Action Research to Make a Difference in the EFL Classroom

Imagine that you heard about a great new way to implement effective educational strategies into your classroom from a peer, a news cast or some link on social media. You think it sounds great, but wonder if it's really applicable for you or your students. Instead of muddling about, daydreaming about your potentially amazing classroom practices engage in the solution: Action research!

Brighton and Moon (2003) wrote an article about action research and why it is so important. They state action research is,

‘systemic, disciplined inquiry focused on addressing a specific, identifiable research question using qualitative or quantitative methods’

Without question, the very idea of this sounds intimidating to teachers who have little to no practice in the field of research. It also sounds like a huge time commitment. I am here to let you know it's all going to be okay. You can do action research, be a great teacher, and still have time to drink a glass of wine every once in a while.

A colleague of mine wants to start incorporating more sensory play activities into her EFL classroom, giving her students opportunities to grow emotionally, socially and behaviorally as well as linguistically. There are countless benefits listed for this type of instruction, so let's put the methods of action research to the test.

1. Select a Topic of Interest

Here, our teacher has chosen to incorporate sensory play items into the classroom. Most of the items will focus on English development, but some will focus on logic, mathematics, and spatial abilities. It's best to have a specific and detailed topic that you want to pursue. Broad or far reaching topics will not lead to concise results.

2. Narrow Your Ideas to a Specific Focus

As mentioned, having too many ideas will lead to too many answers and possibilities and that means there are no concrete findings. This will lead to frustration because you worked so hard and made a lot of effort for nothing. Try to find the one area of the topic that you think will work very well for your students. In this case, the teacher chose to focus on how sensory play can develop English fluency as well as benefit students' emotional wellbeing. 

3. Identify Research Questions

The more specific you are, the better. I could bore you with a long paragraph of how to do this specifically, or I could just show you. 

Good example:

Can using sensory bins or bags lead to higher comprehension and recall of adjectives?

Bad example:
Will sensory bins help students learn adjectives?

Good example:
Will sensory stress balloons create an environment where students are more comfortable expressing their feelings?

Bad example:
Will sensory stress balls reduce stress in the classroom?

I will reiterate that the specificity of the questions is crucial to your study's success. As you can see, the 'Good example' questions could be answered with a simple yes/no answer, but can also receive additional information that gives a more well rounded answer. The 'Bad example' questions end with yes/no answers and gives you nowhere to go after you collect your data. 

4. Collect Your Data

There are so very many ways to do this. I have done both qualitative and quantitative data collection in my classroom, and both are equally important. In an article* I wrote while completing my Master's. It's important to utilize both methods because it helps round out data while helping you realize how effective/ineffective your plan will be with your students.

This graphic shows multiple methods of obtaining data in both categories. This can seem like the hardest part and it's definitely the most time consuming aspect, both in planning and actual doing - BUT!- it is also the most worthwhile. You will have real, valid results of how a particular program is working for your living, breathing, learning students!

5. Analyze Your Data

This is where having multiple kinds of data comes in handy. You can cross reference the data and find the weak points of your program. I'm not talking about using fancy computer programs or any kind of sophisticated math equations. If you selected your questions carefully and pointedly and collected your data systematically, you will be able to see a clear pattern. It's very important at this point to clearly think about whether your data indicates distinctly that the strategy will work. If your data is telling you your idea was not right for your classroom, it's time to go  back to step 2 and start again. 

It  happens to the best of us. 

6. Reporting Results 

Now that you've found some good, juicy practices that are applicable to your students and are likely to work in your classroom, you are responsible for letting the world know about it. How many times have you read something or heard something anecdotally from another teacher and thought, "That's GENIUS!"? Now is your time to be that genius making great suggestions. Tell other teachers in your school. Tell the parents of your students the work you've done to enable their children to become more successful in the classroom. Start a blog and write about your success there in order to enable even more teachers to become awesome superstars like you! 

7. Use the Results in Your Classroom

Using the results will lead to refining your findings and the future action research you undertake in your classroom. The more you practice being open to modifying your practices, the better your classroom will be! This will allow you to be a more reflective teacher, and that is always a good thing. 

It may seem like a huge undertaking to start an action research plan, but I assure you: it is not as hard as you think it is. I did an entire action research plan in 5 weeks for my Research Methods course as part of my Master's and it wasn't as labor intensive as I had imagined. I gained a lot of valuable insight into how I can effectively make change in my classroom while creating useful and dynamic lessons for my students. It also helped me become more attuned to my students' needs and abilities - something all teachers definitely appreciate! So, don't be afraid. Take the plunge and do a little digging around, you might find something great! 

Leave some comments below on what kind of action research you'd like to do in your classroom, or any barriers or obstacles you feel are keeping you from doing action research. And, of course, feel free to ask any questions, leave any comments or voice any concerns. 


* This article is a full, front to back research paper featuring all of the elements discussed in this post and was implemented in my classroom.