Practitioner Research and its Role in Education
Discuss about the Action Research Empowers School Librarians.
Practitioner Research has long-standing tradition in relation to education and it helps in raising the voices of the teachers in relation to educational research. It helps in the creation of opportunity for the teachers so that they can understand the complexity in relation to teaching along with learning. Practitioner Research can play an important role in It helps in providing vehicle for the teachers that enables them in questioning that of educational status quo. Its roots can be traced to John Deway in the year 1930. Practitioner Research movement was able to gain popularity in 1940 on account of work by Kurt Lewin. It was able to garner attention in 1950 with the help of work done by Stephen Corey. The movement has evolved in the present age and the reshaping was done on the basis of its relationship to that of the era within which it existed. The professional context that will be talked about in-length in the course of this essay relates to that of the classroom where the teacher can make use of the scientific methods in order to improve the quality of education that will be imparted in the classroom.
Practitioner Research can play an integral role in influencing the policies along with practices related to education. There are many places within the world where the practices are divorced from the experience of the teachers within the classroom. Practitioner Research can help in engaging the teachers so that they can adjust their policy to that of the local context. The teacher by involving himself in the practice of research enquiry can develop bottom-up-process that can help in bringing the teachers within the inquiry circles so that different approaches can be formulated in relation to curriculum pedagogy.
Practitioner Research involves a single person or more than that who act both as practitioners and are researching into the arena of practice. Practitioner Research can help in solving problems and it can help in enhancing the aspect of practice (Kossyvaki, Jones & Guldberg, 2016). Practitioner Research can provide the teachers with the chance of investigation so that they can learn from the practices. It can help in the process of enriching of understanding in relation to the practices.
There are many kinds of variances in relation to practitioner research and they have been named in different manner. They are called action research, practitioner enquiry, self-study and teacher enquiry (Wardrip & Herman, 2018). Teacher enquiry along with practitioner research movement is flourishing in many countries of the world. Scientific Research plays an important role in the present age in determination of the action along with the pedagogy pertaining to the teachers. Human interaction in the classroom does not always unfold in a manner that is predictive. The teachers in the present age needs something that can balance scientific research along with that of real world pertaining to the schools. The teachers in the present age need that of practice-based evidence that can help them greatly in relation to their professional context (Robins, 2015). The practice based evidence can be produced by taking recourse to practitioner research that is different in nature from that of experimental research. Practitioner Research does not lay emphasis on the aspect of prediction but it provides insight in the arena of teaching that can help in making changes.
How Practitioner Research Influences Policies and Practices in Education
Practitioner Research has undergone phenomenal growth in the present age as a kind of teacher professional learning. The administrators in an institution use it as a practice for achieving the educational reforms. The world along with the society is undergoing changes and any kind of practice is hence dynamic and transitory. Practitioner Research will be re-modelled on the basis of the context within which it exists. The practices are made in different time along with place and they can be reproduced (Redondo, 2017). Practitioner Research is important within the professional climate and practitioner research has become the main professional learning strategy in the present age.
The under-funding in relation to educational research has resulted in the lack of research-minded practitioners. The research practitioners can join that of the instructional workforce in many kinds of guises. This helps in undercutting in relation to field-driven demand in relation to quality research. The allocation of a large proportion in relation to educational expenditure and increasing research participation can help in solving many problems pertaining to education capacity (Hoffman & Novak, 2017). The high quality of instructional workforce can help in relation to practitioner research. It should be stated that there are other factors apart from that of “action research” that is needed within the classroom. Experimental ethos in relation to iterative assessment along with classroom practice revision can be carried out with the help of collaboration pertaining to the researchers (Pippin, 2015). The practice-minded researcher should get concomitant recognition in relation to new ways that can help the researchers in interacting with the practitioners. The education practice has been found to be localized in relation to student interactions or that of student group. Any kind of general conclusion should be adapted in relation to the specific local condition along with capacity before any kind of result expectation. It necessitates hard work in relation to thinking with the help of options and evaluates them. It is on the basis of conditions along with resources that can help in arriving at a path pertaining to action. Localization pertaining to research knowledge needs a lot more than that of manual along with textbook (McNiff, 2016). Excellence cannot be achieved with the help of one jump and reflective modulation can pave the path of experimentation that can lead to optimization in relation to the gains. The graduates in relation to the learning partnerships can experiment on the basis of demand within that of classroom situation. The graduates can make use of them so that they can gain understanding in relation to the experiments and they can be revised for that of student learning (Wardrip & Herman, 2018).
