This document summarizes an action research study that implemented Lesson Study in a secondary mathematics methods course to better prepare preservice teachers. The researcher/instructor aimed to provide more opportunities for students to practice teaching lessons before their field experience placements. Students collaborated in teams to plan, teach, observe and revise mathematics lessons, which were then taught in their field placements. Data analysis found that Lesson Study improved students' efficacy and confidence in transitioning between the methods classroom and their field placements. The study demonstrated the benefits of collaborative lesson planning and practice teaching for preservice teacher preparation.

1. 1
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Action Research Study Report
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Introduction
1. Mostofo and Zambo (2015) chose Vygotsky Space as the
theoretical framework. Additionally, later in the article, the
authors asserted that,” Jim’s goal was to create an innovation

2. that allowed preservice teachers the opportunity to teach more
in the methods classroom before teaching in the field-
experience classroom and to systematically investigate the
effect of this” (p. 499). Based on the chosen theoretical
framework, reflect on the degree to which you think this
framework was appropriate for and aligned to the intended
purpose of this action research project?
2. Mostofo and Zambo (2015) collaborated with a variety of
colleagues to develop this action research intervention. In light
of this process, reflect on what potential roles stakeholder
collaboration might have on the conceptualization and
development of your AIP?
Methodology
3. What are your reflections on collecting and analyzing
qualitative data to demonstrate the impact of a potential AIP?
Results
4. Was the data analysis sufficient to verify the impact of the
intervention?
Discussion/Conclusion
5. Based on the recommendations for further research, describe
how an applied research project could be developed to address
the issue being described. What intervention might be
implemented for online instructors?

3. References
Improving instruction in the mathematics methods classroom
through action research
Jameel Mostofoa* and Ron Zambob
aCollege of Education, Grand Canyon University, Phoenix, AZ,
USA; bElementary
Education, Arizona State University, Glendale, AZ, USA
(Received 13 August 2014; accepted 12 February 2015)
There is a continuing emphasis in the United States on
improving students’
mathematical abilities, and one approach is to better prepare
teachers. To investi-
gate the potential usefulness of Lesson Study to better prepare
teachers, one
author set out to conduct action research on his classroom
practice. Specifically,
he sought to determine whether using Lesson Study with
preservice secondary
mathematics teachers might better prepare students to be
teachers. The partici-
pants were preservice teachers who were enrolled in a
mathematics methods
course in an undergraduate teacher preparation program at a

4. private university.
The researcher served as a participant observer who
implemented an innovation,
Lesson Study, in his classroom and observed the effect on
students. Lesson
Study engaged the preservice teachers in collaboratively
creating, field testing,
revising, and re-teaching lessons in their field placement
classroom. Data were
weekly reflections and summative interviews of the preservice
teachers. The
researcher found that Lesson Study was an effective strategy for
enhancing the
efficacy of preservice teachers. Action research showed the
importance of collab-
orative lesson preparation, practice teaching, and observations
of other teachers.
The preservice teachers successfully transitioned from teaching
in the methods
classroom to their field-experience classroom, which enhanced
their confidence
as they entered student-teaching.
Keywords: action research; Lesson Study; mathematics;
preservice teachers
Introduction
Preparing effective teachers of mathematics is one of the most
urgent problems fac-
ing those in teacher education because teaching is very complex
(Hiebert et al.
2007; Morris, Hiebert, and Spitzer 2009). However, despite its
complexity, some
novices presume it to be easy (Grossman et al. 2009). In fact,
many preservice

5. teachers believe that teaching is simply common sense and
professional study is not
needed (Ball and Cohen 1999; Kennedy 1999; Munby, Russell,
and Martin 2001).
The challenge for teacher educators is to provide preservice
teachers with opportuni-
ties to develop habits of continued professional learning and,
through action
research, investigate what they try (Chassels and Melville 2009;
Ganesh and
Matteson 2010; Hiebert et al. 2007).
Planning and teaching lessons can be overwhelming for
preservice teachers in the
early stages of their development (Carrier 2011). Therefore,
providing opportunities
*Corresponding author. Email: [email protected]
© 2015 Educational Action Research
Educational Action Research, 2015
Vol. 23, No. 4, 497–513,
http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/09650792.2015.1019903
to learn by doing with careful coaching by experts in low-risk
settings is critical for
preservice teachers to begin learning their practice (Schon
1987). The university
education classroom can provide these low-risk settings through
role-playing and prac-
tice teaching in an environment of support, feedback, and
investigation (Fernandez
2005; Ganesh and Matteson 2010; Grossman et al. 2009).

6. Unfortunately, methods courses (courses focused on the
methodology of teach-
ing) often seem far removed from the reality of an actual
classroom (Cohan and
Honigsfeld 2006; Grossman et al. 2009). Methods courses are
typically taught
through lectures and discussion of theory and research, and are
often not focused on
the actual on-your-feet practice of teaching (Fernandez 2005).
Much of the knowl-
edge needed to teach effectively ‘is situated in practice, [and] it
must be learned in
practice’ (Ball and Cohen 1999, 3–4).
Jim, the first author, teaches in the College of Education in a
private university
in the southwestern region of the United States. Ron, the second
author, was his dis-
sertation chair. All first-person references in this article refer
back to Jim as he was
the practitioner for this study. The participants in this study
(preservice teachers)
were undergraduates who were studying secondary education
and majoring in
mathematics. The study came about after frustration in the way
students perceived
one of Jim’s courses. Being in a doctoral program where
students did action research
and wrote an action research dissertation brought this group
together. This study
examined Jim’s secondary mathematics methods course, which
had a curriculum that
consisted primarily of planning and teaching mathematics
lessons. Coupled with the
face-to-face class meetings, each preservice teacher was
required to participate in 15

7. hours of field experience in a secondary mathematics classroom
(field experience
consists of observing secondary mathematics teachers in actual
classrooms). Jim’s
goal for this project was to examine the impact of using
Japanese Lesson Study in
his class to see whether these preservice teachers could learn
more by ‘doing’ rather
than observing mathematics teaching. Jim’s goal for doing
action research was to
make him a better practitioner-researcher.
Theoretical foundation
This study was based on the Vygotsky Space as the theoretical
framework. The
Vygotsky Space has four phases that are cyclical rather than
linear; a learner can be
functioning at any given time in any of the quadrants (Gallucci
et al. 2010). This
theory represents learning in terms of relationships between
collective and individual
actions and between public and private settings. The individual
internalizes the
social practice, transforms the practice in their context, and
eventually externalizes
(shares) the practice with others (Gallucci et al. 2010).
The iterative stages of the learning process as proposed by
Vygotsky and
depicted by Gallucci et al. (2010) include the following:
• Individual appropriation of particular ways of thinking
through interaction
with others.

