Practitioner Research
Theoretical Underpinnings of Practitioner
Research
Dewey - (1933) - viewed teachers as “reflective
practitioners” - professionals who could/should play
very active roles in curriculum development and
educational reform.
Action that is routine
- based on impulse, tradition, and authority
- supports the collective code, status quo, hidden curriculum
Action that is reflective
- is based on active, persistent, and careful consideration of any belief and/or
action and its consequences
- through the mindset of “openmindedness” (seeking alternatives),
“responsibility” (recognizing consequences), “wholeheartedness”
(continual self-examination)
Openmindedness
(seeking alternatives)
continually ask yourself why you are doing what you are
doing
listen to more sides than one, give full attention to
alternative possibilities, recognize the possibility of error
even in beliefs that are dearest to you
accepts the strengths and limitations of distinct ways of
looking at students, learning, and schooling
does not hold one and only one perspective, but listens to
and accepts the strengths and weaknesses of one's own
and others' perspectives
Responsibility
(recognizing consequences)
pay careful attention to the consequences of your actions
consider the ways in which your teaching is working,
why it is working, and for whom it is working
involves considering consequences
- personal (the effects of one's teaching on students' self concept)
- academic (the effects of one's teaching on students' intellectual
development)
- social & political (the projected effects of one's teaching on the
life chances of students)
requires reflection on the expected and unexpected
outcomes of teaching and learning
Wholeheartedness -
(continual self-examination)
regularly examine your own assumptions, beliefs, and the
results of your actions
approach all situations with the attitude that you can learn
something new
continually strive to understand your own teaching and
the ways in which it impacts your students
deliberate effort to see situations from different
perspectives
What is Action Research / Practitioner
Research?
A process in which teachers examine their own educational
practice systematically and carefully, using the techniques
of research.
It assumes that:
teachers work best on problems they have identified for
themselves
teachers become more effective when encouraged to
examine and assess their own work and then consider
ways of working differently
teachers help each other by working collaboratively
working with colleagues helps teachers renew their
professional knowledge/lives
Brief History of Action Research
(North American)
Kurt Lewin (1940s) - social psychologist & educator - coined
the term “action research” - argued that we should not separate
the investigative processes from the actions needed to solve
educational problems
Stephen Corey (1950s) - educator - believed scientific method
in education would bring about change because educators would
be involved in both the research and the application of research
results - focused on changes in everyday practice
1950s - “action research” was attached as “unscientific”, little
more than common sense, the work of amateurs, experimental
quantitative research dominated, the goal of educational
research is to be objective and seek generalizable truths
Brief History of Action Research
1970s - questions about the applicability of scientific
educational research to solve real world educational problems
1980s - the primary goal of action research was the in-service
training and development of the teacher rather than the
acquisition of general knowledge in the field of education
1990s - push for the empowerment of teachers, the importance
of collaboration through participation in professional
development, establish the legitimacy of local knowledge, and
encourage change through local understandings of persistent
and relevant problems
Brief History of Action Research
2000s - practitioner research has the potential to infuse the
traditional knowledge-base of teacher education with “insider”
knowledge that teachers possess as native to the setting where
they work
2000s - practitioner research has value for the individual
teacher, but also for the field of teacher education when it is
made public, accessible, and open to review
In L1 - Cochran-Smith & Lytle, 1993; Schon, 1993; Kemmis,
1985
In L2 - Wallace, 1998; Edge, 2001; Burns, 1999; Freeman,
1998
Steps in Action Research
In conducting action research, teachers move through an
inquiry cycle:
Identification of issue/event
Description of the issue/event
Collection and organization of data
Interpretation of data
Take “intelligent action” based on data
Reflection on the issue/event (& the inquiry cycle)
Methods and Techniques Used in Action Research
Journals/Diaries - regular dated accounts of teaching/learning plans, activities and
classroom occurrences, including personal philosophies, feelings, reactions,
reflections, observations, explanations
Teaching logs - more objective notes on teaching events, their objectives, participants,
resources used, procedures, outcomes (anticipated or unanticipated)
Document collection - sets of documents relevant to the research context, e.g., course
overview, lesson plans, students’ writing, classroom materials/texts, assessment
tasks/texts, student profiles, student records
Observation - closely watching and noting classroom events, happenings or
interactions, either as a participant or an observer. Observation can be combined
with field notes recordings and logs or journals
Field notes - descriptions and accounts of observed events including non-verbal
information, physical settings, group structures, interactions between participants.
