Importance Of Action Research Research Articles

Action Research Literacy as a Reflective Tool for Unmonitored Iranian-Novice EFL Teachers

Teaching can be quite challenging during the initial years of a teaching career for many beginning teachers, specifically when teachers feel alone, unsupported and unmonitored due to the absence of supervisors and mentors at school. Thus, this research explored 10 Iranian English as a Foreign Language (EFL) beginning teachers who struggle to teach initially without sufficient emotional and academic support from the educational public since public schools may not have subject-specific supervisors and mentors to guide and support them. This study focuses on the importance of Action Research (AR) literacy, as a reflective tool, for unmonitored beginning EFL teachers. The data collected from an interview at the beginning, group discussions during the course, and reflective papers at the end through a qualitative method indicated that AR leads to the personal, technical, social, and political development of beginning teachers. It was beneficial for beginning teachers to enhance their pedagogical practices and beliefs and allow them to gain and expand their knowledge and experience through reflections and discussions with other individuals. The result also shows how cognitive, affective, professional, and technical support and assistance from other teachers, supervisors, stakeholders, and parents can accelerate the teaching quality and educational quality.

Omani EFL Teachers Engagement in Action Research: Challenges & Opportunities

Action research engages practitioners in rigorous cycles of planning, observation, action and reflection, which can lead to change in understandings and practice; so, they become reflective practitioners. Despite the importance of action research in informing classroom practice, the literature has shown that there are many challenges that hinder teachers from performing classroom research. This qualitative research study investigated Omani EFL teachers' experiences of participating in classroom action research and the challenges they face in doing research. Data were collected using semi-structured interviews with EFL teachers. 22 participants have been interviewed, out of whom were 18 English teachers and 4 Senior English teachers from 4 public schools in Oman. The findings revealed that some respondents participated in action research activities either as part of their pre-service teacher preparation programmes or through joining in-service action research courses after becoming practitioner teachers. However, they described their action research experience as difficult. The findings highlighted a number of challenges that hinder EFL teachers in Oman from doing action research such as, lack of knowledge, lack of time and lack of interest. The findings suggest that educational policy makers in Oman should create a research culture in schools, and provide incentives for teachers who participate in research activities. Moreover, there is a need to provide EFL teachers with the needed training on research so they become equipped with the knowledge and skills in doing research to improve the quality of teaching and learning in schools and create a community of teacher-researchers in Oman.

Using Narrative Approach to Capture the Life Experiences of Young Migrant Workers in China

This paper mainly explores how to enrich the social work practice with young migrant workers via discussion of using narrative approach as an action research tool to capture the life experiences of young migrant workers, and to inform social work practice. It begins with the importance of action research, action research in China, and how narrative approach could become one of the key tools of action research with young migrant workers in China. Then it further discusses the nature and application of narrative approach using the first author’s experience of conducting a research project with young migrant workers in Shenzhen, Guangdong province. Findings and limitation of the narrative approach to social work with young migrant workers are finally presented.

The Application of Yantian Cultural Resources in Design Education─Taking the Yantian Community in Tainan as an Example

