Examining teachers' conception of and needs on action research

Action research is viewed as a path towards better student achievement. This track may be attained through the reflective nature instilled in the teacher that sparks initiatives to promote better classroom practices in the aspects of pedagogy, assessment, and parental involvement. This descriptive survey explores Filipino teachers’ conceptions of and needs on action research which may be barriers to implementing action research in their classrooms. Participants were randomly selected science and mathematics teachers in government schools in the Philippine’s capital city. Their concepts about action research were investigated by a survey and interviews, which indicated that they had positive views about action research helping to develop student learning in science and mathematics, and promote lifelong learning. Teachers’ prior concepts on its long-lasting impacts transcend from instructional practice to addressing student problems. Furthermore, their perceived moderate level of difficulty in conducting action research indicated some areas needing professional development programs, such as statistics, data organisation, literature searching, and writing reports. Recommendations include professional development training programs to address issues in classroom practices through action research and for the Philippine government to review workloads of teachers and provide them with better opportunities for theory-practice-influenced teaching.

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