ASSIGNMENT 01
PORTFOLIO
NAMES : MOLOPA PHILLEMON
SURNAME : MATAGA
INITIAL : MP
STUDENT NUMBER : 32720068
COURSE CODE : MED 90060
MODULE : EDF 5902
COURSE CODE : 072 868 8944 / 079 911 1002 / 073 539 5349
2. ACTION RESEARCH ARTICLE
“Assisting school management teams to construct their school improvement plans;
an action learning approach by Van Der Voort and Wood.
2.1. What is common among the underperforming schools regarding school
improvement plans?
According to Geoffery Voort and Lesly Wood mentions about focusing the
collaborative intervention to be designed in order to meet the identified needs of the
participants to construct a school improvement plan. And also to use a qualitative
baseline study to reveal the school management teams general disregard toward the
school improvement plan as well as limited insight into what skills they needed to
develop it and the imperfect understanding whole-school development.
2.2. What was the study’s research question?
The study’s research question was “How can we assist school management teams
to develop and implement a school improvement plan for their school:”
2.3. What is the role of the school improvement plan according to the researchers?
The role of the school improvement plan according to the researchers is to form
basis for continuous school improvement, as well as acting as a monitoring
instrument to measure progress towards specific areas of whole-school
development
2.4. What was the aim of the first cycle of this actions research? The aim of the first
cycle of this action research was to raise awareness around the importance of a
school improvement for whole-school development and evaluation and help them to
acquire the knowledge, skills and will to construct one.
2.5. Why Olid the researcher’s systems theory for this research? The researchers
system of theory for this research to inform their understanding of whole-school
development as it specifically explains the interaction needed between the various
components of the education system to reach a common goal.
2.6. What criteria were used to select the participants? Data analysis of the
participants’ perceptions of the learning experience from this analysis, four
distinctive themes were used to select the participants.
2.7. The action plan that was implemented and involved the presentation of a
workshop. According to table 2, the activities that took place during the workshop;
are as follows:
School management teams of the four schools
The participants who worked together in smaller of two to three which are
group interviews
Interviews who were held with the four principals
The school self-evaluation instrument to the participants
2.8. What qualitative data collection methods did the researchers use to evaluate the
effect of the actions plan programme that they had implemented?
They are group interviews and individual interviews
2.9. One of the findings to this research was that the workshop was empowering.
Explain why the participants describe the workshop this way.
The participants described the workshop this way because in the theme one: the
workshop was an empowering and capacity-building exercise where there was
strong indication that the school management team members experience the
workshop as an empowering exercise. And where they gained the required
knowledge and skills to develop a schooners to indicate that this was the first time
they were exposed to such an experience. And that they began to understand the
school improvement plan as a tool for school improvement
2.10. According to the findings, why is reflection significant for whole-school
development?
Because in theme three, the participants realized the importance of reflection
management practices. This theme assists to growth towards whole-school
management teams to reflect constantly on the action they have taken, meaning the
direction they have set for their instructions and ideas for improving their
management practices. This reflection was an important part of participants learning.
Whereby a deputy principal made the following remarks:
The following session for me was intimidating as first as I was not prepare and not
aware of what was going to be asked. As the session was going on, I became more
confident to respond to the questions
2.11. How would the researchers ensure the trustworthiness of their research?
The researchers ensure the trustworthiness of their research by the theme four:
where they have given appreciation that expressed for the gradual (step-by-step)
which the way in which the workshop was conducted. The activities and the content
that formed part of the workshop were sequentially structured in order to guide the
participants to acquire the necessary skills and knowledge to develop their plans.
And where head of department expressed his / her gratitude for the way in which the
workshop was scalfolded.
2.12. How was the qualitative data analysis?
The qualitative data was analyzed by asking for themes or categories before
interpreting or drawing conclusions form the data
2.13. In conclusion, how successful was the action research project? (Justify your
answer).
In conclusion, the actions researcher project was successful whereby it tells us
about the events that occurred during the workshop which represented a significant
departure from the traditional, bureaucratic, and top down approach which is
commonly followed by the department of education in their training interventions.
