Learning Episode 2 – Embedding Action Research for Reflective Thinking

Target Your Intended Leaning Outcomes

At the end of this Learning Episode, you must be able to:

1. be familiar about action research as a reflective teacher.

2. underscore the importance of doing action research.

Clarify Your Task

Doing Action Research: An Overview

Every teacher is an action researcher. Everyone can do it. Teachers and students can do it together.

This episode focuses on doing action research as one of the roles of the teacher. Every teacher
should take interest to know how students learn, wants to make innovations in the curriculum and desires to
improve teaching practice. In order to achieve these, a teacher has to do action research on the everyday
practical problems. These problematic situations and observed discrepancies emerge between what is
intended and what actually occurs in the classroom.

There’s a general agreement among action research community that action research is about
ACTION: taking into action to improve practice and RSEARCH: finding things out and coming to a new
understanding that create new knowledge.
Action research is not new, It dates back to the time of John Dewey in 1920 when he introduced the
idea of inquiry, This was followed by Collier, 1946; Lewin, 1949; Corey, 1953 and many others who came
later. Schon introduced the notion of action research as a habit of continuing inquiry. Inquiry begins with
situations that are problematic, confusing, uncertain and conflicting, and so does Action Research.
It as Stephen Corey (1053) who defined Action Research as the process through which practitioners
like teachers, study their own practice to solve their personal or professional practical problems. Further on,
John Illiot in 1993 clarified that action research is concerned with everyday practical problems experienced
by the teachers, rather than the theoretical problems defined by pure researchers.
Action research is grounded on the reality of the school, classroom, teachers and student. Sometimes it is
labeled as Teacher Action Research (TAR) but is popularly known simply as Action Research (AR).
Action Research is a process that allows teachers to study their own classrooms, schools and educational
setting in order to understand them better and to improve their quality and effectiveness. The process of
observation, reflection and inquiry led to action that makes a difference in teaching and learning. It bridges
doing (practice) and learning (study) and reflection (inquiry).

Participate and Assist

You must have experienced in your past subjects, doing some activities or accomplishing tasks similar to an
action research. These are activities that required you to do Reflection and Make Action or the other way
around. Schon (1987) distinguishes Reflection in Action or Reflection on Action as two different things.
Perhaps you have already done an Action Research. Now is he opportunity for you to participate and
assist in ways that you are capable of doing.
Here is what you will do:
Make a List of Completed Action Research Titles by Teachers in the Field
1. Make a library or online search of the different Completed Action Research Titles conducted by
teachers.
2. Enter the list in the matrix similar to the one below.
3. Submit your list of five (5) Titles of Completed Action Research Studies as reference.

EPISODE 2: Embedding Action Research for Reflective Thinking

 Inventory of Sample Action Research Conducted by Teachers
List of Completed Action Research Titles Author/Authors
Ex. Differentiated Instruction in Teaching Mathematics
Mary Joy Alicia
for Grade Four Classes
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

Notice
Based on your activity on Making a List of completed Action Research Titles, let’s find out what you
have noticed by answering the following questions.

Questions My Answer
1. What have you noticed about the action research 1. Identified problem to be solved in title No. 1
titles? Do the Action Research (AR) imply problems to 1.
be solved? YES ____ NO ___ 2. Identified problem to be solved in title No.
2.
If YES, identify the problem from the title you have 3. Identified problem to be solved in title No. 1
given. Answer in the space provided. 3.
4. Identified problem to be solved in title No. 1
4.
5. Identified problem to be solved in title No. 1
5.

Tile of the Action Research:

2. What interpretation about Action Research can you ______________________________________
make out of your answer in Question No.1? ______________________________________

3. Write the title and your interpretation of the study From the tile, I think the study _____________
from the title. ___________...

4. What do you think did the author/s do with the

I think the author/s …
identified problem as presented in their titles?

Analyze
Action research seems easy and familiar. Since teaching seems to be full of problematic situations and the
teacher has a responsibility of finding solution for everyday problems in school, hence teachers should do
action research. This is an exciting part of being a teacher, a problem solver!
Let us continue to examine and analyze what you have noticed and interpreted in the previous
activity.
My Answer
Key questions Choose from the options given. You may check more
than one answer
Choices:
1. From what source do you think did the
____ Copied form research books

EPISODE 2: Embedding Action Research for Reflective Thinking

 ____ From daily observation of their teaching practice
authors identify the problems of their action
____ From difficulties they observed of their learners
research?
____From their own personal experience
____From the told experiences of their co-teachers

Choices:
2. What do you think is the teacher’s
____ To find solution to the problematic situation
intention in conducting the action research?
____ To comply with the requirement of the principal
____ To improve teaching practice
____To try out something, if it works
____ To prove oneself as better than the others

Choices:
3. What benefit do you get as a student in FS
____ Prepare me for my future job
2 in understanding and doing action
____ Get good grades in the course
research?
____ Learn and practice being an action researcher
____ Improve my teaching practice
____ Exposure to the realities in the teaching profession
____ Become a better teacher everyday

Choices:
4. In what ways can you assist your teacher
____ By co-researching with my mentor
mentor in his/her Action Research activity?
____ By assisting in the design of the intervention
____ By assisting in the implementation of the AR
____ By just watching what is being done

Reflect
Based on the readings you made and the previous activities that you have done,
1. What significant ideas or concepts have you learned about action research>
I learned that _______________________________...
2. Have you realized that there is a need to be action researcher as a future? Yes ____ No____. If yes,
complete the sentence below.
I realized that ________________________________...

Write Action Research Prompts

OBSERVE
From what teaching principles or theories can this problem be anchored?
 I have observed and noticed that Action research begins with a problem or problematic situation.
Write an example of a problematic situation that you have observed and noticed.
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
REFLECT
What have I realized? What do I hope to achieve?
 I realized that for every teaching-learning [problem, there is a solution.
Write a probable solution to the problematic situation above.
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
PLAN
What strategies, activities, innovations can I employ to improve the situation or solve the problem?

EPISODE 2: Embedding Action Research for Reflective Thinking

  As a future action researcher, I can plan for an appropriate intervention like ________________
___________________________________________________________________.
ACT
If I conduct or implement my plan, what can be its title?
 If I will implement my doable plan in the future, my title would be ________________________
___________________________________________________________________.

Work on my Artifacts
Your artifact will be an Abstract of a completed action research.

EPISODE 2: Embedding Action Research for Reflective Thinking