Perspectives
Action Research as a Tool for Professional
Development in the K-12 ELT Classroom
Luis Javier Pentón Herrera
Professional development in the K-12 English language teaching (ELT) classroom
is an evolving entity that focuses on meeting the needs of changing demographics
and latest educational trends. As a result, many texts have been published with
the intention of providing the necessary skills educators need for success in their
classrooms and to instruct a highly heterogeneous English for Speakers of Other
Languages (ESOL) student population. Nonetheless, many of these resources
focus on specific scenarios and instructional approaches that may not be applicable
for all ESOL teachers. In this Perspectives article, I propose the incorporation
of action research as a practice for K-12 teachers with the vision of empowering
them to take control of their professional development and continue improving
their instructional practices. Furthermore, I share three examples of how I have
used action research in my own practice and the benefits obtained by my ESOL
department, my ESOL students, and myself as a teacher researcher.
Le perfectionnement professionnel dans les classes d’anglais du système d’éducation K-12 est une réalité changeante qui cherche à concilier les besoins de l’évolution démographique avec ceux des dernières tendances éducatives. De nombreux
textes ont été publiés afin de procurer aux éducatrices et éducateurs les compétences nécessaires à leur réussite en classe, et également dans le but de renseigner
une population étudiante hautement hétérogène dans le système d’enseignement
de l’anglais à des apprenants étrangers (ESOL). Toutefois, plusieurs de ces sources
me ent l’accent sur des scénarios spécifiques et des démarches pédagogiques qui
peuvent ne pas convenir à toutes les enseignantes et tous les enseignants ESOL.
Dans cet article de Perspectives, je recommande la pratique de la rechercheaction aux enseignantes et enseignants du système d’éducation K-12 en vue de
leur perme re de s’autonomiser pour prendre en main leur propre perfectionnement professionnel et continuer d’améliorer leurs pratiques pédagogiques. Je
donne également trois exemples de la façon dont j’ai recouru à la recherche-action
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https://doi.org/10.18806/tesl.v35i2.193
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dans ma propre activité et des avantages qu’en ont tirés mon département ESOL,
mes étudiantes et étudiants ESOL, et moi-même comme enseignant chercheur.
KEYWORDS: action research, ELs, ELT, ESOL, K-12 classroom
Introduction
The ever-changing landscape of the English language teaching (ELT) classroom demands more from K-12 educators than ever. Early in the 20th century, teaching English to the foreign-born, as it was known, focused on general
didactic principles that ignored important elements of language learning such
as culture and first language (L1) literacy (Goldberger, 1920). Throughout the
years, different trends and growing populations of English learners (ELs)
affected the role and training of teachers of English for Speakers of Other
Languages (ESOL). Early work in ELT shows that many of the challenges
educators faced in the classroom were associated with teaching English while
aligning language and content to the curriculum (Meriam, 1938). In addition,
ELs were required to speak only English at school because that was considered one of the best practices for learning English at that time (Meriam, 1938).
Recent publications present a more holistic approach to ELT where ESOL
teachers are called to become advocates (Linville, 2016; Staehr Fenner, 2014)
who provide students with the necessary skills to be academically successful
(Calderón, 2007; Echevarría, Vogt, & Short, 2000) regardless of their literacy
skills, native language, or academic background knowledge (Custodio &
O’Loughlin, 2017).
Throughout the many theoretical and practical advances in the ESOL
field, K-12 teachers have been tasked with staying current on latest trends and
publications (Nation & Macalister, 2010) regardless of applicability. The ELT
field is, without a doubt, one of the most diverse racially, ethnically, linguistically, and academically speaking. Within the ELT field, we find learners and
educators who represent most ethnic groups, languages, and backgrounds
on our planet. Hence, not all best practices and theoretical knowledge will be
germane and helpful for all ESOL teachers and students. In this Perspectives
article, I share my vision of action research as a resource that all K-12 ESOL
teachers can use independently to improve their instructional practices,
learn about their students’ needs, and create a teacher-student partnership to
improve the ELT classroom environment. My goal is not to discredit or compare other types of research or seminal publications regarding K-12 teacher
development in the ELT field, but to empower educators through reflective
and active teaching practices.
