2.7.1 Definitions of Action Research
According to Wallace 1998:4, action research is a process which is done systematically by collecting data on teacher’s everyday practice and analyzing it
to decide what next action should be taken in the future. The research begins with problems that arose in teaching cycle and finds the strategy to overcome them.
This research also involves a continual test to measure the improvement of the students’ learning and to know whether the problems were successfully overcome
or not. Burns, in her book Collaborative Action Research for Language Teacher
2005:30, action research is 1 contextual, small scale and localized- it identifies and investigates problems within a specific situation, 2 evaluative and reflective
as it aims to bring about change and improvement in practice, 3 participatory as it provides for collaborative investigation by teams of colleagues, practitioners
and researchers and, 4 changes in practice are based on the collection of information or data which provides the impetus for change.
Meanwhile, Mills 2000:6 argues that “action research is any systematic inquiry conducted by teacher researcher, principle, school counselor, or other
stakeholder in the teachinglearning environment, to gather information about the ways that their particular school operates how they teach, and how well their
students learn.” Furthermore, Harmer 2001:344 adds that “action research is a series of procedures teachers can engage in, either because they wish to evaluate
the success or appropriate of certain activity and procedures.”
Based on the explanations above, action research can be defined as a research which is structurally done by a teacher in herhis own classroom to solve
the problems faced in teaching-learning process, and at the same time, to increase the teaching-learning process in the future.
2.7.2 Aims of Conducting Action Research
In regard to the new curriculum, the teachers are demanded to improve the ability in teaching. One way of becoming professional teachers is the willingness to
continue examining their teaching effectiveness. The teachers are always far from ideal but they are striving toward it anyway. To solve the problem they should
conduct an appropriate step such as action research. Mills notes that “action research is done with the goal of gaining insight,
developing reflective practice, effecting positive change in the school environment and on educational practices in general, and improving students
outcomes 2000:6. In other words, it can be said that by doing an action research, teachers may
develop their skill and practice in giving the materials to the students. The teachers as researchers can look objectively at their teaching process. Then, they
can improve or enhance their teaching strategies which will encourage them to examine the dynamic of their classroom, ponder the action, and the interactions
of the students.
2.7.3 Characteristics of Action Research
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