Forging Research Teaching Linkages Through Action Research

Action research is an approach to enquiry that forges linkages between research and teaching, with each potentially informing the other in a responsive and creative cycle. This paper provides an overview of a pedagogic action research project which was undertaken in order to respond directly to learning needs expressed by a group of second year students on a Masters programme in Learning and Teaching. An espoused aim of the MA programme is to facilitate the enhancement of the students' competency in reflective practice. This paper outlines the process that took place when learners openly communicated some difficulties they had in this regard, in particular when faced with the challenge of writing their reflections in a manner that consistently demonstrated a capacity to be critical. It adumbrates the two specific actions that were taken within the context of the living theories approach to action research--the use of Socratic questioning and the development of a new approach to reflective writing--with a focus on the latter. The living theories approach to action research begins with the question, "How do I improve my practice?" (Whitehead, 1989) and involves the practitioner seeking out ways in which to influence her own learning and that of others. By interacting with the students in a collaborative process, there is a possibility of creating new knowledge individually and collectively (Whitehead and McNiff, 2006). The outcomes of the project, including the effect of the pedagogic initiatives on student learning, and the development of a new framework for reflective writing--the "Integrative Reflection Template"--are also presented, with the on-going nature of the process of enquiry made explicit. (Contains 1 figure.) [For the full proceedings, "Research-Teaching Linkages: Practice and Policy. Proceedings of the Third Annual Conference of the National Academy for the Integration of Research, Teaching and Learning (3rd, Dublin, Ireland, November 11-12, 2009)," see ED539248.