquiry may share the same linguistic features, deeper analysis of underlying thoughts and motives is required to distinguish the two types of inquiry. We then report a descriptive study of how 13 school leaders (in a simulated setting) inquired into their concerns about a teacher’s behaviour. The analysis of their conversation transcripts showed that they engaged in limited genuine inquiry. Leaders’ capacity for genuine inquiry was constrained by their judgmental thinking, tendency to avoid negative emotion and desire to maximize staying in control of the conversation. Implications for further research on inquiry and for leadership development are discussed.