Research

Available online at www.sciencedirect.com

Procedia Social and Behavioral Sciences 2 (2010) 2728–2734

WCES-2010

Investigating the effects of incorporating collaborative action
research into an in-service teacher training program
Chiou-hui Choua *
a
Department of English Instruction, National Hsinchu University of Education, 521 Nanta Road, Hsinchu, 300, Taiwan

Received October 22, 2009; revised December 31, 2009; accepted January 12, 2010

Abstract

Drawing on the current research trend for teachers’ professional development, this study investigated the effect of incorporating
collaborative action research into an in-service teacher training program. Participants were a group of elementary in-service
teachers, pursing an English teacher certificate in Taiwan. Data came from a post-course questionnaire, teachers’ discussions,
classroom video clips, teachers’ reflective journals, and action research papers. This study finds that implementing collaborative
action research in an in-service teacher training program contributes to teachers’ knowledge construction, helps them gain
practical teaching practices and builds up their confidence in teaching English.
© 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Keywords: Collaborative action research; in-service teacehr training; professional development.

1. Introduction

Teachers’ action research, conducted by the practitioner, has gained increasing recognition as a valuable form of
professional development and as a legitimate form of educational inquiry. Recent literature on teacher education
(Cochran-Smith & Lytle, 1999; Zeichner, 1993) has shown that inquiry-based approaches to teacher education hold
the promise of nurturing and supporting teachers’ ongoing learning and growth. There has been a shift from the
training approach to teachers ‘‘as active learners shaping their professional growth through reflective participation in
both programs and practice’’ (Clarke & Hollingsworth, 2002, p. 984). However, the process of the shift is not very
fast (see Cochran-Smith & Lytle, 1999). Therefore, it is important that teachers are supported and encouraged to
become active learners to strengthen their knowledge and experiences to create classrooms where quality teaching
occurs and their professional learning is fostered and ongoing.
Educators and researchers of teacher inquiry both promote the notion of collaborative learning communities as
imperative for the success of teacher inquiry in educational research and school renewal (Levin, 1999). As indicated,
inherent in this call for collaboration is that the act of planning and working together, by itself, is a powerful
professional development tool (Hansen & Wentworth, 2002). The study investigates the effects of incorporating
collaborative action research into an in-service teacher training program. It is premised on the belief that teacher

* Chiou-hui Chou. Tel.: +88635213132; fax: +88635614318
E-mail address: joyce@mail.nhcue.edu.tw

1877-0428 © 2010 Published by Elsevier Ltd.
doi:10.1016/j.sbspro.2010.03.404

Chiou-hui Chou / Procedia Social and Behavioral Sciences 2 (2010) 2728–2734 2729

training programs not only should help teachers develop their professional knowledge, but also provide the support
for their professional inquiry.
The purpose of this study is that reading the accounts of action research written by university researchers does
little to illuminate the classroom experiences of teachers and what they hope to gain from participating in action
research activities (Noffke, 1994). Elliott and Langlois (2002) state that as teacher educators, they realize workshops
wouldn’t transform teacher practice without follow-up support. Without follow-up, most of the initial investment in
staff development will be lost. The researcher’s experience as an action research educator tells her that calling for
teachers as action researchers pose several problems—the little free time that teachers have to dedicate to the
research and their lack of investigative experience in this line of work. To make collaborative action research
possible, it will be essential to take advantage of the time and the knowledge teachers possess and to try to obtain the
greatest benefit from working in collaboration. Just as Snow-Gerono (2005) indicates, in order to achieve
educational effectiveness, what matters most is quality teachers and teaching, supported by strategic professional
development. Thus, this study offers a direction to engage teachers in action research—incorporating collaborative
action research into an in-service teacher training program to guide teachers to be educational inquirers. It is hoped
that the model can lend itself to comprehensive, ongoing, and meaningful professional development for teachers.

