Enhancing Pre-Service EFL Teachers' Teaching Performance Through Action Research
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17507/jltr.1501.20Keywords:
Action research, pre-service teacher education, practicum, reflection, participatory observationAbstract
Action research supports and empowers pre-service teachers as they plan lessons, act in the practicum, observe, and reflect on their teaching experiences. This study presents a professional development program based on action research to provide pre-service teachers with effective teaching skills in the EFL classroom and improve their students' language performance. The researcher implemented the training program for twelve male EFL majors enrolled in their practicum using a mixed-methods approach. By incorporating both individual and group experiences, action research improved pre-service teachers' understanding of methodology, encouraged reflection on their beliefs, tacit knowledge, and teaching practice, and assisted in the development of their teaching and learning theories. The findings show that pre-service teachers' performance improved significantly during and after receiving training. Additionally, there was substantial improvement in the students' overall language performance as well as their performance in each language category (vocabulary, grammar, listening, reading, and writing). It is concluded that action research fostered the cognitive evolution of these pre-service teachers and encouraged their synthesis of teaching theory and practice. These benefits of action research mark the beginning of a journey toward becoming a professional educator who can enhance both teaching practice and student outcomes.
References
Armutcu, N., & Yaman, S. (2010). ELT pre-service teachers' reflection through practicum. Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences, 3(2), 28-35. DOI:10.1016/j.sbspro.2010.07.009
Auerbach, E. (1994). Participatory action research. TESOL Quarterly, 28(4), 693-697.
Avalos, B. (2011). Teacher professional development in teaching and teacher education over ten years. Teaching and Teacher Education, 27(1), 10-20. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2010.08.007
Aydin, S., Demirdogen, B., Nur Akin, F., Uzuntiryaki-Kondakci, E., & Tarkin, A. (2015). The nature and development of interaction among components of pedagogical content knowledge in practicum. Teaching and Teacher Education, 46(1), 37–50. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2014.10.008
Burns, A. (1998). Collaborative action research for English language teachers. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Cheng, M., Cheng, A., & Tang, S. (2010). Closing the gap between the theory and practice of teaching: implications for teacher education programs in Hong Kong. Journal of Education for Teaching: International Research and Pedagogies, 36(1), 91-104.
Cochran-Smith, M., & Lytle, S. (1993). Inside/Outside: Teacher Research and Knowledge. New York: Teachers College Press.
Creswell, J. W. (2005). Educational research: Planning, conducting, and evaluating quantitative and qualitative research (2nd ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Merrill/Prentice Hall.
Crookes, G. (1993). Action research for second language teachers. Applied Linguistics, 14, 130-144.
Crookes, G. (2003). A practicum in TESOL: Professional development through teaching practice: Cambridge University Press.
Crookes, G., & Chandler, P. M. (2001). Introducing action research into the education of postsecondary foreign language teachers. Foreign Language Annals, 34(2), 131-140.
Eğinli, I., & Solhi, M. (2021). The Impact of Practicum on Pre-Service EFL Teachers' Self-Efficacy Beliefs: First Step into Professionalism. Shanlax International Journal of Education, 9(4), 223-235. 10.34293/education.v9i4.4135.
Ewart, G. & Straw, S. (2005). A Seven-Month Practicum: Collaborating Teachers’ Response. Canadian Journal of Education, 28(1), 185-202.
Fang, Z. H. (1996). A review of research on teacher beliefs and practices. Educational Research, 38(1), 47-65.
Ganser, T. (2000). An ambitious vision of professional development for teachers. NASSP Bulletin, 84(618), 6-12.
Gebhard, J. (2009). The practicum. In A. Burns, & J. C. Richards (Eds.), The Cambridge guide to second language teacher education (pp. 250–258). New York: Cambridge University Press.
Glesne, C. (2006). Becoming qualitative researchers: An introduction (3rd ed.). New York: Longman.
Goodnough, K. (2011). Examining the long-term impact of collaborative action research on teacher identity and practice: The perceptions of K–12 teachers. Educational Action Research, 19(1), 73-86.
Grudnoff, L. (2011). Rethinking the practicum: limitations and possibilities. Asia-Pacific Journal of Teacher Education, 39(3), 223-234
Ho, B. (2013). Carrying out collaborative action research in a practicum. TESOL Journal, 4(2), 295-311. https://doi.org/10.1002/tesj.59
Hobson, L., Colvin, A., Butler, D., Boone, & S., Booker-Thomas, C. (2015). Strategies for mentoring and engaging undergraduate students in planning, conducting, writing, and presenting research. Journal of Teacher Action Research, 2(1), 30-41.
