FIELD STUDY 2 Learning

Embedding Action
Episode Research for
Reflective Teaching

FS 2 2
To have a meaningful and successful accomplishment in this FS episode, be
sure to read through the whole episode before participating and assisting in your
FS 2 Resource Teacher’s class. Note all the information you will need and task you
will need to do before working on this episode.

Target Your Intended Learning Outcomes

At the end of this Learning Episode, I must be able to:
 be familiar about action research as a reflective teacher
 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 innovation 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.
Revisit the Infographic/s

There is a general agreement among action research community that action

research is about ACTION: taking action to improve practice and RESEARCH: 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, 1945; 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 was Stephen Corey (1953) 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 students. Sometime it is labelled 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 processes of observation,
reflection and inquiry lead 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 your mentor teacher has already done an Action Research. Now is
the opportunity for you to participate and assist in ways that you are capable of
doing.
Here is what you will do.

Making a List of Completed Action Research Titles by Teachers in the Field

1. Make a library or on-line 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 to
your mentor as reference.
Inventory of Sample Action Research Conducted by Teachers

List of Completed Action Research Titles Author/ Authors

Ex. Differentiated Instruction in Teaching

Mary Joy Olicia
English for Grade Four Class
1. The Effects of Online Distant learning
modalities in teaching araling panlipunan 9 in Roscila F. Musico
the new Normal.
2.The Effectiveness of flipped classroom
environment in improving learners academic
Mariel Give Gojo Cruz
Achievement in araling panlipunan an action
research.
3.Learning styles and attitudes of first Year
Nelson G. Agoyaoy
high school students in araling panlipunan
4.Effectiveness of blended learning in the
Dona Pilar C. Gonzaga
teaching araling panlipunan
5. Reason why students go to school late
Stephanie Roselle M. Silva
and their effects on studies.
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 1. Identified problem to be solved in title no.
research titles? Do the action research (AR) 1
titles imply problems to be solved? Yes
* Effects of online learning modalities on
____ No ____
teaching araling panlipunan 9 in this new normal
If YES, identify the problems from the title education.
you have given. Answer in the space
provided.
2. Identified problem to be solved in title no.
2
* The effectiveness of flipped classroom in
improving students academic performance in
araling panlipunan.

3. Identified problem to be solved in title no.

3
* The learning style and attitude of a first
year high school students studying araling
panlipunan.

4. Identified problem to be solved in title no.

4
* The effectiveness of blended learning in
teaching araling panlipunan.

5. Identified problem to be solved in title no.

5
* Student go to school late and their effects on
the studies.
2. What interpretation about action research Title of the Action Research:
can you make out of your answer in Question
The Effects of Online Distant learning
No. 1?
modalities in teaching araling panlipunan 9 in
the new Normal.
3. Write the Title and your interpretation of From the title, I think, the study will
the study from the title. determine the level of interest and
performance in learning araling panlipunan,
particularly among high school students.

4. What do you think did the author/s do I think the author/s……

with the identified problem as presented in
I think the authors conducted such research on
their titles?
their titles in order to learn more about the
problem and draw some conclusions before
seeking advice from experts.

Analyze
Action research seems easy and familiar. Since teaching seems to be full of
problematic situations and that the teacher has a responsibility of finding solution
for everyday problem 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:
___Copied from research books
1. From what source do you think, did ___From daily observation of their
the authors identify the problems of teaching practice.
their action research?
✔ From difficulties they observed of
their learners.
___From their own personal experience.
 ___From the told experiences of their
co-teachers.

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

Choices:
___Prepare me for my future job
___Get good grades in the course
___Learn and practice being an action
3. What benefit do you get as a student researcher
in FS 2 in understanding and doing action
research? ___ Improve my teaching practice
✔ Exposure to the realities in the
teaching profession
___Become a better teacher everyday

✔ By co-researching with my mentor

___By assisting in the design of the
intervention
4. In what ways, can you assist your
mentor in his/ her Action Research ___By assisting in the implementation of
Activity? 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 action research is difficult but interesting. Conducting action research
can assist future teachers in understanding what is going on in the classroom and
identifying ways to improve teaching and learning. They will be better prepared for
any challenges that may arise as a result of this. That is why teachers conduct
action research to identify problems and solve them through action, evaluation, and
reflection.

2. Have you realized that there is a need to be an action researcher as a future

teacher?
Yes ✔ No ___. If yes, complete the sentence below.
I realized that as a future teacher, I must be an action researcher in order to
determine the problem that need to be addressed and to solve it.

Write Action Research Prompts

OBSERVE
From what teaching principles of theories can this problem be anchored?
 I have observed and noticed that Action Research begins with a problem or a
problematic situation.
Write an example of a problematic situation that you have observed and
noticed. As I've observed in the class. Some students are not participating
in the class

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.
Probably the best solution for this problem is the teachers build the students
confident and self esteem. for students to participate in class discussion to
become interesting for students. There is a need collaboration between
students and teachers to be able to have productive results. And to be able
to learn the students and teachers must be responsible enough.
PLAN
What strategies, activities, and innovations can I employ to improve the
situation or solve the problem?
 As a future action researcher I can plan for an appropriate intervention like
conducting a training for teachers to help them improve their professional
and personal Competencies while also increasing students performance.
They should also monitor the students learning activities. And action
researcher I can plan for appropriate intervention like including games as
part of the lesson. Secondary grade level students tend to be attracted by
games, so in order for me to make them participate, it would be better to
include that in every discussion. Aside from that, visual aides and other
material should be colourful to easily gather their attention

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
Motivating students to be active on participating in the class
Work on my Artifacts
Your artifact will be an Abstract of a completed action research.
Improving Students’ Participation in Active Learning Methods: Group Discussions,
Presentations And Demonstrations: A Case of Madda Walabu University Second
Year Tourism Management Students of 2014

Sewnet Tesfaye, Kassegn Berhanu

Department of Tourism Management, School of Business and Economics, Madda
Walabu University, Bale, Robe, Ethiopia

Abstract

Education is a means by which people develop and acquire knowledge, skills, values
and attitudes. It paves the way for development and plays vital role (serve as a
catalyst) in bringing socio-cultural, economical,technological, political and
environmental advancements. The general objective of this study was to improve
Second Year Tourism Management Students’ participation in active learning methods
(especially in group discussions, presentations and demonstrations) and identify
challenges that hamper students not to participate actively in class and off class
learning sessions.
Descriptive research design was devised and longitudinal research design was
employed. Questionnaires were distributed for all 42 second year tourism
management students, and of which 35, were returned (properly filled) and valid
for analysis. Secondary and primary sources of data had been used to interpret the
results. To analyze quantitative data, descriptive statistical analyses of mean and
standard deviation were computed using SPSS version 20.0. The findings of the
study revealed that 75% of the students assured that group discussion gives them
more chance to participate freely in the class than demonstrations and
presentations. The study also indicateded that the major challenges that hinder
learners not to participate actively in group discussions, presentations and
demonstrations were shortage of time, poor academic background, shyness, poor
communication skills, requirements for presentations and demonstrations (formal
attires, materials) and lack of preparation. The researchers have provided
solutions such as to improve the student’s attendance, contribution and
responsibility for their learning, the first step is to motivate them by calling their
name and teachers had better be friendly, sociable and approachable to learners. It
is also helpful that asking students to present material to their peers (with their
peers involved in the assessment) would alert all the students to be best presenter
or demonstrator of the day which in return increase their subject-specific
knowledge; and reinforce their immediate and the wider group’s identity.