1. ‘Who am I studying?’ : Self-study teacher educator research Tamiko Kondo PhD, Faculty of Education and Theology Postgraduate Research Methodologies Conference 10 November 2014

2. ‘Who are you studying?’
The research participants (Japanese English teachers)?
Japanese students?
Teacher education methodologies in Japan?
Education policies in Japan?

3. ‘I am studying MYSELF.’

4. What is action research?
- A form of enquiry to investigate and evaluate our work
- A form of professional learning
Figure 1.1 An action-reflection cycle (McNiff and Whitehead, 2011, p.9)
(McNiff and Whitehead, 2011, pp.7-9)
observe
reflect
act
evaluate
modify
Move in new directions

5. The background of Action research (1)
- John Collier ( )
∙ Commissioner for the Bureau of
Indian Affairs
∙ ‘Action-evoked’ research is ‘incomparably more
productive of social results’ (Collier, 1945, p.300)
- Kurt Lewin ( )
∙ ‘Father’ of social psychology
∙ Research to improve intergroup relations
∙ ‘Research that produces nothing but books
will not suffice’ (Lewin, p.35)

6. The background of Action research (2)
* Reflective practice
- Dewey (1910)
∙ Definition of ‘reflective thought’ (pp.1-2)
∙ Inquiry for problem-solving
- Schön (1983)
∙ Emphasis on a process of problem setting
∙‘Reflection-on-action’ and ‘Reflection-in-action’ (pp )
Reflect on practice
Examine it critically
Generate new understandings
- Aristotle
∙ Phronesis (Practical wisdom)
∙ Emphasis on reflecting in the real world (Bulman, 2013)
- Dewey (1910)
∙ Definition of ‘reflective thought’ (pp.1-2)
∙ Inquiry for problem-solving
- Schön (1983)
∙Emphasis on a process of problem setting (≠ Technical Rationality)
∙‘Reflection-on-action’ and ‘Reflection-in-action’ (pp )
∙ Reflective practice
∙ ‘Reflective thought’
- the process in which ‘the ground or basis for a belief’ is intentionally searched
for, and its acceptability to back up the belief investigated (Dewey, 1910, pp.1-2)
∙ ‘Reflection-on-action’ and ‘Reflection-in-action’
- we think over our practice after the practice and during the practice
- a process of problem setting is essential in professional practice
(Difference from Technical Rationality) (Schön, 1983, pp ) ↓
Samaras and Freese (2009) stated that their work had a
great impact on a lot of self-study researchers.
This often involves examining assumptions of everyday practice. It also tends to involve the individual practitioner in
being self-aware and critically evaluating their own responses to practice situations.
The point is to recapture practice experiences and mull them over critically in order to
gain new understandings and so improve future practice. This is understood as part of the
process of life-long learning.

7. The background of Action research (3)
* Appearance in an educational research context
- In the 1950s
- Emergence of the teacher as researcher movement
∙ Curriculum change in schools through ‘teachers-based’
action research (Elliott, 1991, pp.5-12)
* Educational action research
-’Critical analysis’ (Carr and Kemmis, 1986, p.42)
- A need for both theory and practice
- Participants should be involved in the research process
The ‘teacher as researcher’ movement needs the
kind of ‘theoretical rationale’ (Carr and Kemmis,
1986, p.1).

8. The background of Action research (4)
- Action research methodology
‘Underpinning assumptions’
(McNiff and Whitehead, 2011, pp.27-36)
‘How do I improve what I am doing?’
(Whitehead, 2008, p.1)
-‘Epistemological assumptions’
∙ The research focus is the ‘I’
∙ ‘Knowledge is uncertain’
∙ Creating knowledge through
a collaborative process
-‘Ontological assumptions’
∙ ‘Value laden’
∙ ‘Morally committed’
∙ Self-perception
‘in relation with one another’
-‘Ontological assumptions’
∙ ‘Value laden’
∙ ‘Morally committed’
∙ Self-perception ‘in relation with one another’
-‘Epistemological assumptions’
∙ The research focus is ‘I’
∙ ‘Knowledge is uncertain and ambiguous’
∙ Knowledge creation through a collaborative process
‘Methodological assumptions’
Practitioners as agents
‘Open-ended and developmental’
‘Improve learning with social intent’
- ‘Methodological assumptions’
∙ Practitioners and researchers
∙ ‘Open-ended and developmental’
∙ ‘Improve learning with social intent’

9. Why action research?
1). As a teacher in company with other teachers /students,
to influence their learning
2). For not only my professional but personal development
as a teacher and a teacher educator
3). For improving our research community’s practice so that
both I and the research participants, whose learning I am
supporting, will become better action researchers
4). To develop the conception of ‘teacher as action researcher’
in teacher education methodologies in Japan
through disseminating my research

10. Before starting research…
* Action planning
- ‘What is my concern?’
- ‘Why am I concerned?’
- ‘What kinds of data will I gather to show why I am concerned?’
- ‘What can/will I do about it?’
- ‘What kinds of data will I gather to show the situation as it unfolds?’
- ‘How will I test the validity of my claim(s) to knowledge?’
- ‘How will I ensure that my conclusions are reasonably fair and
accurate?’
- ‘How will I modify my concerns, ideas and practice in the light of my
evaluations?’
(McNiff and Whitehead, 2011, pp.89-93)