8. • Individual transformation and ownership of that thinking in
the context of
one’s own work.
• Publication of new learning through talk or action.
• Process whereby those public acts become conventionalized in
the practice of
that individual and/or in the work of others.
498 J. Mostofo and R. Zambo
Background
Action research is any systematic inquiry by teacher-researchers
for educational
reform that gathers information about how well their students
learn based on an
innovation (Mills 2007; Somekh and Zeichner 2009). For this
study, Jim imple-
mented an action research model and collected qualitative data
as the study pro-
gressed. From past experience, Jim realized that his students’
transition from the
college classroom to the public school classroom was not
seamless. To help alleviate
this problem, he chose to engage his students – six preservice
secondary mathemat-
ics teachers – in Lesson Study as part of their methods course.
The primary purpose
of the research was to determine the impact of using Lesson
Study with preservice
secondary mathematics teachers as they moved from teaching in
a methods class-
room to their field-experience classroom before they entered

9. their student-teaching
experience. The secondary purpose was to improve Jim’s ow n
practice through
innovation and systematic inquiry into it.
One purpose of action research is to better understand and
improve one’s
practice (McTaggart 1994; Somekh and Zeichner 2009) and
‘engage in a process of
continuous improvement’ (Patthey and Thomas-Spiegel 2013,
482). As a teacher,
Jim realized that his secondary mathematics class needed to
improve for various rea-
sons. First, there was little practice teaching in his class and
none out in the field.
He typically had allowed his students (preservice teachers) to
plan and teach only
one or two mini-lessons in class for the entire semester, which,
on reflection, did not
seem like enough practice to prepare them for student-teaching.
Most of the class
was centered on his teaching and modeling pedagogical-content
strategies for mathe-
matics instruction. Second, he did not have control over what
his preservice teachers
were asked to do in their field-experience (practicum)
classrooms. They were
required to observe a secondary mathematics classroom of their
choice for a total of
15 hours during the semester. They would choose the school and
teacher to observe,
so there was no connection to his methods classroom. The
preservice teachers would
typically sit in the back of these secondary mathematics
classrooms, observe the tea-
cher and take notes. This did not provide any actual practice for

10. the preservice
teachers in a classroom setting that could serve as a bridge to
their student-teaching.
Jim’s goal was to create an innovation that allowed preservice
teachers the
opportunity to teach more in the methods classroom before
teaching in the field-ex-
perience classroom and to systematically investigate the effect
of this. He also
wanted to connect his methods classroom to the field-experience
classroom so the
preservice teachers would be able to practice-teach the exact
lessons in his class
before teaching them in their field-experience classroom. He
used Lesson Study as
the vehicle for this innovation and set up a partnership with a
local high school
mathematics department. Overall, he wanted to use action
research to become more
‘effective’ and ‘empowered’ as a methods instructor and
researcher (Leitch and Day
2000, 183).
In many action research studies, the researcher and the
practitioner are not the
same person so their relationship is crucial (Postholm and
Skrovset 2013). However,
Jim’s role in this project was significant because he acted both
as the practitioner
and as the researcher throughout this action research study
(Gay, Mills, and Airasian
2009). Some recent research argues that the role of a
practitioner-researcher can
serve many different purposes: individual professional
development, school develop-

11. ment, and knowledge generalized to other contexts
(Oolbekkink-Marchand, van der
Educational Action Research 499
Steen, and Nijveldt 2014). For this study, Jim’s purpose was
individual professional
development to enact change and understand the effect of this
intervention. He
served as the instructor of the secondary mathematics methods
class and formed the
collaborative teams used for this study. He also monitored the
progress of the
preservice teachers during the collaborative planning and
provided feedback on their
lesson plans and mathematics plans (the mathematics plan
included example prob-
lems, handouts, and activities that were used).
As the researcher in this action research study, Jim acted as an
observer, video-
taping and taking field notes while the preservice teachers were
teaching lessons in
the methods classroom. During the debriefing sessions after a
preservice teacher’s
lesson, he took on more of a participant role as he facilitated
the comments from the
other preservice teachers and gave feedback based on his field
notes. He coordinated
the schedule with the field-experience school to schedule the
teaching days for each
collaborative team of preservice teachers. Between Lesson
Study rounds, Jim taught
pedagogical strategies as well as modeled lessons in the

12. classroom. At the conclu-
sion of the study, he oversaw the implementation of the methods
and analyzed the
data from the participants.
Lesson Study
Teaching mathematics in Japan has changed drastically in the
past 50 years, while
teaching mathematics in the United States has changed very
little over the same time
period (Stigler and Hiebert 1999). Mathematics teachers in
Japan focus more on
conceptual understanding of mathematics, whereas the tradition
in US mathematics
classrooms is to treat the learning of mathematics as
memorization and practice
(Geist 2000; Stigler and Hiebert 1999).
What might account for these differences? Some research
indicates that Lesson
Study has resulted in much of the change in Japanese
classrooms (Lewis and
Tsuchida 1998; Stigler and Hiebert 1999). Lesson Study is a
process to improve stu-
dents’ learning through improved instruction (Fernandez and
Yoshida 2004; Lewis
2002; Stigler and Hiebert 1999). It is a teacher-led professional
development that
brings teachers and other educators together to study in depth
the teaching and
learning of a particular mathematical concept or process (Tolle
2010). The spirit of
Lesson Study involves ‘collaborating with fellow teachers to
plan, observe, and
reflect on lessons’ (Takahashi and Yoshida 2004, 439).

