ERIC Number: EJ1003877
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2013
Pages: 16
Abstractor: As Provided
Reference Count: 31
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0965-0792
"Let Them Fish": Empowering Student-Teachers for Professional Development through the Project Approach
Goh, LayHuah; Loh, Kok-Cheang
Educational Action Research, v21 n2 p202-217 2013
This action research was a form of "appreciative enquiry" into my practice with my group of Bachelor in Education (TESL) students. I have adopted a postmodernist approach to research as narrative; that is "research as it is experienced" and not just "research as it is described". I used a project as an approach to relinquish control and empower my students to organize a seminar for their professional development. Twenty-six student-teachers (15 males and 11 females), aged around 24 years old, made up my target group. In this study, I used three data sources: student reflections, a "post-mortem" feedback session, and a self-reflection journal. All documented reflections, communications and transcriptions were analysed to elicit patterns and conclusions from the data. A significant learning point for the student-teachers was that communication and interpersonal skills were important in getting results from the top management and people of authority. The project was a process of change and self-discovery for the student-teachers. Students had to get over their resistance towards unwanted responsibilities and accept that in the real world, irrespective of their preferences, the job has to be done. The learning points I have acquired from this action research exercise will allow me to improve the project approach and make it more effective for increased capacity-building of the future teachers in my care. This research was significant in exploring the issue of empowerment in developing the professionalism of the student-teachers.
Descriptors: Action Research, Theory Practice Relationship, Teaching Methods, Professional Development, Feedback (Response), Reflection, Empowerment, Student Teachers, Student Projects, Foreign Countries, Problem Based Learning, Communication Skills, Interpersonal Competence, Interpersonal Relationship, Student Responsibility, Teacher Responsibility, Professional Identity, English (Second Language), Second Language Instruction, Inquiry
Routledge. Available from: Taylor & Francis, Ltd. 325 Chestnut Street Suite 800, Philadelphia, PA 19106. Tel: 800-354-1420; Fax: 215-625-2940; Web site: http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers: Malaysia

Peer reviewed
Direct link
