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2nd Bell Staff ConferenceBell Cambridge
1st December 2012
Why EFL Action Research Matters
Richard Smith, University of Warwick
What are your images of ‘research’?
What are your images and / or experiences of ‘action research’?
1Why EFL research matters
2The value of action
research
3Fpr ‘sustainable’
action research
Why EFL research matters1
Images of research
What do you associate with the word ‘research’?
Images of research
Images of research
Images of research
Definitions of research
Research is ...
‘the organized, systematic search for answers to the questions we ask’ (Hatch and Lazaraton 1991: 1)
‘a process of inquiry consisting of three [...] components: (1) a question, problem, or hypothesis, (2) data, (3) analysis and interpretation of data’ (Nunan 1992)
‘systematic enquiry made public’ (Stenhouse 1975)
Definitions of research
For the purposes of this project,
we defined ‘research’ as:
“Original investigation undertaken in order to gain knowledge and understanding’
Definitions of research
‘ELT research’ =
“Any research whose data and/or findings relate directly to the teaching, learning or assessment of English as a Foreign, Second or Additional Language.”
Some data about (UK ELT) research (2005-10)
Types of item included in the Directory
• journal articles• chapters in edited books• papers in conference proceedings• authored books• ‘unpublished’ but electronically accessible items• doctoral theses supervised within the institution
in question• externally funded research projects
Institutional bases of UK ELT research
2005-10: 1,756 entries (from 66 contributing ‘units’)
9 units account for over half of total entries
Topic areas of UK ELT research
Descriptors with 100+ entries (2009-10):
• English language (199) • Assessment (175)• Methodology (130)• Teacher education (119)• Cultural issues (113)• Writing (103)
... and ESOL/EAL?
Location of UK ELT research / Learners’ country of origin
Top 4 for country of research (2005-10): UK 338, ‘various’ 130, China 33, Hungary 28
Top 4 for learners’ country of origin (2005-10):‘various’ 337, China 64, Germany 17, Hungary 17
Institutional focus of UK ELT research
no. of entries (2005-10)tertiary 352adult 139secondary 85primary 71pre-primary 2
(Smith and Knagg 2012)
Reasons for ELT research
“Research-based knowledge provides a principled basis for understanding language teaching and learning, and making decisions about policies, plans, and actions.
Research has the potential to help English language teaching professionals improve the processes, outcomes and conditions for language teaching, learning and assessment.”
(www.tesol.org)
Reasons for ELT research
“[Research] also can help the profession address urgent social and political issues around the world, improve the materials used for second language teaching in schools, institutions and workplaces, as well as clarify debates and debunk myths regarding second language acquisition.
A strong commitment to research as a means of improving professional knowledge is vital to the field of teaching of English to speakers of other languages.”
(www.tesol.org)
Benefits for teachers of enagaging with research
Where would we be without research?
Possibly ...
- no communicative language teaching- Teachers even more the victims of fashion, or
of tradition- etc.
Benefits for teachers of enagaging with research
• allows teachers to reflect on and review their teaching• keeps teachers fresh• allows teachers to question assumptions about language
learning/teaching• helps teachers understand the reasons for their practices• makes teachers more informed practitioners
(Bullock 2012)
?
Is ELT research accessible enough – to ELT practitioners?
Types of item included in the Directory
• journal articles• chapters in edited books• papers in conference proceedings• authored books• ‘unpublished’ but electronically accessible items• doctoral theses supervised within the institution
in question• externally funded research projects
DIRECTORY – HOW TO USE
Limitations of institutional / country focus of UK (& US) ELT research
Not contributing to ‘appropriate methodology[Shift to qualitative approaches is clearDysfunctions of the theory-practice divide
Barriers to teachers engagng with research
• sheer volume is daunting• ambiguous results• often too much jargon and statistics - difficult to understand• too theoretical and unhelpful or irrelevant• researchers not writing for practitioners• research which imposes models on teaching• subscriptions and costs
(Bullock 2012)
from ‘Silence on Europe is deafening’ (THES 22/11/12)
“Publishing an article in a journal that only a few co-specialists might ever read is valued far more highly than the ability to help the public understand the challenges of the day. . . Furthermore, as often as not researchers are focused on the narrow at the expense of the broad, writing in arcane language that places much academic work beyond the reach of the uninitiated. And many are too focused on developing and debating theories to be concerned with how they might be tested in practice. The result: scholars spend most of their time speaking only to themselves.” (McCormick 2012: 21)
2 The value of action
research
? And is it relevant enough
to their concerns?
Images of research
What do you associate with the term ‘action research’?
Action research …
• is a form of practitioner research• involves small-scale interventions• involves an iterative cycle of planning,
acting, observing and reflecting• can involve the collection of various data
types
Action research: process
1. Planning [an improvement]2. Action [implementing the improvement]3. Observation [evaluating effects – with data]4. Reflection [interpreting what occurred]
The process is often iterative (after 4., go ‘back’ to 1.), and ‘messy’ (not exactly ‘step-by-step’). As a form of research, it can, though, be very useful and empowering and provide insights of relevance to other practitioners.
The action research cycle
Plan Act
Reflect Observe
Action research: definitions
‘a form of self-reflective enquiry undertaken by participants in social situations in order to improve the rationality and justice of their own practices, their understanding of these practices and the situations in which the practices are carried out’ (Carr & Kemmis 1986)
‘The aim is to [...] bring about critically informed changes in practice’ (Burns 1999)
? Is ELT research relevant
enough?
So, is research important to you?
Is ELT research needed? What for? What could support practitioners further in reading research?
What should be researched? What kinds of research – and what ways of disseminating
research – are needed?
