Action research

Action research

1. A way to learn while teaching

   • Characteristics
     • It is developed in classroom
     • They are about teaching & learning
     • carried out in specific contexts & groups of learners
     • Limited posibility of control
     • Elliot (1990) characteristics proposal
       • Analyzes actions in social situations about teachers and students experiences
       • It uses exploratory approach
       • Its aim is exploring what happens in classroom with teaching contents.
       • It interpretes considering: beliefs,values, intentions and desicions.
       • It uses direct and simple language
     • Kemmis & Mc Taggart (1988) point of view
       • carried ou by classroom teachers
       • colllaborative
       • Aimed at changing things

2. Stages

   • Phase 1
     • Develop a plan of action to:
       • Improve what is currently happening
       • Identify and examine a problem in teaching.
   • Phase 2
     • act to implement the plan
   • phase 3
     • observe
   • Phase 4
     • Reflect on effects
   • Cohen & Manion eight stages
     • 1. Identification, evaluation and formulation of problem
     • 2. discussion & negotiation among teachers, advisors,researchers,andponsors
     • 3. Review of literature & comparable studies
     • 4. Restatement of the problem underlying the project
     • 5. Selection of procedures, resources, materials, methods, etc.
     • 6. Choice of evaluation procedures, it has to be continuous
     • 7. Implementation of project, including data, analysis, monitoring & feedback
     • 8. Interpretation of data and overall project evaluation.

3. Why do action research?

   • Learning about our learners
   • Learning about our lteaching & efectiveness
   • Monitoring & evaluating innovation

4. Reflecting & Analyzing teaching

   • Learn through observation
   • Record lessons to self listen later
   • Peer observation
   • Use a variety of approaches to cater learners´ styles
   • Research methods can be more free-ranging and less rogurous

5. Monitoring and evaluating innovation

   • Help teachers to change their teaching
   • Introduce innovation to make evaluation indirect

6. Criticism

   • Reliability
     • Results obtained from research
   • Validity
     • What reallLy the researcher wants to investigate
   • Lack of vigorous attention to validity & reliability
   • Generate generalizable knowledge
   • Fullfill a professional development function
   • It is unable to provide facts or universal truths about ELT
   • Its aim is to learn more about ourselves, our teaching, our learniers and their learnings Parrot (1990:6)

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