Sustainability of Impact of Action Research

Edwards, E., & Burns, A. (2016). Language teacher action research: Achieving sustainability. ELT Journal, 70 (1): 6–15. doi: https://doi.org/10.1093/elt/ccv060

Background

Many studies have examined the immediate impact of participating in Action Research (AR) on language teachers and it has been well documented that it has a transformative impact. Whether this positive impact is sustained over time and becomes embedded in teachers’ practice has not been sufficiently explored.

Aims

This study aimed to examine what English Language (EL) teachers of overseas students in Australia would describe as being evidence of the sustained impact of their participation in AR and what factors helped to sustain the impact.

Sample

The sample consisted of 16 teachers who had responded to an anonymous online survey after their participation in an AR programme. Of the 16 survey respondents, 10 teachers then participated in follow-up interviews.

Method

The researchers adopted a social constructionist case study approach to allow the participants to describe their own perceptions of the continued impact of AR on teachers, students and schools. The data comprised the participants’ responses to a five-point Likert scale online survey as well as short responses to open-ended questions. Semi-structured interviews were conducted after the survey to invite more in-depth responses from the participants. Coding of the open-ended survey responses was done to develop categories. A cross-analysis of the survey data with the interview transcripts was conducted.

Findings

Four key themes emerged, with each theme including two sub-themes. As evidenced by the analysis, the EL teachers perceived the sustained impact of their participation in AR to be that they (i) felt more confident and reassured about their teaching (ii) felt more connected to their students and communicated more openly with them (iii) were more engaged with and in research (iv) felt more recognised professionally both within and outside their workplaces.

The study identified the teachers’ personal motivation and individual agency as factors that helped to sustain the positive impact of AR. The support of management, in the form of encouragement, financial support, being open to new ideas and recognition, also emerged as a crucial factor.

Implications

The authors assert that teachers take a wider view of the sustainable positive impact of their participation in AR than that commonly found in the literature. This wider view includes their increased professional confidence, improved sense of professional identity and career development. The authors also emphasise that the individual teacher’s drive for improvement needs to be met with institutional support to ensure that the impact of AR is sustained.

Original article retrieved from EBSCOHost.