13. Lesson Study was first introduced to American educators by
Catherine C. Lewis
and Ineko Tsuchida (1998) in their article ‘A Lesson is like a
Swiftly Flowing
River’ and later by James W. Stigler and James Hiebert (1999)
in their book The
Teaching Gap. Since that time, Lesson Study has been
implemented in schools
across the United States and it is finding its way into preservice
teacher education.
There is strong evidence that many aspects of the Lesson Study
process can posi-
tively impact preservice teachers. Lesson Study can provide the
opportunity to build
professional learning communities, deepen understanding of
content and pedagogy,
and develop habits of critical observation, analysis, and
feedback (Chassels and
Melville 2009; Chokshi and Fernandez 2004; Groth 2011; Tolle
2010). Allowing
preservice teachers to re-teach lessons after receiving feedback
and revising their les-
son plans to incorporate the feedback has been shown to
improve the quality of their
lessons (Chassels and Melville 2009; Ganesh and Matteson
2010). Preservice teach-
ers appreciated the insights that their peers provided while
participating in Lesson
500 J. Mostofo and R. Zambo
Study (Chassels and Melville 2009). Observing lessons from
their classmates

14. enhanced preservice teachers’ skill in critiquing lessons as well
as differentiating
between effective and ineffective teaching strategies (Chassels
and Melville 2009).
Lesson Study assists teachers in learning that their lessons can
and will improve
from observation and feedback. This realization allows them to
accept and learn
from the constructive criticism that Lesson Study can provide
(Sims and Walsh
2008). The impact of Lesson Study in preservice methods
classes was found to
positively impact the delivery of lessons in field-experience
teaching (Chassels and
Melville 2009; Ganesh and Matteson 2010) by serving as a
bridge between the
methods classroom and field experience (Carrier 2011).
However, implementing Lesson Study with preservice teachers
can be problem-
atic due to coordination with the field-experience school and
teachers. For example,
having students design lessons that can be implemented into the
sequence of instruc-
tion in the field-experience classroom requires close
cooperation with the mentor
teachers and the coordination of schedules between the college
classroom and the
field-experience classroom. Additionally, mentor teachers need
to understand the
Lesson Study process to support the preservice teachers,
otherwise adaptations to
the process could occur (Carrier 2011; Chassels and Melville
2009; McMahon and
Hines 2008).

15. Lesson Study debriefing
Preservice teachers often have difficulty engaging in reflective
thinking, and there is
a lack of structured opportunities to develop these skills in
typical teacher preparation
classes (Goodell 2006); however, Lesson Study can provide
opportunity for rich
discussion on teaching strategies that is focused on student
learning (Carrier 2011;
Chassels and Melville 2009; Ganesh and Matteson 2010; Sims
and Walsh 2008).
Lesson Study allows for individual teachers and their preser vice
colleagues to reflect
in the context of the classroom on post-lesson discussions that
connect thinking and
action (Leitch and Day 2000; Schon 1983), which are at the
heart of the Lesson
Study process (Chokshi and Fernandez 2004; Cohan and
Honigsfeld 2006; Groth
2011; Tolle 2010). The Lesson Study process dictates that the
teacher who taught the
lesson speaks first during the debriefing session, discussing
what they think worked
and what did not work in the lesson followed by comments,
suggestions, or questions
by the other participants (Groth 2011; Stigler and Hiebert 1999;
Tolle 2010).
Research has shown that preservice teachers readily accepted
suggestions from their
peers and instructor, which in turn improved the depth of their
future lessons
(Fernandez 2005; Ganesh and Matteson 2010). However, there
is some evidence that
the lack of knowledge and experience of many participants in a

16. collaborative Lesson
Study group can severely limit the richness of conversations
(Tan 2014).
Lesson Study for teacher efficacy
Evidence shows a strong link between Lesson Study (as
professional development)
and self-efficacy, which could be attributed to increased
pedagogical content knowl-
edge derived from the collaborative planning portion of the
Lesson Study process
(Sibbald 2009). Through sharing ideas and resources, and
gaining an understanding
of different teaching techniques during the Lesson Study
process, preservice teachers
improved their efficacy (Sibbald 2009). Professional
development has the potential
Educational Action Research 501
to impact teacher efficacy; as teachers gain experience and learn
more about their
teaching practices and how to implement them, they improve
their personal compe-
tence in their domain (Zambo and Zambo 2008; Hill and Ball
2004). Research sug-
gests that collaboration and support have been linked to higher
efficacy for teachers,
especially for novice teachers (Chester and Beaudin 1996;
Rosenholtz 1989;
Tschannen-Moran and Woolfolk-Hoy 2007). Preservice
teachers’ efficacy has been
shown to increase from observing specific teaching strategies

17. being modeled, as well
as from participating in self-reflection about their teaching
(Henson 2001; Johnson
2010; Schunk and Zimmerman 1997).
Methodology
Setting
Jim’s course consisted of three 65-minute classes per week for
16 weeks. This meth-
ods course is the only mathematics methods course required in
the secondary educa-
tion program at his university. Coupled with the face-to-face
class meetings, each
preservice teacher was required by the university to participate
in 15 hours of field
experience in a secondary mathematics classroom. As part of
this study, each preser-
vice teacher agreed to work with a designated teacher in a field-
experience partner
school and to teach two lessons in the assigned field-placement
classroom. Jim briefed
the field-experience teacher on the Lesson Study process prior
to the innovation.
Participants
There were eight preservice teachers in Jim’s secondary
mathematics methods class;
six of them chose to participate in this study. The two
preservice teachers who did
not participate still taught in the methods classroom, but went
to their own practi-
cum classrooms and observed without practice teaching like the
preservice teachers

18. who chose to be in the study. These six preservice teachers were
directly involved
on a daily basis with Lesson Study by collaboratively planning
their lessons, indi-
vidually teaching lessons in both the methods and the field-
experience classrooms,
and participating in the weekly reflections, surveys, and
interviews.
Data sources
There were two sources of qualitative data that were collected:
weekly reflections
written by the participants (a total of 47 double-spaced typed
pages), and semi-struc-
tured post interviews of the participants (a total of 30 double-
spaced typed pages).
The purpose of the weekly reflections was to elicit responses
from the participants
about the Lesson Study process and how the innovation was
progressing for them.
Some examples of prompts Jim used for the weekly reflections
were as follows:
How are you feeling about teaching in your field-experience
classroom? What are
the three most important ideas you have learned from this class
so far? Are you
developing more confidence in your ability to meet expectations
in a real classroom
as a future teacher? Why or why not? How did you feel about
finally teaching in
front of real students in your field experience? The post
interview was used to
summarize the participants’ thoughts on the entire Lesson Study
process. Some
examples of post interview questions were: What were the main