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Action Research: What Is It, Why Use It, and How to Use It?
What Is Action Research?
Mills (2007) explains that action research is “any systematic inquiry conducted by teacher researchers, principals, school counselors, or other stakeholders in the teaching/learning environment to gather information about
how their particular schools operate, how they teach, and how well their
students learn” (p. 5). Action research is done by teachers with the goal of
gaining insight and developing reflective practices that positively influence
their students’ outcomes and contribute to the improvement of their own
educational practices in general. From a practical perspective, action research
focuses on a how-to approach and assumes that individual teachers are
autonomous, competent, and commi ed to life-long professional development (Mills, 2007). More important, action research is the tool K-12 teachers
can use to research and continue learning about their students’ needs, further
explore the approaches that work best in their classroom, and find opportunities for growth based on reflective and active practice. Figure 1 summarizes
the definition and purpose of action research.
Figure 1: Definition and purpose of action research. Adapted from Burns (2009).
Action research is largely concerned with encouraging teachers to be
continuous learners in their classrooms and in their routines. Through prior
research, educators make informed and researched choices about what needs
to be changed and why. For example, Okigbo, Reierson, and Stowman (2009)
share that, through action research, teachers can make educated decisions
on how to be er help ELs become part of their new society as they learn
English. Action research also provides the opportunity to link prior knowledge to new information. For instance, Gilhooly and Lee (2016) discuss the
impact action research has in be er understanding topics that have been
previously researched—such as refugee’s educational experiences—because
teachers and students work together to find meaning in their findings. Last,
action research is relevant and sustains teachers’ endeavors and practices. In
many universities, action research is being recognized as a necessary part of
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teacher preparation programs (Burns, 2009; Mills, 2007; Volk, 2010) because
it provides a foundation for teaching practices that focus on systematically
analyzing the effects of teaching on student learning.
Why Use Action Research?
As an effective educator, we regularly look at how our students are doing
and what we can do to make their learning experience be er; in essence,
that is the purpose of action research. Action research provides an ethical,
valid, and reliable nonlinear framework of inquiry—shown in Figure 2—that
K-12 educators can use to make a difference and improve their instruction. In
this sense, professional development evolves from isolated workshops and
teacher trainings—that may or may not be appropriate—to daily evaluations
of our own teaching, our students’ learning experiences, and opportunities
for including realistic solutions that work in our classroom. In a way, engaging in action research shapes our mind-sets and enables us to be reflective of
our practices to the point that everything we do in our classroom is guided
and supported not only by best practices and prominent works, but by our
own understanding of how those theories and practices are beneficial for our
learning environment (Bolton, 2010).
Figure 2: The Action Research Cycle. Adapted from Geoffrey E. Mills (2007). Action
research: A guide for the teacher researcher (3rd ed.), p. 17, Upper Saddle River,
NJ: Pearson.
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How to Use Action Research?
There are numerous models, or guides to action (Maxwell, 2003), of the action
research paradigm that have been and can be used by teacher researchers
(e.g., see Burns, 2009, 2010; Ellio , 2001; Johnson, 2012; Maxwell, 2003; Mills
2007; Sagor, 2000, 2005). However different, all of these models agree that
action research needs to be a cyclical and nonlinear process where teachers
modify and improve their practices based on emerging findings. Because action research is a flexible paradigm, qualitative and quantitative approaches
may be used. Nonetheless, it is important to point out that due to the participatory and responsive nature of action research, a qualitative approach is
often found to be more beneficial for educators as our primary purpose is to
gain, understand, and communicate knowledge about a specific topic.
Selecting an area of research and ensuring that the topic and research
question(s) are appropriate is fundamental at the beginning stage for the success of the action research project. An appropriate topic consists of simply
choosing a focus related to the educators’ teaching reality of particular interest and that they wish to improve/modify/understand be er. Topics may be
as simple as teaching present progressive tense or as elaborate as promoting family literacy inside and outside the ESOL classroom. However, a good classroom
action research question should be (a) meaningful, compelling, personally
and professionally growth-enabling; (b) informative, insightful, and beneficial for learners; (c) leads to taking action; (d) authentic and uniquely created
for their particular situation—the use of personal pronouns is encouraged
as it reflects their reality; and (e) specific and flexible at the same time allowing exploration and leading to open-ended questions that allow possibilities
to emerge. For examples of good action research questions, see Pine (2009),
chap. 11.
