TOWARDS ACTION RESEARCH

The teaching learning process in the 21st century has gone through a paradigm
shift. With the curriculum getting unstructured and classroom “flatter” by the
day, the learning is designed to include technology and the teacher is evolving
himself as a facilitator for the learner having myriad opportunities to acquire
knowledge. Now the objective of classroom interaction is knowledge
dissemination , meant to include ability to make informed choices among
alternatives besides increasing awareness to meet the needs of increasingly
diverse student body. This necessitates a plan to evaluate the impact of the
chosen approach, including ways to measure success and enhance the
motivation and efficacy of a weary faculty . To improve, develop and
professionalize teaching, research into classrooms is needed. As teachers, we
need to know what is actually happening in our classrooms, what learners are
thinking, why learners are reacting in the ways they do, what aspects of the
classroom we should focus on to develop our teaching most effectively, how
we should change in these aspects, and what the effects of such a change are.

As the name suggests, Action research is a disciplined process of inquiry

conducted by and for those taking the action. The primary reason for engaging
in action research is to assist the “actor” in improving and/or refining his or her
actions. Action research rejects the notion of an objective, value-free approach
to knowledge generation in favour of an explicitly political, socially engaged,
and democratic practice. . Fundamental to action research is the idea that the
social world can only be understood by trying to change it. Pat Maguire wrote,
‘I stay involved with action research because all the theorizing in the world,
feminist or otherwise, is of little use without the doing. And action researchers
are doers’.

One outcome of this is that action research is likely to be relevant and

immediately useful in understanding and developing the specific classroom
context in which it was conducted, and so of benefit to learners. Another
outcome is that the research becomes both an input into and a stimulus for
teacher reflection (indeed, teacher reflection is one of the key tools in
conducting action research), and reflection is a necessary component of
personal and professional development. Every school has its own set of
priorities and making a progression in these is a priority that can be
accomplished through action research along with building school culture.
Educational action research can be engaged in by a single teacher, by a group
of colleagues who share an interest in a common problem, or by the entire
faculty of a school. Whatever the scenario, action research always involves a
process that includes selecting a focus, clarifying theories, identifying research
questions, collecting data, analyzing data, reporting results and taking
informed action.In a classroom situation questions emerge in different forms.
As an example, take the following question: “Why are some kids in my class so
mean and nasty to each other?” The answer for you has to include something
that you can do, some action that you can take in your classroom. So, the
question is likely to change to become more researchable. “How can I help
the kids in my class develop a respectful classroom community?” would lead
you toward action or “How can I help my students to retain concepts for
longer span? “. Tools at the disposal of researching teachers for enquiry
with the purpose of gathering data could be classroom maps, anecdotal
records, time sampled observations, samples of student work, drawing
and photographs, interviews and conversation, surveys, teacher research
journal etc. Another practical analytical tool for analysis is a sociogram used
to help researcher portray the social networks in the classroom. They are
particularly useful if one tries to figure out how to change the interactive
dynamic of the class. Matt Wayne’s video, “Fishbowl,” gives a good idea of
ways to engage a class in action research .
To analyse the data a few steps involved are as follows:
• Describe the action(s) taken.
• Reflect on the evidence collected.
• Look for visible patterns.
• Share the evidence with colleagues.
• Draw on previous research to examine data
• Revisit the assumptions about the class room
situation
• Structure a trial explanation.
• Develop an argument/result of your research
with evidence and claims.
Before going public with the results it is advisable to rethink the
need, the change and the results. A single action research study
can be helpful in improving local practice of teaching and make
teaching more “effective”. It is our experience that action
research conducted in a network of inquiring teachers can
reach far beyond single classrooms. Increasingly, schools of
today are focusing on strengthening themselves and their
programs through the development of common focuses and a
strong sense of esprit de corps. Through a steadfast focus on
combined time, energy, and creativity of a group of committed
professionals on pedagogical issues of importance can yield
better results, and make schools “theatres of excellence.”
By Arti Chopra