Who needs to do the research?What could support practitioners further in doing research
themselves?
‘Dysfunctions of the theory-practice divide’?
• ‘The key point, I think, is the need for teachers to keep their own counsel regarding what works and what does not work and to insist on an interpretation of events and ideas that includes, implicitly or explicitly, a validation of their own experiences in the classroom’
(Clarke 1994: 23)
3 For sustainable action research
A simple (?) practitioner-research plan to get started
1) What is good that can be built on / what is problematic that can be improved on in your practice?2) Gather student feedback: ‘good points’ and ‘points to improve’3) Do a content analysis (group similar comments into categories)This may be a useful kind of practitioner-research (for your own improved understanding). But what more would you need to do that would turn this into:1. ‘systematic inquiry made public’?2. ‘action research’?
Combining autonomy-oriented pedagogy and practitioner research via Exploratory
Practice
Ana Inés Salvi
International House John Haycraft Classroom Exploration Scholarship
IATEFL Conference – 21st March 2012, Glasgow
Why aren’t my students as active and engaged in lessons as I would like
them to be?
?
An autonomous classroom (Dam, 1995; 2009)
• Group work: job allocation• Decision-making• Well-structured: setting goals, how to do it, do it, present it,
evaluate it• The teacher as facilitator• Posters on the wall - process • Choice• Accessibility to material
Contexts
SUMMER SCHOOL PRE-SESSIONAL COURSE
COURSE LENGTH 1-4-week course 5-week course
NUMBER OF STUDENTS
15 students per group 17 graduate students
AGE 12-17 years old 23-30 years old
NATIONALITY Spain 10, Portugal 8, Russia 8, Kazakhstan 2, Georgia 1, Italy 8, China 2, Armenia 4,
Colombia 1, Turkey 2, Syria 1, Australia 1, Taiwan 2, Thailand 6, China 3, Vietnam 1,
TYPE OF COURSE General English Academic reading and writing
ASSESSMENT No formal assessment Written project
A plan for change – engage students in self-directed project work
Data I gathered
• Video-recorded lessons• Pictures & posters and products• Students’ daily & weekly reflections• End-of-course questionnaire & interviews• Informal talks
‘Wider puzzles’ students wanted to explore:
• Why do most students prefer living in Leamington Spa to living in or around the university?
• Why are we here?
• Why are we so sleepy in certain classes?
• Why is it hard to come up with a good idea for our written project?
53
Finding answers (1): internet / dictionary
Finding answers (2): interviewing classmates
Presenting findings to classmates
Results
• A positive and active atmosphere• Serious work• Critical thinking• Communicative skills• Reflexivity• Awareness of their particular needs• Teacher development• Teaching/ learning quality• Student-teacher relationship• Institution resonances
Sharing teacher-research
Conclusions
EFL research is needed in order for us not to be victims of fashion
EFL research is not (or should not be) just for the benefit of academics. ..
But it often is!
Conclusions
Action research holds out the promise of being relevant to teachers’ own concerns
However, it needs to be sustainable – built into normal practice, involving learners, and not governed by ‘third party’ research requirements
Better images of research?
Better images of research?
Better images of research?
Better images of research?
Better images of research?
Better images of research?
Better images of research?
Towards better images of research
Better images of research?
Better images of research?
Better images of research?
References
Part 1 (What is ELT research?)
Rixon, S. and Smith, R. 2010. Directory of UK ELT Research, 2005-08. London: The British Council. Also online as pdf via: http://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/elt-research
Hatch, E. and Lazaraton, A. 1991. The Research Manual: Design and Statistics for Applied Linguistics. New York: Newbury House.
Nunan, D. 1992. Research Methods in Language Learning. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Smith, R. with Knagg, J. 2012. ‘The State of ELT Research in the UK (Part I)’. ELT Research 26: 5-7. Online: http://resig.weebly.com/issue-26.html
Stenhouse, L. 1975. An Introduction to Curriculum Research and Development. London: Heinemann.
Part 2 (Why do we need ELT research – and how can we read it?)
Bullock, D. 2012. ‘Discovering research – a teacher-friendly approach’. Workshop at IATEFL Conference, Glasgow.
The TESOL statement of needs for research is currently no longer online, but is reproduced on p. 17 of Rixon and Smith 2010. McCormick, J. 2012. ‘Silence on Europe is deafening’. Times Higher Education no. 2,077 (22-28 November), p. 21. Searchable Directory of UK ELT Research database (2005-10): http://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/elt-research IATEFL Research Special Interest Group e-mail discussion list (free to join): http://groups.yahoo.com/group/resig/ British Council Research Papers: http://englishagenda.britishcouncil.org/research-papers British Council Milestones in ELT: http://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/milestones
Part 3 (How can you do ELT research?)
Burns, A. 1999. Collaborative Action Research for English Language Teachers. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Carr, W. and Kemmis, S. 1986. Becoming Critical: Knowing through Action Research. Geelong, Victoria: Deakin University.
IATEFL Research Special Interest Group: http://resig.iatefl.org
‘Practitioner research’ section in ELT Research (newsletter of the IATEFLResearch SIG). Accessible online, via: http://resig.weebly.com/issue-26.html
Salvi, A. 2011. ‘Combining learner autonomy and practitioner research through Exploratory Practice’. Talk at IATEFL Conference, Glasgow. Online: http://www.youtube.com/user/IATEFLResearchSIG
‘Teacher-Research’ section of IATEFL Research SIG website: http://resig.weebly.com/teacher-research.html
Further action research resources: http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/fac/soc/al/staff/teaching/smith/action_research