Notes can be time-based or unstructured depending on the researchers’ purpose
Recording - audio or video recordings, providing objective records of what occurred,
which can be re-examined. Photographs or slides can also be included.
Methods and Techniques Used in Action Research
Transcription - written representation of verbal recordings, using conventions for
identifying speakers and indicating pauses, hesitations, overlaps or any necessary
non-verbal information
Surveys/questionnaires - sets of written questions focusing on a particular topic or area,
seeking responses to closed or ranked questions/options and/or open-ended
personal opinions, judgments or beliefs. Often used in non face-to-face situations
and with larger numbers of respondents
Interviews/Discussions - face-to-face verbal sessions conducted by the researchers as
unplanned, planned or structured interactions. The researchers can use previously
planned questions, structured interview schedules, or allow the interview to unfold
spontaneously
Stimulated recall - use of previously recorded or transcribed data to prompt responses
from participants on actions, feelings, thoughts, attitudes, beliefs, following events
or activities being researched
Grounded vs. A Priori Analysis
What are the influences on Ken’s
instructional decision making?
vs.
How does Ken’s use of questions create
opportunities for students use of the
L2 for authentic purposes?
Grounded vs. A Priori Data Analysis
Naming/Key Ideas and Concepts - close reading of the data -
name the data (key words, ideas, concepts) - stay true to the
subjects’ language
Grouping Categories - close reading of the data - group the
named data (key categories, themes, patterns) - stay true to
the subjects’ language
Finding Relationships - how do the key categories, themes,
patterns relate to one another and what do these relationships
mean to the subjects
Displaying the Data - show how the themes and the relationships
among the themes explain the initial research questions
Grounded vs. A Priori Data Analysis
Grouping Categories - label the data according to pre-determined
categories (type of questions, types of student responses)
Displaying the Data - organize the pre-determined categories
into a meaningful display (frequency, rank, by teacher, by
student, sequential)
Finding Relationships - which categories seems to be related to
one another, or co-occur, note outliers
Displaying the Data - show how the relationships among
categories explain the initial research questions
References
Altrichter, H. Posch, P. Somekh, B. (1993). Teachers investigate their work: An introduction to the
methods of action research. New York: Routledge.
Burns, A. (1999). Collaborative action research for English language teachers. NY:Cambridge
University Press.
Cochran-Smith, M., & Lytle, S. (1993). Inside-outside: teacher research and knowledge. NY: teachers
College Press.
Dewey, J. (1933). How we think. Chicago: Henry Regnery.
Edge, J. (2001). Action research. Alexandria, VA: TESOL
Freeman, D. (1998). Doing teacher research: From inquiry to understanding. Boston, MA: Heinle &
Heinle
Hopkins, D. (1995). A teacher’s guide to classroom research. Philadelphia: Open University Press.
Hubbard, R., & Power, B. (1993). The art of classroom inquiry. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.
Kemmis, S. (1985) Action research and the politics of reflection. In D.Boud, R. Keogh, & D. Walker
(Eds). Reflection: Turning experience into learning (pp. 139-164). London: Croom Helm.
Kincheloe, J. (1991). Teachers as researchers: Qualitative inquiry as a path to empowerment. London:
Falmer Press.
Schon, D. (1983) The reflective practitioner: How professionals think in action. NY:Basic Books.
Wallace, M. (1998). Action research for language teachers. NY: Cambridge University Press.
Wood, P. (1988). Action research: A field perspective. Journal of Education for Teaching 14 (2), 135-
150.