“Salt” is an indispensable necessity in people’s livelihood. In Taiwan’s islands surrounded by the sea and the western coastal areas, salt was boil the sea for a long time in the early stages, and seawater was introduced into the depression in the later stages and evaporated in the sun. With the development of the times, different characteristics of the construction and building materials in the field of the salt industry have entered the era of the industrial revolution. With the development of technology, salt processing technology and the use of imported salt in foreign trade have forced salt fields to be abandoned along with historical development. The Yantian cultural relics still preserved today are actively preserved by government departments to continue to apply the Yantian culture. This study selected the Yantian community in Annan District of Tainan City as the focus of planning. It is hoped that through the development of design education, it will emphasize practical ability and practice-oriented research. The study combines design practice and practical theory, based on the original ecological culture of Yantian, through the reconstruction plan of Yantian’s cultural resources, the mobilization of residents in the Yantian community and the tourism planning of the Yantian Cultural Village, to find a transition direction suitable for the Yantian Cultural Village. Market needs with combining core values of the community with a patchwork of practical experience and action research to build participatory research theories will result in effective internal practice and learning. This research adopts the method of service research through service design, including: 1. diagnosing problems; 2. choosing solutions; 3. seeking cooperation; 4. implementation; and 5. assessing the response from a practical perspective, with the importance of action research, where “Yantian” combines with the local “salt-making” characteristic culture, develops cultural innovation experience, and guides students to truly enter the community to learn. The plan explores the possibility of long-term introduction of design education in the local community, discusses how to communicate and collaborate with community residents, and uses design tools to help solve the problem of community image promotion and application. The research results finally put forward the preliminary construction of the role of the Tainan Yantian community volunteers as a design education platform based on practical experience. It is hoped that it can be used as a local practice of design education and as an accumulation of reference experience.

Promoting English as a Medium of Instruction in University Teaching: an action research experience

ABSTRACTThis paper reports on an action research project that aims to promote the effectiveness of EMI teaching in a business course. Through systematic reflections and adjustment in her teaching supported by ongoing data collection and analysis, the course instructor identified effective ways to meet students’ cognitive and affective needs in EMI classrooms, while she also tried to promote the integration between language and content in her teaching. The paper argues for the importance of action research as a powerful approach to facilitating EMI teacher development in higher education.

Designing and implementing a positive body image program: Unchartered territory with a diverse team of participants

This article highlights the use and importance of action research in creating a new positive body image program. The purpose of the larger action research project was to design, test, and implement a positive body image program by working with a core group of diverse stakeholders from an exercise facility. Stakeholders included older adults (aged 55+), people with physical disabilities, and those with cardiovascular disease or risk factors, populations rarely included in the body image literature, particularly in program design. The resulting program was built to teach members of the facility about body image (e.g. its definition, causes, and influences), positive body image, and how to manage their own body image experiences and be critical of the Western beauty ideal. The project is outlined with emphasis on the development of the program along with the researcher’s reflexive notes and participant feedback. We also highlight the strengths and challenges of using action research in the development of a positive body image program with suggestions to improve this process for future action researchers. This research highlights the importance of using action research in order to engage participants who are not typically involved in the knowledge production process of body image program development.

Projeto educativo para competências em informação: bases teóricas para a pesquisa-ação em uma biblioteca multinível

Do treinamento à educação de usuários, muito se têm feito para tornar a biblioteca um espaço de aprendizagem nas últimas décadas, mas faltam demonstrações teóricas na literatura científica para apresentar qual a relevância da gestão de projetos educativos aliada a uma filosofia organizacional aprendente para o desenvolvimento de competências em informação. O presente artigo é fruto de pesquisa realizada em nível de mestrado na biblioteca multinível de uma das unidades do Instituto Federal da Paraíba. Apresenta bases teóricas para compreensão do desenvolvimento de competências em informação como uma atividade baseada em projeto educativo e a importância da pesquisa-ação neste processo. A pesquisa que originou este trabalho é delineada como pesquisa-ação, de natureza qualitativa e de nível exploratório-descritivo. Conclui que a constituição do projeto educativo contribui no processo de transformação da biblioteca convencional em uma biblioteca aprendente e que a aplicação do projeto educativo, seu monitoramento e sua avaliação podem revelar as possibilidades e limitações do processo em relação ao regime de informação.Palavras-chave: Competências em informação. Projeto educativo. Pesquisa-açãoLink: https://periodicos.ufsc.br/index.php/eb/article/view/1518-2924.2018v23n51p123

English lecturers' perceptions of improving English teaching quality through action research: What do lecturers of Can Tho University say?