19. benefits of the
502 J. Mostofo and R. Zambo
Lesson Study process for you? Did Lesson Study impact your
instructional ability
(mathematical teaching)? Did Lesson Study impact your
mathematics teaching
efficacy?
Lesson Study process
Jim introduced the preservice teachers to the Lesson Study
process during the first
week of class. The innovation was set up into two phases. The
first phase focused
on planning algebra lessons and practice-teaching them in Jim’s
methods classroom
before teaching in the field-experience classroom. Twice during
this phase of
instruction, the preservice teachers, working in two groups of
three, collaboratively
planned an algebra lesson that consisted of a written lesson plan
and a mathematics
plan including all of the necessary example problems, handouts,
and activities. They
emailed these lessons to Jim for feedback prior to the first
teaching opportunity. The
revised lessons were then taught in class by one member of each
team. The debrief-
ing session following each teaching episode started with a self-
reflection by the
preservice teacher who actually taught the lesson, followed by a
class discussion

20. about the lesson that included comments, suggestions, and
questions. Jim guided
this discussion and gave additional feedback following the
debriefing session. The
lessons were revised again by the preservice teachers after the
debriefing session
and re-taught in the following class period by another team
member. After the sec-
ond teaching episode and debriefing, the lessons were revised
for the final time and
turned in to Jim for a grade. The process for the second lesson
plan mirrored that of
the first. After each Lesson Study cycle, Jim taught relevant
course material based
on his lesson observations and typical course content. Jim also
modeled mathematics
lessons that were followed by debriefing sessions.
The second phase of Lesson Study directly prepared the
preservice teachers for
teaching in the field placement classroom by targeting lessons
on topics that were
assigned by the field-experience teacher in advance of the
scheduled teaching epi-
sodes. Each Lesson Study team collaboratively planned their
lesson and received
Jim’s feedback before teaching it in the methods classroom. The
lessons were then
taught, revised, and re-taught before teaching them in the field-
experience
classroom. These lessons were taught and revised three times
before being taught in
the field-experience classroom (each preservice teacher had the
opportunity to teach
the lesson in the methods class and get feedback to prepare to
teach it in the field-

21. experience classroom).
Each Lesson Study team had an assigned day to teach in the
field-experience
classroom. The preservice teachers each taught at least one
class period while their
teammates observed and video-recorded the lesson. The video
recordings of the les-
son were shown in Jim’s methods classroom the following week
and the class par-
ticipated in a debriefing session for each preservice teacher.
Afterwards, the entire
process as described above was used in preparing and teaching a
second lesson for
the field-placement classroom. Figure 1 outlines the Phase One
and Phase Two
model used for this study.
Analysis
Jim analyzed each of the two data-sets separately. Data analysis
began with open
coding and then collapsing codes into categories based on
similar dimensions
Educational Action Research 503
(Corbin and Strauss 2008). Saturation of the data came after
multiple attempts of
defining and redefining the categories. Eventually themes were
created. Another
researcher analyzed the raw data and independently created
themes as a cross-check
of Jim’s analysis. Considering the results of the cross-check,

22. Jim finalized the
themes for both sets of qualitative data. The themes, theme-
related components, and
assertions presented in each analysis were organized into tables.
Phase One (2 Rounds) Phase Two (2 Rounds)
Collaboratively Plan
Instructor Revisions
Teach (1st Team Member)
Debriefing Session
Revise Collaboratively
Re-Teach (2nd Team Member)
Debriefing Session
Final Revisions Turned In
*Class instruction and modeled lessons by
instructor between rounds
Collaboratively Plan
Instructor Revisions
Teach (1st Team Member)
Debriefing Session
Revise Collaboratively

23. Re-Teach (2nd Team Member)
Debriefing Session
Revise Collaboratively
Re-Teach (3rd Team Member)
Debriefing Session
Revise Collaboratively
Field -Experience Teaching
Debriefing Session (Video-Recordings)
*Class instruction and modeled lessons by
instructor between rounds..
Figure 1. Lesson Study innovation model.
504 J. Mostofo and R. Zambo
Results from the preservice teacher weekly reflections
The three overall themes that surfaced in the weekly reflections
as well as the speci-
fic components which supported the themes and the assertions
that were developed
from these thematic components are summarized in Table 1.
The first assertion that emerged from the weekly reflections was
that the preser-
vice teachers gained confidence from multiple teaching

24. opportunities. In Week 3 a
preservice teacher noted: ‘Well, I have to say that I was very
nervous teaching for
the first time in front of my peers. But, after realizing we all
had wobbly knees
about it, I guess it wasn’t really that bad’ (Bonnie, weekly
reflection, 16 September
2012). In the same week, a preservice teacher mentioned the
fear of the upcoming
field-experience teaching: ‘I’m nervous about the differences in
a real high school
classroom’ (Haley, weekly reflection, 15 September 2012). In
Week 4 a preservice
teacher discussing their confidence stated: ‘I would say my
confidence is in a good
spot right now. I don’t feel overly confident, but I’m not in a
situation where I’m
rethinking my career if that makes sense’ (Robert, weekly
reflection, 25 September
2012). In Week 5, before teaching the first field-experience
lesson, a student wrote:
To be completely honest, I am really nervous about teaching in
the practicum class-
room. I have never taught a lesson in an actual high school
classroom before, so it
should be interesting. I feel more comfortable with the practice
that I’ve gotten in class.
(Haley, weekly reflection, 29 September 2012)
However, after the first field experience I noticed a shift in the
confidence of the pre-
service teachers based on their weekly reflections. After the
first field-experience
teaching, one preservice teacher pointed out:

25. The teaching experience was by far the most beneficial thing I
have done so far. Even
though we teach lessons in our own classroom each week, being
in an actual high
school classroom with real students had a much different feel.
(Bonnie, weekly
reflection, 12 October 2012)
Table 1. Reflection themes.
Theme Theme-related components Assertions
Building
confidence
Confidence was gradually
building from rounds of practice
teaching.
Preservice teachers gained confidence
from multiple teaching opportunities.
Confidence improved from
teaching in the field-experience
classroom.
Collaborative
planning
Collaborative planning was
difficult for some teams initially.
Collaborative planning was a major
benefit to the lesson quality despite
some issues working together initially.The Lesson Study teams