Another important component of action research is collecting and analyzing data. To collect data, teachers should be open to using different forms
of data to increase the validity of their findings. It is generally accepted in
action research “that researchers should not rely on any single source of data,
interview, observation, or instrument” (Mills, 2007, p. 56). Instead, teacher
researchers can choose from different types of tools that gather numerical,
descriptive, narrative, and even nonwri en forms of data. Data collection
materials may include items such as teacher-made evaluations, student
notebooks, a endance records, field notes, video recordings, focus groups,
surveys, and many others. To increase validity and reliability of the data collected and analyzed, triangulation is often used in action research. “Triangulation is a process of verification [checking for truth] that increases validity
by incorporating three different viewpoints and kinds of information. Data
triangulation involves collecting information from different participants and
sources, and from different stages in the project” (Nugent, Malik, & Hollingsworth, 2012, p. 37). Triangulation offers the opportunity to identify
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the weaknesses of each single source while compensating them with the
strengths of another. An example of triangulation would be to collect data
though a survey, observations, and field notes to later analyze.
Last, when conducting action research, think about and address logistical challenges that might arise before, during, and after this process. Three
logistical challenges I have encountered when implementing action research
included (a) time required to conduct research, (b) student needs and considerations, and (c) support from school leaders, colleagues, and parents.
Real-Life Applications of Action Research
After discovering action research, I had the opportunity to apply it to my
immediate teaching context in a way that has proven meaningful for my
students, my ESOL department, and myself as a teacher researcher. In this
section, I share three cases that reflect the flexible, dynamic, and transformative nature of action research when conducted at different levels within an
organization. In addition, I identify the five steps of action research for each
case to ensure consistency, validity, and reliability.
Case 1: Benefits for the ESOL Department
Action research has the potential for impacting departments and schools as
a whole. A couple of years ago during a departmental meeting, we (ESOL
teachers) realized that the workshops and teacher trainings offered to us
did not help in improving our self-identified areas of improvement. Thus,
I proposed engaging in action research to identify our instructional areas of
growth, a proposed plan of action, and a further evaluation on the effectiveness of that plan of action.
Four ESOL teachers were part of that action research study; I participated
in my capacity as teacher researcher. Each teacher-participant identified an
area of growth (Step 1—Select area of research) and, because action research is
flexible and can be tailored to our specific situation, teachers also identified
possible solutions—identified as action plan—that eventually were narrowed
down to one solution per teacher. Data were collected through triangulation:
(a) face-to-face interviews with teacher-participants, (b) classroom observations, and (c) collection of artifacts in the form of students’ notebooks and
wri en materials (Step 2—Collect data). I used the format shown in Table 1
to guide me in the data-collection process and to organize the data gathered
from each teacher-participant (Step 3—Organize data).
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Table 1
Example of a Table Used for Triangulating Data
Research Question
Data Sources
Findings with Explanations
What is/are your reason(s) for
engaging in action research?
What tools are you using to collect
data? Identify three sources per
question
After data have been collected and
analyzed, explain your findings
Research Question #1
Data Source 1:
Finding:
Data Source 2:
Finding:
Data Source 3:
Finding:
After collecting data, I analyzed and interpreted each teacher-participant’s
data independently and shared the findings with them (Step 4—Analyze and
interpret data) to identify opportunities to keep, modify, or improve the original action plan. Last, each teacher-participant implemented modified action
plans (Step 5—Take action!). Because of time constraints, we were only able to
repeat this cycle twice.
