I had the privilege to review Ruth’s Action Research. It can be found here: https://create.twu.ca/ruthleong/2018/02/26/learning-activity-8-2/
Before I get into my review, I would like to encourage Ruth to follow through with her action research. I know it would be of great benefit for not only her school but also many if not all schools in the Northwest Territories.
Does the project focus on a real problem in practice?
Yes. Ruth decided to focus on a problem that many teachers across the country can relate to, the lack of collaborations, specifically the lack of collaborations between teachers in the same subject matter in small school settings when there is only one teacher per subject area. From personal experience, the schools within my district face a similar problem as we only have one teacher per grade or multi-grade classes. This research could not only help her district but many across Canada.
Does the researcher plan study his or her own practices or plan to collaborate with community members?
Ruth plans to study the practices not only in her own school but the teachers in the entire district. Her focus is collaborations between teachers but depending on her results could expand to collaborations between professionals.
Does the project include careful reflection about the problem?
Yes, Ruth carefully reflects up on the issue and discusses some roadblocks teachers currently face regarding collaborations.
Does the researcher plan gather serval sources o information (e.g., qualitative and quantitative procedures)?
Ruth has decided to collect her data through a survey, thus a quantitative study. Teachers across her district would participate, those from small schools with one teacher per subject area, and those from larger schools with multiple teachers. This would allow a comparison between different work settings. Some questions Ruth will be asking are: Do teachers regularly collaborate? Are they given time to do so? Is collaboration useful they think it is useful?
Does the research develop a clear plan for addressing the problem?
Yes. If collaboration is found to be useful Ruth suggests group multiple small programs together to collaborate, or teachers from small schools are given the opportunity to join the larger school on professional development days. Another option not discussed is the use of technology such as Skype, google docs, etc. to connect teachers across the district. (From personal experience this is easier said than done.)
Does the project include reflecting, thinking, looking, and gathering information and acting?
Overall the action research project includes thoughtful reflecting, thinking, and gathering information. Given Ruth has not actually completed the research project I feel her suggestions are the practical and reasonable solution to the problem her school is currently facing.
Will the results of the project enhance the lives of those involved?
Yes, providing evidence of the value and benefit of collaboration between teachers ought to encourage more teachers to collaborate actively. Additionally, Ruth offered possible solutions to provide teachers in small school settings to collaborate with other teachers that teach the same grade level and subject area.