The Engagement Of Teachers In Action Research At Preparatory Schools The Case Of Bole Sub-city City Government Of Addis Ababa

The main purpose of the study was to search the current status of teachers’ engagement inrnaction research in preparatory schools of Bole sub-city in the city of Addis Ababarngovernment and to assess the present knowledge and skills of preparatory school teachersrnconcerning action research. To conduct this study, systematic random samplingrntechniques was applied. The sample size includes 60 preparatory school teachers fromrndifferent subjects of teaching, 6 school principals and 2 woreda education officers.rnQuantitative data has been collected concerning the knowledge and engagement ofrnteachers in action research. Data was analyzed using descriptive statistics and this wasrnsupplemented by synthesis of the interview and document data to validate and triangulaterninformation from different sources. Though 71.6% of the respondent teachers werernengaged in action research and related activities, the level of their engagement was foundrnvery minimal, i.e., only estimated to 5% of their working time. This indicated thatrnregardless of its importance in building baseline for the new generation, time given tornaction research in both schools is negligible. Moreover, the study indicated that, 94% ofrnthe teachers and 100% of principals confirmed that they had taken action research as arncourse during their university or college level education, however, significant number ofrnthe respondents confirmed that the knowledge and skills of teachers in conducting actionrnresearch is not sufficient. Lack of research experience, lack of in-service researchrntraining, lack of skills in research methodology, lack of support and encouragement fromrnthe top management, lack of commitment to work collaboratively in conducting researchrnamong teachers and different personal factors were identified among the most importantrnattributing barriers that hindered teachers’ engagement in action research. In addition tornthis, teachers were not given the chance to take part in any short term training likernworkshops and seminars. Therefore, it seems to appear that teachers need to have trainingrnand hands-on practices to engage in action research activities so as to possess thernrequired knowledge and skill to improve the status of current learning process. Teachers’rneffort to learn from their own experience and improve their practice in engagement andrndoing action research is an important means to teacher empowerment, schoolrnimprovement and educational change.

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