University teachers' action research: An adventure into uncharted waters?
Article Sidebar
Main Article Content
Abstract
One of the main approaches of educational systems in enhancing the teaching quality has been increasing teachers' action research skills. The objective of this study has been identification of university teachers' action research skills in higher education in Iran. The population under study has been all teachers at University of Kashan, Iran (283) from which 189 teachers have been randomly selected. The instrument employed has been a self-made questionnaire which assessed teachers' action research skills based upon four factors (diagnostic Skills, attitude towards action research, data collection skills, and practical action research abilities). The reliability of the questionnaire was assessed by Cronbach' Alfa as 0.852 and this is indicative of the high reliability and internal consistency of the instrument. This study clearly showed that a large number of university teachers have no information about the role of action research in improving the quality of teaching and learning. Data analysis showed that even noticeable differences are not observed in the behavior of teachers familiar with action research and those who are unfamiliar with it. The most interesting finding of this study was the discovery that all university teachers were able to recognize the issues and topics related to their profession (topic recognition skill) and are deeply preoccupied with such issues (attitude towards action research), but they lacked the necessary skills to cope with these issues and make the relevant practical decisions (data collection skills and practical action research). To overcome this deficiency, the researchers suggest in-service educational programs organized by university authorities with the aim of turning teachers to researchers familiar with action research skills.
Keywords: Action research, Teaching, Educational Supervision, Enhancement of Teaching Quality, University Teachers.
Downloads
Article Details
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:
- Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work (SeeThe Effect of Open Access).
References
Amanda, H. Mitch, B. Nicola, C. Anthony, A & Idris, W. (1999). Action research: a useful method of promoting change in primary care? Family Practice, 16(3), 305-311.
Akram, A. Mohamad, N. Mohd Meerah, T. S. ZamZam, R & Abdullah, D. (2012). A pilot study- an action research to acquire clinical skill. Social and Behavioral Sciences, 60(1), 326-240.
Carver, Cynthia L. & Klein, C. Suzanne. (2013). Action Research: A Tool for Promoting Faculty Development and Continuous Improvement in Leadership Preparation. Available at: ERIC (EJ1016259).
Cochran-Smith, M & Lytle, S. (1999). Relationships of knowledge and practice: Teacher learning in communities. In A Iran-Njad, &P. Pearson (Eds.). Review of research in education. Washington, Dc: American Educational Research Association, 24(1), 249-305.
Chou, C. H. (2010). Investigating the effects of incorporating collaborative action research into an in-service teacher training program. Social and Behavioral Sciences, 2(1), 2728-2734.
Deemer, Sandra A. (2009). Using Action Research Methodology to Unite Theory and Practice. Teaching Educational Psychology, 3(3), 1-3.
Elder, A. (2009). Action research in medical education: a shifting paradigm or old wine in new skins? Clinical Teaching, 6(2), 139-140.
Eskandari, P. (2011). Effect of Action Research on Teacher Performance From the Perspective of Female elementary School Principals in Tehran. Master's Thesis in Educational Science and Educational Management. Islamic Azad University, Central Tehran Branch [Persian].
Fazlikhani, Manouchehr. (2000). A practical Guide to Participatory and Active Method in Teaching Process. Iran, Tehran: Azmon Novin.
Glickman, C.D., Gordon, S.P. & Ross-Gordon, J. (2004). Supervision and Instructional Leadership: A Developmental Approach. Sixth Edition. Boston: Allyn and Bacon.
Gorgani, T. Matlabi, A. & KalateMiri, H. (2010). A Study of the Teachers Capabilities in Classroom Inquiry, Problem-Solving and Teaching after a Course of Action Research, Journal of Research in Educational Administration, 1(1), 135-185.
Hopkins, D (2008) A Teacher’s Guide to Classroom Research. Maidenhead: McGraw Hill-Open University Press.
Kapenieks, Janis. (2013). User-friendly e-learning environment for educational action research. Computer Science, 26(1), 121-142.
Mathison, S. (1988). Why Triangulate. Educational Researcher, 17(2), 13-17.
McNiff, J. & Whitehead, J. (2006). All you need to know about action research. London: Sage Publication.
Mehrmohammadi, M. (2013). An Introduction to Teaching at University: Towards Professorship Qualified by Teaching Scholarship. Tehran: Tarbiat Modarres University Press.
Mertler, C. A. (2006). Action research: teachers as researchers in the classroom. Thousand Oaks: Sage Publications.
Moradi, N. (2010). The impact of education action research on professional skills teacher's education. Journal of planning and management of education systems, 2(5), 104-125 [Persian].
Nasrollahi, M. A. Krish, P & Noor, N. M. (2012). Action research in language Learning. Social and Behavioral Sciences, 47(1), 1874-187.
Nolan, James. H., & Hoover, Linda. A. (2008). Teacher Supervision and Evaluation: Theory into practice (2th Ed.). Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
O’Connor, Katherine. A., & Anderson, Patricia J. (2006). Action Research: A Tool for Improving Teacher Quality and Classroom Practice. Available at: ERIC (ED494955).
Oliva, P. F., & Pawlas, G. E. (2006). Supervision for today’s schools. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Rezaie, R. (2011). Evaluating the effectiveness of the implementation of education action Elementary. Master's thesis. Department of Educational Sciences and Primary Education. Tabatabayi University [Persian].
Roden, R. (2009). Doctorsin fifficalty In: Nicola Copper & Kirsty Forresty. Essontial Guide to Educatuion Superrvison in postgraduate medical Education. Leeds: Blackwell.
Saaki, Reza. (2005). Action Research: A Strategy for Improving Instruction. Tehran: Research Institute for Education.
Salighedar, L. (2011). Research Skills of Teachers. Journal of Primary Education, 8(1), 8-10.
Sappington, Neil. Baker, Paul. Gardner, Dianne. & Pacha, Joe. (2010). A significant Pedagogy for Leadership Education: Preparing Principles through Participatory Action Research. Planning and Changing, 41(3/4), 249-273.
Sarmad, GholamAli. (2001). A Practical Look at Teaching Methods and the Art of Teaching. Iran, Tehran: Avaye Noor.
Sergiovanni, T. J. (1991). The Dark Side of Professionalism in Educational Administration. Phi Delta Kappan, 72 (7): 521–26.
Sergiovanni, T. J. (1992). Why we should seek substitutes for leadership. Educational Leadership, 49 (5): 41–45.
Slavin, Robert E. (2006). Educational Psychology: Theory and Practice (8th Ed). Boston: Allyn & Bacon.
Stringer, E. T. (2007). Action research (3rd ed). San Francisco, CA: Sage Publications.
Wiles, J., & Bondi, J. (2004). Supervision a guide to practice (6th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall.
Yaman, S. (2010). Conceptual change of pre-service teachers: A longitudinal action research study in ELT. Social and Behavioral, 3(1), 227-236.
Yaman, S. (2010). Conceptual change of pre-service teachers: A longitudinal action research study in ELT. Social and Behavioral, 3(1), 227-236.
Zandanian, A. Isavi, M. & Jafari, H. (2011). The Study of the Philosophical Foundations of Action Research. Journal of Research in Humanities, 1(5), 123-144.