Action research (AR) in English Language Teaching (ELT) has played a significant role in improving teachers’ roles as well as their professional development. However, in the context of Can Tho University (CTU), there are few studies of action research on foreign language teaching especially English language. Therefore, this mixed method study is aimed to give deep insights into English language lecturers’ perceptions of improving teaching quality using action research. The findings revealed the positive perceptions of CTU English language lecturers about the importance of action research. However, there were certain challenges faced by these lecturers with their AR practices in terms of internal and external factors. As a result, appropriate measures to tackle such challenges in the current teaching context regarding the roles of lecturers and administrators are proposed.

Projeto educativo para competências em informação: bases teóricas para a pesquisa-ação em uma biblioteca multinível

Do treinamento à educação de usuários, muito se têm feito para tornar a biblioteca um espaço de aprendizagem nas últimas décadas, mas faltam demonstrações teóricas na literatura científica para apresentar qual a relevância da gestão de projetos educativos aliada a uma filosofia organizacional aprendente para o desenvolvimento de competências em informação. O presente artigo é fruto de pesquisa realizada em nível de mestrado na biblioteca multinível de uma das unidades do Instituto Federal da Paraíba. Apresenta bases teóricas para compreensão do desenvolvimento de competências em informação como uma atividade baseada em projeto educativo e a importância da pesquisa-ação neste processo. A pesquisa que originou este trabalho é delineada como pesquisa-ação, de natureza qualitativa e de nível exploratório-descritivo. Conclui que a constituição do projeto educativo contribui no processo de transformação da biblioteca convencional em uma biblioteca aprendente e que a aplicação do projeto educativo, seu monitoramento e sua avaliação podem revelar as possibilidades e limitações do processo em relação ao regime de informação.

Pesquisa-Ação em mestrados profissionais: análise de pesquisas de um programa de pós-graduação em ensino de ciências e de matemática

Resumo Poucas são as investigações que buscam compreender como se configuram as metodologias de pesquisa utilizadas em mestrados profissionais. Na tentativa de contribuir com esse debate, este artigo objetiva apresentar reflexões sobre a importância da Pesquisa-ação no contexto de Mestrados Profissionais em Ensino de Ciências e de Matemática. Inicia ao trazer histórico e desafios de mestrados profissionais para, em seguida, abordar a Pesquisa-Ação como uma possibilidade de abordagem investigativa na área de Ensino. Aponta como desafio a necessidade de se colocar em evidência, tanto nos mestrados profissionais quanto na Pesquisa-Ação, as relações entre teoria e prática. Diante desses pressupostos, busca compreender como as pesquisas utilizam os referenciais teóricos desse método de investigação, a partir da análise de dissertações produzidas em um programa de pós-graduação.

Lewin e a pesquisa-ação: gênese, aplicação e finalidade

Resumo O objetivo deste texto é refletir sobre a gênese, os fundamentos teóricos e a importância da pesquisa-ação como estratégia de intervenção psicológica. Pretende-se, a partir deste resgate, suprir uma demanda do pesquisador em psicologia: demarcar os fundamentos do surgimento da pesquisa-ação e viabilizar as bases científicas de uma intervenção psicológica amparada neste método de trabalho. A pesquisa-ação pode ser pensada epistemologicamente como uma modalidade de pesquisa “qualitativa”. Esta diferencia-se dos métodos de pesquisa tradicionais e positivistas, uma vez que esses estão mais ligados a uma noção reducionista de fenômeno humano, na lógica da categoria psicológica “experimental” e quantitativamente controlável.

