Action Research, Efficacy, and Agency: Exploration of Teacher Change During the Teacher as Researcher Program
Sat, April 13, 3:05 to 4:35pm, Philadelphia Marriott Downtown, Floor: Level 4, Room 404Abstract
Teachers have a strong influence on student achievement, and effective action research can help ensure that influence is positive. The Teacher as Researcher program provides professional learning that helps teachers use experimental methods in an action research process called the Instructional Improvement Cycle, which is designed to rapidly improve instruction. A pre and post survey examined short-term outcomes of Teacher as Researcher. We found that after six two-hour sessions teachers significantly increased their knowledge and use of action research, as well as their efficacy, and that these constructs were significantly related to one other in a path analysis. Agency did not change from pre-workshop to post-workshop and some of its relationships in the path analysis were negative.