Whereby it tells us about the action research design that allowed a more
participative relationship to develop between the school management team
members of the four school. Whereby this conclusion tells us about the action
learning that adopted in this research study that enable and capacitated the
participants to develop suitable school improvement plans. And whereby participants
had to rely on their interaction by each other and learn from each other, and also by
means of reflection and constructive feedback.
3. Action Research Project
3.1. Why and what happens to Adult learners who are submitting their assessment
tasks on due dates or time?
Why I have chosen this problem because I identify a problem and experience it
whereby learners fail to submit their assessment tasks on due dates especially
ABET/AET Level 4 learners. They do not attend their classes regularly. They are
always at work. Some they have family problems / responsibilities. While some
learners do not attend their classes because of pressure. Some learners go for
check-up in their clinics / hospitals. Some they are sick. Some learners receive
social grants. These learners are left behind because they are not submitting their
assessment tasks in due dates. They also have workload to do those assessment
tasks. So they end up not submitting all the assessment tasks. Some learners drop
out from the classes because of workload for those assessment tasks.
I identified this problem and refer it to my colleagues who are teachers and have
informal interview to discuss about this problem. A resolution has been taken to
those who attend the classes that they supposed to be interviewed in order to know
their problems. And to those who are no longer attending their classes to be called
telephonically and sms, WhatsApp to come to the centre and also to be interviewed.
3.2. Two possible solutions were identified to the problem I have chosen
i. As a practitioner / researcher I have chosen one of the following two
research method: Qualitative and Quantitative research methods. A
qualitative research method has been chosen as the best possible
solution. That will be the most significant and practical to implement.
Because it will be the methods that describes the design of the study
which include the selection and description of the learners who should be
interviewed and observed and ask questions by giving reasons why they
are not submitting the assessment tasks on due dates / time. It will assist
me on practitioner on my role, the time and length of the study, the
number of the learners and how they will be selected, collected data and
analyzed strategies to be implemented and used. It will also help me on
the type of research report that will also conducted because of the amount
of detail contained in this selection of methodology that will vary. And also
a short of publishing of articles is going to be related.
ii. Name the resources you to implement your plan of action. The resources I
need to implement my plan of action, are as follows:
Personal experience
Application of theory
Related literature review
Current issue
Practical situations
iii. Compile a time table for the implementation of your plan. A timetable for
the implementation of my plan
Table 1. The Action Research Process
Steps Models operation
Identification of the problem Interviews are going to be held
with each learners who that
particular day be present in the
class to be interviewed why he /
she is not submitting assessment
on due date? It will depend on the
availability of the period worker
learners to be interviewed.
Designing the action plan Agreement should be made
among us, colleagues with that
availability of the periods to
conduct the interviews for the
learners.
Implementing the action plan I will conduct interviews by
explaining the nature and purpose
of interviews to the learners
(participants). The interviews
should be conducted individually to
the participants. A list for
participants will be compiled to
those who are going to be
interviewed.
Evaluation the action Group interviews should be held to
determine participant experience
and their perceptions of learning
problems
Reflection and current issues Critical reflection on the process
interviewed and date enabled me to identify a
number of learning issues of the
learners to inform my future
practice.
iv. Indicate how you will evaluate the effect of the solutions (for example, by
means of questioning interviews and observation).
I will evaluate the effect of the solutions by means of questionnaires
whereby the quality of action research is evaluated (judged) according to
criteria related to its purpose i.e to change practice and solve the identified
problem. And where it is the usefulness of the action taken that credibility
is assessed where I have to do reflection by this evaluation by addressing
the following questions:
Is the research problem one that addressing the effectiveness of
professional practice?
Is the research question stated in a way that can be addressed
empirically?
Are sufficient data collected?
Where I will also evaluate the effect of the solutions by means of interviews,
observations and written assessments. Where I suppose to have additional
examples of the questions characteristic greater responsibility to learners who
written the assessment tasks on their attitudes toward writing?