11. * My research strategies
- Research community / I & Participants
“Kobe Reflective English Teachers Society”
- ‘Critical friends and validators’
for scrutiny of my data and ideas
- ‘Interested observers’
for comments and feedback
(McNiff and Whitehead, 2011, pp.91-96)
Research community as ‘a community of practice’
- a community to share a concern or a passion and
learn how to improve our practice through regular
interaction (Wenger, 2006, p.1)
Participants / Five Japanese English teachers to secondary level ‘Critical friends and validators’ / My supervisors, Academics from Faculty of Education, Japanese English teachers, the Kobe Board of Education members, Japanese academics, Audience of my presentations etc… ‘Interested observers’ / Research colleagues, Head teacher, Teacher colleagues, The research participants’ students etc…
Research community as ‘Communities of Practice’
- a community to share a concern or a passion and
learn how to improve our practice through regular
interaction (Wenger, 2006, p.1)

12. - What is my concern? / Why am I concerned?
Action Planning
- What is my concern? / Why am I concerned?
How do I facilitate Japanese students’ confidence in their English as an English teacher?
‘How do I improve what I am doing’ as a teacher educator?
(Whitehead, 2008, p.1)
How do I deal with the professional dilemmas of Japanese English teachers that arise from the gap between their thoughts and Japan’s education policy?
How do I develop in-service teacher education methodologies so that they will support professional development?
My Self-Study research design ‘What is my concern?’ My personal situated inquiry / How do I facilitate Japanese students’ confidence in their English as an English teacher? ‘How do I improve what I am doing’ as a teacher educator? (Whitehead, 2008, p.1) How do I help Japanese English teachers develop their pedagogy for students’ communicative competence? How do I tackle on the dilemma coming from the gap between Japanese English teachers’ thoughts and Japan’s policy towards English language Education?
How can I use collaborative action research to deal with the professional dilemmas of Japanese English teachers that arise from the gap between their thoughts and Japan’s education policy?

13. - What kinds of data will I gather to show why I am concerned?
- What can/will I do about it?
- What kinds of data will I gather to show the situation as it unfolds?
- Voices from Japanese English teachers
- Course of Study, Policies, Proposals
- Produce my provisional model
- Analyse the data
- Clarify the gap and teacher’s dilemma
- Present in Japan
- From the research participants
- From my critical friends and interested observers
- From myself

14. - How will I test the validity of my claim(s) to knowledge?
- How will I ensure that my conclusions are reasonably fair and accurate? - How will I modify my concerns, ideas and practice in the light of my evaluation?’
- Outline how I influenced and encouraged
other people’s learning
-‘Validation meetings’
- Public critique
(McNiff and Whitehead, 2011, pp )
- Develop my research question
- Move into the next cycle of action and reflection
‘How do I gather the data?’ From the research participants in a self-study research teachers community (Kobe Reflective English Teachers Society) Interviews / Questionnaires / Class observations and post-class discussions / Correspondences / Moodle Forum / Visual data From my critical friends and interested observers ‘constructive and unsentimental feedback’ from supervision meetings, presentations, general meetings / * From myself
- Journals, Field notes
(McNiff and Whitehaed, 2011, p.163)

15. From master’s research to PhD research
As a newly appointed teacher trainer, how can I facilitate teacher autonomy?
(Kondo, 2008)
Action-reflection

16. MY current action research design
Triple Spirals for Collaborative Action Research (Kondo, 2014) I We
My learning
Their learning
Policies
Our learning
Our students’ learning
Our challenge and dilemma
We Kobe Reflective English Teachers Society I & the research teachers ,looking at… Our development Our students’ development Our challenge and dilemma I as a main researcher ,looking at… My learning The research teachers’ learning My values in my practice Others as my critical friends group ,looking at my practice
Others

17. ‘Who am I studying?’

18. ‘I am studying MYSELF, in relation with others, exploring who I am as a teacher and a teacher educator.’

19. References
Carr, W. and Kemmis, S Becoming critical: education, knowledge and action research. London: RoutledgeFalmer. Collier, J United States Indian Administration as a laboratory of ethnic relations. Social Research, 12(3), pp
Dewey, J How we think. New York: Dover Publications.
Elliott, J Action research for educational change. Buckingham: Open University Press. King, M.L The social activist and social change. In: International conference on social change and the role of behavioral scientists, 4 May 1966, Atlanta, International conference on social change and the role of behavioral scientists, pp Kondo, T As a newly appointed teacher trainer, how can I facilitate teacher autonomy? ME.d. thesis, Kobe City University of Foreign Studies.
Lewin,K Action research and minority problems. Journal of Social Issues, 2(4), pp
McNiff, J. and Whitehead, J All you need to know about action research. 2nd ed. London: Sage Publications. Schön, D. A The reflective practitioner - how professionals think in action. Aldershot: Ashgate. Wenger, E Communities of practice: a brief introduction. [Online]. pp [Accessed 06 October 2014]. Available from:
Whitehead, J Using a living theory methodology in improving practice and generating educational knowledge in living theories. Educational Journal of Living Theories, 1(1), p

20. Thank you for listening
Thank you for listening. I would appreciate any critical feedback that will guide me in my ongoing enquiries.