2. INTRODUCTION
Teachers have been treated as passive agents in most of the
professional development activities and programs. Experienced
educators, educational theorists and superintendents usually hold
seminars, organize workshops and deliver lectures to teachers who
pay attention to such experts and go back to their classrooms to
implement what they had learned in those training sessions.
Gould (2008: pp.5-7) holds that: Much of the professional
development for teachers is still passive 'sit and get' training.
It’s the high time the teachers carry out their own research and adopt
what seems efficient and effective in their own classroom
3. Definition
Allwright and Bailey(1991)
research that centers on
classroom and simply tries
to investigate what actually
happens inside the
classroom.
It treats the classroom
interactions as virtually the
only object worthy of
investigation.
4. CONT.
Classroom action research is
a development tool for a
teacher that involves
observing or gathering data
about a class through case
studies, interviews and
questionnaires.
A method of finding out
what works best in the
classroom.
5. AIM
Mean of remedying problem
diagnosed in specific
situations
Mean of in service training
Mean of injecting additional
or innovatory approaches to
teaching and learning
6. TYPES OF CLASSROOM
ACTION RESEARCH
Indivindual research –focuses on single
issue and done by an individual
teacher
Collaborative research-done by two or
several teachers with an aim of
addressing one class or common
problem shared by many classroom.
Institution wide research- focuses on
issues common to all , team work to
gather information, analyse the data
and design on plan of action
7. Why classroom research is a
pedagogical function
Teachers are oriented towards
practical knowledge while researchers
grow technical and theoretical
knowledge
Teachers are dependent on intuitive
findings and experiences ,researchers
systematically evaluate theories
through empirical studies
Teachers seek practical answers
within a specific context , researchers
findings are context free
Daniel and King (1998) notes that teachers
have become aware of the contribution of
testing to learning contexts and one of the
ways to intensify the relevance of testing
research results to testing practice is to fill
the gap between the two and it can only be
done if the teachers take up the research.
8. ROLE OF THE TEACHER
Identify the problem
Diagnose the problem thoroughly
Remedial measures to solve the
problem
Solutions to solve the problem
Implementaton
Evaluation
Follow up action
9. SIGNIFICANCE
Aims at improving teaching and learning practices in the classroom because it
attempts to find solutions to specific problems that a teacher or a group of
teachers may encounter.
It’s practical, manageable and can be carried out by a single classroom
teacher or in collaboration with other teachers, it handles problems that
practicing teachers encounter in their daily teaching activities.
Classroom research contributes to changing and re-defining the traditional
role of teachers, a teacher who conducts research becomes an initiator of
pedagogical changes and improvement. Sagor (1992) emphasizes the necessity
of creating a shift in teachers’ role ‘by changing the role of the teacher we
can profoundly change the teaching and learning process in our school.
10. Cont.
The teacher becomes an investigator or an explorer of his personal context
while at the same time being one of the participants in it.
Makes the teacher aware of his/her students needs.
It promotes the teachers’ understanding of the teaching process and enhances
their problem solving knowledge and skills.
Helps the teacher view teaching as a type of inquiry or experimentation.
Increases understanding about the dynamics of the classroom.
Strengthens connection between pure and applied research.
Helps in improving the teaching practice and in the long run the whole
curriculum.
11. CONCLUSION
Brown (2001) Teachers should be agents for change in
their educational environment ‘you are an agent for
change in a world in desperate need for change, change
from competition to cooperation , from powerlessness to
empowerment from conflict to resolution and from
prejudice to understanding.
12. REFERENCES
Allwright, Dick and Bailey, Kathleen. (1991). Focus on the Language
Classroom: An Introduction to Classroom Research for Language Teachers. New
York: Cambridge University Press.
Brown, H. Douglas. (2001). Teaching by Principles: An Interactive Approach to
Language Pedagogy. (2nd ed.). New York: Addison Wesley: Longman, Inc.
Burns, Anne. (2010). Doing Action Research in English Language Teaching: A
Guide for Practitioners. New York and London: Rutledge.
Gould, Mathew A. (2008). Teacher as Researcher: A Paradigm for Professional
Development. Kappa Delta PI Record, 45 (1), 5-7.
Sagor, R. (1992). How to conduct collaborative action research. Alexandria,
VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development
