What is action research? How do you see the teacher as a researcher?

  ACTION RESEARCH:

 

Introduction to Action Research:

Social psychologist Kurt Lewin who found the  concept of action research first used the term action research in the 1940s, since then

the basic principles of action research have not changed. Action research problem solving is a process of problem solving act through which it is possible to arrive at a conclusion through problem solving techniques.

 

An expected outcome of action research improves the method  

 It is performed as a group during ongoing activity, action research is free from theoretical answers, it is research into ongoing practice.

   

Action research is a process of research and investigation that is carried out by the same people who are engaged in practical work and the results obtained from it also benefit those people.

 

 Action research is a systematic research that aimed to influence people's day-to-day lives to improve social problems.

 

 Action research helps a teacher in the classroom in solving educational problems and improving educational affairs.

 

From the various definitions above, it is clear that in action research, a single teacher or partner, a group of staff with a purpose or the entire faculty of a school participates in a systematic way in relation to the development process. Research conducted at these three levels had their own objectives they are as follows:

 

i:- Become a professional Reflective practitioner.

 

ii:- Improving school priorities.

 

iii- Creating a professional environment and culture.

 

Action research is a purposeful and solution-oriented activity that can be carried out both individually and in groups. This activity is carried out in the form of a circle which starts with identifying the problem, then under a system of data collection, deliberation, analysis, conclusions are drawn from the data. And finally the problem is redefined. Both the words action and research included in the term action research highlight the important qualities of its methodology. With the help of action research curriculum, teaching and learning can be improved.

 

 

Do you agree that a teacher is a researcher?

 

Teacher as a Researcher:

Lawrence Stenhouse said that it is the teachers who will understand the school world and bring a change in it.When they engage in action research, they do so with regard to school matters increasing their understanding, and  whatever they learn during this it effects on the future classroom, It has an impact on the activities that take place across the country, both in the school and in a wider context. Orientation of staff development programs, curriculum preparation by teachers, school improvement actions all influenced by action research. Action research in schools refers to evaluative, investigative and analytical research methods designed to examine problems or deficiencies within schools. Whether these problems are organizational or educational or pedagogical, action research helps educators to solve problems quickly and proactively. Action research can also be applied to programs or educational techniques that appear to be unproblematic. The educators use action research to increase their knowledge and to bring an improvement in it about programs and techniques. The general goal of action research is to create a simple, actionable and repeatable method of evaluative learning.

Teacher researchers can be called such practitioners who try to understand well their profession and practical teaching it also affects their students because their practical research is built on the relationship between teaching and learning.

 

 

Importance of Teachers' Research:

Schools in any country are essentially nurseries for producing trained manpower therefore, the work of teachers is not just to make decisions, nor is it only to inform about decisions, there is a need for teachers to give more thought to evaluating their own efforts and write it down,  action research is a means to a conclusion.

 

Action research helps practitioners and other stakeholders in identification of needs, evaluation of development processes and evaluation of results. It also shows the impact of proposed actions or changes.

 

 Self-evaluation of action research on quality education and outcomes-based learning brings it near to philosophers.

 

As facilitators for practitioners and other stakeholders, educators need to identify needs and evaluate development processes as well as evaluate the outcomes of changes that have been designed and implemented. When the teacher begins to work on action research, he is actually working as a reflective practitioner, examining and evaluating his work and then reaching a conclusion bring changes in the teaching method accordingly.