"Action research is the process through which teachers collaborate in evaluating their practice jointly; raise awareness of their personal theory; articulate a shared conception of values; try out new strategies to render the values expressed in their practice more consistent with the educational values they espouse; record their work in a form which is readily available to and understandable by other teachers; and thus develop a shared theory of teaching by researching practice." - John Elliott
Action is a motivation to do any behavior or verb at workplace while research is exploring, investigating and creating new knowledge about something. Most of the time, knowledge comes out from generate ideas to solve problem and find ways to make it better than before. Action research is creating explanation knowledge about practice in order to improve it continuously. Refer to the Jean’ speech in action research seminar, she said that the knowledge is not same as a theory because the theory is preliminary explanation about something by knowing what, how and why the facts produced. But it still can be argue until there are have research to prove it’s relevant. Knowledge is the facts from result of research theory.
She also said that action research can not be done like the research on a plants because it involve the social communities reaction behaviors cognitive and emotion. As the human being, they can think and have feeling so we must respect them. It more problematic and complicated to say we can do the job research on human.
As the simple guides in action research design, there are two types of research. The first design is outside research which means its have objects and subjects claims. It more too deductive ideas and comes out from ourselves perspective to a group of individuals. This research is more valid, reliability, believing and safe because involve many people mind. Where as its do not need impersonal communications. On the others hand, the second types is inside research where are about something from mind individuals (self) within the social culture. But it has risk and need more communicate to collect data and guide the mind set on the practice setting. It is moral accountability do for life.
The basic terminology in action research is must have 4 steps in the first single loop cycle before continuous to another cycles. The terms are: reflection → plan → action →observe (collect data) → reflection (evaluation the effectiveness action’s result) → plan (other ways action were improved)
For explanation (behalf my considerate on this topic), the action research education will be conduct on the problem to improve our practice in teaching and learning methods. As the result reflection of these problems, we must create and generate the ideas to solve and improve it’s by doing some plans action. The reaction from the methods can consider as the results. After the analysis and evaluate the data (reflection), we can determine whether it is effective practice or not. If the result is disappointed, we can try the other actions and begin the second double loop cycle until get the valid and reliable practice in teaching and learning methods. There are examples of action research steps:
What is my concern?
The science’s teacher not proficient to teach Science’s subject in English.
Why m I concerned?
It is very complicated as the teacher to explain the difficult terminology in science and make the student especially not interested to learn and understand its.
What experiences can I describe to show why I am concerned?
In the practices classroom (micro teaching) I had problem to pronoun word especially difficult science term in cycle process. So, the student misunderstood about the lesson.
What can I do about it?
· Ask friends for help to improve pronunciation in difficult words
· Practices speak English
· Listen to the English audio conversation.
· Create more activities in the other ways of lecturer such as video, story (create likes talent time), games, quiz and puzzle word. (more student participate than teacher)
What will I do about it?
Do the action as soon as possible and don’t shy to practice its.
What kind of data will I gather to show the situation as it unfolds?
· Question and answer student – level compressions
· Quiz and assessment test
· Reduce numbers of not interested students
· Their perspectives
How do I modify my concerns, ideas and practices in the light of my evaluation?
Improve the ways of approach student teaching and learning methods by considering their behavior and cognitive thinking but still in under control learning objectives.
Jack Whitehead's and Jean McNiff's Living Theory approach
In the Living Theory approach of Whitehead (1989) and Whitehead and McNiff (2006) individuals generate explanations of their educational influences in their own learning, in the learning of others and in the learning of social formations. They generate the explanations from experiencing themselves as living contradictions in enquiries of the kind, 'How do I improve what I am doing?' They use action reflection cycles of expressing concerns, developing action plans, acting and gathering data, evaluating the influences of action, modifying concerns, ideas and action in the light of the evaluations. The explanations include life-affirming, energy-flowing values as explanatory principles. A living theory approach with the above qualities is distinguished from the living theories produced by practitioner-researchers because of the uniqueness of each living theory generated by individuals.
What Action Research Is Not
It is not the usual things teachers do when they think about their teaching. Action Research is systematic and involves collecting evidence on which to base rigorous reflection.
It is not just problem-solving. Action Research involves problem-posing, not just problem-solving. It does not start from a view of problems as pathologies. It is motivated by a quest to improve and understand the world by changing it and learning how to improve it from the effects of the changes made.
It is not research on other people. Action Research is research by particular people on their own work to help them improve what they do, including how they work with and for others. Action Research does not treat people as objects. It treats people as autonomous, responsible agents who participate actively in making their own histories by knowing what they are doing.
It is not the scientific method applied to teaching. Action Research is not just about hypothesis-testing or about using data to come to conclusions. It is concerned with changing situations, not just interpreting them. It takes the researcher into view. Action Research is a systematically-evolving process of changing both the researcher and the situations in which he or she works. The natural and historical sciences do not have this aim.Henry and Kemmis
Five Phases of Action Research
Phase I - Problem Identification:
Why do you want to do it? Is it an important and practical problem, something worth your time and effort, something that could be beneficial to you, your students and others?
Is the problem stated clearly and in the form of a question? Is it broad enough to allow for a range of insights and findings? Is it narrow enough to be manageable within your timeframe and your daily work?
Phase II - Plan of Action
Will you develop and implement a new strategy or approach to address your question? If so, what will it be?
Will you focus your study on existing practices? If so, which particular ones?
What is an appropriate timeline for what you are trying to accomplish?
Phase III - Data Collection
Using the 5 W's and an H to generate brain storming ideas
What types of data should you try to collect in order to answer your question?
How will you ensure that you have multiple perspectives?
What resources exist and what information from others might be useful in helping you to frame your question, decide on types of data to collect, or to help you in interpreting your findings?
Phase IV - Analysis of Data
What can you learn from the data? What patterns, insights, and new understandings can you find?
What meaning do these patterns, insights, and new understandings have for your practice? For your students?
Phase V - Plan for Future Action
What will you do differently in your classroom as a result of this study?
What might you recommend to others?
How will you write about what you have learned so that the findings will be useful to you and to others?
- Adapted from the St. Louis Action Research Evaluation Committee
What Do Teacher Researchers Do?
Teacher researchers...
- develop research questions based on their own curiosity about teaching and learning in their classrooms;
- examine their underlying assumptions about teaching and learning;
- systematically collect data from and with their students;
- share and discuss their data and research methodology with fellow teacher researchers;
- analyze and interpret their data with the support of their colleagues;
- write about their research;
- share their findings with students, colleagues, and members of the educational community;
- discuss with colleagues the relationships among practice, theory, and research; assume responsibility for their own professional growth.
Reasons to Do Action Research
What works...
To figure out a particular "how to" of teaching
To demonstrate to principals, parents, students, ourselves that a teaching practice is useful
Collegiality...
To have time to talk about teaching with our colleagues
To develop better overall relationships with our colleagues
Personal/Professional Development...
To be supported and pushed in our development as teachers
To recognize that growth doesn't just happen, that often we need more formal structures in order to grow
To enable teachers to engage in intellectual pursuits and become continuous learners
Starting where we are...
To start with the teacher that I am, not that someone else thinks I should be
Consistency...
To practice being a continuous learner, to live by what I am trying to help my students learn
To connect teachers in different roles, schools, districts
Challenging the norm...
To create new forms of professional development
To create new forms of research
To construct knowledge with teachers at the center
References:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Action%5Fresearch
http://www.madison.k12.wi.us/sod/car/carhomepage.html
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