Formative Action Research on Teaching Strategies

Formative Action Research

The goal of teaching is to have students achieve the desired learning outcomes through retaining concepts and applying them to real-world scenarios. However, there are various teaching techniques that are available to teachers in their efforts to promote student learning and achievement. In most cases, teachers tend to use the same teaching and learning approaches that were used to teach them. As the modern society continues to develop, there are concerns regarding the most suitable teaching strategy that would help to meet students’ needs and learning goals. Current teaching approaches are classified either as teacher-led or student-led teaching techniques. For new and existing teachers, the identification of the most suitable strategy to employ in the classroom is critical toward achieving the desired learning goals and improving student achievement through meeting their learning needs.
Part 1: Purpose, Problem Statement, and Research Questions
Purpose
This formative action research paper seeks to explore an issue in the current educational environment with respect to student learning. Given the variety of teaching approaches that are available in today’s educational sector, there are concerns on the most suitable means to improve teaching. Improving teaching strategies is a major issue in today’s educational setting because of the increased changes in education, particularly those brought by technology and globalization (The Room 241 Team, 2012). The purpose of this action research is to determine the most beneficial and suitable approach between student led activities and traditional lectures.
Problem Statement
I am an aspiring teacher who is currently understanding a Master degree course in Education. Throughout my academic years, I have learned a lot about the various aspects of student teaching and learning. The course has provided me with significant insights on teaching strategies and tools that would help promote student learning and achievement. However, I am concerned on the best approach in developing and utilizing a teaching technique in the classroom. While the course has provided me with significant insights regarding education and my role as a teacher/school administrator, I am slightly confused about the most suitable teaching strategy that I would employ in my future classroom or teaching practice.
I have been asking myself: “What is the best teaching approach between student led activities and traditional lectures?” To answer the question, I have decided to engage in an individual action research that has a descriptive purpose. At this point, I am concerned with identifying the most suitable approach between student led activities and traditional lectures with respect to enhanced student learning and achievement.
Research Questions
To achieve the purpose of this individual action research, I have identified three research questions to guide the study as follows…
1. What is the difference between student led activities and traditional lectures in the classroom?
2. What are the benefits associated with student led activities vs. traditional lectures?
3. What is the most suitable and beneficial approach between the two in enhancing student learning and achievement?
Part 2 – Literature Review
The issue of teaching strategies and approaches has been the subject of numerous studies over the years. This issue has received significant attention in recent years because of the changes in school settings, curriculum, and increased integration of technology in the classroom. For this individual action research, I have identified some several studies that have been previously conducted on this topic. These studies provide significant insights on what other researchers have discovered about the issue of student led activities and traditional lectures as well as their benefits. The review of these studies is geared towards providing a foundation for the research questions based on what is known regarding this topic. Moreover, review of these peer-reviewed studies is essential for this action research because it enhances understanding of the problem and would help in generating ideas for conducting this study.
Meguid & Collins (2017) conducted a study in which they examined the perceptions of students regarding lecturing approaches utilized by teachers i.e. traditional lectures and interactive, student-led teaching. These researchers carried out their study on the basis that there has been an increasing trend toward transcending to student led methodologies that actively engage students from traditional approaches i.e. lectures. In essence, the researchers recognize that teacher-focused teaching is becoming less popular while student-centered teaching is gaining significant attention in the modern classroom environment. Student led activities are considered essential in the modern learning environment since they create a fruitful learning environment by helping to focus students’ attention on the lesson.
The purpose of the study conducted by Meguid & Collins (2017) is to determine students’ perceptions about traditional lectures and student led activities/teaching. These perceptions would help in determining the most suitable teaching approach between the two in relation to student learning and achievement. Through examining students’ perceptions, Meguid & Collins (2017) sought to contribute to existing literature regarding the most effective teaching approach that can be employed by modern educators. These researchers contend that while student-centered teaching is becoming more popular and suitable in creating a suitable learning environment, students’ views regarding this teaching strategy and traditional lectures are unknown. Moreover, existing literature does not provide substantial information on what students consider to be the most effective teaching strategy. In light of the ongoing changes in instructional strategies, Meguid & Collins (2017) argue that understanding students’ views on teaching strategies would help to improve their learning, overall satisfaction, and performance.
Therefore, the research question answered by this study is, “What are students’ perceptions about traditional lecture and student-centered teaching?”
This research is based on Social Constructivism Theory, which is a sociological theory that postulates that human development is socially-based while knowledge is gained through interactions with others. Based on this theory, interactive teaching is the most effective approach to teaching since it enhances students’ motivation. To this extent, effective teaching depends on the level of interaction between teachers and students. To examine students’ perceptions regarding these teaching approaches, Meguid & Collins (2017) used PollEverywhere Audience Response System (ARS), which was administered to a group of 60 first-year dental students at Queen’s University Belfast. The researchers collected qualitative data using a survey based on ARS while qualitative data was collected using a structured questionnaire. Quantitative data obtained from the participants was analyzed using univariate analysis and analysis of variance (ANOVA) while qualitative data was analyzed using thematic analysis. The study found that an interactive, student-centered teaching approach like PollEverywhere Audience Response System is effective since it encourages students to actively engage in the lesson unlike traditional lectures. Therefore, they concluded that student led activities are more beneficial in enhancing student motivation and engagement in learning as compared to traditional lectures, which are teacher-based and characterized by student inactivity during the lesson.
References
Meguid, E.A. & Collins, M. (2017, March 17). Students’ Perceptions of Lecturing Approaches: Traditional Versus Interactive Teaching. Advances in Medical Education and Practice, 8, 229-241.
The Room 241 Team. (2012, December 31). Which is Best: Teacher-Centered or Student-Centered Education? Retrieved from Concordia University - Portland website: https://education.cu-portland.edu/blog/classroom-resources/which-is-best-teacher-centered-or-student-centered-education/