What is Action Research in TEFL?
A research guide for language teachers to improve your teaching.
Just as you start improving your teaching, someone mentions ‘action research’.
You know what action is. And research. But what do they mean together? And how does it relate to your TEFL teaching?
Action research is a way of saying ‘testing things out your classroom’ - but in a structured way, that will definitely improve your teaching over time.
Action research helps with your specific issues.
Think of a problem you have in your classroom.
It could be a that you have issues with young learner behaviour. Or boring materials. Or students who are reluctant to speak. Whatever it its, action research is a way of understanding the issue, coming up with a potential solution, testing it, and seeing if it works (and trying again, if needed!).
Examples of action research in TEFL
Here are some action research projects I’ve seen teachers focus on:
Testing intervention strategies – For instance, using dialogue journals to enhance speaking fluency in a shy group of students.
Improving lesson delivery – Investigating whether flipped classrooms lead to better grammar retention.
Adapting materials – Exploring if culturally relevant reading texts improve comprehension among multilingual learners.
Assessing learner motivation – Analysing how gamification impacts participation in vocabulary drills.
The key for all of these is that they were prompted by an issue that the teacher noticed. In the examples above, it was shy students not speaking, trouble remembering grammar rules, comprehension with mixed L1 classses, and students who were reluctant to participate (and never did their spelling homework!)
Can you think of any challenges you have with any of your classes?
What does action research look like?
It’s:
Context-specific – Focuses on solving problems within your unique teaching context.
Teacher-led – Empowers you to take control of research, rather than relying on external studies.
Iterative – Encourages ongoing cycles of action, reflection, and improvement.
Collaborative (sometimes) – Often involves input from peers or students for richer perspectives.
What are the stages of action research?
Good question.
There are a quite a few frameworks for action research. There are the ‘4Cs’ of action research, the ‘5Ps’, the 6Cs, Lewin’s Model, Kemmis and McTaggart’s Spiral Model, Stringer’s Model…and so on.
I like a model that keeps things simple, so here are the key stages, in my view.
Key Phases Explained
Diagnose
Pinpoint a problem through observations, feedback, or test results.
Example: Students are hesitant to speak in pair activities despite adequate vocabulary knowledge.
Plan
Develop an intervention tailored to your context.
Example: Introduce structured conversation scaffolds, such as sentence stems, and monitor engagement.
Act
Implement the intervention in the classroom.
Example: Use scaffolds over two weeks, alternating between guided and independent speaking tasks.
Observe
Collect data to assess the intervention’s impact.
Example: Record pair work, take notes on engagement levels, and distribute feedback forms.
Reflect
Evaluate findings critically to determine the next steps.
Example: Analyse whether the scaffolds increased participation or need further refinement.
Remember that this can be repeated if the first plan you have doesn’t quite work the way you intended.
Remember, you can collaborate!
Collaboration is awesome for action research. It’s more fun, and you get ideas from others that you might not have thought of yourself. You could partner with:
Peers – co-teachers or other educators to design and evaluate interventions.
Students – involve learners by encouraging self-assessment or peer feedback.
External experts – ask for input from experienced trainers or researchers.
Finally, some top tips.
Practical Tips for TEFL Teachers
Do: Keep detailed records of your action research findings. This helps you track what works, identify patterns, and refine your strategies over time. Share your results with others—this could be through informal staff discussions, workshops, or online platforms, which helps build a supportive professional community. Start small and focus on manageable projects to avoid becoming overwhelmed by time demands.
Don’t: Let subjectivity skew your results. Be open to feedback from peers and consider multiple sources of data to ensure a balanced view of your findings. Avoid overgeneralising—what works in your classroom may not apply everywhere, so always adapt strategies to your unique context.
If you liked this article, you’ll love my books:
📝 Lesson Planning for Language Teachers - Plan better, faster, and stress-free.
👩🎓 Essential Classroom Management - Develop calm students and a classroom full of learning.
🏰 Storytelling for Language Teachers - Use the power of storytelling to transform your lessons.
🤖 ChatGPT for Language Teachers - A collection of AI prompts and techniques to work better, faster.
💭 Reflective Teaching Practice Journal - Improve your teaching in five minutes daily.