The Department of Education has committed to continuously improves itself to better serve its stakeholders. Doing so, involves the constant introspection of the department’s practices in all levels of governance, most especially in the classroom where battles are being fought every day to bring about the success of the delivery of basic education services.

Teachers, as frontliners in the actualization of the major final output are the key in improving the educational system. As stated in the Global Monitoring Report 2014 “An education system is only as good as its teachers.” Hence, teacher practice should be given emphasis to enhance the teaching-learning processes. One of the recognized approaches in the improvement of teacher practices is the conduct of action research.

However, every annual research congress, only a meager percentage of the teacher population in the City Schools Division were able to present their studies and share their findings. Common reasons posed by the teachers on why they do not conduct action research is that they do not have the time to do it, they lack the training in doing action researches, and that they do not know how to conduct the action research process. The latter is the biggest misconception of all.

Teachers unknowingly do action researches in their own little ways – when they apply new strategies to improve their instruction, when they give intervention to learners who are having challenges in learning, and when they implement innovative techniques to improve their classroom management. These and many more instances in the day to day classroom activities that teachers are already undertaking the action research processes. Making the action research report in accordance to the Research Management Guidelines is just a way of formalizing the action research process.

Only when teachers realize that they are already conducting action research will they find the courage to do the process systematically, document it, analyze their findings, and reflect on their actions. Only then will they be able to conduct action research successfully not only because they are required to do so as part of their performance but also because they are fueled with the passion to improve their teaching practices.

Gretchen V. Catane
Education Program Specialist II