AD ALTA
JOURNAL OF INTERDISCIPLINARY RESEARCH
environment (sometimes in cooperation with colleagues and
academics). The research aim comes from the problematic
situation (i.e. phenomenon) in a certain classroom or school with
the results serving for immediate improvement of pedagogical
practice. Application of teacher investigations and findings are
not bound with various lengthy defenses, approval procedures or
licenses as it is in the case of other studies. However, they are
immediately reflected in the changes and making the
pedagogical practice more quality like. Even if regarding the
character of the stated research, a research sample is small but
the presentation of findings at the workplace or through
publishing the results (journal, conference, teacher meetings,
etc.) gives space to apply the positive experience of others in
own practice.
Kincheloe (2012) defines the research teachers do as taking
matters into their own hands, suggesting that good schooling is
not possible when it fails to account for social, historical,
philosophical, cultural, economic, political, and psychological
contexts that shape the educational process. The teachers that do
a research of their own professional practice, explore and
attempt to interpret the learning processes that take place in their
classrooms, become empowered.
Action research has been currently most frequently defined as
a process in which participants systematically and carefully
research their own educational practice and use there different
research techniques. This research is performed with the aim to
change educational practice in the future in a particular
education environment of a teacher, with students/pupils, with
whom the teacher is dealing, at school where he/she works and
therefore it raises questions directly connected with his/her
educational work. Ferrance (2000) states that this type of
research comes from several assumptions. Teachers and school
directors solve best the problems that are identified by them,
they work more effectively if they are challenged to find out and
evaluate their own work and after that consider the way of how
to differentiate their work. Efficacy increases if they help each
other and work together. Despite that, cooperation among
colleagues helps teachers and directors in development of their
professionality (Ferrance, 2000).
Relevant literary sources limit various types of action research.
Ferrance (2000) according to the nature and aim of the research
describes the action research performed by a teacher in his/her
own classroom and a group action research of several teachers
dealing with the same issue. There are also team action
researches of teachers or others who jointly solve a problem on
a level of the whole school or respective geographical district.
Action research is characterized by its cyclical form and phases
in which it is performed. The most frequently these are the steps
as identification of a problem in educational environment, study
of relevant theoretical literature about the subjected issue, data
collection (interview, questionnaires, tests, diaries, portfolio,
audio and video recordings, etc.), identification, classification
and analysis of collected data, their interpretation, processing the
design ´action – intervention´ in the classroom/school,
evaluation of the results of intervention, communication of the
results or their written publication. In each phase a teacher
researcher applies chosen methods of pedagogical research
(Seberová, 2015).
1.3 Preparation for the role of teacher-researcher
University study is for an undergraduate from the first days
meeting with science and research. Pointing significant
personalities in science and research creates a specific aspect of
academic environment and it is an integral part of its culture.
New students enter this culture and they are gradually taken into
creation of such environment. Organization of university study
gradually gives space to getting closer to science and research
and their specific language, enables them to follow results and
apply them into their student work, engage them into solution of
different research projects. It seems that an interest in student
research work can be influenced by personal motivation of
a student, internal persuasion about the meaning of his/her study,
fulfilling own expectation in particular courses of the study but
also other informal activities held at university, supporting
atmosphere and university culture (hidden curriculum),
possibilities to study abroad, a level of communication between
a university teacher (or scientific authority) and student, etc.
Success of student work when creating final thesis as well as
their later interest in applying research skills in their future
practice both depend on several factors. Unfortunately, there are
only a few studies that have examined how future teachers learn
the processes of action research, what they learn, and how they
see the connections between classroom inquiry, teaching and
educational change (Price, 2001). Gray and Campbell-Evans
(2002) emphasize the need for exploring the views of students
on research work.
Price (2001) examined 11 future teachers’ experiences of action
research and suggests that the knowledge, skills, and experience
students gain during their university studies powerfully influence
the shape of their teaching practice. Based on data, the author
examines four critical components of an action research course –
reflection and inquiry; learning about students; learning about
pedagogical content knowledge; and learning about social justice
and democracy. In another study, Price and Valli (2005) used
case-study methodology to explore novice teachers’ experiences
of action research. They identified five central tensions that form
the process and pedagogy of action research – individual and
institutional change, action and understanding, support and
challenge, passion and reason, and regulation and emancipation.
Authors suggest that educators use them as framework to
develop understandings of change in relation to biography,
teaching, and context of their students.
Kitchen and Stevens (2008) used self-study methodology to
conduct an action research project as they introduced action
research to their students. They analyzed written data from both
students and teachers. The students reported that engaging in
action research helped them to understand how to connect theory
to practice and expanded their conceptions of teaching. The
authors conclude that when teachers learn they are capable of
transforming student learning by researching their own practice,
their conceptual understanding of teaching and learning changes
and the connection between teacher-growth and student-growth
becomes explicit.
1.4 The present study
The research of the authors comes out of the several-year
s
practice of the authors during supervision of students at their
final bachelor and master theses or through solving doctoral
research projects. These are activities that significantly support
the student orientation in theoretical cognition in the field of
pedagogical science (or related fields), they provide the space for
interconnection of theoretical knowledge with current problems
in pedagogical practice, the “training“ of skills for scientific and
research activities and moreover, strengthening the sense of
never-ending search for truth, attentive research of environment,
lifelong learning and connecting different fields of teacher work.
The issue is that only a part of the students enter their teaching
professions with this mind set and only a small proportion seeks
for opportunities to continue in searching and innovating work.
A small part of them consider the double role of a teacher and
researcher as a part of their profession.
The main objective of the study was to explore the factors
determining the perspective of students – future teachers of
themselves as researchers and to highlight the key areas they
consider significant in their future role as researchers.
2 Methods
Participants
The sample consisted of students – future teachers who study the
master degree of pedagogy at the Faculty of Education,
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