Different Forms and Variations of Practitioner Research
It has however been seen that practitioner research has not been able to move beyond the satisfaction of the technical knowledge interest. It has been popularized in the present age in the form of an implementation tool instead of that of a social change method that has far-reaching repercussions. Practitioner research can help in the aspect of attaining a particular goal that has been set by the government. In practitioner research, the teacher finds out the most efficient mean that can help in the realization of educational objectives. In Australia, this can be seen in relation to Quality Teaching Program (Clark-Wilson & Hoyles, 2016). It is mediated with the help of state-based agencies within both governmental along with non-governmental sector. The conditions in relation to the grantees can be called highly specific and there is little room in respect to variance. It has been found that problem identification along with re conceptualisation is denied on account of the dearth of provision in relation to critique features pertaining to the policy. This problem mainly arises on account of the influence of government and not because of practitioner (Penuel et al., 2014).
Practitioner Research can thus be stated to be an impossible goal and the communicative environment makes it difficult to attain the objective. Ideal Speech Situation of Habermas points to the fact that all the participants should have equal opportunity in relation to participation. They should have equal right in relation to assertion and in raising questions in relation to normative claims. Communication cannot be limited on account of any kind of status difference and primary motivation should be of reaching a consensus in relation to truth statements. There is connection between ethics along with quality in relation to qualitative research (Bang et al., 2016). It has however been seen that little information has been produced in relation to ethics within that of practitioner research. There are four kinds of criteria that can serve as evaluating factors in relation to action research. The first considers the alternative perspectives and whether the understandings in relation to research have undergone cross-checking against that of the perspectives. Secondly, it should be tasted with the help of practical action. It should be checked whether the understandings have been tested with the help of practical action The third criteria pertain to that of ethical justification- whether the research methods are compatible with that of the educational aims. The fourth aspect relates to that to the research design and whether the data collection method has been compatible with the teaching demands (Cunningham et al., 2015).
Practitioner Research and the Need for Practice-Based Evidence
Action Research is a particular form in relation to practitioner research. It acts as an effective model in relation to continuing professional development and it helps in embodying the idea of a teacher of being a lifelong learner (Barab et al., 2007). The terms practitioner research along with action research can be used interchangeably. In action research, the teacher within the classroom acts as the case as in traditional academic research.
There are three kinds of Action Research Models. They are technical action research, practical action research and emancipator action research. In the event of technical action research, the practitioner does not act as the main collaborator. Main researcher identifies that of action research problem and they propose a kind of intervention. In the case of practical action research the researcher along with practitioner identifies that of the research problem. The Emancipatory Action Research sees to it that the practitioners work together and collectively identify the problems (Bang et al., 2016).
Interactive multimedia are used in case of Action Research in order to support education and it can prove to be useful in enhancing the learning ability pertaining to the students. In a particular instance, multimedia system that was being used was in the form of Information Systems Explorer (ISEI) that was a multi-media slideshow. It can help in the stimulation of the interest of the students by the usage of audio-visual capability. It can help in the process of presentation of lecture. ISEI was used that can help in the investigation of the learning abilities of the students (Gravemeijer & van Eerde, 2009). It replaced the usage of overhead projector. Feedback was received from the students that pointed out to the fact that a large number of the students were able to learn quickly with the adoption of this method and it helped them in understanding the concepts in a vivid manner (Andre, Durksen & Volman, 2017). The feedback brought out the fact that a large number of the students wanted to be in a kind of environment that had ISEI along with that of audio-visual presentation.. The sytem proved to be helpful in increasing the interest of the students in respect to the topics that were covered. They were able to visualize the concepts in a manner that was vivid. It was found out that dim lighting along with the technical interruptions were responsible for interfering with the concentration pertaining to the students. It was found that most of the students wanted access to the slideshow to facilitate the purpose of revision. It was found that the students were preferring presentation to that of text book learning (Lesha, 2014). The system did not prove to be of much merit in helping the students so that they could understand how the information systems were related to that of business practice.
