Action Research 

and 
Reflective thinking

Sugra Chunawala

Homi Bhabha Centre for Science Education, TIFR

February 7, 2017

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Current areas of research in
science education
• Historical approach in science education

• Students’ conceptions in science (Barriers)

Attitudes

• Gender and socio/cultural aspects in science

education

• Changing Philosophies

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 Historical approach

The historical approach in research in

science education
views science as a social endeavour,
humanizes it
and projects it as dynamic enterprise
expanding in scope and depth with time.
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Students’ conceptions in science

In Physics:

The research on students’ conceptions

started in physics in 1970s.

Concepts related to mechanics, electricity,

heat, optics etc are well-studied by
researchers.
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 For hundreds of years even the greatest thinkers, Aristotle, Euclid,
Ptolemy, Galen shared a common, fundamental misunderstanding about
the familiar phenomenon of sight.
Light is a complex concept that lends itself to
misconceptions among teachers and students
alike.

These misconceptions may form as individuals

attempt to make sense of the natural world, or
as a result of the difference between scientific
and everyday language.

While identifying student misconceptions is fairly straightforward, creating

conceptual change is not. Researchers recommend using a hands-on
approach and providing adequate time and repeated activities to create the
conditions necessary for conceptual change. However, it is important to
understand that children may be quite resistant to change even when these
suggestions are carefully followed. 5
Language issues : आआखखख कक ररशनक
●
Can you see anything if it is absolutely dark?
●
If there is no light and you say that light comes from
our eyes how can it be dark at any place?
●
Can we see light?
●
Do we see the light or objects because of light

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In Chemistry:

Compared to physics, the work in chemistry

started a decade later, that is 1980s.

Modern Chemistry has 3 major components

•descriptive
chemistry - tangible / visible,
•microchemistry – atomic, molecular

•Representational- formulae, equations etc.

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Air in the flask after suction

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In Biology:

In biology some of the areas studied are:

•evolution,

•photosynthesis,

•human circulatory systems,

•living and non-living,

•health,

•genetics

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Students’ Ideas About Science Biology
(Living/non-living)

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 Attitudes and science
• Attitudes appear to be a continuing field of interest
for studies in science education.

• Relation between home environment, attitudes and

socio-economic background on achievement in
science.

• The development of better attitudes towards science

is often recognized as an important aspect of science
education, and research into students' images of
science has been around for quite some time

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 Students’ Ideas About Scientists

MALE, ELDERLY SCIENTIST (GIRL) 12

YOUNG SCIENTIST (GIRL)
Students’ Ideas About Scientists

FEMALE SCIENTIST (GIRL) 13

Effective ways of teaching / learning science

• Teaching method and role of the teacher is to

facilitate school learning
• Has taken on newer dimensions and added
complexity with the introduction of technology
• Some of the different studies in science teaching,
focus on how to better teach some specific content
or subject matter to be taught.

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Effective ways of teaching/learning science...

• Instructional materials (Teaching aids)

• The context of teaching: such as, teaching in large or
rural classrooms.
• Research studies also focused on development of skills
in students.
• Strategies in teaching to benefit learning,
• Other studies such as, peer tutoring, strategies for slow
learners.
• Teacher education can be yet another subject of a few
studies, as well as in-service education.
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Gender issues in science education

Studies have tried to capture difficulties

that females face in science education.
Some studies have tried to uncover
whether males and females have different
cognitive /learning styles, prefer different
means of assessment, etc.

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 Action Research in Science
Education
An important aspect noted by many educators
is the lack of communication between
researchers and practitioners and the
existence of a gap between research and
practice.

In science education there has been a great

deal of research in the past decades but this
has brought about very little changes in
practice.

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Action Research in Science Education......

To meet this challenge it has been

suggested that teachers become
members of the research team and
this is often termed action research
done in a collaborative style with
rather than on teachers.

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Action Research in Science Education

Action research can be defined in many ways.

These different ways are:

●
collaborative inquiry,
●
teacher research,
●
reflection,
●
reflective problem solving and
●
practical inquiry.

It is a “systematic and recursive inquiry and reflection

in a collaborative learning community directed towards
the understanding and improvement of practice”.
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Action Research in Science Education
Action research is integral to both the improvement
of educational practices and professionalisation of
teaching.

Watt and Watt (1993) state: Teacher research as

beneficial to the teachers involved, the children
learning, the curriculum and the broader social
community no longer needs defence.

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Action Research in Science Education

Teacher research demands both time and

resources (material and human). Action
research gives students and teachers a voice
in content and curriculum development or
evaluation.
It is not only an alternative method but is
epistemologically an alternative viewpoint.
Teachers and students are empowered to
construct epistemologies of the nature of
science, teaching and learning.

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 Today's classrooms...
Classroom: youth, freshness, vitality, regeneration
But then why does teaching become a mechanical and 
repetitive process?
✔
Same lessons, year after year
✔
Rush to cover the syllabus
✔
Over loaded with other tasks
✔
Sporadic workshops

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"… Any professional frequently 
encounters situations that are 
characterized by uncertainty, 
instability, uniqueness and value 
conflict"
Donald Schon (1983)

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So there is no one formula to tackle daily dilemmas.
No readymade answers.
Such situations call for reflection.

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"Reflection involves not simply a sequence of ideas, but a 
consequence, a consecutive ordering in such a way that 
each determines the next as its proper outcome, while 
each in turn leads back on it predecessors." 
(Dewey 1933)

Reflective thinking: Active, persistent and careful 
consideration of any belief or supposed form of 
knowledge in the light of the grounds that support it and 
the further conclusions to which it tends.
(Dewey 1933)

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 What is Action Research (AR)?
Studies carried out in the course of an activity or 
occupation (education), to improve the methods and 
approach of those involved.

AR sets out to study something with a view to 
improving it or to solving a problem.

Instead of "gathering information", AR seeks to address 
the problem that is being faced in the workplace 
(classroom) and seeks information, 
methods, resources or tools to address 
that problem.

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 Action Research
Serves as a way for the teacher to better 
understand her/his own work  (Glanz 1999)

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 A basic action research model

Plan

Act

Observe

Reflect
Source: Patrick J M Costello, 2011, Effective Action Research

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Steps in Action Research

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First spiral of Action Research
An extended AR model

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Source: Patrick J M Costello, 2011, Effective Action Research
Second spiral is where a researcher or facilitator 
examines if and how Action Research made a 
teacher more reflective.

Spirals are intertwined, and happen in tandem.

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 AR happens in the 
comfort zone of the 
teacher (classroom)

Teachers are the 
researchers AR does not 
demand much out­
of­school hours 
from the teacher

Teachers themselves identify 
a real world problem, from  Potential to 
their own experience and  bring about 
teaching reflective 
thinking

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 Case study: 
Developing scientific temper in 
students

Raghavan, N. (2016). The reflective teacher: Case studies 
of action research. India: Orient Blackswan

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Contact

sugrac@hbcse.tifr.res.in

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