KAJIAN TINDAKAN: TIGA GURU BENTANG (PRACTITIONER RESEARCH IN EDUCATION: THREE ST MICHAEL'S TEACHERS PRESENTED FINDINGS)

Educational research has been in the spotlight in the late 1990s. This is partly because of the criticisms levelled by certain academics and partly because of an enhanced appreciation that teaching must become a research-based profession (Tony Bush, University of Leicester, 1999). Joyce, one of the most prominent figure in the educational research identifies school-based research as one of the five 'doors' to school improvement. Investigating practice provides both the evidence to justify change and the probability that teachers will be motivated to innovate if they have been directly involved in identifying the need. The advantages of the so-called school-based research are frequently small-scale and focus. At the same time, the need to ground policy decisions in data about how the school is functioning is paramount. This kind of site-based practitioner research conducted and administered by teachers themselves is actually an attempt to change the school culture which was long ago stimulated changes from outside the institution such as inspectorate or the local educational authorities. The five 'doors' are:

1 collegiality: professional relations within schools;
2 research: effective instructional practice related to the findings;
3 site-specific information;
4 curriculum intitatives / innovation; and
5 instructional initiatives: organising teachers to study skills and strategies.

To narrowing down practitioner research to the school, the main aim of research shifted from the nature to produce new knowledge toward improve practice. As such, action research means to bring about change, and to promote reflection among teachers.

Begitulah panjangnya mukadimah tentang kajian tindakan yang kini dilaksanakan di semua sekolah di Malaysia, tidak terkecuali SMK St Michael, Ipoh (SMI). Pagi tadi (Sabtu 20 Jun 2009), tiga pembentangan kajian tindakan dijayakan semasa program latihan dalam perkhidmatan (LADAP) siri 3. Pembentang mewakili Jabatan Bahasa, Jabatan Sains dan Jabatan Kemanusiaan. Wakil Jabatan Vokasional dan Teknik akan berbuat demikian pada sesi Ladap akan datang.