The Growth of Practitioner Research as a Teacher Professional Learning Strategy
Literature review suggested that the problems pertaining to information system were difficult of being visualized. It was difficult to assess to integrate the information system concept and the application of the knowledge. The team thought that visual interface can be better designed by making use of a dynamic storyboard that can help in forming the mental model of the learners. Information Systems Explorer made use of innovative concepts that helped in the delivering of knowledge to that of the students (Cobb et al., 2013). Interactive multimedia can provide a virtual reality environment. This can help the students in learning regarding basic information system by the navigation of a simulated office. The system can be helpful for the students as it can help them in interacting with the objects that are inside that of the virtual office. It can help them in reviewing the information that is associated with the object and responding to the questions that were asked (Best & Kahn, 2016).
This kind of system was integrated within the lectures in the course of one semester. The students had been assigned tasks in relation to different kinds of case situations. It focussed on the application of the information system that can help them in solving the business problem within a simulated company. Objective along with subjective data had been collected after each training session by taking recourse to questionnaire survey along with interview (Feldman et al., 2018). The students had been provided with cognitive tests and they were classified on the basis of cognitive style along with the management abilities.
The results brought out the fact that ISEII system had been responsible for increase of the interest of the students pertaining to learning. This system can prove to be greatly effective in the event of the user being provided with that of clear goals. The right amount of interactivity is an important factor that can help in the field of action research. The students were losing concentration when the earlier system lacked that of questions that can help in getting feedback in relation to the subject. Evaluation helped in revealing that the process of learning can be enhanced in the event of the system-design being learner-centered (McNiff, 2016). It should be designed for serving the purpose of the users based on their individual needs.
The fluid mechanics course used to comprise of more materials than that could be taught within that of the mentioned time frame. The surveys conducted revealed that the workload in relation to the course was heavy. The instructors became concerned regarding the ability of the students in relation to retention. Plan was in relation to modification of the curriculum and the course was split into that of two courses. This process can prove to be helpful in laying stress on the aspect of tutorials as compared to the lectures (Kidwai & Iyengar, 2017). It was decided that after the ending of each tutorial the students would be asked questions. There were many students who started to ask questions outside that of the lectures. It was found that that there were improvements in relation to the course but the instructor felt that additional things can help in improving the course.
Challenges in Practitioner Research
The Action Research project can prove to be helpful in training the effective writers pertaining to business English with the help of interactive feedback. The instructors had found problems pertaining to business writing of the students. It was found that their writing was not able to meet the purpose and there were important information that was missing (Schön, 2017). The tone was often found to be inappropriate and the phrases were inserted in a manner that was inappropriate. There were typological along with surface errors that showed that the students were unable to edit their own work.
A writing course was designed that can help the students in getting rid of the problems in relation to business letters. The situation analysis check list were helpful for the students as it helped them in thinking about the different facets in relation to the writing situation. Reader was brought within the editing situation by taking recourse to audience simulation. A different students was asked to role-play that of the reader and it helped in setting the expectations in relation to the letter.
This kind of action research can prove to be helpful in allowing the students that can help them in interacting with different objects within that of the virtual office. It can help in the process of reviewing of information that is related with that of the object. It can help in the process of responding of questions. This new system was used that can help in delivering lectures and the students can use it like a self-learning tool.
The teachers were able to learn a lot with the help of the implementation of the process of Action Research. This can help in improving the overall performance in relation to the institution (Barab et al., 2007). The teachers put forward the agenda in case of Action Research and it can help in allowing the problem to steer to that of the progress. The teachers can report regarding how the tools of the project have proved to be crucial in working with the children. The teachers have made observations and written down notes that they can later on discuss with the facilitator. Action research helps the teacher to be an integral part in relation to the research process. The teacher can enjoy the “insider” opportunities from that of pre-existing knowledge. The teacher becomes deliberately involved in the process of research and it helps the teacher in analysing the relevant studies. It helps in contributing to the practical issues that are faced by the teacher. Action research helps in the development of self-reflective community that is committed in relation to the developing of educational ideas along with practices. Action research helps in bringing the teachers together so that they can provide encouragement to one another (Robins, 2015). It has an effect outside that of the classroom on the larger community and it helps in the opening up of understandings in relation to practice. The action research can help to a great extent in relation to professional development pertaining to the teacher. The function of the teacher in relation to pursuing of knowledge can be satisfied to a great extent with the help of action research. It can help in improving the conceptual understanding in relation to the teachers. It can help in improving the existing working condition of the teachers and it can help in supporting changes in relation to teaching practice (Kossyvaki, Jones & Guldberg, 2016). It helps the teachers in tapping into the expertise of their colleagues along with knowledge. Teachers can hone the intuitive skills and they can develop new skills that can help them in the communication of their ideas.
