TYPESETTING THE MANUSCRIPT FOR ACTION RESEARCH

Side margins: Top and Bottom – 1.75; Left and right – 2

formatted for 8.27 x 11.69-inch paper

Research Title (Calibri 14, all caps, centered)

IMPACTS OF REGIONAL TRAINING ON ACTION
RESEARCH AMONG MASTER TEACHERS

Author (Kunstler Script 20, Centered)

Warren A. Ramos
Regional Supervisor, Special Science High Schools
Policy, Planning and Research Division, DepEd-NCR
profwarrenramos@gmail.com

ABSTRACT (200-230 words, Calibri 11, italics, single-space- refer to the

rubrics)

The use of action research to address educational reforms

has contributed largely to the academic performance of other
regions in the Philippines. The study was conducted to determine the
impacts of intensive training on action research among master’s
teachers in selected special science high schools. In order to gather
data, the researcher used adapted instruments to measure the level
of knowledge, skills and attitude (KSA) of 21 master teachers before
and after the training. After one month, their outputs were analyzed
using the adapted rubrics for action research proposals. Descriptive
statistics such as frequency, mean and percentage were used to
analyze the data collected in assessing the research outputs. For the
inferential questions, t-test of paired samples was used to find the
significant difference in the respondent’s KSA before and after the
training. The result revealed that there were significant differences
in the KSA of master teachers before and after the training. The
assessed research proposal outputs were rated satisfactory in terms
of quality. This study concludes that the intensive training was
effective and produced quality proposals. Lastly, this study
recommends that master teachers must be empowered by the
necessary KSA in conducting and managing action research with the
mechanism of consultation with the committee to ensure the
effectiveness of the training and quality of research outputs.

Keywords: Intensive training, action research, quality, governance,

mixed-method design, master teachers

INTRODUCTION (Included here are the background/rationale of the

study, the statement of the problem/purpose, theoretical/ Abstract of
conceptual framework, literature review. The use of strategic tools is Chapter I only
highly recommended. The whole article must not be more than
8,000 words.) Font (Calibri 11, Normal, Double-space)

As a Regional Education Supervisor in-charge of Special

Science High Schools in the Department of Education, the researcher
has encountered a number of recurring problems that need utmost
attention. Based on the gathered data, only 50% of the total exam
takers from thirteen Special Science High Schools got 70% and over
proficiency in Science.

As far as the teachers are concerned, the researcher has

found out during his school monitoring and classroom observations
that about 55% of teachers observed are not adept in integrating
multiplatform instruction. Moreover, 80% of master teachers in
Special Science High Schools are not conducting action research
which is part of their responsibility and performance rating, as
mandated law. This criteria is also included in the new Results-based
Performance Management System.

Among the three problems specified via gap analysis, the

researcher considers the 80% of Master teachers who did not
conduct action research last year as the most important, the most
urgent, the most relevant and the most doable. In order to generate
effective solution to address the challenges associated with the
Master teachers, the immediate, underlying and root causes of the
said gap were analyzed using a CHALLENGE MAP ( Macaspac
et.al,2014).

The immediate causes are poor instructional leadership

specifically in mentoring in conducting action research; lack of
school-based research policy; and weak research culture. Attributed
to these causes are too much responsibilities in school; insufficient
knowledge, skills and positive attitude in conducting action research;
moreover, there are no specific Department of Education
Memoranda or issuances from the Division; no guidelines on
incentives, credits and appointments to eliminate lack of motivation
among teachers. Consequently, the root causes are too many
activities in school; incapable of assisting and monitoring MTs; lack
of rules in conducting research in school level; no one is in-charge to
manage research proposals and outputs; no trainings conducted and
lack of incentives and credits, too .

They say, always find an is a saying that there is always an

opportunity in the middle of difficulty”. That is why the researcher
design the SOLUTION MAP to identify the different options to solve
the problem and come up with the best action plan for the study
( Macaspac,et. al, 2014). The strategy is, to translate the identified
challenges to positive ones.

In order to choose the possible solution to the 21 Master

teachers who are not conducting research, the researcher used a
Decision-Making Matrix. First, the researcher looked into the six
possible solutions from the solution map and generated decision
criteria. The highest total in Decision-Making Matrix is the capability
building of teachers on conducting action research (Campbell, Ballou
& Slade, 2010). This was perceived to be the appropriate
intervention to improve the culture and productivity of research in
the division. With this, the researcher decided to determine the
different impact of this intensive training in conducting action
research among selected Master teachers in Science.