26. eventually thrived from the
collaborative planning.
Observation
of
instruction
Observing themselves on video
helped them to reflect on their
own teaching.
Observing their own and others teaching
mathematics improved their reflective
practices, instructional ability, and
confidence.Observing the instructor model-
teach lessons helped them to gain
more ideas.
Observing their peers teach
allowed them to see other ways
to teach.
Educational Action Research 505
By Week 8, one preservice teacher made the following
statement: ‘I am much
more confident in my own abilities, which makes it much easier
to focus on the stu-
dents and their learning rather than worrying about messing up
my teaching’ (Haley,
weekly reflection, 20 October 2012). By Week 12, after the
final field-experience
teaching, one preservice teacher wrote: ‘After stressing out for
a week about the

27. teaching, I felt it went really well. The nervousness went away
almost immediately
this time, so I guess that means my confidence is getting better’
(Bonnie, weekly
reflection, 16 November 2012). Another preservice teacher
stated the same week: ‘I
felt more comfortable with my ability to teach the students, and
to hold their atten-
tion. I also felt much better about this lesson from a confidence
standpoint’ (Robert,
weekly reflection, 16 November 2012). Finally, one preservice
teacher summed up
the final reflection by stating: ‘I would say that I definitely felt
a lot more confident
and teacher-like instead of college student-like’ (Jennifer,
weekly reflection, 21
November 2012).
The second assertion that resulted from the weekly reflections
was that collab-
orative planning was a major benefit to the lesson quality
despite some issues
working together initially. For example, in Week 2 of the
innovation one preser-
vice teacher said: ‘This week has been very trying for me. I feel
as though we
didn’t have enough time to collaborate on our lesson plans.
Also, I found myself
not feeling comfortable in expressing my opinion to my group’
(Jennifer, weekly
reflection, 21 November 2012). However, by Week 4 that same
preservice teacher
stated:
The group planning is going better. Having more time in class
to collaborate with our

28. groups has been really good. I think we all have a feel for each
other’s personality and
style so it’s a bit easier to adjust ourselves to help the planning
process flow. (Jennifer,
weekly reflection, 28 November 2012)
Another member from that same team said after Week 3 of the
innovation that,
‘Working in teams is helpful, but sometimes it can be difficult
to make a lesson that
everyone can feel good about’ (Robert, weekly reflection, 17
September 2012).
A member of the other Lesson Study team stated after Week 4
that, ‘I think our
group planning is going great. We work really well together and
everyone has a
chance to share the ideas and give their opinion’ (Haley, weekly
reflection, 27
September 2012). Another preservice teacher from that same
Lesson Study team the
same week added: ‘When one of us has a different idea, the
others are willing to lis-
ten and incorporate that idea into the lesson’ (Steve, weekly
reflection, 12 October
2012). In Week 7, one preservice teacher stated:
We work incredibly well together. We share similar ideas, but
when we have differing
ideas, they help stimulate discussion that leads to an even better
idea. I think we col-
laborate really well when creating our lessons. Because every
person brings a slightly
different perspective, we are able to mesh those ideas together
to create a better lesson
as a group than any of us could create on our own. (Haley,

29. weekly reflection, 12
October 2012)
By Week 9 of the innovation, both teams were thriving with the
collaboration – as
one team member noted: ‘I definitely think we are working as a
group much better.
We are getting more ideas flowing and starting to sort out what
we think will work
and will not work and it feels more collaborative than previous
lessons’ (Robert,
weekly reflection, 29 October 2012). By Week 10, one
preservice teacher stated
when talking about the planning process for the last field-
experience lesson that, ‘It
506 J. Mostofo and R. Zambo
wasn’t so much about how we were going to teach, rather how
we were going to
make it exciting for the learners’ (Steve, weekly reflection, 5
November 2012).
The third assertion was that observing their own and others
teaching mathemat-
ics improved their reflective practices, instructional ability, and
confidence. In the
Week 3 reflections after teaching their first lesson in class, one
preservice teacher
stated: ‘I feel after teaching just this one lesson that I definitely
need much more
practice’ (Bonnie, weekly reflection, 16 September 2012).
Another preservice tea-
cher said after observing their own lesson on video in Week 4

30. that, ‘After watching
that first video of me teaching, I realized that all those little
things that you think of
as wrong while you are presenting are not very noticeable’
(Robert, weekly reflec-
tion, 25 September 2012). That same week a preservice teacher
pointed out: ‘It was
really helpful to have our instructor demonstrate for us because
his examples of pac-
ing and questioning’ (Jennifer, weekly reflection, 24 September
2012). Right before
the first lesson in the field-experience classroom in Week 5, one
preservice teacher
said: ‘After observing the field-experience classroom yesterday,
I feel a bit more
comfortable about teaching in her class’ (Bonnie, weekly
reflection, 28 September
2012). In Week 6, a preservice teacher pointed out the benefits
of teaching a lesson
in the field-experience classroom after both teammates had
already taught: ‘… I had
the advantage of seeing what worked what didn’t’ (Haley,
weekly reflection, 6
October 2012). Another team member that same week stated:
‘Getting to see and
hear the same lesson numerous times really helps me to reflect
on how I will teach
the lesson’ (Bonnie, weekly reflection, 7 October 2012). In
Week 7, after the first
field-experience lesson, one preservice teacher said:
… we were able to use what we saw one person do, and put our
own style on it … I
was able to watch my teammates and see what worked for them,
and then use that idea
in my own teaching. It was very interesting to see all of us

31. teach the same lesson in
different ways, and I think seeing that difference just helps your
own teaching become
that much stronger. (Haley, weekly reflection, 13 October 2012)
In the final week of reflections, one preservice teacher
summarized how different
they felt after teaching for the second time in the field-
experience classroom by
stating: ‘I was able to draw some good things from my
teammates, which helped me
to improve’ (Bonnie, weekly reflection, 16 November 2012).
Another preservice tea-
cher that same week mentioned:
… I think I felt good because I knew I wasn’t going to be the
first one to teach. I was
going to have an opportunity to see what was going to work and
what I might need to
change … (Robert, weekly reflection, 20 November 2012)
Results from the semi-structured interviews
All six preservice teachers in the study were interviewed
following the innovation
(they were interviewed by other professors and the interviews
were transcribed by
Jim). The three overall themes that were reflected in the
interviews as well as the
specific components which supported the themes and the
assertions that were
developed from these thematic components are summarized in
Table 2.
The first theme from the interview data was that collaborative
planning was