Johnson, A. P. (2008). A short guide to action research (3rd ed.). Boston: Allyn & Bacon.
Kizilaslan, I., & Leutwyler, B. (2012). Pre-service teacher action research: Concept, international trends, and implications for teacher education in Turkey, Bulgarian Comparative Education Society, Vol. 10, Kyustendil, pp. 155-162.
Kosnik, C., & Beck, C. (2000). The action research process as a means of helping student teachers understand and fulfil the complex role of the teacher. Educational Action Research, 8(1), 115-136.
Leedy, P. D., & Ormrod, J. E. (2005). Practical research: Planning and design (8th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Merrill/Prentice Hall.
Mann, S., & Walsh, S. (2017). Reflective practice in English language teaching: Research-based principles and practices. New York: Routledge.
Marlina, N., Ramdani, J. M., & Sri, M. (2016). Action research: theory and practice in English pre-service teachers. Journal of English Education, Literature and Culture, 1(2),196-214.
McMillan, J. H. (2004). Educational research: Fundamentals for the consumer (4th ed.). Boston: Allyn & Bacon.
Mertler, C. A., & Charles, C. M. (2011). Introduction to educational research (7th ed.). Boston: Allyn & Bacon.
Mertler, C. A. (2020). Action research: Improving schools and empowering educators (6th ed.). L.A; SAGE Publications.
Mills, G. E. (2011). Action research: A guide for the teacher researcher (4th ed.). Boston: Pearson.
Morales, M. P. (2016). Participatory action research (PAR) cum action research (AR) in teacher professional development: A Literature review. International Journal of Research in Education and Science, 2(1), 156-165.
Morales, S., Flores, S., & Trajtemberg, C. (2019). Promoting pre-service teachers' inquiry skills in a blended model. In C. N. Giannikas, E. Kakoulli Constantinou & S. Papadima-Sophocleous (Eds), Professional development in CALL: a selection of papers (pp. 39-53). Research-publishing.net. https://doi.org/10.14705/rpnet.2019.28.869
Parsons, R. D., & Brown, K. S. (2002). Teacher as reflective practitioner and action researcher. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth/Thomson Learning.
Pennington, M. (1990). A professional Development Focus for the Language Teaching Practicum. In J. Richards and D. Nunan (1990), Second Language Teacher Education. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Phillips, D. K., & Carr, K. (2009). Dilemmas of trustworthiness in preservice teacher action research. Action Research, 7(2), 207-226.
Quigley, A., & Kuhne, G. W. (1997). Creating practical knowledge through action research posing problems, solving problems, and improving daily practice. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Richards, J., & Lockhart, C. (1994). Reflective Teaching in Second Language Classrooms. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Riel, M. (2007). Understanding action research. Center for Collaborative Action Research. Retrieved March 18, 2021, from http://cadres.pepperdine.edu/ccar/define.html
Roberts, J. (1998). Language Teacher Education. London: Arnold.
Rowntree, D., & Lockwood, F. (1994). Preparing Materials for Open, Distance and Flexible Learning: An Action Guide for Teachers and Trainers. London: Kogan Page.
Ryan, T.G., Young, D.C., & Kraglund-Gauthier, W.L. (2017). Action research within pre-service teacher education. Transformative Dialogues: Teaching & Learning Journal, 10(3), 1-18.
Schmuck, R. A. (1997). Practical action research for change. Arlington Heights, IL: SkyLight Professional Development.
Stringer, E. T. (2007). Action research (3rd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage
Takrouni, A, & Alkubaidi, M. (2019). The Curse of Knowledge‟: Reflections from a Teaching Practicum Course in a Saudi University. Global Journal of Educational Studies, 5(2), 1-11. https://doi.org/10.5296/gjes.v5i2.15224
Ulvik, M., & Riese, H. (2016). Action research in pre-service teacher education – a never-ending story promoting professional development, Professional Development in Education, 42(3), 441-457. https://doi.org/10.1080/19415257.2014.1003089.
Villegas-Reimers, E. (2003). Teacher Professional Development: An International Review of the Literature. Paris: UNESCO International Institute for Educational Planning.