Statement of the Problem

This study sought to answer the following questions:

1. How do the respondents assess their knowledge, skills,
attitudes in conducting action research before the training?
2. How do the respondents assess their knowledge, skills,
attitude In conducting action research after the training?
3. Is there a significant difference between the assessment of
the respondents in their knowledge , skills , attitude before
and after the intensive research training?
 4. How do researchers assess the quality and productivity of
action research proposal?
5. What are the challenges encountered by the respondents
before, during and after the training on action research?
6. How may the findings of the study be utilized towards
continuous quality improvement of the training and
productivity in action research?

Hypothesis
Null Hypothesis
There are no significant differences in the
knowledge, skills, attitude, and productivity before and after
the intensive training on action research for master teachers.

Scope and Limitations of the Study

This study included the 21 master teachers in Science in a

selected Special Science High school in the National Capital Region.
It focused on the different impact of intensive training to the
knowledge, skills, attitude of the respondents towards conducting
action research from June 13, 2015 to September 4, 2015. The
quality and acceptability of the research output were also assessed
based on the standardized rubrics provided by the regional office.

METHOD (Stated here are the research design, participants/ Abstract only of
respondents, sampling plan, instrument used, data collection
Methodology
process, action plan and statistical tests)

This research used the descriptive evaluative, documentary analysis

and reflective interview method (Sagor,2011). The design was
appropriate for this action research to collect data from master
teachers in order to determine their knowledge, skills and attitude in
conducting action research before and after the intensive training.
Consequently, documentary was used to verify the research
proposal produced by the participants to describe the quality and
productivity. Finally, an interview was conducted to teachers to
validate the responses of the master teachers and to share their
challenges encountered in developing their proposal.

Research Instrument
 The researcher utilized 2 (two) self-made and one adapted -
validated instruments for data collection:

1. Assessment tool titled – Impact of Intensive Training on

Conducting Action Research which was divided into 3 (3)
items: ( Basic knowledge in conducting action research, skills
in conducting action research, attitude in conducting action
research ).
2. Reflective Interview questions – What is the major challenge
that you encountered in conducting action research? How
did you overcome this challenge? (Sagor,2011)
3. Action Research Proposal Rubrics – this tool will help in
assessing and analyzing the quality and acceptability of the
research proposal.

Action Plan

The action plan for this research was designed based on the
intensive training as a basis for research productivity in the region.
During the PRE-IMPLEMENTATION Stage, the current knowledge ,
skills and attitudes were identified using needs assessment in
conducting research for master teachers. The result of the pre-
assessment was used as a guide in designing the intensive training.

In the IMPLEMENTATION stage of the training, important

activities were undertaken like identifying the training goal, the
targets of the training, the topics to be covered and a training matrix
for five days. A regional memorandum was prepared indicating the
details of the five-day live-in intensive training seminar on action
research. Lastly, the activities were also documented including the
evaluation of the proposal and the training.

For the POST-IMPLEMENTATION stage, the researcher

monitored and facilitated the post-assessment of the training.
Interview was also conducted to identify the challenges encountered
by the respondents in crafting their proposal. In terms of data
analysis, the researcher used the weighted mean of the
respondents’ assessment of their knowledge, skills and attitude on
action research before and after the training. Consequently, t-test of
correlated samples was used to find any significant difference in the
perceived impact. Lastly, the researchers output was computed
using weighted mean.

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION (Explained here are textual/tabular

results, and discussion)

Heading (Calibri 11, all caps, bold, right-aligned)

Sub-heading (Calibri 11, lowercase, first capitalized, bold, left-
aligned)
Sub-sub-heading (Calibri 11, Sentence case, bold, italics, left-aligned)

Each table, drawing, illustration, graph, etc. must be prepared and

included within the text of the manuscript (not on separate pages)
where the author would like the item to be placed. Tables, figures,
etc. should be numbered and labelled according to guidelines in the
Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (APA)
(5th Ed.)

Impact of the Training to the Knowledge, Skills and Attitudes of the

Participants in Conducting Action Research

The researcher administered the assessment tool to 21

Master Teachers in Science from which pertinent data were
collected. After evaluating these data, the appropriate statistical test
was applied.

