ACTION RESEARCH Miss Sahaya Mary HM ZIET Faculty

ACTION RESEARCH Miss. Sahaya Mary HM, ZIET Faculty

A Bengali Teacher of English wanted to increase the amount of English she was using in the classroom. As first step she tried to find out how much Bengali she used in the class and the purpose for which she was using. To find this out she recorded four classes , observed and listened to them and found that she was using 50% English in the class. She also found that the purposes for which she used the same to be classroom management, explanation of content and giving feedback. She then drew up a plan to reduce the amount of Bengali used by her. She familiarised with English expressions that could be used on cards and put them before her. This reminded her of the plan. Each day a different card was in focus. She then continued recording her lessons and after a few weeks she listened to her tape and found that the use of Bengali had reduced considerably

DEFINITIONS Action Research is on the spot research aimed at the solution of an immediate classroom problem. ( Mouly)

According to Kurt Lewin, “Action Research is applying scientific thinking to real life problems(classroom for teachers) and represents a great improvement over teacher’s subjective judgements and their limited personal experiences

INFERENCE There are two main features of Action Research 1. Action research is conducted by a Participant 2. It involves immediate application

Basic Criteria for Action Research CRITERIA FEATURES OF ACTION RESEARCH OBJECTIVES Find solution to problems in specific context TRAINING Limited Training Needed SELECTION OF PROBLEMS Participating, Teaching identifies the problem HYPOTHESIS Specific statement of the Problem serves as Hypothesis REVIEW OF LITERATURE Not essential SAMPLE Students in the class form the sample RESEARCH DESIGN Procedures are planned and evolved ANALYSIS OF DATA Simple CONCLUSION Applicability of the solution to the problem specified APPLICATION OF RESULTS Findings are used in the classroom situation by participating teacher to improve their own practice

Purpose of Action Research • The purpose of Action Research is to make teachers reflect on their own teaching, which is an essential part of the teacher’s Professional Development (Schon 1987, Calderhead 1989)

Benefits of Action Research Helps to move from practice to theory Helps in evaluating one’s own Teaching Gives owner ship Empowers teachers Helps in solving problems

The Method Reflection Planning Observation Action

Pin-Pointing the Problem Diagnosing the causes of Problems Formulation of Action Hypothesis Designing the Action Plan Implementation of the Action Plan Evaluation of the Action Plan Identification of the Plan

Pin-Pointing the Problem • Narrowing down the area and looking at the problem as specific questions • Ex • Low Achievement in Math • Spelling Problem • Absence of Reading Habits • Problems in Writing

Formulation of Action Hypothesis are intelligent and logical “guesses” about possible differences, relationships, causes and solutions • Logical • Testable • Clear • Direct in terms of outcome • Testable in short time

Factors governing the Formulation of a Good Hypothesis • The problem is clear • The goal to be achieved is specific • There is readiness to look at problems from different perspectives • The social context is closely examined

The Tools for Data Collection • Teaching Journals • Lesson Reports • Questionnaires • Audio-Video Recording • Class Observation

DATA ANALYSIS Quantitative- % calculated Qualitative. Description of events

• • • • Rationale/Background Objectives The Questions/Problem Statement Plan of Action Time Steps Sample Participants Tools Used Types of Analysis Interpretation Conclusion and Implications Books Referred ( Bibliography/Work Citations)

Sources of Data on research on Teaching and Learning

CHANNELS AND AVENUES • KVS AWARD FOR INNOVATION AND EXPERIMENTATION IN TEACHING- • Teachers with two years of service may apply • All tech aided Awards such as KVSIntel, Microsoft ITLA NCERT ICT Awards have a framework of Action research

Collaborative Action Research NCERT Awards for School Innovation for whole school Innovation / Action Research

Teachers – the makers of Knowledge Action Research encourages a Teacher to be reflective of his own practice in order to enhance the quality of education for himself /herself and the pupils. It is a powerful means of bridging the gap between The theory and practice of education , For her teachers are encouraged to develop their own personal theories of education from their own practice -(Jean Mc. Niff)