The Promise of Action Research

Abstract This study examined the perceptions pre-service teachers hold about learning and conducting action research. Results indicate that pre-service teachers can learn the process, believe that learning the process improves their thinking skills, and believe action research is applicable to their future. Fewer students felt that it helped them develop professionally or that it opened communication between them and their mentors. Students did not believe that their mentors cared or were interested in learning about action research. Introduction As an instructor of pre-service teachers I often ask myself just what is it that my students need to know to persevere and become professionals. Marilyn Cochran-Smith (2004) uses the metaphor of walking the road (11) to exemplify the long, complex, and seeming endless journey that teachers embark upon as they traverse their career. Nieto (2003) suggests that teaching is a difficult job physically, mentally, and emotionally. This means that teachers must have the stamina to keep up with their students, be in tune with innovations in the field, and have the heart to connect with every child. New teachers face these challenges on their first day when they confront the shock of teaching (Veenman, 1984, 143). New teachers cannot ease into their responsibilities but they can be prepared to take on the challenges they will lace. The mental demands of teaching are greater today than ever before and new teachers must be savvy in their thinking. From the moment they walk into their classrooms they must make good judgments, think critically, and problem solve effectively in a complex field with many demands (Nieto, 2003). According to Lee Shulman (1987) teachers show their expertise in thinking when they are purposeful in their actions, when they reflect and set goals and provide rationales for what they do, and when they are able to supply evidence of their effectiveness. Along these same lines, Sternberg and Horvath (1995) believe that expert teachers are knowledgeable, efficient, and insightful. This means that an expert teacher's thinking relies on research and proven theories instead of intuition and unproven facts. They use research to solve their problems and they are able to come up with creative and insightful solutions. It is the quality of their thinking that sets them apart. Thinking and Problem Solving Skills As a teacher educator I have turned to action research to help my pre-service teacher education students develop their thinking skills. Action research is gaining momentum in schools as a professional development tool and at universities as part of teacher preparation programs (Mills, 2004). Cocheran-Smith and Lytle (1993) define action research systematic study of an issue or problem in one's situation, with the goal of bringing about improved pedagogy and productive outcomes. Teachers who conduct action research may investigate the effectiveness of a program, gather information on their own teaching, or conduct an in-depth study of a child. My students are in a two-year professional program that includes both coursework and experience in the field. Due to the hands-on nature of their field experience they get a glimpse into the reality and responsibilities of daily classroom life. They begin to feel the demands and tensions of teaching and as a result they begin to voice their concerns. They are concerned about taking on the many responsibilities of a classroom. They worry about discipline, knowing the subject matter, working with diverse learners, and gaining the cooperation and support of parents. However, along with their concerns 1 see a determination, commitment, and passion to do things better than before. My students have a vision of what it means to be an effective teacher and they want to be a teacher who reaches and teaches each child. They understand the need for expert teachers and they long to become experts themselves. …