MAT Action Research & Reflective Teaching Practices 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: John Dewey's concept most foundational to reflective teaching is the idea that teachers should:
- Follow scripted curriculum with fidelity
- Treat experience as the basis for continuous inquiry and growth (Correct answer)
- Prioritize standardized outcomes over process
- Minimize student-to-student interaction
Correct 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.
Question 2: A MAT candidate designs a study to determine whether cooperative learning improves reading comprehension. The MOST important ethical step before beginning is:
- Publishing a literature review
- Obtaining informed consent from students and guardians (Correct answer)
- Securing a control group with no instruction
- Submitting findings to a peer-reviewed journal
Correct answer: Obtaining informed consent from students and guardians
Ethical action research requires informed consent from participants and guardians, especially when minors are involved.
Question 3: Which of the following best represents a 'SMART' action research question?
- How can I become a better teacher?
- Why do students fail?
- Does using graphic organizers during reading increase sixth-graders' main idea identification scores over six weeks? (Correct answer)
- What is the history of action research?
Correct 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.
Question 4: Donald Schön distinguished between 'reflection-in-action' and 'reflection-on-action.' Reflection-in-action occurs:
- During a post-lesson debrief with a mentor
- While teaching, as the teacher adjusts in real time (Correct answer)
- When reviewing video recordings of past lessons
- At the end of a semester through portfolio review
Correct 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.
Question 5: A teacher finds that her action research data show mixed results — some students improved while others did not. The BEST response is to:
- Discard the data and start over
- Report only the positive findings
- Disaggregate the data to look for patterns by subgroup (Correct answer)
- Conclude the intervention was ineffective
Correct 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.
Question 6: Which of the following is an example of a 'leading question' that should be avoided in an action research survey?
- How often do you read for pleasure each week?
- Don't you think group projects are more fun than working alone? (Correct answer)
- What strategies do you use when you encounter an unfamiliar word?
- How would you describe your experience during today's lesson?
Correct 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.
Question 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:
- Validity
- Saturation (Correct answer)
- Reliability
- Triangulation
Correct answer: Saturation
Data saturation occurs when additional data collection no longer yields new insights, signaling sufficient qualitative evidence.
MAT Action Research & Reflective Teaching Practices 3
John Dewey's concept most foundational to reflective teaching is the idea that teachers should: