Awareness of Teaching through Action Research: Examples, Benefits, Limitations (original) (raw)
Related papers
JALT Journal 27(1), 2005
There are a variety of activities teachers can use to develop their teaching beliefs and practices. combination, discuss how teachers can develop their teaching through the use of case studies, peer observation, self-observation with video, team-teaching, mentoring, coaching, teaching portfolios, learning a second language, talk with supervisors, teaching journals and action research.
1987
This report on action research projects conducted by student teachers as a part of their preservice teacher preparation program focuses on how action research improves the understanding of educational practices by the practitioner-researchers themselves. Two major topics are discussed. First, specific types of claims about the impact of action research on teachers' understandings are identified from selected projects conducted in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. A description of the methodologies used to collect supporting data is included. The second major topic of the paper is a description of the "Action Research on Action Research" project now underway at the University of Wisconsin, Madison. Action research has been used in the University's elementary student teaching program for several years as one way to provide opportunities for growth in the ability to reflect systematically on one's own teaching practice. A comprehensive review of the literature on the impact action research can have on teacher thinking introduces the main body of the paper. (JD)
For teachers interested in developing their practice, there is no shortage of information about the nuts and bolts of designing and carrying out classroom-based research. Not as prevalent in the literature, however, are public reports of teachers reflecting upon their research. Given the difficulties inherent in simultaneously fulfilling teacher and researcher roles, reflective accounts can provide aspiring teacher- researchers with opportunities to learn vicariously from peers, clarify challenges, and envision what being a teacher-researcher actually means. This chapter reflects on a year-long collaborative action research project undertaken at a private university in Japan with several hundred first-year students taking required speaking classes. Our aim was to help students with low proficiency, motivation, and self-esteem speak English with more fluency and pragmatic accuracy. The primary intervention was shifting from a transactional to an interactional syllabus based on the Immediate Method (Azra, et al, 2005), a classroom management system developed to address the particular challenges inherent to teaching oral communication in Japan. During our project, data was collected from speaking test recordings, lesson and weekly meeting notes, and questionnaires. By tracking our progress throughout the year as we struggled with issues of research design, implementation, and reporting, we will comment on the process of becoming a teacher-researcher. We will also reflect on how our self-perceptions and confidence as teachers developed over the course of the project and offer insights into what it means to actually be a teacher-researcher, arguing that it is often the process rather than the product of research that leads to new understandings. Although Japan-based, our research experience can be of relevance to teachers anywhere because of a shared need for reflective reports that exemplify the common underlying issues and challenges we face on the road towards improved teaching practice. Reference Azra, J. L., Ikezawa, M., Rowlett, B., & Vannieuwenhuyse, B. (2005). The Immediate Method. In K. Bradford-Watts, C. Ikeguchi, & M. Swanson (Eds.) JALT2004 Conference Proceedings. Tokyo: JALT. http://jalt-publications.org/archive/proceedings/2004/E100.pdf
Problems in Making Significant Changes in Teaching Practice through Action Research
There is a growing literature about conducting an action research that could help achieving significant changes in teachers' practices. Although an action research can contribute obtaining improvements, this process is not straight-line and without obstacles. The text elaborates three problems the author faced with while dealing with the action research in his practice. Firstly, he realized that teachers can hardly become the agents of change without the assistance of others. Actually, teachers who got used to working in a traditional school find it hard to make the first step towards professional emancipation without an experienced leader--be it school pedagogues, advisors, experienced teachers, or even university professors. However, their role is not only to teach teachers how to make changes, but also to be actively involved, as practitioners, in the process of change and in their own learning. Second presumption was that the learning communities can encourage teachers to change. However, the author realized that despite the positive influence the learning community can provide imaginary safe haven to those who are not ready for assuming an active role in the process, hoping that there will always be someone else who will take the initiative. In addition, the sequential process of change, which started with the professional development in learning communities, then continued by introducing changes through action research, and finished with the presentations of good-practice examples and publishing the research results, appeared to be insufficient for accomplishing significant changes. Instead, it is much better to start immediately with making changes through action research, and during the process to intensify the education and critical friendship. In this case, learning communities have much more impact. Finally, author inferred that it is not easy for the teachers to assume the role of a critical friend or an action researcher. The process of casting off the old roles and assuming the new ones takes time and patience and has to overcome the resistance within others, but primarily within ourselves. However, it would be wrong to expect that teachers develop all the necessary competences first and then begin with their research. On the contrary, the action research is an excellent opportunity for learning in different ways. In spite of the problems experienced, the new roles for teachers as critical friends and action researchers could be fruitful in making significant changes. This requires the active involvement of different social factors. Although assuming those new professional roles is not easily achievable, it is worth trying.
