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Action Research & Reflective Teaching Practices Flashcards

7 cards from real MAT practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.

Read the first 7 Action Research & Reflective Teaching Practices flashcards as text

  1. John Dewey's concept most foundational to reflective teaching is the idea that teachers should:

    Answer: Treat experience as the basis for continuous inquiry and growth

    Dewey argued that genuine learning and professional growth arise from reflecting on and learning from experience rather than passive transmission.

  2. A MAT candidate designs a study to determine whether cooperative learning improves reading comprehension. The MOST important ethical step before beginning is:

    Answer: Obtaining informed consent from students and guardians

    Ethical action research requires informed consent from participants and guardians, especially when minors are involved.

  3. Which of the following best represents a 'SMART' action research question?

    Answer: Does using graphic organizers during reading increase sixth-graders' main idea identification scores over six weeks?

    A SMART research question is Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound, as illustrated by the graphic organizer question.

  4. Donald Schön distinguished between 'reflection-in-action' and 'reflection-on-action.' Reflection-in-action occurs:

    Answer: While teaching, as the teacher adjusts in real time

    Reflection-in-action is the 'thinking on your feet' that happens during teaching, allowing immediate instructional adjustments.

  5. A teacher finds that her action research data show mixed results — some students improved while others did not. The BEST response is to:

    Answer: Disaggregate the data to look for patterns by subgroup

    Disaggregating data by subgroup (e.g., language proficiency, prior knowledge) can reveal differential effects and inform more targeted next steps.

  6. Which of the following is an example of a 'leading question' that should be avoided in an action research survey?

    Answer: Don't you think group projects are more fun than working alone?

    Leading questions embed the expected answer, biasing responses and compromising data integrity.

  7. A teacher-researcher notices that she has collected enough qualitative data and new interviews are no longer producing new themes. This state is called:

    Answer: Saturation

    Data saturation occurs when additional data collection no longer yields new insights, signaling sufficient qualitative evidence.