Final Thoughts and Reflection

The topic of boys and literacy has always been my interest when I first began teaching. Looking back at my critical incident paper that I wrote in November 2007, I strongly feel that my action research has come a long and inspirational way. The class readings and collegial discussions have been extremely helpful as part of my action research. Through different readings, sharing and critical thinking and reflecting, I have gained a lot of new and creative insights in examining this topic that I have always been interested in. Nonetheless, there were as well some rough times in this journey; as there were decisions that were made but did not work out the way I wanted. However, by looking at this more positively and for the benefits of my students and myself, I treat this part of the learning process. I value mistakes as much as I value helpful comments. This action research journey is indisputably a fruitful experience for my personal growth in teaching.
I remember in the beginning of the research, I have had a challenging time focusing on my research question. The original question was by far, too ambitious. Resistant reading and boys has always been my interest, and as I was eager to find out how I could implement strategies and activities that could elevate their critical thinking skills in reading. Having that thought in my mind, as I began observing and researching the students in my fieldwork school, the more I know about the group of students, the more difficult the task became. I then realized that the question I had was a succinct, and reasonable one, however, it was simply too ambitious for the group of students I had.

With the help of my colleagues and Grace, I refined my question. I focused on a focused topic – building reading motivation and reading stamina for resistant boy readers. Initially, I thought that this topic sounded or seemed somewhat “immature” to be a research question. However, by reading and learning more about “teachers as researchers”, I understand that the purpose of an action research is not to come up with “sophisticated” research questions and teaching models that are completely inventive, on the other hand, its true value is for teachers/researchers to examine at a day-to-day issue and approach it with professionalism; as mentioned by Caro-Bruce (2004), the research process should aim to elevate individual progress, student progress, knowledge production, and promote positive social change.
The process of the research and action seemed like a long journey (it lasted almost 7 months), yet, personally, it flew by like a rocket. Having to do the research in another teacher’s classroom was part of the challenge; this includes arranging schedules and working around fieldtrips and test dates. However, my host teacher and fieldwork supervisor have been very supportive in making the schedule and transition smooth. My host teacher is flexible in allowing me to teach lessons and work with students in small groups in order for me to implement my strategies and activities that were suitable for my research.

Throughout the research, I have been having a number of obstacles, such as deciding the next steps for actions, finding relevant resources, and mostly, getting my two focal students to be “cooperative” in the action process. Many nights I have asked myself, whether what I was doing is suitable and relevant to my research question. I was hoping that the series of implementations could work like magic, and Jesse and Nathan could accelerate their reading stamina and get motivated in due course. Realistically, I know that a successful research is an ongoing process, and results are not always satisfactory to the way we want them to be.

Having said that, timing and scheduling is critical to research, as it reflects the progress and results. In this Master Action Research Project, I have learned that a good research is all about management and commitment to long-term goals. It is also about maintaining your professionalism and flexibility to collaborate with other colleagues, as they could be a valuable asset to the research, and answers to your questions.