Improving Teaching through Classroom Action Research
Gwynn Mettetal,
Indiana University South Bend
Adapted by ptkcontoh
from http://academic.udayton.edu
Teaching and learning centers provide an array of
programs and services to assist the instructor who is struggling or the
excellent teacher looking for something new. The pedagogical tools suggested
can range from collaborative group work to problem-based learning to on-line
instruction (see, for example, Nilson, 1998). The dilemma facing the individual
instructor is choosing from a myriad of teaching strategies to use in a
particular classroom situation. Factors such as class size, content area, and
student demographics play a role. The instructor’s own skills and style are
also critical factors. Classroom Action Research (CAR) is systematic inquiry
with the goal of informing practice in a particular situation. CAR is a way for
instructors to discover what works best in their own classroom situation, thus
allowing informed decisions about teaching. CAR occupies a midpoint on a continuum ranging from teacher reflection at one end to traditional educational research at the other. It is more data-based and systematic than reflection, but less formal and controlled than traditional educational research. Instructors use data readily available from their classes in order to answer practical questions about teaching and learning in their classrooms. Further CAR integrates the two faculty roles of teaching and scholarship and is one form of the scholarship of teaching and learning (Cross & Steadman, 1996). Methods of conducting classroom action research projects are diverse, and easily mastered by faculty from any discipline.
