I have already built the rationale for the choice of action research methodology in Chapter Four. I would reiterate my preference for this methodology by discussing some important aspects of it before discussing and narrating the intervention phase of the action research. This will help in understanding how far I have been able to work according to the action research framework to my commitment to improvement.
The investigation for this research has taken place in the real world for practical improvement, which has generated living educational theory. The following questions will further clarify the research framework. I carried out my research, bearing in mind the eight questions set by McNiff, et al. (1996, p. 36):
1. What is your research focus?
2. Why have you chosen this issue as a focus?
3. What kind of evidence can you produce to show what is happening? (Evidence 1) 4. What can you do about what you find?
5. What kind of evidence can you produce to show that what you are doing is having an impact? (Evidence 2)
6. How do you evaluate that impact?
7. How will you ensure that any judgements you might make are reasonably fair and accurate?
8. What will you do then?
I will briefly reply to these questions with reference to my research before moving to the data presentation of the second phase of action research. The answers will show my approach and understanding of action research steps, and my commitment for practical improvements. Following these answers, there is a detailed account of what happened during the second phase.
6.2.1 What is your research focus?
The primary focus of the study is to improve the language learning patterns of students through innovative teaching methods with a participatory action research process; it also aims at improving my own teaching skills and of those participating, including Teacher C.
I have kept a record of my journal to track the progress of teaching and learning, which highlights the events that contributed to the achievement or failure of my study. I have also kept records of the teaching from both the classes (English Department and Biochemistry Departments) through an observation inventory and feedback of an observer through interview, which provided critical assessment on the effectiveness of the action. Subsequent lessons were planned according to the critical feedback from the observer, my own reflection, the feedback of the practitioner, and the students’ interviews.
6.2.2 Why have you chosen this issue as a focus?
There are personal reasons for taking up the issue of educational improvement for equal opportunity of the participants inside the class for all learners in a public sector university where I am working as a teacher. First, my commitment to improving learning conditions in a public sector institute is in response to affecting factors for education including, the large number of students, lack of teacher training and poor infrastructure. Secondly, I have also chosen this issue due to my values of social justice and democracy for providing equal participation and opportunity to every student in the class. Thirdly, my focus is to improve my own teaching skills and that of the collaborator to cope with complex educational phenomenon and help bring improvement in learning conditions where the students from humble backgrounds took part in the study. I endeavour to achieve these goals, by improving the teaching method from traditional language teaching to CLT, which is widely considered to be more effective in language learning (Brown, 1994). Fourthly, the aim of the study is to introduce the culture of taking responsibility for one's own learning and teaching.
6.2.3 What kind of evidence can I produce to show what is happening (Evidence 1)?
I have the following set of data to show what is happening: • Critical reflection on class
• A journal entry • The observer's notes
• Teaching description (through video recording)
• Record of conversation with students, colleagues, participants and observers • Photos of classroom while teaching
• Video recording of teaching
6.2.4 What can I do about what I find?
I use the findings to reflect and improve the teaching to make learning more effective in subsequent classes. The final plan is to share the results of the research with my colleagues for improving learning in their classes. I hope that my findings will bring about a radical impact in changing the approach towards teaching in large classes.
6.2.5 What kind of evidence can I produce to show that what I am doing is having an impact?
I have developed a monitoring strategy for the action process to show its impact. I have frequently asked for feedback after each class from students, colleagues and the observer through questions which provide students’ reaction on teaching in both group A and B. The response to this gives the answers to the question of providing evidence to show the impact of what was happening. At the end of the intervention, I have also conducted interviews of the participants to evaluate the usefulness of the new teaching. I present my interpretation of their interviews and a verbatim account of their perception under various relevant themes to show the impact of intervention.
6.2.6 How will I evaluate that impact?
I will evaluate the impact of the teaching by comparing the conclusions drawn from the reconnaissance phase (Chapter 5), and on the basis of the evaluation criteria set for this research (see 4.5 and 4.11). The comparison will help in assessing how far the new teaching has been able to bring an impact on learning for the students. The students’ interviews at the end of the action, the critical commentary from observers and Teacher C comments will also help in evaluating the impact of the intervention. I will also discuss what the participants learnt from the new teaching method, and what their choice of teaching method is for future. All these factors and my own reflection will help in evaluating the impact.
6.2.7 How will I ensure that any judgments that I might make are reasonably fair and accurate?
My experience as a teacher at the UoSJP, and my research skills learned through the Research Method Modules, enable me to make a fair judgement about the impact of learning in the light of the evidence. My judgement comes through a discussion with the participants of the research and an analysis of the video recordings of the class. Multi-data collection processes will also establish the validity and fairness of my judgement.
6.2.8 What will I do then?
I have worked out a dissemination plan for the finding of the study. I will implement the new ways of teaching for large classes into practice for language teaching through my own teaching in future. I will help others adapt to research about their own teaching by encouraging a culture of dialogue with the colleagues. I will continue to write the results to share the process of how I brought the improvements. I also hope to build on this study and improve it with a continuous trail of new teaching. I will also provide objective evidence of what went right, and what went wrong. I will also give an account of how the process in practice can be improved. I hope this will have a positive contribution towards the practical improvement of teaching and learning.
After presenting the framework of action research, I move to the main sections of the chapter, which are based on the second phase of data collection which is mainly based on the action phase. First phase is already presented in chapter five.