Polina Vinogradova, American University, Washington, DC, USA

Action research is a classroom-based, cyclical, reflection-informed inquiry process in which teachers investigate and revise their teaching practices. The goal of an action research project can be to better understand what is going on in the classroom, revise regularly used teaching approaches, or introduce new practices. It allows teachers to establish explicit connections between what they believe about teaching and how they teach and generate more practical knowledge about teaching. Though action research can be an individual professional development project, it is conducive to productive teacher collaboration.

A collaborative action research project can be particularly useful for teachers in current times, when many of us have to move from familiar in-class English as an additional language (EAL) and TESOL instruction to teaching online or in hybrid formats as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Initially, in February–March 2020, the transition presented a significant challenge, regardless of whether we had had experience in online teaching or were completely new to it. Our classes were not set up for online instruction, and our students had not signed up for online learning. In a matter of several weeks, we needed to move our classes online; adjust our activities, assignments, and expectations; set up online assessments; and offer emotional and academic support to our students. Some educators needed to find ways to deliver virtual instruction to students with low technological literacy who did not have regular and reliable access to technology at home. Now, as the COVID-19 pandemic continues, we are reflecting on our online teaching as we are planning for the upcoming academic year. And though a collaborative action research project might seem like a big undertaking, it can provide a useful framework to revise our online teaching practices, set up a plan for reflection, and establish a system of additional collegial support.

In this article, I discuss main principles and stages of action research and offer a collaborative model that can be suitable for teachers in current teaching contexts, which may be uncertain and stressful. I describe three activities that teachers can engage in when planning their action research projects. 

Action Research for Deeper Understanding of Teaching

Action research is an important part of EAL teacher education and professional development (see Burns, 2009, 2010; Farrell, 2018). It is cyclical and includes “planning, acting, observing, and reflecting on an issue or problem in order to improve practice” (Farrell, 2018, p. 119). It can also be used to introduce a new technique, approach, or series of activities and, through this cyclical process, understand and evaluate how the innovation is working, what language learning outcomes it results in, and how language learners respond to it. Further, the purpose of conducting action research is to bring about a practical outcome that results in pedagogical and teacher transformation. Through action research, teachers engage in deep and reflective learning about themselves, their students, their teaching practices, and their teaching and learning settings (Farrell, 2018).

Action research projects involve two cycles, and Burns (2010) and Farrell (2018) suggest the following steps:

1. identifying an issue for the investigation
2. surveying current literature, talking to colleagues, and attending professional development events to understand how this issue has been studied
3. narrowing down the focus to make the project doable and meaningful
4. choosing methods to collect data
5. collecting data and analyzing and interpreting collected data
6. developing an action plan based on the findings 
7. engaging in the second cycle of reflective investigation in order to implement and evaluate this action plan

Both Burns (2010) and Farrell (2018) offer detailed steps and information on how to plan, engage in, and reflect on action research. In particular, Burns (2010) provides detailed guidelines, questions, and examples for planning and implementing an action research project.

Though useful, these stages might be difficult for EAL teachers to complete on their own, especially if they are new to action research. Now, when many of us are isolated, an action research project needs to be a collaborative collegial experience. Farrell (2018) finds collegial friendship and collaboration to be a great source of support in professional development. Engaging in action research planning with a group of colleagues will offer a more productive and reflective process. Keeping in mind recommendations and activities outlined by Burns (2010) and Farrell (2018), I offer three action research planning activities that can be completed with colleagues while preparing for the upcoming academic year.

Three Action Research Planning Activities That Invite Collaboration

1. Connecting Teaching Values and Beliefs With Teaching Practices

Examining our teaching practices and analyzing values and beliefs that inform them is a useful first step in preparing for an action research project. Collaborating on this activity is particularly helpful because it can yield rich conversations about our teaching values and beliefs and new perspectives on what we do in the classroom.

For example, the teachers can list several teaching acts that they often use in their teaching. After that, they can identify teaching values and beliefs that inform these teaching acts and discuss some overlaps and differences they observe. This collaborative brainstorming can be done virtually, synchronously or asynchronously, in a Google Doc or using a mind-mapping or brainstorming platform, like Padlet. This type of brainstorming has potential to start conversations about values and beliefs about various aspects of teaching—the concept of a method, ways of student engagement, classroom management, online synchronous or asynchronous teaching approaches, multilingual practices, and diverse representations in teaching materials, to name a few.

Toward the end of this activity, the teachers can identify a teaching practice that they would like to investigate further in their action research project. This could be a teaching practice they used when recently transitioning to online teaching, an often used practice that needs to be adjusted for online teaching, or a technique they have read or heard about and have been wanting to incorporate.

2. Writing Research Questions

Writing a clear, concise, and ethical research question (RQ) that has the capacity to elicit necessary data and information is a crucial step in action research preparation. Burns (2010) offers a useful checklist with questions, sample RQs, and explanations of their appropriateness for an action research project. She proposes the following questions to discuss when formulating RQs:

1. Does the question have the right scope?
2. Is the question closed or open-ended?
3. Is the question biased?
4. Does the question allow for a logical connection between the action and the outcome?
5. Does the question lend itself to data collection?
6. Does the question relate to current research?
7. Is the question ethical?
8. Is the question stated clearly and concisely? (Burns, 2010, pp. 32–33)

This process lends itself to a productive collaboration with colleagues, collective brainstorming of RQs, and work to narrow and refine them.

3. Establishing a Framework for Reflection

Reflection is an integral part of action research. At the beginning of the process, it allows the teachers to identify teaching practices they want to investigate. At the end, it provides space to reflect on the process and outcomes of the intervention. Here, I find the Describe-Analyze-Evaluate framework inspired by the classic Describe-Interpret-Evaluate exercise in intercultural communication (see Nam & Condon, 2009) particularly useful. Teachers can go over the questions (Table 1), discuss and analyze their teaching acts, and evaluate the outcomes at the beginning of the project and then again at the end, thus making the action research cycle complete. This is another collaborative activity for teachers that can be completed synchronously or asynchronously in a Google Doc or Padlet.

Table 1. Teacher Reflection Activity Following the Describe-Analyze-Evaluate Model

(Table adapted from Vinogradova & Ross, 2019)

The three action research planning activities presented in this article embrace teacher collaboration and create a framework for the teachers to reflect on their teaching practices, formulate clear and ethical RQs, and prepare to engage in deeper reflection at different stages of the two action research cycles.

Conclusion

Action research offers educators a framework to explore new teaching practices and approaches, monitor and reflect on them, and develop our own personal theory of practice. In times that require rapid action and adjustment, considering an action research project might seem intimidating and unreasonable. However, collaborating with colleagues through the action research process can yield productive explorations where teachers can learn a great deal about their teaching practices and find ways to prepare for a new teaching reality.

References

Burns, A. (2009). Action research in second language teacher education. In A. Burns & J. C. Richards (Eds.), The Cambridge guide to research in language teaching and learning (pp. 289–297). Cambridge University Press.

Burns, A. (2010). Doing action research in English language teaching: A guide for practitioners. Routledge.

Farrell, T. S. C. (2018). Reflective language teaching: Practical applications for TESOL teachers (2nd ed.). Bloomsbury Academic.

Nam, K. A, & Condon, J. (2009). The DIE is cast: The continuing evolution of intercultural communication’s favorite classroom exercise. International Journal of Intercultural Relations, 34, 81-87. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijintrel.2009.09.001

Vinogradova, P., & Ross, E. H. (2019). Fostering volunteer ESL teacher identity through reflection on apprenticeship of observation. TESOL Journal, 10, e480. https://doi.org/10.1002/tesj.480