Abstract

Reflective practice (Pollard & et al, 2023), teacher-research (Stenhouse, 1981), Action Research (Elliott, 2013), Lesson Study (Lewis, 2002), knowledge-creating schools (Day,1999), and university–school collaboration in educational research have developed from the evolving values, purposes, and perspectives of diverse educational stakeholders (McLaughlin & Ayubayeva, 2015). From the perspective of individual teachers, these approaches are often understood as processes for examining and improving one’s own teaching practice. At the level of educational settings, they foster collaborative professional learning aimed at generating locally shared knowledge and strengthening trust among teachers, particularly when supported by committed school leadership. At the policy level, an increasing number of countries promote greater school and teacher autonomy while simultaneously emphasizing accountability for the quality of education.

We are a group of researchers, practitioners, and graduate students working across diverse educational contexts, including public and private higher education institutions, public schools, and private tutoring centers. Drawing on practical experience, we have integrated Action Research as a tool for improving teaching and learning for both educators and students.

We argue that Action Research is most powerful when conducted collaboratively, supported by well-prepared critical friends who understand its principles, possibilities, and limitations, and enabled by conditions that allow such inquiry to take place. In our practice, Action Research functions not only as a method of professional inquiry but also as a means of cultivating democratic thinking, critical reflection, and professional autonomy. It encourages educators to take greater responsibility for the quality of teaching and learning, even within predominantly top-down educational systems.

In this panel, we will share experiences of implementing collaborative Action Research across diverse educational settings and invite colleagues to discuss strategies, challenges, and successes in fostering teacher-led inquiry, critical thinking, and professional growth.

References:

Elliott, J. 2013. Introduction: The Spiritual Dimension of Action Research. In Value and Virtue in Practice Based Research, edited by J. McNiff, 6–17. Poole: September Books.

Hargreaves, D. 1999.The Knowledge-creating School, British Journal of Educational Studies, 1999, 47(2) pp 122–44

Lewis, C. 2000. Lesson study: the core of Japanese professional development. Japan:

National Science Foundation.

McLaughlin, C. & Ayubayeva, N. 2015. It is the research of self experience’: feeling the value in action research, Educational Action Research, 23:1, 51-67.

Stenhouse, L. 1981. “What Counts as Research?” British Journal of Educational Studies 29 (2): 103–114.