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Title
An Inquiry into Teachers' Professional Development through Collaborative Action Research
Presenter
Chiou-hui Chou
Professional development as inquiry into practice is a trend. During the past decade, teachers as action researchers have been advocated in teachers' profession, e.g., in Taiwan. Researchers and educators have written a lot to encourage practitioners to follow this line for their professional development (e.g., Burns, 1999). Wallace (1998) offers models and guidelines to lead researchers and teachers to find the problem or topic for research. His professional development models include the following criteria: considering problems/issues, asking questions, starting action research, starting data collection and analysis, finding application to personal action which goes back to "considering problems/issues" to form a cycle. Recently, recommendations for professional development have shifted to focus attention on forming a community or group that promotes the practice of shared inquiry grounded in teachers' work.
Burns (1999) shared her experience of leading collaborative action research with language teachers in Australia. As indicated, "Inherent in this call for collaboration is that the act of planning and working together, by itself, is a powerful professionaldevelopment tool" (Brownell, Aadams, Sindelar, Waldron & Vanhover, 2006, p. 169). Research findings combined with scholars' assertions about the importance of collaboration in changing teacher practice have led to the widespread acceptance of collaborative research as an essential component of any effort aimed at improving teaching (Burns, 1999; Elliott & Langlois, 2002; Hansen & Wentworth, 2002). Seldom has collaborative action research reported in EFL elementary education in Asia. This study designed aprofessionaldevelopment project, focusing on what elementary English teachers feel they hope or need to change in their teaching practice in Taiwan. The purpose of this study was to create opportunities for teachers to understand the practice of teaching through the reasoning that determines that practice.
Three English teachers participated in this study. The teachers carried out their own action research by selecting an area of concern or an instructional strategy based on the needs of themselves or their students. It was based on the notion that they chose an area for their professional knowledge development and monitor their own growth. This study explores this question: What are the benefits of participating in a collaborative action research? Data were collected over two semesters, including interviews with the participants before, during, and after the research, eight meeting sessions of discussion, teachers' reflective journals, teacher's video clips of teaching, and their individual action research papers. This study finds collaborative action research helps teachers improve their teaching and improve their students' learning, provide a powerful form of professional development for teachers, and share their knowledge with a wider audience.
Brief Bio Profile
Chiou-hui Chou is an assistant professor in the department of English Instruction at National Hsinchu University of Education in Taiwan. Her research interests include teachers' action research, teachers' professional development, English reading, and computer-assisted language learning. She teachers TESOL methods course, English reading instruction, and computer-assisted language learning. Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Department of English Instruction, National Hsinchu University of Education, 521, Nanda Road, Hsinchu City, 300, Taiwan
contact asian_efl_journal@yahoo.com
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