Action Research as an Enhancement for Teacher Professional Development

Abstract

Action research (AR) aims to enhance teaching practices through learning and reflection. By viewing teaching challenges as growth opportunities, AR encourages teachers to improve their instructional strategies and foster student engagement. Defined as a cycle of planning, acting, evaluating, refining, and learning (Koshy, 2010), AR supports the development of teachers' professional judgment and contributes to improved educational outcomes. While AR is effective in bridging theory and practice for preservice teachers and enhancing their reflective skills, challenges such as time constraints and limited practical experience can affect its implementation. Nonetheless, AR remains an important tool for professional development and improving educational practices. This chapter seeks to answer the following questions: how teacher professional development is increased through action research, is teacher professional growth developed through a reflective and analytical approach, and is action research suitable as a tool to enhance teacher-researcher competence.