2. Litrature review

2.1. Why action research

Teacher action research is “a form of enquiry that enables practitioners everywhere to investigate and evaluate
their work” (McNiff & Whitehead, 2006, p. 7). It is referred to as research that teachers do to investigate their own
professional practice in an attempt to understand and improve the nature and specifics of their work. It is also for
teachers to develop a stronger voice when communicating about their own professional practice. This type of
research allows practitioners to take the lead in improving and better understanding the inner-workings of the
classroom, school, or students. As educational researchers have found that the action research process effectively
promotes skills of inquiry, reflection, problem solving, and action (Burns, 1999; Cochran-Smith & Lytle, 1999;
McNiff & Whitehead, 2006; Mertler, 2006; Stringer, 2007; Wallace, 1998), it has been used in many teacher
education programs to promote skills of inquiry and reflection in teachers (Burns, 1999; Darling-Hammond, 2006;
Tabachnick & Zeichner, 1991; Wallace, 1998). Teacher educators who are involved in doing action research with
pre-service and in-service teachers find that teachers become more reflective, critical, and analytical about their own
teaching behaviors in the classroom (Darling-Hammond, 2006; Shank, 2006; Snow-Gerono, 2005; Stark, 2006).

2.2. Collaborative action research

According to Hendricks (2006), collaborative action research is a system of action research in which multiple
researchers from school settings work together to study educational problems. The goal of this type of research is to
utilize the expertise of the collaboration and to foster sustained dialogue among educational stakeholders in different
settings. Among action methodologies, collaborative action research holds its place as a fully collaborative method
for practicing inquiry into questions of shared importance among all the participants. Researchers have promoted the
notion of collaborative learning communities as imperative for the success of teacher inquiry (Levin, 1999).
Although teachers often have difficulty seeing themselves involved with research, when they became active
researchers in their classrooms or collaborative partners in other studies, teacher development often occurs
(Lieberman & Miller, 2001).
In 1970, Stenhouse founded the center for Applied Research in Education at the University of East Anglia in
England with the objective of demystifying the practice of research and making it more useful and accessible to
teachers. In Stenhouse’s view, there are two cultures—the culture of academic researchers, who are served by
research, and the culture of practitioners, who are ruled by research or merely ignore it. Stenhouse saw a need to
analyze the structures that govern the production and distribution of research knowledge and that determine the right
to engage in research acts. His aspiration was to bring educational research to the orbit of the practitioner’s world
(Ruddck, 1988, p. 35-36).

2730 Chiou-hui Chou / Procedia Social and Behavioral Sciences 2 (2010) 2728–2734

According to Stenhouse, the theory proposed by academic researchers was of little use unless teachers were able
to test it. His position was that academic researchers and teachers had to work together to be meaningful and
beneficial. Therefore, he initiated a large action research movement in the United Kingdom. Cochran-Smith and
Lytle (1993) further explain that Stenhouse (1981) encouraged teachers to conduct their own research with the goal
of improving their practices. As Hendricks (2006) states, the phenomenon inspired by Stenhouse and his colleagues
was successful and has endured. The reviewed literature serves as the theoretical framework for this study.

3. Method

This study applied a case study methodology (Merriam, 1998; Yin, 1994) to the investigation of elementary
English teachers’ professional development through collaborative action research in an in-service teacher training
program. As Koshy (2005) indicates, many action research projects are written up as case studies. This approach
will enable the researcher to provide in-depth portraits of the participants’ teaching and their development in their
own contexts.
Following Stenhouse (1981), the researcher also incorporated Stringer’s (2007) ideas of community-based action
research in the project. Next, Hendricks’ (2006) model of action research—“reflect, act, and evaluate”—was
implemented. Last, Elliott and Langlois’ (2002) models of professional development were applied, which include
training, observation, inquiry, involvement in a development, and individual guidance.

