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Classroom Action Research Alternative Research Activity for Teachers

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 Classroom Action Research Alternative Research Activity for Teachers

Purnama Syae Purohman

Classroom Action Research is an alternative research application that easily

conducted during teaching and learning processes. Classroom Action Research will
sharpened teachers’ skill in teaching with simple methodological research
application. Researcher pushed to make notes about classroom activities, doing
action, observe and make reflections. Research cycles a ssuggested by Kemmis and
Taggart benefit to expected research direction.

Scientific research is the only way to know something by scientific ways.

Scientific methods firstly developed from natural sciences, and then spread to social
sciences and humanities. People generally known two ways of scientific research:
qualitative and quantitative methods. Educational sciences also developed by
scientific methods for recent years.
Educational research is research conducted by educators and other stakeholders.
This research area is so wide, teachers, students, learning process, learning outcomes,
curriculum, social capital, environment and so on. Education contact with another
disciplines as psychology, sociology, ethics, religions, economic, history, philosophy
etcetera, so educational research affected by many research approaches.

History of Classroom Action Research

Classroom Action Research originated from Action Research concept

developed by American Social Psycholog, Kurt Z. Lewin (1890 – 1947). Action
Research intended to solve social problems like: joblessness and misbehave
adolescent which is developed at the society at that time. Action research conducted
after systematic reviews for the problems. Lewin stated two main ideas of action
research; 1) shared decision; and 2) commitment to improve or enhance work
performance (Baskoro Adi Prayitno: 2008). Action Research is a reflective process
from a progressive problem solving conducted by individuals collaborated with others,
or being a part of ”practitioner’s community” which struggle to improve something or
solve any problems.
The results used as base for arranging a work plan as effort to solve the
problem. Observation and evaluation used as part of action and executing the work
plan. Reflection output will be used as a base for next improvement efforts and
correct the next action plain.
Action Research in educational field, Classroom Action Research, pioneered
by Stephen Corey (1952-1953), he used it as research approach for teachers.
According to Correy, the changes in activities and practices of education will be
easily conducted by Classroom Action Research because the teachers, supervisors,
and administratives staffs will be involved to search the answers and to apply the
research results. Impact of Classroom Action Research (CAR) in educational field
spread after Corey wrote “Action Research to Improve School Practice” at 1953.
Lawrence Stenhouse (1975) introduced technical term teacher as researcher in
research project of curriculum (Schools Council’s Humanities Curriculum Project)
during 1967 – 1972. This research stressed the importance of quick reflection for

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learning behaviour as teacher’s task. At another place, Ford Teaching Project lead by
John Eliot and Clem Adelman (1972 – 1975) make a research of 40 teachers from
primary school and intermediate school to review classrooms’ activities by action
research. Use it as alternative approach to assist teacher to develop inquiry methods
during learning processes. At 1976 founded Classroom Action Research Network),
headquartered at Cambridge Institute. Classroom Action Research also known as:
Participatory research, collaborative research, emancipatory research, action
learning, and contextual action learning.

Definition of CAR

There are three words in CAR, classroom, action, and research. Research is an
activity to investigate an object using certain methodology to gain data or information
which is beneficial to improve the quality of anything, interested by researcchers and
important. Action is planned activity to gain certain goal. Classroom defined as a
group of students at certain time and certain teaching from similar teacher. Classroom
here defined not only room space, but defined as a group of students in learning
process (Suharsimi Arikunto, 2004). Ebbut (1985, in Hopkins, 1993) stated CAR as
systematic reviews of improvement efforts of educational practices conducted by a
group of teachers by doing some activities of learning, based on their reflections from
the results of the actions.
CAR from Elliot (1982) perspectives is a review about social situation aimed
to improve action quality. All the processes – review, diagnosis, planning, action,
observation and effect – create the relation needed between self-evaluation and
professional development. Meanwhile Cohen and Manion (1980) stated that CAR is
mini scale intervention for action in the real world and careful inquiries to that
intervention effects. Wiriaatmaja (2005) stated that CAR is how a group of teachers
organized their learning practice condition, and learn from their own experiences.
They can try their improvement ideas inside their instruction processes, and see real
effects from the efforts.
Kasihani (1999) showed that CAR is practical research, aimed to repair
deficiencies of classroom’s learning practices by doing some actions. Efforts to
improve aimed as answering questions related with problems faced by teachers during
their daily jobs. So, problems revealed and solved in CAR is real problems
experienced by teachers. It is on same way with Suyanto (1997) who stated that CAR
muust be defined as reflective research by conducting certain actions to repair or to
impprove learning practices professionally.
Kemmis (1992): Action research as a form of self-reflective inquiry undertaken
by participants in a social (including educational) situation in order to improve the
rationality and justice of (a) their on social or educational practices, (b) their
understanding of these practices, and (c) the situations in which practices are carried
out. McNiff (2002): action research is a term which refers to a practical way of
looking at your own work to check that it is you would like it to be. Because action
research is done by you, the practitioner, it is often referred to as practitioner based
research; and because it involves you thinking about and reflecting on your work, it
can also be called a form of self-reflective practice.

