Gail Lydon is a teacher and teacher trainer who has been involved in practitioner-led action research throughout her career. Her particular focus is post-16 English and maths. Gail is a Fellow of SET.


Dr Colin Forrest has been an active researcher in further education settings for most of his career. He is currently a university visiting research fellow. Colin is a Fellow of SET.


Joss Kang is a practitioner and coach who uses evidence-based approaches, including practitioner- led action research, to facilitate quality improvements within the sector.


in adult and further education teacher development, four stages of a practitioner-led action research (PLAR) cycle have been identified (see ‘Useful links’ for more information). 1. Planning and preparation 2. Data collection 3. Analysis 4. Reporting, disseminating and embedding into practice. A common challenge encountered in the first stage is turning a ‘big’ idea into a manageable research question. PICO, an approach borrowed from the medical world, is a helpful technique when formulating such a research question. The PICO question contains four parts. For example:


P = Person or problem. How would you describe the people involved on the problem?


I = Intervention. What are you planning to do?


C= Comparison. What is the alternative to the intervention/action/innovation?


O = Outcomes. What are the effects of the intervention/action/innovation?


Here is an example application: For learners identified with dyslexia


(P), how does the provision of 1:1 support (I) compared to group support (C) affect in-year assessment marks (O)? Have a go at formulating a PICO


question around your own research idea. Practitioner research is unlikely to be a sole endeavour. Working with a peer, a line manager or a research buddy at this stage, and throughout the research cycle, will certainly help. The Education and Training


Foundation commissioned an eCPD module (see: goo.gl/wfqxyT) in 2015 which busy practitioners can access to learn more about how to undertake practitioner-led action research, as well as explore different models underpinning action research, of which PLAR is only one. The BERA ethical guidelines for research are another useful starting point for anyone considering engaging in research.


4


Writing up and disseminating research


When writing up your research it is important to explain what you set out to do and why. This helps the reader to set your research in context. Then you can explain what you found out and any recommendations. The last step is to write up your


abstract. The abstract is a summary of your research and is very important because it is used by the reader to decide if they wish to read further. However, research can be reported in


many different formats depending on the purpose of the research. For example, the exploratory research projects from ETF required the researchers to produce a poster of their work and findings (see ‘Useful links’ for examples). The method of reporting will depend


very much on the audience for your research. For information on this multimodal approach to reporting see ‘Useful links’.


5


Reading and learning from research


As professionals, making judgements based on evidence is a crucial part of our practice. But where do we start? The Society for Education and


Training (SET) has developed an interactive map (see ‘Useful links’) which was designed for colleagues who apply for QTLS, but it is also a resource for SET members who are considering researching a topic. You can access literature, research summaries and wider reading from the map, structured around the 20 Professional Standards from 2014. A literature review is a summary of


research on a specific topic, and is used by researchers to link to their own research topic. It allows the researcher to demonstrate what they have learned from others and how their own research is a starting point for new ideas. Writing a literature review also allows the researcher to critically analyse the research they have read. However, it may be that you are simply reading research in order to critically reflect on your own practice


References • BERA (2014) Research and the Teaching Profession Building the capacity for a self-improving education system: goo.gl/YiNpUY (accessed 9 February 2017)


• Colucci-Gray, L., Das, S., Gray, D., Robson, D. and Spratt, J. (2013), Evidence-based practice and teacher action-research: a reflection on the nature and direction of ‘change’. Br Educ Res J, 39: 126–147. doi:10.1080/01411926.20 11.615389


• IfL (2014) Research in Practice. IfL London • Kara, H., (2012) Research and Evaluation for Busy Practitioners: A Time-Saving Guide. Policy Press Bristol


• Lankshear, C., Knobel, M., A handbook for teacher research. From design to implementation. OUP Maidenhead


• Punch, K. (2009) Introduction to Research Methods in Education. Sage London


• Robson, C (2002) Real World Research: A resource for social scientists and practitioner-researchers. Blackwell London


• Stewart, W., (2015) Leave research to the academics, John Hattie tells teachers. TES 22 April 2015 goo.gl/R7gLle (Accessed 8 February 2017)


• Taber, K. (2007) Classroom-based research and Evidence-based practice. Sage London


• Gregson, M., Nixon, L., Pollard A., Spedding T., (eds) Readings for Reflective Practice (vols 1 and 2). Bloomsbury London


Useful links • NFER Self-Review tool for school or college research engagement available at goo.gl/VvevSS


• Practitioner-led Action Research (PLAR) goo.gl/80cCHn


• ETF eCPD module goo.gl/wfqxyT • BERA ethical guidelines for educational research goo.gl/gbmmxj


• Link to multimodal research reporting goo.gl/jVRzM6


• SET interactive map goo.gl/eLs92s • See examples of ETF research posters at goo.gl/oF2Efz and goo.gl/9cKZWM and goo.gl/Hs5XR0


or to stimulate your thinking. You may not agree with what you read, and this is part of reading critically. Another part of reading research is to


read creatively i.e. what are the good ideas in the research? What would you research next? We encourage you to join the


research community. You may wish to write for inTuition or inTuition Extra, in which case contact membership. communications@etfoundation. co.uk And don’t forget to visit the ETF research page at goo.gl/UvWeV5


INTUITION RESEARCH • SPRING 2017 5


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