Enhancing The Quality Of Teaching And Learning Through Action Research
Journal of College Teaching & Learning (TLC), 2012
In every society, a great deal is expected from teachers. They are often expected to react sufficiently and proactively to the ongoing changes in the world and amend their instructional methods and resources to help students reach their academics potential. In today's society, teachers are persistently in pursuit of developing ways to reach the new generation of students who are perhaps the most globalized and tech-savvy to date. While academic researchers continue to investigate and analyze current educational issues and trends, the products of these studies have limited practicality to classroom teachers. As a result, teachers are encouraged to collaborate with their colleagues and engage in action research in order to tackle issues specific to their classroom practices and teaching. Some examples of action research in educational settings include educators who wish to undertake research in their classrooms or schools for the purpose of improving teaching, to test educational theory, or to evaluate and implement an educational plan. In this paper, the authors will analyze action research as a method of intellectual inquiry in education settings. Furthermore, they will examine the common methodologies, data collection and analysis in action research and will illustrate the advantages and disadvantages of action research.
Action Research and Teaching Professors
This paper argues for the use of action research in improving the effectiveness of teaching by professors and briefly discusses the reasons why this is important. The paper stresses that if the purpose of education is student development, then teachers should also be developing in their chosen field of service. Action research helps bring faculty and students together in the teaching/learning process and lets both the professor and the student evaluate its effectiveness. In fact, in order for action research to be critical or emancipatory, students and professors should co-determine the ends of the research and whether these ends are met. This creates a single entity out of the researchers and those being researched. Action research then can become an explicit aspect of a course, with the mutual determination of ends/objectives and their successful completion. (GLR)
The Meaning and Role of Action Research in Education
Multidisciplinary Journal of Language and Social Sciences Education (2664-083X, Online ISSN: Print ISSN: 2616-4736), 2021
Action research in education is known for improving the teachers and administrators' professional practice and deemed favourable by most educationists for solving problems in education. It is a formative study usually conducted by teachers and administrators in schools. Action research is a cyclical or spiral process that includes problem identification (by a teacher, a group of teachers or administrators) taking action and fact finding about the result of the action taken. Action research in education helps the teachers to adopt or craft the most appropriate strategies within teaching-learning environments. Teachers around the world employ action research in their classrooms and schools, as part of their teaching and research. In this article we discuss action research in education, show the differences between action research and traditional research and we have illustrated forms of action research in education. The paper has also made an attempt at describing the steps in action research. In the concluding section we have discussed the importance of action research to the teacher and all involved in education. All in all, we will labour to present a literature review of what action research is, its elements and the critical role it plays in perfecting the art of teaching.
Examining teachers' conception of and needs on action research
2016
Action research is viewed as a path towards better student achievement. This track may be attained through the reflective nature instilled in the teacher that sparks initiatives to promote better classroom practices in the aspects of pedagogy, assessment, and parental involvement. This descriptive survey explores Filipino teachers’ conceptions of and needs on action research which may be barriers to implementing action research in their classrooms. Participants were randomly selected science and mathematics teachers in government schools in the Philippine’s capital city. Their concepts about action research were investigated by a survey and interviews, which indicated that they had positive views about action research helping to develop student learning in science and mathematics, and promote lifelong learning. Teachers’ prior concepts on its long-lasting impacts transcend from instructional practice to addressing student problems. Furthermore, their perceived moderate level of diff...