Models of Action Research
Multimedia system used in relation to action research can help in increasing the interest of the students in relation to the topic. The addition of the audio-visual capability helped in the aspect of retention of the content of the course for the students. The feedback from the students helped in bringing out the fact that this method was effective in capturing their attention and it can help in improving the overall learning environment. The understandings of the concepts became much clear to them on account of the action research procedure. They were able to understand complex concepts easily and it helped them in the arena of practical knowledge. It highlighted that the students were able to learn a lot better when the word were combined with that of the pictures. The students are able to understand difficult concepts when words along with pictures are placed near to each other instead of being kept apart. The addition of sound to the videos proves to be another useful measure that can help the students in the aspect of retention (Wardrip & Herman, 2018). The most effective form pertaining to multi-media material is the one that is based on computer rather than videos and presentation slides. The students were seen to prefer that of e-book as compared to the printed book. The online courseware proves to be superior as compared to paper copies.
Action research can help the students who were not so mathematically sophisticated and it helped them in understanding the difference between the different concepts. The regional applications can help in improving the motivation in relation to the students. The photos along with videos can prove to be immensely helpful in enhancing the interest of that of the learners (Penuel et al., 2014). The animated diagrams helped the students in understanding dynamic nature pertaining to the problems. This can help in increasing the physical understanding in relation to the problem.
The university course evaluation was made use of for gauging the effectiveness in relation to the course. Study Process Questionnaire helped in providing insight into the approaches of the students and a diagnostic survey was also made use of for understanding effectiveness in relation to lecturing the initiatives by taking recourse to multi-media tools. The conceptual quiz was designed so that it can help the students in exploring the misunderstandings in relation to the material (Schön, 2017). The observations helped in throwing important light on the developing of multi-media software package that helped in the process of monitoring of effectiveness.
Interactive Multimedia in Action Research
The new form of media delivery can help in presenting the information that is instantly understood by the students. Multimedia resources can serve as an additional tool that can help in correcting the teaching-learning process. The software package can help in providing some amount of interactivity and it assists in the process of simulation of the experiments along with the industrial process. It helps the users in doing experiments in a manner that is safe. It helps the people in observing the effects in relation to the wrong approaches. It helps the user in understanding the theory that is involved in relation to a particular subject. Electronic media has a huge impact on engineering education and these can help in changing the fabric in relation to the society. Non-linearity is offered by the multi-media learning application and it helps in providing the learner with a great amount of freedom. The dynamic video like video along with audio can be controlled. The clips can be paused and repeated (Clark-Wilson & Hoyles, 2016). Capability in relation to interactivity of multi-media is another important concept. The students within engineering education often find it hard to translate that of the mathematical word problem into a form that can help them in the arena of computation. The engineering problems have often found to be complex and it becomes difficult to visualize the variables in relation to the experiment. The problems pertaining to mechanics statistics have often been presented with the help of schematic diagrams (Hoffman & Novak, 2017). Traditional method in relation to teaching applied the learned knowledge so that an internal model can be formed. The lines along with text of the schematic diagram have connotative engineering meanings. Weaker students often end up needing a large amount of time so that they can solve a particular problem. Weak student would need needs several trials before they are able to solve a particular problem (Pippin, 2015).
The action research pertaining to training the writers in relation to business English helped in bringing a lot of innovations. The ability of the students in thinking very deeply was augmented with the help of this procedure. It helped them in understanding the various facets in relation to writing. The role-playing proved to be crucial in understanding the different aspects of the topic. The effectiveness was measured in terms of the attitude pertaining to the students.
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Feedback and Benefits of Using Interactive Multimedia in Education
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