Although four action plans were implemented—an action plan per
teacher-participant—one of them was not as successful as expected. However, as a teacher researcher, I understand that all experiences, even failures,
serve as reference for further action (Mills, 2007). For the particular action
plan that proved unsuccessful, the teacher-participant chose teaching advanced
ESOL students to write original text summaries and commentaries, rather than
plagiarize them as her instructional area of growth. The teacher-participant
explained that it was difficult for her students to summarize stories because
they would copy directly from the book. The action plan identified for her
was to read texts to students and have them write a summary of the story
using their own words and memory (develop auditory proficiency and written skills). The action plan did not prove effective because many advanced
ESOL students could not write their own thoughts by just listening to the
story. Hence, the teacher needed a different teaching approach that provided
sufficient scaffolding for all students equally. Nonetheless, through failure,
this action plan unintentionally revealed and assessed the students’ listening,
reading, and writing proficiencies when analyzing texts.
This departmental action research project was eventually turned into a
full-scale qualitative research study because of its importance and impact. It
is important to note that action research projects do not have to culminate in
published work or even evolve into studies. However, in this particular case,
teachers encouraged me to turn this idea into a research study that could
be published to share our reality as high school ESOL teachers. See Pentón
Herrera (2018) for more information about this action research project that
turned into a qualitative research study.
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Case 2: Benefits for the ESOL Teacher
When I started my career as an ESOL teacher, I had a narrowed understanding
of what the word minority truly entailed. During my teacher training, I was
taught that ELs are minority students regardless of where they come from.
However, through action research, I learned that there are many minorities
within the ESOL student population that were not addressed in my teacher
preparation programs and are rarely acknowledged in research today.
A few years ago, I engaged in action research to understand why some
of my ELs from an all-Hispanic ESOL class were not advancing as fast as
their peers (Step 1—Select area of research). Because I was using triangulation,
I initially focused on (a) classroom observations, (b) study habits, and (c)
family/at-home academic support (Step 2—Collect data), but these data did
not yield relevant findings. Because action research is a nonlinear and flexible
process, I decided to change my focus to academic background in their native
countries (returned to Step 1—Select area of research). As a result, I changed my
data collection tools to (a) informal classroom discussions about my students’
country of origin and academic background, (b) collection of wri en artifacts
in the form of English and L1 reading and writing activities, and (c) visual
representations in the form of activities and assignments that asked students
to draw their school back in their native countries (Step 2—Collect data).
To guide me in the data collection process and help organize the data
gathered from each teacher-participant, I again utilized a table, similar to
Table 1 (Step 3—Organize data and Step 4—Analyze and interpret data). To my
surprise, I learned that some of my Hispanic students did not speak Spanish
as a first language and some had limited knowledge of the Spanish language.
The data gathered, supported by further independent research and readings,
revealed that many Hispanic ELs arriving to the United States are not native
Spanish speakers because they belong to Indigenous populations in Latin
America (Pentón Herrera, 2017). This is also true for other minorities within
minority groups within the ESOL population. For example, I have had the
privilege of teaching a Chinese student who spoke Uyghur as L1 and ethnically identified as Uyghur, not Chinese. Similarly, I have recently learned
from an Ethiopian student that she cannot read and write in Amharic. My
Ethiopian student can only read and write in Afaan Oromo, a native language spoken by a minority group of people in Ethiopia and Kenya. Upon
further independent research and reflection, I realized that minority students
shared a similar past marked by discrimination and mistreatment because
they spoke a language that was different to the national language in their
countries. In some cases, I witnessed how other ESOL students engaged in
behaviours that perpetuated and replicated this discriminatory practice.
Since then, I decided to make my practice learning about my students’ first
language and native culture, which may be different from their country of origin. Also, I modified my classroom management practices and became more
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cognizant of the role race, ethnicity, social class, language, religion, and gender play in my classroom. As such, I implemented a zero tolerance approach
classroom management style with the vision of preventing and stopping any
type of prejudice. In addition, I am continuously seeking knowledge and
evaluating how I can effectively provide a safe space and welcoming learning
environment where my students can reflect on the importance of supporting
and advocating for one another (Step 5—Take action!).
