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Abstract: Action research is a common component of teacher education programs. Because of its focus on intentional, reflective, and systematic investigation into one's own practice, colleges and universities have commonly made action research a capstone endeavor of their programs. Engagement in deliberate investigations of practice is a hallmark of Professional Development Schools. But surprisingly there is little research investigating the influence of action research after graduation, particularly on graduates' inquiry stances. In this study, we investigated how candidates perceived the influence of action research in their teaching prior to and one year after graduation. The study occurred in our first year of implementing action research with our candidates. Our findings indicated that action research affected how candidates viewed their teaching as well as enhanced their readiness for data. One year later, they were, in fact, enacting an inquiry stance in their teaching. In this article, researchers share further questions raised by the data and current programmatic changes.
KEYWORDS: action research, inquiry, professional development schools, PDS
NAPDS ESSENTIALS ADDRESSED:
4. A shared commitment to innovative and reflective practice by all participants;
5. Engagement in and public sharing of the results of deliberate investigations of practice by respective participants
Introduction
Action research is a common component of teacher education programs. Because of its focus on intentional, reflective, and systematic investigation into one's own practice, colleges and universities have commonly made action research a capstone endeavor of their programs (Lattimer, 2012). In 2010, the National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) Blue Ribbon Panel standards cited action research, and particularly the development of an inquiry stance, as integral to helping candidates identify and address the needs of their students. Additionally, the National Association for Professional Development Schools (NAPDS) named "engagement in and public sharing of the results of deliberate investigations of practice" as one of the nine essentials of being a professional development school (2008, p. 6). Analysis regarding the impact of action research on future teachers is positive in relation to candidate development of skills such as reflection, use of data, risk-taking, and linking of theory to practice (Levin & Rock, 2003; Price, 2001; Ulvik & Riese, 2016)
But what happens after student teachers graduate? Does the impact of inquiry follow them into their...