Developing Pre-Service Teacher Professional Capabilities through Action Research

Abstract

There is a growing interest in pre-service teacher education programs on how to maximise the learning benefits of professional experience. This study attempts to discover how action research can be used as a vehicle to bridge the divide between theory and practice and to support pre-service teachers in the development of authentic professional knowledge. In this paper, we share the experiences of four pre-service teachers who undertook an action research study whilst on a ten-week professional experience placement in an Australian High School. The findings of the study indicate that preservice teachers see the benefit of being able to conduct an authentic study not only in terms of developing research skills, but also in order to reflect upon their strengths and areas of development in their own teaching. We argue that with a growing attentiveness to raising accountability across the sector, this approach prepares pre-service teachers for the Teacher Performance Assessment and the classroom.

The Development of a Reflective Teaching Model for Reading Comprehension in English Language Teaching

“…• In reflective teaching, various teaching methods and strategies can be applied and examined to help students learn more effectively (Kennedy-Clark, et al, 2018;Richards & Lockhart, 2005).…”

Empowering Current and Future Educators: Using a Scalable Action Research Module as a Mechanism to Promote High-Quality Teaching and Learning in STEM

“…More acutely, action research refers to the process by which educators actively work to improve their instruction through iterative cycles of: 1) planning an intervention; 2) implementing the intervention and collecting data on its effectiveness; 3) observing student outcomes through data analysis; and 4) reflecting upon the successes and shortcomings of their approach (Carr and Kemmis, 1986). The use of data by educators has been found to improve student achievement and conceptual understanding, especially in schools with higher proportions of disadvantaged students (Van Geel et al, 2016;Kennedy-Clark et al, 2018). Data-based decision making likewise contributes to the advancement of the educational enterprise as a whole, supporting large-scale reform initiatives that result in policy changes at the school-, district-, and region-wide levels (Campbell and Levin, 2009).…”

Challenges in Conducting Action Research: Experiences from Biology Teachers of a Province in Mindanao, Philippines

“…With the professionals' supervision, these pre-service teachers reflect on their practices, and they are given immediate and reliable feedback (Halim, Buang, & Meerah, 2010). It is argued that conducting AR while in practicum gives students engagement to an authentic assessment by linking theory to their developing classroom practice (Kennedy-Clark et al, 2018).…”