3.1. Context of the study

This study was conducted at a university of education in Taiwan. In formulating the study, the researcher’s
operating hypothesis was that the concept of a teacher learning community (Levin, 1999; Stringer, 2007), similar to
a teacher study group, would fit into the model of teachers’ professional development as they participate in an in-
service teacher training program. The teacher learning community could represent an effective vehicle for true
professional growth for teachers to learn to teach.
Participants were twenty-one elementary in-service teachers, pursing an English teacher certificate offered by the
extended education program in the researcher’s university. The data came from one of the courses, designing
English learning activities and materials. The course guided teachers to conduct a small-scale project, applying the
framework of action research. They focused on their own learning to teach English—implementing information gap
activities, which is a core task in Communicative Language Teaching (CLT) (Larsen-Freeman, 2000; Richards,
2006). Information gap activities are those in which students exchange information in order to complete a required
lesson activity. Most information gap activities are done in pairs, with each student having a part of the information.
These types of activities are extremely effective in the second language classroom. They give every student the
opportunity to speak in the target language for an extended period of time.
In the training course, the group met every Saturday afternoon for four hours. The course lasted for nine weeks.
At the beginning of the course, they were first guided by the researcher to design information gap activities in a
four-hour workshop—which was the theoretical background for TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other
Languages) methodology. Sample activity sheets were used to guide the teachers to practice doing the task.
Language learning principles and design tips were included in the workshop.
Next, a workshop on action research theories was given for four hours. Articles and sample research papers done
by the researcher’s previous research team were given and discussed as the framework for research. The participants
were then asked to search for an area of investigation and to provide a timeline for planning their action research and
the research lesson, discussing and clarifying plans, collecting data, presenting first cycle of research results,
reflecting on results, modifying plans, and continuing the second cycle of research. For example, they were allowed
two weeks to design their first individual information gap lessons with worksheets based on a chosen lesson from a
textbook their students were using. After discussion with peers and the researcher about their activity sheet in a two-
hour session, they collected the comments and suggestions and then modified their lessons and worksheets. After
that, they demonstrated their lessons with their students. Video clips of their classroom teaching were shared with
their peers during presentations. During the presentations, peers and the researcher gave each presenter comments.
Two cycles of the above procedures were incorporated in this course. Participants then wrote a paper to share their
reflections, to report their experiences of learning to teach with the designed activities and to analyze students’
learning results with the teaching strategies.


As Hendricks (2006) explains, the action research process is a series of steps in which the action researcher
reflects, acts, and evaluates. After evaluation, the process continues with reflection, action, and evaluation. Thus, the
process shares the idea of spiralling, constantly improve their practices. The above processes serve as the framework
for teachers conducting their action research.

3.2. Data collection and analysis

Data include (a) transcripts of the audio-taped meetings of the teacher learning community—four hours of two
discussion sessions and eight hours of presentation sharing and discussion, (b) a survey asking questions about
teachers’ perceptions of conducting their action research and learning with this learning community, and (c)
teachers’ mid papers and their action research papers.
Data analysis followed a recursive process with the reading and rereading of data, which resulted in the discovery
of recurring themes and the development of categories across multiple data sources. Following constant comparative
analysis (Miles & Huberman, 1994), themes specific to teachers’ perceptions of conducting action research,
professional knowledge development, and the collaboration in the learning community were identified and analyzed.

4. Results

4.1. The effects of teachers’ conducting action research

A post-course questionnaire was administered to the twenty present participants at the end of the course; 18
respondents returned the questionnaire. A response rate of 90% was achieved. The questionnaire consisted of 17
items measuring teachers’ perceptions of conducting their action research, their professional knowledge
development, and applying information gap activities in their teaching, using a 5-point Likert scale. Participants had
to circle a number on a scale of 1 to 5, one being strongly disagree and five being strongly agree.
Table 1 presents teachers’ perceptions of conducting their own action research. The results show that conducting
action research made teachers help students to learn better.
Table 1. The effects of teachers’ conducting action research

Items Mean
15. Doing this research, I learned more about how to teach better. 4.4
16. Doing this research, I know more about students’ learning results. 4.3
17. I think my students’ English abilities are improved from my teaching/research. 3.8

4.2. Teachers’ professional knowledge development

The quantitative data regarding how teachers have learned to teach with information gap activities are presented
in Table 2. The mean of Item 1 is 2.1, which reveals the participants did not know how to use information gap
activities in English teaching at the beginning of attending this training course. The mean of Item 2 is 4.2 and that of
Item 8 is 4.5, which shows that after taking this course and engaged in the teaching inquiry, 89% of the participants
indicated that they strongly agreed and agreed that they could design information gap activities well and all of the
participants knew how to incorporate them in their teaching (strongly agree and agree: 100%). The training program
helped teachers develop their professional knowledge about designing information gap activities.