32. essential to improving the quality of the lessons. One preservice
teacher stated: ‘I
think being able to work in a group and get different ideas of
how to create lesson
plans and different ways to implement them and different ideas
was really
Educational Action Research 507
beneficial’ (Courtney, interview, 26 November 2012). Another
preservice teacher,
when asked about the main benefits of Lesson Study, said: ‘I
think the key benefit
was getting input from the group members on the actual
planning of the lessons’
(Bonnie, interview, 26 November 2012). Another preservice
teacher, when asked
about collaborative planning, said:
You know you don’t typically get to do that and having other
people’s feedback is
really nice even if it’s something to where their ideas slightly
differ, it is still nice to
see how other people think about it because you get more
benefits out of it. (Haley,
interview, 26 November 2012)
One preservice teacher summed up the benefits of collaborative
planning by saying
that, ‘… it helped a lot with getting a little more diverse ideas
and other people’s
perspectives outside of my own and I think that really opened
me up some to differ-
ent ideas and different strategies to teach’ (Steve, interview, 26

33. November 2012).
Another preservice teacher pointed out the importance of
looking for possible
student misconceptions during the planning stage:
We tried to anticipate some of the hiccups that the kids might
encounter in the lesson like
things that they might get confused on … We try and clear those
things up as you’re
teaching it. I thought that was really interesting because it is
something I had not thought
of before. Instead of letting them get confused, just straighten it
out right out of the chute
and then everything will be fine … (Bonnie, interview, 26
November 2012)
The second assertion from the interview data was that the
confidence of the pre-
service teachers continued to grow throughout the innovation.
One preservice tea-
cher stated: ‘I feel like I’m more prepared to go into my
student-teaching having
gone through the Lesson Study process …’ (Jennifer, interview,
26 November
2012). Another preservice teacher said it in the following way:
‘Having the opportu-
nity to teach and get in front of a classroom before leaving the
university and going
into my student-teaching next semester it just increased my
comfort level a thousand
fold’ (Bonnie, interview, 26 November 2012). When asked
whether the classroom is
a piece of cake now, this same preservice teacher stated: ‘I am
still scared, but not
quite as much’ (Bonnie, interview, 26 November 2012). One
preservice teacher

34. summarized the field-experience teaching by stating that, ‘…
just being able to do it
and tell myself that I did it and it wasn’t so hard boosted my
confidence level …’
Table 2. Interview themes.
Theme Theme-related components Assertions
Collaborative
planning
Gained different ideas about how to teach. Collaborative
planning was
essential to improving the
quality of the lessons.
Anticipating student misconceptions
critical to their success (new to them).
Growth in
confidence
(efficacy)
Confidence increased with more practice
teaching (especially in field experience).
The preservice teachers’
confidence continued to grow
as the innovation progressed.Reflecting/debriefing/revising/re -
teaching
helped to build confidence in their lessons.
Practice
teaching
(real

35. experience)
Practice teaching in classroom with their
peers is a safe way to start before field
experience.
Practice teaching in the
classroom and field
experience was essential to
growth of the preservice
teachers.
Planning and teaching a mathematics
lesson, in addition to writing the lesson
plan, enhanced the preservice teachers’
experience.
508 J. Mostofo and R. Zambo
(Haley, interview, 26 November 2012). Another preservice
teacher summarized how
their confidence was impacted by the Lesson Study process:
So you take all of the thoughts into consideration and make all
of your changes and
you have that much better of a lesson and then you get to re-
teach it and again it is that
much better a teaching lesson because you remember what they
told you and you make
the changes necessary … and because it did go better it boosts
your confidence. Then
you feel more comfortable teaching and it is like a giant cycle
and it works well to
improve all of your teaching abilities. (Haley, interview, 26

36. November 2012)
The third assertion from the interview data was that practice
teaching in the class-
room and field experience was essential to the growth of the
preservice teachers. The
idea of starting out teaching in front of their peers seemed to be
something that bene-
fitted the preservice teachers, as one preservice teacher said:
‘… you get to work out
all of the kinks in front of your peers and they tell you all of the
things they think
went good and things that could possibly change for the better’
(Haley, interview, 26
November 2012). In fact, practicing the exact lesson before the
field-experience class-
room seemed to impact the innovation. One preservice teacher
noted:
… we could teach the lessons in class and then get our revisions
and make those
changes and see what worked and what didn’t work … and make
those changes for
the high school students…it was like a lesson we already taught
three times as opposed
to doing something for the first time. (Robert, interview, 26
November 2012)
When asked about the main benefits of the Lesson Study
process, one preservice
teacher said that ‘…the most beneficial for me was actually
teaching in our class
here and the one in the field-experience classroom’ (Haley,
interview, 26 November
2012). When asked whether they did this sort of thing in their
other methods classes,

37. they said: ‘I had never actually made I guess you could call it a
real life math lesson
before’ (Haley, interview, 26 November 2012). One preservice
teacher added the fol-
lowing key point about the real-life practice: ‘… with most of
our classes now we
just write lesson plans, but being able to actually teach it helps
to see what are some
flaws that you might have that you didn’t think of before’
(Courtney, interview, 26
November 2012).
Discussion and implications
Jim’s primary finding of this action research is that Lesson
Study can have a strong
influence on the efficacy of preservice mathematics teachers.
There is some research
that supports his claim. Sibbald (2009) found that through
sharing ideas, resources,
and gaining an understanding of different teaching techniques
during the Lesson
Study process, preservice teachers improved their efficacy.
Lesson Study provided a
means to increase collaboration during planning lessons and the
ability to receive
feedback and revise those lessons. The preservice teachers also
were able to teach
multiple times in Jim’s methods classroom and then in the field-
experience
classroom and receive feedback that seemed to influence their
efficacy to teach
mathematics.
Jim found that a key factor in establishing the confidence of the
preservice

