ALARj Action Learning and Action Research Journal
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Jack the lion – the making of a film about action research as action research
No full textIn the pages that follow, it will be argued that the process of action research and the production of a documentary film are structurally comparable. Based on this assumption, this text tells the story of the making of a film on action research. It describes the process starting with the decision about who will be the protagonists, followed by script writing, filming and editing. The core issue is the film director’s strong intervention during the filming phase which is reflected in the light of his different roles and with respect to ethical considerations. The paper closes with reflections on what a documentary film can convey about action research
Action Research on Literature Circles in Moodle Chat
No full textThe aim of this paper is to study the benefits and drawbacks of using Moodle Chat for the implementation of literature circles (LC) in the English language classrooms among university students. LCs are widely used in language teaching to promote active learning, develop communication skills and encourage critical thinking, creativity and self-motivation. Furthermore, they are highly effective in developing other soft skills such as problem solving, leadership, teamwork and empathy which are in high demand in the contemporary job market. Technology advancements and the development of new e-learning tools have opened myriads of possibilities for developing language skills in less conventional ways. Therefore, instead of the traditional LC conducted in class, students have been given the opportunity to conduct LC discussions in the Moodle Chat environment in their own arrangement, without direct teacher intervention. The added value of Moodle Chat is that the conversations are recorded and provide material for further linguistic and discourse analysis and can be adapted and used to assess the students’ level of proficiency in both general and academic English. The respondents are first- and second-year students of English Language and Literature at the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences in Osijek, Croatia. The aim of the study is to establish the suitability of online chats for implementing LCs, and to obtain student feedback and their assessment of the conducted activities.Keywords: communication skills, literature circles, Moodle chat, soft skills, TEF
Imagine tomorrow: Practitioner learning for the future in Educational Living Theory research
No full textThis paper offers explanations from a Living Educational Theory research approach to Action Research. The explanations are focused on practitioner learning for the future. They emerge from educational conversations that accept the point about societal renewal for the future:
Society needs to be renewed by making a shift from the negative energy of fear, competition, control and war to the positive energy of faith, love, hope and creativity. Clearly, we need to conceptualize and practice not just learning conferences but Loving Learning Conferences (Zuber-Skerritt, 2017, p. 224).
Contributions to previous Action Learning and Action Research conferences, that include the Action Research Networks of the Americas (ARNA), the Collaborative Action Research Network (CARN) and the Action Learning Action Research Association (ALARA), are analysed to explain how imagining tomorrow is included in the educational learning of practitioner-researchers who are contributing to the creation of the future, today.
The paper is grounded in the practice of individual practitioner-researchers as they generate their own living-educational-theories as explanations of their educational influences in learning, in enquiries of the kind, ‘How do I improve what I am doing?’ and ‘How do we improve what we are doing?’. The explanations include an evaluation of previous learning in making sense of the present together with an imagined possibility of a future that it not yet realized.
Meanings of good and educational conversations are clarified and used to demonstrate how authentic ‘we’ questions can be generated in relation to living as fully as possible values that carry hope for the flourishing of humanity (Gumede & Mellett, 2019). Meanings of participatory, ~i~we~I~us~ relationships (Mounter, 2019) are clarified and used as explanatory principles in explanations of educational influence that are contributing to a global social movement of practitioner-researchers who are contributing to creating a future with hope.
Improving self-learning and dealing with adjustment challenges through individual reflective action research of an international MBA student
No full textThis study explores the improvements in self-learning and dealing with adjustment challenges in the life of an MBA student through individual reflective action research. I use individual reflective action research as the methodology, in other words, the first-person inquiry, which has encouraged me to ask questions about my practice and to work out the answers for myself. I continuously engage in self-reflective process on my practice to effect required changes. I chose action research as it allowed me to conduct this study within a compatible framework with my own professional integrity and values system. I believe that one can engage action research to bring out the best in one’s life. The plethora of adjustment challenges typically faced by international students could be highlight. The study would also help international students to enhance their self-learning and acclimatize to new challenges in a foreign land.
I decided to include my faculties, classmates, group mates and husband in this study with myself being at its centre as a researcher. As a result, action research has led to increased knowledge for myself, my school and my fellow foreign classmates by describing the difficulties I had to come across and the steps that were taken to overcome them. I depicted the process of learning about my inner self, reflected on my actions, revised my concerns and adjusted my personal and social needs. These in turn assisted me to fathom and assess my own educational and personal advancement
Mobile Learning in the ELT Classroom: How to Improve Teaching English as a Foreign Language in a Vocational School
No full textThe main aim of this action research was to investigate the possibility of the improvement of teaching English as a foreign language in a vocational school in Croatia. The main research questions focused on discovering what could enhance student motivation while learning a foreign language, how a teacher could facilitate student ownership of learning, and what were the possibilities of using a mobile application and the topic of cultural heritage in order to foster learning. Previous studies have failed to address innovative foreign language teaching and learning approaches in secondary vocational schools. The action research methods included an anonymous survey, teachers' observation and written interviewing. The collected data was analysed quantitatively and qualitatively. Conclusions that could be drawn encompass the positive students' feedback and practical implications for the vocational school English language curriculum. Students' participation at all stages of the action research made them active partners and thus owners of their learning.
ALARA Membership and Submission Guidelines
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Book Review: The Story Cookbook Practical Recipes for Change
No full textChange managers and others helping people through change have a number of ideas and techniques to involve and encourage communication during the change. The Story Cookbook Practical Recipes for Change provides an excellent suite of ideas to increase that repertoire