Table 2. Teachers’ professional knowledge development

Items Mean
1. Before this project, I knew how to use information gap activities in English teaching. 2.1
2. Now I can design information gap activities well. 4.2
8. Now, I know how to use information gap activities in English teaching. 4.5

How have students benefited from teachers’ teaching practice while they were participating in collaborative
action research? Items 9 to 14 ask about participants’ perceptions of how the strategy implemented in this study—


information gap activities— can help students’ English learning in the aspects of vocabulary, sentences, speaking,
meaningful communication, and structures. The results are shown in Table 3. The means of the six items are above
4, indicating that participants agree that applying information gap activities can help students learn English better.
Table 3. How information gap activities helped students’ English learning

Items Mean
9. Information gap activities helped students learn vocabulary better. 4.1
10. Information gap activities helped students practice saying sentences better. 4.4
11. Information gap activities helped students practice speaking more English. 4.5
12. Information gap activities helped students have the purpose of practice speaking English. 4.2
13. Information gap activities helped students have meaningful communication with peers. 4.2
14. Information gap activities helped students learn English structures better. 4.2

4.3. The benefits of collaborative action research group

How has action research helped teachers’ practice of teaching English? How have teachers learned with this
group? The following data present the quantitative data regarding teachers’ learning with their learning community
(see Table 4). Item 3, 4, and 7 present the results that teachers learned from one another. Item 5 and 6 do not have a
mean above 4, which indicates that these teachers did not have strong confidence in sharing their own teaching with
others. This might be due to the fact that they were novices, learning to be qualified English teachers in this course.
Therefore, they were modest in expressing their confidence in sharing their instruction performance with others.
Table 4. Teachers’ learning with the community

Items Mean
3. During worksheet discussions, I learned a lot form my group members. 4.2
4. During teachers’ presentations, I learned a lot from their teaching experiences. 4.2
5. During the presentation, other teachers can learn from my teaching. 3.7
6. During the presentation, I felt happy that I could share my teaching experiences with other teachers. 3.9
7. During my presentation, I gained a lot of valuable comments from other teachers. 4.3

5. Discussion

5.1. The benefits of teachers’ doing action research

As Mertler (2006) summarizes, action research can be used successfully in educational settings “to effectively
connect theory to practice, to improve educational practice, to empower teachers, and as a means for promoting
professional growths” (p. 13). This study has shown that providing frameworks for conducting action research,
offering support for teachers’ development, and guiding teachers’ in applying teaching principles help them
successfully proceed to be educational enquirers.
Moreover, as Johnson (2005) describes, the flow of information from research findings, from researchers to
practitioners, often breaks down and there frequently exists a gap between what is learned by researchers, who
conduct and report their research on educational topics, and practicing classroom teachers. Research is often used to
develop theories that eventually help to determine the best practices in education. These best practices are then used
to help teachers develop effective learning experiences for their students. Therefore, action research provides one
possible solution to bridging this gap by creating a two-way flow of information (Cochran-Smith & Lytle, 1993;
Hendricks, 2006; Stenhouse, 1981). This study has found that by conducting action research, the participants have
learned how to apply the theory to their own teaching contexts. In this collaborative action research project, not only
have teachers learned to apply the information gap activities from the CLT approach to their classrooms, but they
also learned to conduct action research for their own professional knowledge development. Teachers’ research
results also help the teacher educator observe teaching phenomenon and teachers’ practical decision making.


