Pros and Cons of Action Research


Pros


·      Action Research is meant to be used for collaborative work, both with teacher and student and teacher and colleague.
     "[t]eachers should share the nature of the planned improvements with their students, so that students can be knowledgably involved in evaluating them. Teachers’ action research is enhanced when it is undertaken in collaboration with colleagues and when involving others as critical friends." (Cain, 2011, p. 12)

·      Teachers learn to use the research to inform and improve their own practice so it is contextual and relevant to their particular circumstances.
“The collaborative action research gave teachers a focus for their commitment to improving their teaching. Teachers on all action research teams found that their research either provided a new perspective on practices they had been conducting in the past or confirmed hypotheses or beliefs about effective teaching that they had held.” (Stagg Peterson, S., Swartz, L., Bodnar, S., McCaigg, G., Ritchie, S., Dawson, R. and Glassford, J. , 2010, p. 7)

Cons

·      Action research is not always fully understood or implemented correctly.
"Over 20 years ago, Stephen Kemmis argued that, ‘some of what passes for action research today is not action research at all but merely a species of field experimentation’ (Kemmis 1988/2007, 176) and this situation persists." (Cain, 2011, p. 4)  

·      Teachers can view it as an 'add-on' to their regular classroom work as a result of their misinterpretation or misunderstanding.

·      Without proper support and training, it can be difficult for teachers to critically evaluate their own practice.

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