Action research in the qualitative research works as a basis in this study. It is a way of research which emphasizes improvement and development of teaching (Cohen, Manion, & Morrison, 2000) and involves critical reflection and action (Costello, 2003). Furthermore, teachers are empowered to adjust future action based on the results (Sagor, 2005). Thus, through action research, the teacher finds a better way of teaching to solve previous problems.
As for steps in action research, Lewin (1946: 34) provided the most basic model (see Figure 3.1) containing plan, act, observe, and reflect as follows.
1. Plan: Finding a focus of research.
2. Act: Implementing a series of activities.
3. Observe: Examining the results of research.
4. Reflect: Looking back on what has happened in the research process and making modifications for future focus of research.
Figure 3.1 Lewin’s Model of Action Research
The four elements work as a cycle. Other models followed were built upon the cycle above.
Altricher, Posch, and Somekh (1993: 7) proposed stages of action research processes (see Figure 3.2) below:
1. Finding a starting point.
2. Clarifying the situation.
3. Developing action strategies and putting them into practice.
4. Making teachers’ knowledge public.
Figure 3.2 Stages of Action Research Processes Finding a starting point
Act
Observe Plan
Reflect
Clarifying the situation
Developing action strategies and putting them into practice.
Making teachers’ knowledge public
Bassey (1998: 94-95) spelled out eight stages mentioned below:
1. Defining the inquiry.
2. Describing the educational situation.
3. Collecting and analyzing evaluative data.
4. Reviewing the data and looking for contradictions.
5. Tackling a contradiction by introducing some aspect of change.
6. Monitoring the change.
7. Analyzing evaluative data concerning the change.
8. Reviewing the change and deciding what to do next.
Stringer (1999: 134) proposed a detailed action research model (see Figure 3.3) to explain its procedures:
1. Look: Building the picture, including gathering information, recording information, analyzing information, constructing reports, and communicating.
2. Think: Interpreting and analyzing. It consists of extending participants’
understanding, making organizational review, grouping processes for interpreting issues, reviewing descriptive information, identifying priorities for action, and so on.
3. Act: Resolving problems. It comprises planning, implementing, and evaluating.
Figure 3.3 Stringer’s Action Research Model
Mills (2000: 6) outlined a four-step process of action research (see Figure 3.4) as follows:
1. Identify an area of focus.
2. Collect data.
Look
Think Act
3. Analyze and interpret data.
4. Develop an action plan.
Figure 3.4 Mills’s Four-Step Process of Action Research
Based on the models above, the steps of action research used in this study are summarized as follows:
1. Identification: Choose a topic for action research and determine its purpose and methodology.
2. Collection: Gather sources of information as well as organization and analysis.
3. Evaluation: Evaluate the data analyzed and make improvement for next action research.
The stages listed above were also treated with caution in this study. The
investigator employed a variety of methods to accomplish the action research. These included classroom observation, interviews, and descriptive analysis.
The classroom observation was conducted during the process of teaching. The investigator chose this way as one of the methods because it would be less intrusive for the class performance and a natural and direct way to get the feedback from children and parents. Interviews with randomly selected participants were served as a source for more in-depth information from the study based on the research questions;
the descriptive analysis proceeded from the participants’ worksheets, and some other works under their permission.
Since the purpose of this study was to examine the process of parent-child co-learning in a classroom, the investigator served as various roles such as an
Identify an area of focus
Develop an action plan Collect data
Analyze and interpret data
instructor, an observer, and a researcher. The children were in the classroom with their parents, father or mother sitting beside through pair reading. Under the investigator’s instruction, children and their parents went through six children books and a series of classroom activities related to each topic of the stories. This is a natural way for the investigator to observe and research the whole process of parent-child interactions in a classroom setting.
Under the principle and stages of action research, the research process was depicted in this study, including purpose clarification, literature review, framework decision, making outlines, course design, course instruction, data collection and analysis, and thesis completion. The following is a flow chart of research process as Figure 3.5.
Figure 3.5 The Flow Chart of Research Process Clarify purpose and questions of the study
Review the literature
Decide research focus and framework
Develop research instruments
Recruit participants and hold parent-teacher meeting
Read literature Make research outlines
Design course
Teach the lessons
Collect and analyze data
Complete the thesis Validate lesson plans
Reflect and revise
Transcribe the lessons Conduct surveys Conduct interviews Design survey and interview
questions
Validate survey and interview questions
Setting
The setting took place in a classroom at an elementary school in Taichung City.
This school is a public school located in the West District in Taichung City, the urban area where residents are of high social economic status. The school was established in 1899.
