Abstract
The present project responds to the call for innovative pedagogies at the programme level by addressing the first objective of the guidance notes which seeks to “adopt innovative approaches to teaching development….improve the learning environment for students”. Classroom-based research is a powerful route for pre-service teachers’ professional development and a requirement for students in their final year in undergraduate language education programmes, who carry out research projects during their secondary-school teaching practicum. It is also a new experience for these students, all of whom are first-time researchers who need to grapple with challenges such writing a proposal, dealing with ethical issues, and managing the practical constraints of data collection. These challenges are often unique to the student as they are closely related their chosen area of investigation and research context. Acquiring research skills in a short amount of time requires learning-by-doing activities and fostering a community of practice – an approach that goes beyond the traditional methods through which students typically attempt to learn these skills. In an effort to equip students in the BA (English Studies) & BEd (English Language Education) Co-terminal Double Degree Programme (henceforth: ELED students) (i.e. pre-service English teachers) with formal research skills in the language classroom (i.e. classroom-based research skills), the aim of this project is to document the experiences of students as they conduct classroom-based research, including their challenges and successful attempts at overcoming those challenges, establish a database of video interviews and materials for future cohorts to access, and facilitate sharing between professors and undergraduate students. This will be achieved through (a) recorded interviews with year 5 ELED students during and after their teaching practicum, and (b) recorded interviews with professors on the topic of classroom-based research. (a) and (b) will form the basis of 10 micromodules. Initially this project will directly benefit ELED students taking the courses ELED4850 “Studying Second Language Learners and Classrooms”, ELED4860 “English Language Teaching Project Report”, and EDUC4040B “Teaching Practicum II” – note the PI is the instructor/supervisor for these courses. However, if successful, this initiative may expand to other programmes (e.g. Chinese Language Education) whose students might benefit from the same sharing activities.
Brief write-up
Project objectives
This project had the following objectives: (1) to document classroom-based research experiences of students and alumni from the BA (English Studies) and BEd (English Language Education) Programme (ELED programme); (2) to initiate an online community of practice involving ELED students in different cohorts and ELED alumni to share and develop knowledge, beliefs, and experiences focused on their classroom-based research practices; and (3) to improve Year 4 ELED students’ research knowledge and skills and attitudes towards conducting research as pre-service language teachers. The online community of practice was initiated by designing and implementing eight online micro-modules.
Activities, process and outcomes
The modules included a shared repository of student-created materials, such as abstracts, PowerPoints and articles, video interviews with Year 5 ELED students and ELED alumni, and discussion forums to exchange research ideas and research experiences.
Deliverables and evaluation
The modules were completed in parallel with a lecture-based course on research methodology in second language classrooms (“Studying Second Language Learners and Classrooms” (ELED4850)). A questionnaire given to Year 4 students taking the course revealed that participating in the community of practice resulted in the development of positive attitudes towards research to a significantly greater extent than participation in the course lectures.
Dissemination, diffusion, impact and sharing of good practices
Interviews with students revealed that modules provided them with awareness of the practical challenges of conducting research and with emotional support from their peers, which led to enhanced self-efficacy towards pre-service teacher research.
Impact on teaching and learning
Based on this project, a pedagogical-oriented paper was submitted to an academic journal and a presentation was made at a symposium on education and technology.