Raziskovanje lastne prakse kot dejavnik profesionalnega razvoja babic in medicinskih sester

Prispevek predstavlja zna.ilnosti in uporabnost akcijskega raziskovanja lastne prakse kot dejavnika profesionalnega razvoja babic in medicinskih sester. Raziskava temelji na empiri.nem anketnem raziskovalnem pristopu in kvantitativni metodologiji. Podatki so obdelani na ravni deskriptivne statistike, pri .emer je pri ugotavljanju statisti.no zna.ilnih razlik uporabljen preizkus ƒÔ2. Rezultati so pokazali, da ve. kot polovica anketiranih nima izku.enj z raziskovanjem lastne delovne prakse in da jih pri raziskovanju najbolj ovira dejavnik pomanjkanja usposabljanj za razli.ne vrste raziskovanj, v katerih bi re.evali probleme iz lastne delovne prakse. Rezultati, .e posebej pri babicah, so pokazali na pomembnost intenzivnej.ega sodelovanja z delodajalci v izobra.evalnem procesu, pridobivanja izku.enj v delovnem okolju in njihovega vklju.evanja v raziskovalno dejavnost .e med .tudijem. Spoznanja na.e raziskave so prispevala k ve.jemu zavedanju o pomembnosti akcijskega raziskovanja in raziskovalne dejavnosti nasploh v izobra.evalnem procesu in programih, ki izobra.ujejo za poklice v zdravstvu.

Task-based language learning and teaching: An action-research study

The creation, implementation, and evaluation of language learning tasks remain a challenge for many teachers, especially those with limited experience with using tasks in their teaching. This action-research study reports on one teacher’s experience of developing, implementing, critically reflecting on, and modifying a language learning task to better address the needs of her students in an adult refugee English program. Task evaluation involved a response-based comparison of student success in task completion and qualitative student-based results. The results noticeably improved after the task modification and the successful implementation of the modified task led to changes in how the teacher viewed task-based teaching. The study serves as an example of how teachers can create their own tasks and of the importance of evaluating them empirically. The article concludes with the importance of action research as a means by which language teachers can address problems that arise in task-based instruction.

Fifteen years of action research as professional development: seeking more collaborative, useful and democratic systems for teachers

This paper presents the experience of a group of teachers who have developed action research (AR) dynamics for 15 years aimed at their professional development and teaching practice improvement. The focus is first on the importance of AR, collaborative dynamics and theory and practice relationships for in‐service teacher training. It also shows the different spiral and cycle stages carried out, as well as the group’s characteristics, its evolution during these 15 years and the annual operation structure currently in use. The results show the five large AR thematic spirals developed and the materials generated and disseminated. There is also an analysis of the main benefits and problems so far encountered. Finally, a series of reflections and conclusions on the implications of keeping such a workgroup for so long is detailed.

Integration: A Strategy to Help Preservice Teachers Make the Connection between Theory to Practice

A significant contribution that teacher education can make is to prepare preservice teachers to integrate. This action research addressed four questions: Will integrating Classroom Management and Wednesday Field Experience increase teacher knowledge and their ability to connect theory with practice? Will preservice teachers develop strong “teacher voices” and explain why they will or will not use certain strategies, activities and/or ideas in their own classrooms? Will preservice teachers begin to understand the importance of Action Research and how it can be used to improve their own teaching? Will the Action Research Form, that was developed help these preservice teachers become more knowledgeable about themselves and the teaching profession, work? This was a qualitative action research study. Twenty-seven preservice teachers wrote weekly reflections on topics they observed while in their assigned elementary classrooms. The results demonstrate the applicability of this approach.

The Evolution of a College Course through Teacher Educator Action Research

Abstract A significant body of literature has accumulated about teachers' experiences as action researchers. This literature highlights the insights teachers have when they study their own teaching and their students' learning. However, until recently action research has been confined almost exclusively to the school sector. Although teacher educators write extensively about the importance of action research, there have been few descriptions of action research projects conducted by teacher educators and little systematic attention has been paid to the kinds of insights teacher educators have when they study their own practice. This article describes changes in the perspectives and practices of two teacher educators as a result of a series of action research projects conducted over a six-year period. The article demonstrates how action research has helped us question some taken-for-granted assumptions about our purposes and practices and radically revise our teacher education course.