38. teachers was the direct connection from the field-experience
school to his methods
classroom. Lesson Study provided an effective bridge from
Jim’s methods class to
the field-experience classroom. Jim noticed that by teaching the
same lesson in his
class before doing so in the field-experience classroom the
preservice teachers
Educational Action Research 509
gained confidence. This is critical because preservice teachers
often do not see the
connection between their methods courses and their field
experience (Darling-
Hammond 2006; Lampert and Ball 1999). There is strong
evidence that incorporat-
ing Lesson Study in methods classrooms directly linked to field
experience has
benefitted preservice teachers’ development (Carrier 2011;
Chassels and Melville
2009; Sims and Walsh 2008).
Lewis (2009) divides the growth of Lesson Study participants
into three cate-
gories: development of knowledge, development of
interpersonal relationships, and
development of personal qualities and dispositions. Although
Lewis’ study involved
inservice (practicing) teachers, this study showed gains in
similar areas for his pre-
service teachers. First, the preservice teachers in Jim’s study
did develop their
knowledge of mathematics teaching through planning multiple

39. lessons and revising
those lessons after receiving feedback. Second, the preservice
teachers in his class
also experienced a growth in their interpersonal relationships
through collaboratively
planning and critiquing lessons with their peers and field-
experience teacher. Third,
the preservice teachers discovered more about their personal
teaching style through
being able to practice-teach multiple times in Jim’s methods
classroom and in the
high school classroom, which seems to have positively impacted
their confidence.
This action research has several implications for teacher
education. Programs in
teacher education need to be designed to help preservice
teachers develop the ability
to learn from teaching that will enable them to grow beyond
their university experi-
ence (Darling-Hammond and Hammerness 2005). Some research
argues that con-
nected field experiences provide preservice teachers with a
‘pedagogy of
investigation’ to experience some of the realities of teaching
through real practice
(Ball and Cohen 1999, 13). In fact, preservice teachers report
being most influenced
by their field experiences due to the connection between their
coursework and field-
work (Darling-Hammond 2006; Feiman-Nemser 1983; Lampert
and Ball 1999;
Tabachnik, Popkewitz, and Zeichner 1979–1980). Jim’s
preservice teachers in this
study were able to get a small taste of teaching in an actual high
school classroom

40. before they entered their student-teaching experience. Pedagogy
that is gradually
integrated into the field experience allows preservice teachers
the opportunity to
learn from actual teaching rather than theory (Sims and Walsh
2008).
This study transformed Jim’s practice as a teacher-educator.
Applying supportive
action research principles can ‘re-energize’ instructors and
‘help them recapture
some of their old enthusiasm for the teaching/learning process’
(Patthey and
Thomas-Spiegel 2013, 482). Jim’s action research using Lesson
Study as part of his
methods classroom has given him a new focus on his role as a
practitioner and
researcher. He has become more of a facilitator when teaching
his methods classes.
He wants to continue to conduct action research cycles each
semester in his methods
classroom to refine his practice using Lesson Study. Jim is now
a firm believer in
the value of Lesson Study in preservice teacher education.
Jim realizes that besides improving his own practice as a
method’s instructor,
another purpose of action research is to produce knowledge that
will be useful to
other educators (Somekh and Zeichner 2009). His hope is that
this article will add
to the body of knowledge in the area of action research related
to the use of innova-
tions, in this case Lesson Study, for the improved preparation of
teachers. Action
research is not only about learning but knowledge production

41. that teacher-re-
searchers learn from their experience and ‘make it accessible to
others’ (McTaggart
1994, 317). Future practitioners learn about their professions
through what Shulman
510 J. Mostofo and R. Zambo
(2005) calls ‘signature pedagogies’. Novices in a profession are
instructed in three
fundamental dimensions of their field, ‘to think, to perform, and
to act with
integrity’ (2005, 52). Jim believes that the preservice teachers
in this study were
allowed to grow in all three of these areas through the
implementation of this
innovation. First, they were asked to ‘think’ throughout the
innovation as they
collaboratively planned mathematics lessons for instruction in
our class and eventu-
ally the field-experience classroom. They also were continually
asked to analyze
their own teaching as well as the instruction of their peers and
mentors. Second, the
preservice teachers were then asked to ‘perform’ what they had
learned during their
actual instruction in the methods classroom and field-experience
classroom. Third,
the preservice teachers were asked to ‘act with integrity’
because they had to fit into
their future place of work (the high school classroom). They had
to dress and act
professionally during their time in the field experience. One of
the goals of this

42. study was to prepare the preservice teachers for an
‘accomplished and responsible
practice in the service of others’ through the field experiences
and expose them to
the ‘practices and values of a field’ (Shulman 2005, 53).
Jim found that the results of this study connected strongly with
the theoretical
framework from Vygotsky’s Space. The preservice mathematics
teachers in this study
demonstrated the movement from stage one of Vygotsky’s
Space (individual ways of
thinking) to stage two (transforming their thinking into their
own work). The preser-
vice teachers were able to take the collaboratively planned
lesson and modify it to fit
their own individual style as they individually taught the lesson.
They also moved
into stage three of Vygotsky’s Space when they revised their
lesson and published it
as their own final version during their field-experience lessons.
Using action research
to implement Lesson Study has greatly enhanced the
effectiveness of Jim’s secondary
mathematics classroom. More importantly, the efficacy of his
preservice teachers was
greatly improved through this process. Additional and expanded
cycles of action
research are needed in order to establish whether Lesson Study
provides preservice
teachers with the ability to move to Vygotsky’s final stage of
‘conventionalization,’
where they implement this new practice individually in the
future.
Disclosure statement

43. No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.
ORCID
Jameel Mostofo http://orcid.org/0000-0003-3491-7063
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51. 4
Action Research Study Report
Insert your Name Here
School of Education, Capella University
EDD8040: Research Design for Practitioners
Insert the Instructor’s Name Here
Insert the Assignment Due Date Here
Important Writing Instructions
This assignment needs be written in the third person voice. Do
not write in the first-person voice (I . . .). There should be none
of you and your voice in this assignment or the course project.
However, for those questions that ask you your opinion or how
something applies to your Applied Improvement Project, you
can answer in the first-person voice. Do not use awkward
language such as The researcher . . . or The learner when
referring to yourself. Do not refer to yourself unless you are

