Initial Ideas About Research

By Author: emaly su
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The analysis of teachers' narratives on their understandings of research showed that 4 out 18 teachers described research as a professional development activity.

For example, I go to the British Council regularly and read the recent issues of E LT journals. I attend seminars sponsored by publishing companies. Lecturers present research on different topics.

Some other teachers (5 out of 18) equated research with statistics or moths did not like math when I was a student so I'm not sure about research. It's numbers and statistics, and impossible to understand. Research is a term that frightens me. I know that it's useful but I can't deal with all the tests and numbers, etc. By the way, I haven't seen ...
... one single English teacher who told me about the research s/he has done.

For some teachers research meant solving classroom management problems: We have students in class who are 'entertaining themselves by watching and judging the teacher' just like they are watching TV at home, in this case maybe research can help me, but I don't know how to find this research.

As can be seen, in general teachers' statements revealed their awareness of the usefulness of research as well as their fear and lack of knowledge of the process. The analyses of teachers' journals revealed the ways teachers approached and solved different problems in their classes.

The research process, especially collecting their own data, seemed to have positive effects on teachers' perspectives towards research: After having done research myself, I think what I can claim about my classroom or my students is much more reliable because I have my own data which I collected with a questionnaire and classroom observations.

The role of a researcher was 'strange' for some teachers as they had thought a researcher would do more 'complex' and 'sophisticated' research; yet, they still seemed to benefit from this role: To me the most impressive aspect of research was that it combined two roles into one: the role of the teacher, who knows the real classroom atmosphere, and the role of the researcher, who suggests theories about teaching and learning.

Many teachers indicated that 'research led to an increased sense of professionalism', and focused particularly on how research raised their awareness to their own teaching practices: In the class I observed, some students had difficulties in grasping the teachers' expectations. They just sat back and stared at the teacher with blank eyes and when she started the activity, these students couldn't do anything.

I realized that when you give instructions for an activity you're doing for the first time, you should pay particular attention to slow learners.

Reflecting on their own data encouraged some teachers to initiate changes in their teaching practices: Today I interviewed 9 students during lunch break.

I told them that I wanted to learn their opinions. They don't like the topics and activities in our pack. I realized I should find more interesting topics for them.... I copied two articles on Turkey's membership to EU from the 'Daily News' for all students and we had silent reading. After going over the key words, they made groups and started discussing the articles with access to the articles and key words. It really went much better.