5.2. Learning through discussion and sharing

Data coming from teachers’ discussion sessions, presentations, and papers illustrate some of the perceived
connections between discourse and learning. This study finds discussion and sharing facilitates information
acquisition and exchange, knowledge construction, and knowledge clarification. Perceived examples, coming from
reading and rereading teachers’ papers and transcribed data, are illustrated as follows:
Teachers shared supplementary teaching materials with one another.
Teachers had the opportunity to compare their designed activities with peers and gain feedbacks from peers.
During the discussion, sharing, and presentations, teachers learned teaching tips from peers.
During discussions, teachers had the chance to clarify their understanding about theories and teaching
methods.
Discussion with a mentor helps teachers clarify their own opinions and understanding of teaching theories.
Discussion opens their eyes to new points of view.
As Wray (2007) reviews, in all versions of the communities of practice model, teacher learning is promoted
because the communities offer the space for discussions of the teaching contexts in which teachers are working.

5.3. Collaboration in knowledge development

The development of relationships among teachers appears to contribute to their ability to engage in their own
teaching. Within both small groups and the big group, collective zones of proximal development were created from
which the generation of teaching ideas, the sharing of practical experiences, and the efforts to pursue inquiry
emerged (Moran, 2007). The best form of in-service support would be the one that helps all types of teachers to
share experiences so that those who exemplify good practice can show how they teach and how they talk about
teaching. This study has found that inviting teachers to talk about lessons they have designed, and watching videos
of their classroom teaching help create a real context for them to learn about teaching principles and learn with
peers.
In addition, Lave and Wenger (1991) state that different communities have different knowledge-building
practices. Teachers should have experience of communities in which both the creation and the application of
knowledge have value and are well-understood. As this study included practitioners of English teaching, they shared
the same topics for discussion and same difficulties for professional knowledge development. This made it easier for
the teacher trainer and the participants to have a focus for discussion and it therefore contributed to the success of
discussion in this community.

6. Conclusion

This study investigated the effects of incorporating collaborative action research in an in-service teacher training
program. It has shown the professional growth of a group of teachers’ learning to teach English and learning to
conduct action research. Prior to this course, the teachers did not have much knowledge about English language
teaching owing to their non-English subject trained background; they did not have the experience of conducting
action research. After completing this training course and conducting their action research with collaboration in a
learning community, they gained more knowledge about applying one of the core principles of Communicative
Language Teaching–applying information gap activities—in the context of their own classrooms. In addition, they
gained practical teaching practices in a teacher learning community. Lastly, they found how students had benefited
from their teaching during the research process. In sum, after completing this course, they built up their confidence
in teaching English and improved their teaching strategies and techniques.
Although the findings of this study cannot be generalized, the implication is that this type of teacher professional
development model facilitated and supervised by an English professional and accompanied with a group of peers
can be an effective means of in-service teacher development apart from teacher training workshops. This study has
tried to follow what Snow-Gerono (2005) indicates, in order to achieve educational effectiveness, as what matters
most is quality teachers and teaching, supported by strategic professional development. It has tried to pursue an
effective model for teachers’ professional development. Moreover, following Stenhouse (1985), academic
researchers and teachers had to work together to be meaningful and beneficial. In order to promote collaborative


inquiry for teacher professional development, this study has designed in-service teacher training courses on the topic
of action research and encouraged teachers to take a long-term course for commitment to develop professionally
with a learning community. As Mills (2007) indicates, “simply informing teachers about research is unlikely to
bring about change” (p. 13). Therein lies the beauty, power, and potential of action research to positively affect
practice. By starting with a training requirement, teachers may not find research inaccessible.
In conclusion, this study suggests that in-service teacher training programs can follow this line of research and
training method to help teachers gain authentic experiences of putting theories into practice. In the training, teacher
trainers and researchers can provide opportunities for the trainees to explore teaching principles, to explore the
process of engaging learners, and to reflect upon and share their learning results. By setting up a sound training
program, teacher trainers can help more teachers to go smoothly in their teaching career, which will then benefit
more successful learners.

References

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