52. answering those questions that ask you your opinion or how
something applies to your Applied Improvement Project. Do
not write in the second person voice (writing that uses the
language you or your).
Always present the study and other literature with past tense
verbs (APA 6th ed. p. 78); for example: Mostofo and Zambo
(2015) conducted . . .
Scholarly writing is meant to be read and interpreted literally.
Please avoid slang, colloquialisms, anthropomorphisms, and
conversational writing (refer to APA p. 68). Instead be clear,
precise, and accurate.
At the doctoral level, most of your writing should involve
summarizing or paraphrasing the literature. However, for an
assignment like this one in which you conduct an in-depth
review and analysis of a single study, there will be instances
when you need to use a direct quote. For direct quotes with
fewer than 40 words, put quotation marks around the quoted
text and include within the in-text citation, the author’s name,
year, and page or para. number from which the quote came. For
direct quotes with 40 or more words, put in block format (See
APA p. 92 for examples) and include within the in-text citation,
the author’s name, year, and page or para. number from which
the quote came.
There might be instances in which you use a direct quote that
came from the article’s literature review. If the article’s
authors use a quote or cite another author and you want to use
that text as a direct text, be sure to quote your authors as the
secondary sources. Here is an example of a direct quote using
Kim (2015) as the secondary source:
Zula and Chermack (2007) stated “HRD academicians have
virtually ignored human capital theory” (as cited in Kim, 2015,
p 8). Please note that you do not include Zula and Chermack in
your reference citations. Only include Kim (2015) in your
reference citations.
Here is another example in which paraphrasing is used: Not
much research has been conducted on the impact of human

53. capital on organizational performance (Cho & McLean, 2000, as
cited in Kim, 2015). Again, do not include Cho and McLean in
your reference citations. Only include Kim (2015) in your
reference citations.
Do not write with bullet points. Instead use complete sentences
developed within coherent paragraphs. Use transitional
language to smoothly move the flow of the thought.
Apply APA formatting rules and adhere to APA writing style
guidelines.
Here is an important self-assessment final step to help ensure
you do as well as you can with the assignment: Self-assess your
assignment by reviewing the corresponding scoring guide and
compare the distinguished column criteria to your draft and
revise as necessary.
Please remove these instructions before posting and write your
sections in black font.
Introduction
Briefly identify the action research study by following APA
writing style, which means citing the authors’ last names and
year of publication. When identifying and discussing the study
do not include the article’s title in your text as that is not how
APA style writing is done. The title can be found in the
reference citations below. Instead follow APA writing style and
include only the author’s last name and the year the article was
published (refer to APA pp. 174-175 and p. 177 Table 6.1).
Briefly describe the key features of the action research study.
Describe the purpose of the study. Did the study attempt to
resolve a problem or improve a process? Identify the variables
and/or contextual factors. List the research questions ensuring
that if you use direct quotes that you use quotation marks and
an in-text citation. Describe how the study represents and
embodies an action research approach. Refer to your Stringer
(2014) text pp. 5-13.
Research Theory Framework
Briefly summarize the research-theory framework. Upon what
theory or model or previous research is the action research

54. study positioned? or put another way: What theory or model
and or previous research was used to describe the foundation for
this action research study? Also describe the contextual factors
and related research.
In addition, answer the following questions (note – please do
not remove the five questions):
1. Mostofo and Zambo (2015) chose Vygotsky Space as the
theoretical framework. Additionally, later in the article, the
authors asserted that,” Jim’s goal was to create an innovation
that allowed preservice teachers the opportunity to teach more
in the methods classroom before teaching in the field-
experience classroom and to systematically investigate the
effect of this” (p. 499). Based on the chosen theoretical
framework, reflect on the degree to which you think this
framework was appropriate for and aligned to the intended
purpose of this action research project?
2. Mostofo and Zambo (2015) collaborated with a variety of
colleagues to develop this action research intervention. In light
of this process, reflect on what potential roles stakeholder
collaboration might have on the conceptualization and
development of your AIP?
Methodology
Briefly describe the study sample (number of participants,
where they were studied, and their demographics). Describe the
intervention and the cyclical nature of the study. Describe the
study's instruments to collect quantitative and/or qualitative
data (note that the primary instrument through which data are
collected, analyzed, described, understood and interpreted is the
research – the researcher is the primary instrument), and the
procedures used to collect and analyze the data. Note how
threats to validity and any ethical considerations were
addressed, referring to the Creswell and Creswell (2018) text
and/or your CITI training. If the threats to validity and ethical
issues and considerations were not discussed, that omission is a
weakness and limitation in the study and indicate that these
were missing.

55. In addition, answer the following questions:
3. What are your reflections on collecting and analyzing
qualitative data to demonstrate the impact of a potential AIP?
Results
Include a comprehensive summary of the major findings of the
study. Remember – at the doctoral level you should use direct
quotes sparingly because the bulk of your writing should consist
of summarizing and paraphrasing.
In addition, answer the following question:
4. Was the data analysis sufficient to verify the impact of the
intervention? Why or why not?
Discussion/Conclusion
Describe how Mostofo and Zambo’s findings fit into the
systems literature (the term systems literature refers to the
related relevant literature presented in the study’s literature
review). In other words, what theoretical concepts, assumptions
and or expectations from the literature review were confirmed
by the findings and what does that confirmation mean?
Describe the strengths and limitations of the findings. How
might the study have been improved? Describe Mostofo and
Zambo’s recommendations for future research and implications
for practice.
In addition, answer the following question:
5. Based on the recommendations for further research or any
other aspect of the study, describe how an Applied Improvement
Project could be developed to address the issue being described
or a similar issue. What intervention might be implemented for
preservice teachers related to your area of interest or discipline?

56. References
References go on a separate page. Ensure references are in the
hanging indent format and are properly APA formatted; refer to
APA Publication Manual 6th edition (2010) Chapter 7 for
guidance and examples. Please remove these instructions
before posting and write your sections in black font.
Mostofo, J., & Zambo, R. (2015). Improving instruction in
mathematics methods classroom through action research.
Education Action Research, 23(4), 497-513.
doi:10.1080/09650792.2015.1019903
Stringer, E. T. (2014). Action research: A handbook for
practitioners (4th ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.