Case 3: Benefits for ESOL Students
The goal of action research is improving the lives of students (Mills, 2007)
inside and outside the classroom. For this reason, action research actively
involves participants and uses their personal experiences as a source of analytic information that results in practical solutions (Okigbo, Reierson, and
Stowman, 2009). After careful analysis and reflection of the materials used in
my class, I have come to recently understand that readings in the assigned
textbooks focus on everyday situations and interactions that superficially
delve into feelings, moral values, and behaviour. For most textbooks and
newcomer programs, the primary message is word usage in everyday interaction with peers, teachers, and family members. Hence, these resources do
not give high school newcomer ELs the opportunity to critically and meaningfully engage in discussions about behaviour, feelings, and moral values
in the U.S. context. For this reason, I engaged in an action research project to
gain a be er understanding about the relevance of moral and ethical education for high school ESOL newcomers. The ultimate goal of this study is not
to solve a problem but to engage in meaningful teacher research to learn
from and understand students’ perspectives on moral and ethical education
as it pertains to English language learning and overall knowledge of the U.S.
culture (Step 1—Select area of research).
This action research study has developed in the form of 30-min guided
readings at the end of each ESOL class using the book How to Behave and
Why by Munro Leaf (1946). For this project, I am interested in exploring the
relevance of moral and ethical education in the high school ESOL newcomer
classroom through guided reading. Furthermore, I also seek to analyze the
potential impact that incorporating reading materials addressing moral
values and behaviour has for adolescent ESOL newcomer students learning
English. To do so, I have identified the following questions as important:
1. What is the relevance of moral and ethical education in the high school
ESOL newcomer classroom?
2. How is guided reading beneficial when teaching moral and ethical education in the high school ESOL newcomer classroom?
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3. What are the participants’ personal experiences and reflections of reading
and learning about moral and ethical education in the ESOL classroom?
These questions are being answered through student responses during
our active guided readings. I am gathering data through my students’ comments, interaction with the reading, feedback, and answers to direct questions. I also plan to include a visual elicitation element where students draw a
visual representation of a moral value and/or behaviour they have identified
as highly important based on their cultural upbringing and/or Leaf’s (1946)
book (Step 2—Collect data). To organize data, I am planning on using a table
similar to Table 1 (Step 3—Organize data). I will collect, analyze, and interpret these data (Step 4—Analyze and interpret data) and make modifications or
changes as needed depending on the emerging findings (Step 5—Take action!).
It is my hope that this action research study will give my students the
opportunity to fully engage in meaningful interactions that develop their
English language skills. Furthermore, it is my vision that my students will
find a voice during our purposeful conversations to speak up about topics
that are relevant to them and that connect—or not—their upbringing with
this new culture and society.
Conclusion—Final Thoughts
When it comes to improving education and literacy learning, meaningful
change happens through entities such as educators and students who are
situated within systematic reform at multiple levels (Taylor, Raphael & Au,
2011). Through action research, educators have the power to become teacher
leaders (Rönnerman, 2015) with the knowledge to improve their school and
learning environment. Action research conveys a “democratic impulse”
(No e, 1997, p. 319) inside the classroom that ripples into the entire school.
When engaging in action research, teachers give students a voice (Nelson,
2015) with the vision of learning with and from them about the best teaching and learning practices to use in their ESOL context and reality. In this
Perspectives article, I explored the opportunities action research offers to K-12
ESOL educators. For this, I shared three action research examples that I have
personally used in my practices—at the department, classroom, and student
level—and that have contributed to making our ESOL classrooms and classes
a be er place. It is my hope practitioners reading this Perspectives essay will
also become empowered by utilizing and benefiting from action research in
their own professional instructional contexts.
Acknowledgement
I would like to express my gratitude to my wonderful colleague, Margaret Aker, for her words of encouragement and
for sharing her wisdom with me during the preparation phase of this manuscript. I would also like to thank all the
anonymous reviewers and editors for their comments and time.
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The Author
Luis Javier Pentón Herrera is an English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) teacher at a public high school
and an adjunct professor in TESOL at University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC) and Spanish at University
of Maryland University College (UMUC). He is serving on the Maryland Teachers of English for Speakers of Other
Languages (MD TESOL) Board of Directors as its president (2018-2019). His research focuses on Bilingual Education,
Spanish, ESL/ESOL, Literacy Studies, and Problem-Based Service-Learning (PBSL).
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