Mind the Gap: Factors Which Inhibit Supporting Student Teachers to Engage in Action Research While on School Placement (original) (raw)
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Empowering Teachers, Triggering Change: a Case Study of Teacher Training through Action Research
The present article sets out to validate small-scale research projects as a tool to foster the integration of theory and practice as well as the development of a refl ective mindset in trainees in teacher training courses. This case study of the process followed by an experienced teacher carrying out research as part of a Master's degree in Teaching English traces the student's learning during her research process through an analysis of her interactions, both oral and written, with the thesis supervisor, as well as of the materials created for the pedagogical intervention planned and the data collection carried out as part of the action research process. This reconstruction of the trainee's developing understanding while working on her MA thesis reveals that learning does take place and is brought about by a mixture of different factors, such as the relation established between the theoretical concepts studied in the program and the actual teaching practice, the detachment brought about by the need to collect data and the interaction with the supervisor. Carrying out a research project also helps the trainee to refl ect on her own practice, and thus establish a refl ective mindset.
Educational Action Research, 2013
The focus of the Education Works Personalization Project was to facilitate teams of teacher action researchers whose goal was to personalize their teaching with the support of university partners including doctoral students in education. The subsequent apprentice-like research experience within this university-school partnership provided an opportunity to study the ways in which teacher action research could serve as a vehicle for bridging the culture gap between schools and universities. Both the research team experience and the development of the school-university inquiry/knowledge network were initially characterized by undefined roles accompanied by ambiguous expectations. Although the ambiguity proved difficult initially, those who persisted and engaged in new roles ultimately found these emerging inquiry communities generative and valuable. We have come to conceptualize these generative inquiry communities as third spaces and we describe how oppositional categories framed by the cultural differences between schools and universities can work together to generate new knowledge.
Exploring teachers’ experiences of action research
London Review of Education, 2020
Through exploring the author’s experiences of working with five teachers who undertook an action research project for their master’s dissertations, this article establishes that it is possible for critical participatory action research to address issues around the perceived de-professionalization of teachers, and challenge the exploitative nature of education within English state schools. Semi-structured interviews with five teachers showed that this was an empowering experience, which provided a number of benefits, including an increased sense of professionalism, and that they would recommend action research to other teachers. Their experiences and insights have been used to discuss options for implementing action research more widely, identifying potential challenges and suggesting possible solutions. Based on both sets of experiences, I suggest that it would be valuable for action research to be implemented more widely within the English education system, as a method of addressin...
International Journal For the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning, 2012
This reflective piece describes my experiences of teaching practice in an Indian University and my transformed practice as a result of enrolment in the Graduate Certificate in Education (University Teaching) in an Australian university. I enrolled in this course with hesitation, considering it time consuming and likely to detract from any focus on research. However, the experiences and learning in different modules of the graduate certificate became instrumental in producing an action researcher from a standard academic. In this essay, I will share my engagement with the scholarship of teaching and learning through an action research project which has transformed my teaching practice.
Design and technology education : an international journal, 2009
This keynote address tells the personal journey of a former teacher who is now involved in educational research. Educational research is topical at the moment in Design and Technology (D&T) Education, as many initial teacher training (ITE) courses make the transition to masters level accreditation, something endorsed by the teacher training and development agency (TDA) as a means of enhancing the status of the teaching profession. The implication being that ITE courses will develop a significant research component to their courses. This paper argues against relying on experience only, or anecdotal accounts as a means for understanding or explaining the nature of the phenomena being studied. The case for conducting educational research that is ‘systematically, sceptically and ethically’ (Robson, 2002) conducted, is seen as a means understanding human behaviour, in a way that leads to conclusions that are credible (Cohen, 2007). The author draws on his experience as both a teacher in ...
Improving educational practice: Action research as an appropriate methodology
2001
This article aims to explore action research as a suitable methodology for emancipated educators. An attempt will be made to formulate an acceptable definition of action research, and a classification of types of action research as found in the literature will be presented. Action research is presented as a methodology or research framework that assists educators in critically evaluating their practice and in systematically arriving at new rationales for and changes in such practice. Finally some help will be provided for those who want to engage in action research for the first time.
Educational Action Research, 2000
The Mid-Town elementary preservice cohort programme at OISE/UT has, for several years, had action research by student teachers as a major component. In this article, the authors outline the view of action research held by the faculty team and explain why they turned to action research as a strategy in teacher education. They detail how the action research requirement is implemented in the programme, and describe the effects of the action research process on the understandings, skills and behaviour of the preservice teachers. The findings suggest this is potentially a very valuable approach to teacher education, provided certain other conditions are fulfilled.
Academics' views of the value of action research in secondary schools
2009
The modern professional development agenda of many education systems encourages the idea of practitioner research as a means of improving classroom practice. The NSW Government Department of Education and Training (DET) has adopted such an agenda as stated in policy documents and hence would seemingly encourage the notion of action research by teachers in schools. In this study, three academics who have worked closely with teachers as action researchers were interviewed to explore the question: Who values action research and how is this evidenced? Results of the study suggest that the informants are staunch advocates of action research while action research is valued sporadically by policy makers, school leaders and teachers across the education system in NSW.