Action Research

Training Programme for District Functionaries on conducting Action Research

This project is intended to district functionaries of Madhya Pradesh, Chhattishgarh, Gujarat and Goa.

Objectives:

1.	To prepare educational functionaries for helping teachers in conducting classroom research.

2.	To develop teachers as researchers.

Methodology:

This project will be organized in three levels and in two phases. The levels indicate the training centers and classrooms. It is a replicable training project, where Regional Institute of Education, Bhopal at regional level introduced a training model and is replicated at District Institutes of Education and Training at district level ultimately reaching to schools when teachers conduct action research in their classrooms. The phases indicate the stages of conducting action research, viz., identification of classroom problem, planning the experiment, conducting the experiment, recording the evidences and reporting the experiences.

Level – I: In the first level district functionaries/DIET faculty will be oriented at RIE, Bhopal. All the necessary inputs required to train primary teachers in conducting action research will provided in two training programs. These training programs in a workshop mode will be conducted at different stages of action research, viz., selection of problem and preparation of action research proposal; preparation of design and tools; and data analysis and report writing. At every stage of action research, the outcomes of the work carried out will be brought to the RIE, Bhopal. After thorough discussion the classroom problems, proposals, experimental design, tools, data analysis and reporting will be finalized at RIE level

Level – II: In the second level, district functionaries/DIET faculty will help selected primary teachers in conducting action research. At this level district functionaries/DIET faculty will train selected teachers and help them in locating the problem, preparation of action research proposals, preparation of tools, conducting the experiment, collecting the evidences, data analysis and report writing. In the first training program DIET faculty orient primary teachers in selecting the problem and preparation of action research proposal. Then teachers will go to their schools to locate their classroom problems and prepare action research proposals. District functinaries/DIET faculty help the teachers in stating the problem, in preparation of proposals, preparation of design and tools. The second training program on analysis of data and report writing will be organized after conducting the experiment and collection of data. District functinaries/DIET faculty assist the teachers in analyzing their data and report writing. At this level district functionaries/DIET faculty besides conducting training programs to selected primary teachers will also provided support to them while conducting action research through continuous monitoring and supervision.

Level – III: All the selected teachers after completion of each training program conduct action research in their classrooms. After first training programs on identification of problem, preparation of action research proposal, preparation of design and tools, teachers will prepare their experimental design and tools. District functionaries/DIET faculty help them in preparing design and tools. Teachers then conductthe action research and collect the data/evidences.

Level – I RIE, Bhopal Level – II DIETs

Level – III School

This project will be carried out in two phases as per the stages of action research. In these two phases the activities/tasks pertaining to concern, planning and execution of action research will be carried out. Along with district functionaries/DIET faculty, some primary teachers will also participate in this project. In this two phased training,RIE faculty will show a model transaction and feedback procedure to be followed in helping primary teachers to conduct action research, so that distrtict functionaries/DIET faculty can do the same at II level of training and supervision.

Phase - I: In this phase all the inputs required for selection of the classroom problem, designing the experiment and preparation of action plan were provided to the participants. A five-day workshop will be organized for this purpose during 8 - 12 September 2008. The following inputs will be provided in this workshop:

•	Concept of Action Research •	Action Research –Process •	Action Research Cycle •	Classroom Problems	- Concerns •	Scientific Method •	Experimental research •	Nature & Treatment of Variables •	Tasks Ahead •	Hypothesizing •	Locating New Practices/Change in Action •	Identification of Variables •	Experimental Designs •	Designing the Experiment •	Procedures of Collecting Evidences •	Preparation of Action Plan/Proposals •

Phase – II: In this phase the district functionaries/DIET faculty will be acquainted with Recording Evidences, Data Entry, Data Treatment, Report Writing and preparation of Abridged Version of their action research experiences. A five-day workshop was organized to complete their reports. District functionaries/DIET faculty will finalize their action research reports and share their experiences in this workshop. This enhance their confidence and in turn they will be motivated to continue their endeavors in conducting classroom researches to improve their classroom practices. The second workshop will be organized in the month of December 2008.

Awareness and Competencies Development: The purpose of this project is to develop teachers as researchers. In order to accomplish this objective, it is necessary to develop awareness about action research and to develop competencies required for conducting action research.

Awareness:

This project attempts to develop awareness on the following aspects that are essential for transforming teachers as researchers. This program attempts to facilitate primary teachers to conduct action research by providing academic support at various stages of conducting action research. This will help the teachers to obtain experience in conducting their classroom researches. Consequent to the emphasis given in Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (an Indian endeavor to achieve universalisation of elementary education, popularly denoted as SSA) for conducting action research, the functionaries of SSA are to be trained to help primary teachers in conducting their classroom researches. Various aspects considered under awareness are listed below.

Theoretical Perspectives: Concept of Action Research, Scientific Method & Experimental Research, Experimental Designs, Tasks Ahead and Nature of Variables.

Concern: Defining the Concerns, Change in Action and Hypotheses.

Planning: Designing the Experiment, Preparation of Action Plan, Proposal Format, Preparation of Proposal, Coding and Activity Diary.

Execution: Treatment of Variables, Collecting Evidences, Recording Evidences, Data Treatment, Data Entry and Preparing Spread Sheet.

Competencies:

It is felt that besides awareness if specific competencies are developed, primary teachers could fully be transformed into researchers. This program attempts to develop competencies required for conducting action research. The competencies that were considered for developing among primary teachers in this program are as listed below. Concern: Critical observation of classroom practices, Self-reflection, Identification of gap between thought (plan) and action (instruction), Analysis of probable causes for the gap, Locating the inadequacies of the present practice, Locating the target group and Describing the concern (the aspect to be improved – teaching or learning or both)

Planning: Deciding the new practice (change in action to address the concern), Arriving at assumptions (action hypothesizing), Identification of variables, Treatment of variables, Designing the experiment (experimental designs), Identification of tools to collect evidences and Preparation of action plan (classroom/action research proposal)

Execution: Preparation of tools, Recording the evidences, Scheduling the recording procedures, Data entry (computer operations), Treatment of data/evidences and Reporting the experiences