PLANNING AND IMPLEMENTING ACTION RESEARCH IN PRE-SERVICE TEACHER EDUCATION: CHALLENGES AND SOLUTIONS

Author: Malaysia

Abstract

The focus in teacher education has been said to be typically theory-based, resulting in a disengage between theory and practice. Action research can bridge this gap by allowing pre-service teachers to transform their conceptual knowledge into practical experience through actively addressing a real-world teaching or learning issue. This study aimed to explore pre-service teachers’ experience when they engaged in action research, with a focus on the challenges faced and how they addressed these challenges. Data for this qualitative research was collected using interviews. The analysis of data involved coding and categorising the codes into themes. The findings revealed that the pre-service teachers faced numerous challenges such as identifying a research direction, reviewing the literature, and lacking research skills at the proposal writing stage. At the implementation stage, data collection and analysis posed challenges to them. To address these issues, they sought advice from their supervisors and mentors, discussed with their peers and looked for potential solutions on the internet. This study suggests that it is crucial to empower pre-service teachers as self-directed reflective practitioners in their action research journey so that they can continue to reflect on their experiences, actions and decisions made towards a high-quality pre-service teacher education.