Unit6ActionResearch

1、Action Research行动研究行动研究 Action research is undertaken in a school setting. In action research, practical strategies have been used by researchers to explore a practical problem with the aim to find the solution to a problem and it has been used to address issues of classroom teaching for some time.

2、It is a reflective process that allows for inquiry and discussion as components of the “research.” Often, action research is a collaborative activity among colleagues searching for solutions to everyday, real problems experienced in schools, or looking for ways to improve instruction and increase st

3、udent achievement. Rather than dealing with the theoretical, action research allows practitioners to address those concerns that are closest to them, ones over which they can exhibit some influence and make change. Burns (2000, p. 443) defines action research as the application of fact-finding to pr

4、actical problem-solving in a social situation with a view to improving the quality of action within it. It involves the collaboration and cooperation of researchers, practitioners and lay people（相关之人）. Action research is a form of self-reflective enquiry undertaken by participants in social (includi

5、ng educational ) situations in order to improve the rationality and justice of （a) their own social or educational practices, (b) their understanding of these practices, and the situations understanding of these practices, and (c ) the situations (and institutions) in which these practices are carri

6、ed out. (kemmis & Taggart, 1982:5)1.行动研究是一种系统的反思性探究活动；2.它由教师针对自己教学中的问题直接参与和开展调查与研究；3.行动研究需要一系列的步骤来完成；4.其目的是不断改进自己的教学，使教学达到最佳的效果，同时提高对教学过程的理解和认识。 行动研究是教师在教学的过程中，对自己的教学观念、所采用的教学方法、及由此所产生的教学效果进行反思，在反思中重新审视自己的教学观念，探讨、研究和改进教学方法，以进一步提高教学效果。 In education, action research is the process through which te

7、achers collaborate in evaluating their practice jointly, raise awareness of their personal theory, articulate (明确表达）a shared conception of values, try out new strategies to render the values expressed in their practice more consistent with the educational values they espouse（主张）, record their work i

8、n a form which is readily available to and understandable by other teachers, and thus develop a shared theory of teaching by researching practice (Elliott, 1991).According to Mills (2000), action research in education has the following advantages:It is used to investigate any issues concerned and en

9、courage change in the schools or in teaching.It promotes shared understandings and approaches.The actions are monitored, shared and developed by a group of people.Actions are refined and improved through the cycle of research.It encourages educators to reflect on their practices.It involves students

10、, teachers, co-teachers, parents or others and they build trust and support.It promotes a process of testing new ideas. Kurt Lewin (1946) describes action research as a spiral of steps. Each of which is composed of a cycle of planning, acting, observing and reflecting. This cycle will then move to t

11、he next cycle of re-planning, acting, observing, reflecting and the cycle continues. Lewins action research spiral cycle is as follows:PlanningReflectingActingObserving Revised PlanningReflectingActingObserving Action research process is owned and driven by teachers, students, co-teachers and others

12、. Classroom teachers normally choose a focus, collect data, reflect on and share their findings, plan for action, carry it out, check their results and plan for further action. This cycle of steps act, observe, reflect and plan supports ongoing improvement, validated by collecting and evaluating loc

13、al data. This cycle will be operated two or three times to finally solve the classroom teaching problems. 反思计划、实施和准备行动数据收集、分析评价结果Practical: It is aimed at dealing with real-world problems and issues, typically at work and in organisational settings.Change: Change is regarded as an integral （不可缺少的） p

14、art of research, both as a way of dealing with practical problems and as a means of discovering more about phenomena.Cyclical （循环的）（循环的）process: Research involves a feedback Loop（循环） in which initial findings generate possibilities for change which are then implemented and evaluated as a prelude（开端）

15、 to further investigation.Participation: Practitioners are the crucial people in the research process. Their participation is active, not passive. Action research is concerned with the aims of research and the design of the research, but does not specify any constraints （限制、约束）when it comes to the m

16、eans for data collection that might be adopted by the action researchers. In a qualified action research, a systematic reflection is needed. Action research is not just problem-solving, it also involves problem-posing by a quest to improve and understand the world by changing it and learning how to

17、improve it from the effects that has changed. Action research is research by practitioners themselves on their own work and how they improve what they do and they must be participants.Action research strategy is chosen： Develop students English teaching proficiency by teaching students theoretical c

18、oncepts of SFL. It is a classroom teaching process through which teachers and students collaborate in evaluating their teaching jointly, and teachers getting feedback from students. After having interacted with the students, raising awareness of their personal theory, developing new skills or new ap

19、proaches or revising teaching plans and exercises to solve problems with direct application to the classroom teaching and learning . The teachers articulate a shared conception of values and try out new strategies to render the values expressed in their teaching practice. The teachers and colleague

20、teachers observe while teaching and take notes of their work in a form which is readily available to and understandable by other teachers and thus develop a shared theory of teaching by researching practice. The cycle of these acts repeats several times until the students can understand and put the

21、SFL theoretical concepts into effective practice. reflection and observation of the classroom teaching; exploration and testing new ideas, methods, and materials; assessment of the effectiveness of the new approaches; sharing feedback with fellow team members; and making decisions about which new ap

22、proaches, instruction, and assessment plans. Action research is used in real situations to solve real problems. When the situation is too ambiguous to frame a precise research questionIt is chosen when circumstances require flexibility, the involvement of the people in the research, or change must t

23、ake place quickly or holistically (整体的、全面的）.It is often the case that those who apply this approach are practitioners who wish to improve understanding of their practice. Action Research is more of a holistic approach to problem-solving, rather than a single method for collecting and analyzing data.

24、 Thus, it allows for several different research tools: keeping a research journal document collection and analysisparticipant observation recordingsquestionnaire surveysstructured and unstructured interviewscase studiesIndividual Teacher research (Single classroomIssue)Collaborative action research

25、(Single classroom or several classrooms with common issue)School-wide action research (School issue,problem, or area of collective interest)District-wide action research(District issue, Organizational structures) Multiple sources of data are used to better understand the scope of happenings in the c

26、lassroom or erviewsportfoliosdiariesfield notesaudio tapesphotosmemos（备忘录）questionnairesfocus groupsanecdotal records (趣闻、轶事）journalsindividual fileslogs （日志）of meetingsvideotapescase studiessurveysrecords tests, report cards,attendanceself-assessmentsamples of student work, projects, perf

27、ormancesAnalyze and identify major themes. Depending upon the question, teachers may wish to use classroom data, individual data, or subgroup data. Some of the data are quantifiable and can be analyzed without the use of statistics or technical assistance.Other data, such as opinions, attitudes, or checklists, may be summarized in table form. Data that are not quantifiable can be reviewed holistically and important elements or themes can be noted. As a result of the action research project, Identify additional questions raised by the