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 Based on above definitions, CAR can be defined as reflective investigations
by an actor. The action conducted to improve rational stability of their actions when
doing their daily jobs, to deepen their understanding about conducted actions, and also
to repair conditions where learning practices situated. To gain those goals, CAR
conducted cyclical, consist of four stages: planning, action, observation, and reflection.
Classroom in CAR mean as a group of students on study time with teacher as
facilitator of learning process, so the problems oof CAR is so wide, can be described
as below:
1. Students learning problem in school, like learning problems in clasrooms, faults
in learning processes, misconceptions, lack of learning strategy and so on.
2. Teacher professionalism development by enhancing quality of planning, acting,
and program evaluation, also learning attainment.
3. Managing and controlling, like to introduce behaviour modification techniques,
motivation techniques, and self-potencies development techniques.
4. Learning design and strategy in the classroom, as managerial problems and
procedures of learning, implementation and innovation of learning methods (for
example, change conventional teaching method wiith the new one), classroom
interactions (for example, using instruction method based on certain approach.
5. Arising and developing behaviors and values as developing scientific way of
thinking of students.
6. Learning tools, media and learning resources as library media application for
learning and learning resources inside/outside the classrooms.
7. Assesment system or evaluation pocesses and learning outcome as initial
evaluation process and learning outcome, tool application, or using certain
evaluation methods.
8. Curricullum concern as implementation of newestnational curriculum system,
chronology of presentation of subject matters, students teacher interactions,
students interaction with subject matters or students interactions with learning
environment

CAR different with formal research, if formal research aimed to evaluate

hipothesis and to construct general theory, CAR specifically aimed to improve the
performance, contextual, and can not be generalized. However CAR result can be
implemented by others who have similar backgrounds with the researcher. According
to Kusumah and Dwitagama (2009) the differences between CAR and formal research
are:

No Definition Formal research CAR

1 Actor Conducted by other conducted by teacher as
researcher

3
 2 Sample must be representative Not necessary

3 Instrument Must be valid and Not necessary

reliable
4 Statistics Using statistics analysis Not necessary

5 Hypothesis use clear hypothesis Hypothesis not necessary

required

6 Must be based on theory Theories not so

Theory considered
7 Theory testing Repair and or improve
Function learning practices
directly

Tabel 1: Differences between formal research and Classroom Action Research

Characteristics of Classroom Action Research

Based on views of Winter (1996), Kemmis and Taggart (1988), and Santyasa
(2007), I summaried CAR characteristics as below:
1. CAR effort is to solve real problems in the classroom supported with scientific
ways to solve the problems. Teacher as closed individual with students wil
recognize problems related with processes and product of classrooms learning.
So, the teacher will seek the ways to solve problems by doing CAR.
2. CAR focused on action. Conducted actons must be carefully planned because it
is main focus of CAR. Action must be planned, pperformed and evaluated to
know how its result to solve problems.
3. CAR directed to repair or to improve learning quality, its mean that there is a
change in the teacher, improvement or development of his/her attitudes and
behaviours.
4. CAR is important parts of teacher professional development efforts by critical
thinking activities systematically and force teachers to write and make notes
5. CAR result can not be generalized for another classrooms because problems
investigated in CAR is simple, real, clear, and sharp about things happens in the
classrooms. CAR method applied contextually, it mean that variables reviewed
always related with the classrooms situation. CAR results must be soon
conducted and the effectivity must be reviewed again, in accordance with
condition of the classrooms.
6. There is a collaboration between practitioners (teachers and headmasters) with
researcher for understandings, agreements about the problems and decision
makings which finally gain shared actions. CAR can be conducted together in
one team between teacher and other persons.
7. CAR used many ways to collect data. Teachers process data quantitatively or
qualitatively based on their interested research approaches.
8. CAR use certain cycles, if the improvement or repairement didn’t succed at first
cycle, so the second cycle implemented.

