Action Research & Reflective Teaching Practices Flashcards

A teacher shares her action research at a faculty meeting so colleagues can adapt her strategies. This practice supports:

Answer: Professional learning community norms of shared practice

Sharing action research findings within a professional learning community (PLC) promotes collaborative inquiry and collective improvement of practice.

Which of the following is the BEST example of 'thick description' in action research reporting?

Answer: During the small-group discussion, Maria leaned forward, pointed to the diagram, and said, 'It's like a sandwich — the main idea is the bread,' signaling a conceptual breakthrough.

Thick description provides rich contextual detail that allows readers to understand and assess the transferability of findings.

A researcher's personal values and background influence how she interprets data. Acknowledging this influence explicitly in the research report is called:

Answer: Positionality statement

A positionality statement discloses the researcher's identity, experiences, and perspectives that may shape data interpretation.

According to Zeichner and Liston's framework, which level of reflection examines the moral and ethical dimensions of schooling?

Answer: Critical reflection

Critical reflection, the highest level in Zeichner and Liston's framework, interrogates the ethical, political, and social justice implications of teaching practices.

A teacher discovers mid-study that her initial data collection tool does not capture the evidence she needs. The most appropriate action research response is to:

Answer: Revise the tool and document the change as part of the iterative process

Action research is inherently iterative; revising tools mid-study and documenting changes is expected and strengthens the inquiry cycle.

Which of the following BEST distinguishes action research from traditional educational research?

Answer: Action research is practitioner-led and aimed at immediate improvement of local practice

The defining feature of action research is that practitioners investigate their own settings with the goal of improving practice, not generating generalizable theory.

A teacher uses exit tickets to adjust the next day's lesson based on student responses. This practice most closely exemplifies:

Answer: Formative assessment aligned with reflective teaching

Using exit tickets to inform subsequent instruction is a hallmark of formative assessment embedded within a reflective teaching cycle.