Currently, there are about 1450 students in the school, with eight Taiwanese English teachers. Six among the eight English teachers were hired by this school through a teacher’s screen test by MOE in 2002. Two native English teachers taught in the school from September 2005 to January 2006. The school started its English lessons from 1999 as experimental teaching and expanded its lessons to all the students in 2001.
Originally, there were one English session per week for the first to fourth graders and two sessions for the fifth and sixth graders. Starting from 2005, two English sessions each week were implemented in the third and fourth grades. The school had held English parent-child co-reading programs twice, with one as children’s books in 2004 and the other as phonics teaching in 2005.
The program began from February 27, 2006 till May 22, 2006 on campus. The classroom has a blackboard, a TV, a CD player, book shelves, a bulletin board, six sets of students’ desks and one set for teaching aids like storybooks and pictures.
Hardware equipment, such as projector and laptop computer, is in store in the iron saves. Children’s books were displayed on book shelves in the back of the classroom for students’ outside reading. A bulletin board is placed behind for class notice and students’ work presentation. All the students’ desks are arranged in groups, so that the investigator can easily conduct classroom activities in groups. Also, such desk
arrangement saves much space as the investigator may walk around the groups. A video camera recorder was placed in back of the classroom to videotape the teaching process each time. A simplified picture of the classroom setting is given as Figure 3.6.
○
Figure 3.6 Simplified Picture of the Classroom Setting
blackboard iron saves
(projector and laptop computer) desks for teaching aids
teacher’s desk
students’
desks A
students’
desks B
students’
desks C
students’
desks D
students’
desks E
students’
desks F
book shelves video camera
recorder
front door back door
TV
CD player
bulletin board
Participants
The participants were gathered from the above elementary school in Taichung City.
Since this school had conducted co-learning activities, at the end of 2005, Dr.
Shih-mei Yang, helped the investigator contact this target school for information of the co-learning programs. Mrs. Chen, Director of Academic Affairs, then informed the investigator that the principal was very pleased to promote English related activities in this school. The investigator proceeded with the course design while Mrs. Chen assisted the enrollment. The investigator invited the participants for the program, with the kind help of the director in this school, Mrs. Chen. Posters and fliers were
distributed to all first, second, third, and fourth-grade students and a consent form was enclosed for their parents to assure that children would take part in the co-learning program under their company. At the same time, the Parents’ Association assisted to screen the participants to take care of the quality of them.
In the middle of January 2006, there were eight pairs of parents and children who have signed up for this class. Later, near the beginning of the first week of the
program, there was one more pair who joined in. By the first week of the program, there had been nine pairs of parents and their children, twenty-two of them in total.
The number of pairs was within eight to twelve, as expected in the study. One of the pairs dropped the course in the last few classes and there were eight pairs in the end.
The children are ranged from first to fourth grade students, since this school is located in Taichung City, where English curriculum begins from the second grade.
The participants are parents and children in pairs. Among the participants, there are eight parents and twelve children. All of the parents are female. The parents are aged thirty-nine in average, with two of them master’s degree, five with bachelor’s degree, and one with senior high school educational background. One of the parents had an English major. Four of the parents are housekeepers, one in education, one in business, one in service, and one in free lance. As for children, four of them are in the first grade, four in the second grade, two in the third grade, and two in the fourth grade. They are eight of age in average. Background information of parents and
children are listed as Table 3.1, 3.2, and 3.3.
Table 3.1 Parents’ and Children’s Background Information
Pair Participants Gender Age Educational background Occupations C & K’s mom female 37 Bachelor housekeeper
Cherry female 9 second grade student
1.
Kiki female 8 first grade student
S & E’s mom female 42 Bachelor housekeeper
Emily female 8 second grade student
2.
Sophia female 10 third grade student
Grace’s mom female 48 senior high school business person 3.
Grace female 11 fourth grade student
J & H’s mom female 44 Master housekeeper
Hanna female 8 first grade student
4.
Joy female 10 fourth grade student
Harry’s mom female 36 Bachelor insurance broker 5.
Harry male 8 second grade student
J & R’s mom female 37 Bachelor housekeeper
Jimmy male 9 third grade student
6.
Ruby female 8 first grade student
Mindy’s mom female 35 Master lawyer
7.
Mindy female 8 second grade student
Seven’s mom female 31 Bachelor teacher 8.
Seven male 7 first grade student
Table 3.2 Background Information of All the Parents
Items Number female 8
Gender
male 0 Average age 39 (years old)
Master 2 Bachelor 5 Educational
background
senior high school 1
teacher 1
business person 1
lawyer 1
insurance broker 1
Occupations
housekeeper 4
Table 3.3 Background Information of All the Children
Items Number female 9
Gender
male 3 Average age 8 (years old)
first grade 4
second grade 4
third grade 2
Educational background
fourth grade 2