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9. Most of CAR rely on data directly found from the reflection. When research on
the way, teacher aided with his/her colleagues collect the data, manage and
discuss about it, write it, evaluate and also doing some actions step by step.
10. There is little similarity of CAR with experiment research. Especially in
experiment action which soon conducted and reviewed again its effectivity. But
CAR do not tightly care about variable control that could be affect review result.
So basic principles of scientific research still preserved, specifically in data
collection, information gain, effort to build action model, and recommendation.
CAR is a kind of scientific effort.
11. CAR is situational and specific, generally conducted by case study
implementation. Research subject is limited and do not representative to
formulate or generalize. Statistic application limited to descript without
inferences.

Teacher exactly can do CAR because teacher 1) otonomously capable to evaluate

his/her performances; 2) findings from traditional research often hard to implemented
for learning improvement; 3) teacher closure with the students; 4) teacher – students
interacted for long time and continously, and; 5) teacher involvement in some
inovative actifities required teacher to relate teaching with researching.

CAR Principles

Some important principles must be considered before conducting CAR as

summarized from Kasihani (1999), Suyanto (1997) and Hopkins (1993) belows:
1. CAR do not disturb teacher main activity, instruction process. When teachers did
CAR, actually they tried to develop their role as professional teacher as one of
professional teacher characters is can effectively teach and research.
2. Suggested to spend short time to collect data in CAR, so the researcher must
carefully arrange research framework with appropriate research strategy,
including initial data collection before CAR started.
3. Methodology used in CAR must be reliable and appropriate. Appropriate methods
give a chances to teachers to formulate action hypothesis and develop applied
strategies in the classrooms.
4. Problems of CAR must be real, factual, interesting, and appropriate to be
researched. CAR best started from simple and real problems. So, the cycle started
to solve small problems by planning, action performance, observation, and
reflection will be more clear.
5. CAR orientation is to improve education practices by doing some changes
conducted by actions. Teacher readiness to transform is an important requirement
for improvement.
6. CAR is systematic processes that need capabilities and skills intelectually. When
research procees conducted, researcher have to think critically from determining
problems, action planning theoretically and practically, and then described by
actions.
7. CAR require teachers to make some individual notes about: students’ progress and
changes, problems experienced, reflections about students’ learning processes,
and processes of actions implementation.

5
8. Teacher by CAR can evaluate their self-works during classes. Then they can
evalate their self-performance, make some reflections, make some changes, and
improved being more skilled in their professional works.
9. CAR implementation must obey organizational life norms in the environment.
CAR implementation must be known by headmaster, teachers, and staffs.
Conducted suitably with scientific research frameworks, reported as scientific
publish and accentuate students’ interests.
10.
The Objectives of CAR

CAR have main objectives and additional objectives as described below:

1. The first main objective is to improve and upgrade professional services of
teachers in learning process. This objective can be reached by doing some
reflections to diagnose the condition, then systematically tried some alternatives
learning model which practically and theoretically can solve the problems.
2. The second main objective is to do teacher skill development based on the needs
to solve actual problems related with learning activities. This objective based on
three points, 1) Implementation needs grow from the teachers, 2) exercising
processes happened hand on and mind on, not in artificial situation, 3) the product
resulted hve values, because implemented scientifically.
3. Additional objective is to grow up research milieu in the community of teachers.

Benefits of CAR

1. CAR benefited as educational innovation that grow from the bottom, because
teachers are the vanguards of educational practices. By CAR teachers will be
more confident to initiate some actions that believed will improvement benefit.
2. CAR result can be used as output for curricullum development. Curricullum
development process affected by interrelated ideas about nature of education and
learning appreciation of the theachers. CAR can assist teachers to understand
empirically the nature of education.
3. Improving teacher professionalism and endorse teachers to develop their skills and
knowledges.

CAR Design

Generally known five designs of CAR based on the founder: Kurt Lewin
model, John Elliot Model, David Hopkins model, Mc Kkernan model, and Kemmis &
Taggart model. In Indonesian case,generally use Kemmis & Taggart model, as it is
the development from basic concept of Action Research introduced by Kurt Lewin.
Kemmis and Taggart model is a string of integrated four component: plan, action,
observe, and reflection which is united in one cycle.

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 Graph 1. Kemmis & Taggart CAR Cycles

(Source : Kusumah & Dwitagama. 2009)

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