ETEC 500- Forum Post: The Appeal of Action Research
Throughout the first portion of ETEC 500, I was most definitely seeing the value of research in the field of education, but I was having difficulty seeing how I personally could conduct research myself in order to change my own (and possibly that of other educators) instructional approaches and classroom practices. I found myself struggling to make the same kind of personal connections to this course that I had been able to make in the other courses that I had taken thus far. I felt like I was not gaining as much from my studies in ETEC 500 because I could not see how my learning could be applied to where I am at professionally at this time. I would often ask myself, ‘What can I as a classroom teacher take away from this course?’ My perspective changed however, when I was introduced to the concept of ‘action research.’ After learning about this category of research and doing some additional digging myself to find out more, I was quite intrigued by the potential that this type of research could hold for me on a personal level. I have included this discussion forum post as an artifact for this course, as this experience marked a pivotal change for me in regard to my attitude toward research and the classroom teacher. Below are my thoughts on the topic.
Discussion Forum Post on Action Research
Professionally at this point in my career, I am in a place where I am looking at making some serious changes in the way in which I am teaching students. It seems that each year, the students who walk through my door in September are more and more challenging to engage and keep engaged in their own learning. For these reasons, I found the information about action research this week to be particularly appealing.
Action research can be and often is very personal research and the goal of this type of inquiry involves educators trying to gather data in order to gain insight to create positive change for teachers, students, entire schools etc. This type of research would likely be appealing to any educator interested in tackling problems faced in educational settings today. The results of this type of research can be the source of professional development for teachers who maintain an open mind, a willingness to change and a life-long learner attitude. Action research requires a certain vulnerability on the part of teachers, as it involves educators closely examining their own practices, and being critical of the role that they play in their own classrooms.
As I read through the details of Chapter 20 of our course text book, I was reminded numerous times of conversations that surfaced in both of my two previous MET courses. In both of the courses that I have taken thus far, we at some point, were required to read educational articles pertaining to case studies, experiments and/or research studies with implications for classroom teachers. A few of the experiments that we read about were actually carried out in classroom settings, but most were conducted in laboratory environments, making it a challenge for those of us with experience in today’s classroom to be convinced by the conclusions of the experimenters. As an educator facing the reality of a classroom setting each day, I tend to question the results achieved in a lab setting in which there is extensive control over the variables that play an interfering role in a real educational setting. Can we readily generalize these findings and learn from them when in reality teachers and students are in classrooms that are the complete opposite of this controlled environment? As is noted in the text, teachers do not find research such as this to be persuasive or authoritative. Another limiting factor is that the specific problems that teachers are facing in today’s classroom may not have yet been addressed by studies. In addition to these issues, the way in which the results of the studies are shared in reports and articles can be difficult for the average teacher to comprehend and make use of. Action research poses a potential solution to the above mentioned concerns. Because action research is often research done by teachers for teachers and it is frequently carried out within their own teaching environment, it does not necessarily contain the same concerning issues that educators may have with other types of research. Action research is NOT research done on students or teachers, it is research done for them.
Another advantage of action research is that the topics of study are generated by educators who are dealing with the problems in classrooms today based on real needs that they themselves have identified as issues in need of further study. If educators were able to have more of a say in regard to what areas of concern are targeted by research studies, it would be advantageous for educators, students and administrators too. Action research could provide a route through which we could seriously improve educational innovations and the professional development opportunities that would accompany them. Because this type of inquiry often leads to additional questions, action research efforts can also spark further inquiry and lead to substantial teacher-based improvement in education. Again, the central role that the teacher plays in this type of research really holds a great deal of appeal. Teachers can essentially become the architects of their own professional development (I came across a useful youtube video that phrased action research in this way http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MDVH0u4tUWo). Chances are, if one educator sees an area of need in their own classroom, there are other educators in similar settings who would also benefit from the insight gained through an action research study.
Action research can be and often is very personal research and the goal of this type of inquiry involves educators trying to gather data in order to gain insight to create positive change for teachers, students, entire schools etc. This type of research would likely be appealing to any educator interested in tackling problems faced in educational settings today. The results of this type of research can be the source of professional development for teachers who maintain an open mind, a willingness to change and a life-long learner attitude. Action research requires a certain vulnerability on the part of teachers, as it involves educators closely examining their own practices, and being critical of the role that they play in their own classrooms.
As I read through the details of Chapter 20 of our course text book, I was reminded numerous times of conversations that surfaced in both of my two previous MET courses. In both of the courses that I have taken thus far, we at some point, were required to read educational articles pertaining to case studies, experiments and/or research studies with implications for classroom teachers. A few of the experiments that we read about were actually carried out in classroom settings, but most were conducted in laboratory environments, making it a challenge for those of us with experience in today’s classroom to be convinced by the conclusions of the experimenters. As an educator facing the reality of a classroom setting each day, I tend to question the results achieved in a lab setting in which there is extensive control over the variables that play an interfering role in a real educational setting. Can we readily generalize these findings and learn from them when in reality teachers and students are in classrooms that are the complete opposite of this controlled environment? As is noted in the text, teachers do not find research such as this to be persuasive or authoritative. Another limiting factor is that the specific problems that teachers are facing in today’s classroom may not have yet been addressed by studies. In addition to these issues, the way in which the results of the studies are shared in reports and articles can be difficult for the average teacher to comprehend and make use of. Action research poses a potential solution to the above mentioned concerns. Because action research is often research done by teachers for teachers and it is frequently carried out within their own teaching environment, it does not necessarily contain the same concerning issues that educators may have with other types of research. Action research is NOT research done on students or teachers, it is research done for them.
Another advantage of action research is that the topics of study are generated by educators who are dealing with the problems in classrooms today based on real needs that they themselves have identified as issues in need of further study. If educators were able to have more of a say in regard to what areas of concern are targeted by research studies, it would be advantageous for educators, students and administrators too. Action research could provide a route through which we could seriously improve educational innovations and the professional development opportunities that would accompany them. Because this type of inquiry often leads to additional questions, action research efforts can also spark further inquiry and lead to substantial teacher-based improvement in education. Again, the central role that the teacher plays in this type of research really holds a great deal of appeal. Teachers can essentially become the architects of their own professional development (I came across a useful youtube video that phrased action research in this way http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MDVH0u4tUWo). Chances are, if one educator sees an area of need in their own classroom, there are other educators in similar settings who would also benefit from the insight gained through an action research study.
Potential Challenges
One challenge that became readily apparent to me while reading about action research is that many educators may lack the skills to carry out the data gathering required for the study, as well as the statistical analysis of the data once gathered. I would also predict that many teachers would be reluctant to delve into the self-analysis required to critically assess their own teaching practices. Many teachers would be too self-conscious or worried about their inquiry revealing weaknesses and/or deficits in their current teaching practices. An additional challenge that occurred to me was the amount of work that a teacher would have to do in order to conduct action research. In a profession where we are already spread so thinly, how many educators would be willing to take this on too? Despite these concerns, action research has the potential to inform and strengthen our instructional approaches.
References:
Gay, L.R., Mills, G.E., & Airasian, P.W. (2012). Educational research: Competencies for analysis and application (10th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Merrill Prentice Hall.
References:
Gay, L.R., Mills, G.E., & Airasian, P.W. (2012). Educational research: Competencies for analysis and application (10th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Merrill Prentice Hall.