What were the essential characteristics of successful action research?
The researchers concluded that there were three essential elements to action research: • collaboration • ownership, and • attention and reflection. Collaboration Collaboration between teachers was necessary if teachers were to become more fully engaged in working on pupil learning and participation. Collaboration allowed available resources and the skills, experience and ideas of other group members to be used to the full. Ownership Teachers needed to identify with and feel ownership of the issue being tackled if they were to engage fully. There were professional risks in taking part in the action research, so teachers needed to feel happy with the focus of their research. Ownership by the school leadership as well as the individual teachers made it more likely that the action research initiative was given time over other competing school agendas. Attention and reflection Attention and reflection were central to the process of action research, especially when considering an area as wid