The use of t-test correlated samples on the survey scores

before and after the conduct of the training among mater teachers
revealed, the rejection of null hypothesis. This was based on the t-
test computed values that were higher than the critical values at
both .05 (t=2.01), as follows:

For the level of knowledge in conducting action research,

the t-test value of -17.29 is lower than the critical value of 2.01. The
p-value was also lower than 0.05 level of significance. This indicates
that the null hypothesis was rejected and means that there is a
significant difference in the participants’ level of knowledge in action
research before and after the implementation of intensive training.

For the self-assessed basic skills in conducting action

research, the t-test value of -20.32 is lower than the critical value of
2.01. The p-value is also lower than .05 level of significance. This
indicates that the null hypothesis was rejected and means that there
is a significant difference in the participants’ basic skills in action
research before and after the implementation of intensive training.
For their attitude towards conducting action research, the t-
test value of -19.43 is lower than the critical value of 2.01. The p-
value is also lower than .05 level of significance. This indicates that
the null hypothesis was rejected and means that there is a
significant difference in the participants attitude towards conducting
action research before and after the intensive training. In this case
there is a tendency for all the three indicators to increase because of
the monitoring of the KSA of participants as they develop their
action research proposal. One of the best practices of supervisor in
this research is the consultation hours during the workshop where
the participants were allowed to verify, clarify and confirm what
they have started.

Table 1 Difference in the Self-assessment of the respondents in

their action research knowledge, skills and attitude.

Pre- Post- t-test p- Decision Conclusion

CRITERIA test Test value

1 Knowledge 2.50 3.57 - 0.002 Reject Ho There is a

17.29 Significant
Difference
2 Skills 1.25 2.50 - 0.003 Reject Ho There is a
20.32 Significant
Difference
3 Attitude 2.32 3.44 - 0.001 Reject Ho There is a
19.43 Significant
Difference

Note: t-test critical at alpha .05=2.06

Productivity and Quality of Master Teacher’s Action Research

Proposals

In terms of productivity, 100% of master teachers were able

to produce action research in satisfactory level. This means that
there was already an established baseline as to what the
participants had achieved at the end of the training. The highest
indicators with the verbal interpretation of “Very Satisfactory”
belongs to the quality and appropriateness of the research
design. This high rating was brought by the coaching technique
during the seminar-workshop. The resource person allowed the
participants to confirm if the design that they have selected is
 appropriate for their study. The lowest rating was the format and
style with a weighted mean score of 77.83 which means “Needs
Improvement”. The format and style is expected to be low since
this cannot be mastered in a day and would require them to
verify the guidelines repeatedly from the 5 th Edition of American
Psychological Association.

Table 2 Quality of action research proposals of Master

Teachers

Indicators Mean Verbal

Score Interpretation
1 Context and Rationale 86.56 Satisfactory
2 Review of Related 80.10 Satisfactory
Literature
3 Research Questions 79.12 Needs Improvement
4 Scope and Limitations 93.13 Very Satisfactory
5 Research Design 98.34 Very Satisfactory
6 Locale and Sampling 97.12 Very Satisfactory
7 Data Collection 90.23 Very Satisfactory
8 Plan for Data Analysis 95.12 Very Satisfactory
9 Work plan 90.12 Satisfactory
10 Cost Estimates 87.50 Satisfactory
11 Ethical Issues 86.78 Satisfactory
12 Referencing 85.67 Satisfactory
13 Clarity of Expression 78.50 Needs Improvement
14 Format and Style 77.83 Needs Improvement
Grand Mean 87.58 Satisfactory
Legend: Very Satisfactory = 91-100, Satisfactory=81-90, Needs
Improvement, 71-80
 Challenges Encountered by the Participants in Developing their
Action Research Proposals

The master teachers were also asked to identify the

challenges that they have encountered in developing their action
research. First is the availability of reference materials that are
updated and contains the information that they need. In this case,
majority of the participants depend on the Google Scholar to view
related literature and findings of other researchers. Next to resource
materials is the
time given to them to reflect and think of other gaps by reviewing
the data available for them to analyze. Funding is also one of their
problems. Some of them are doubtful if the school will support them
financially in case they are in the implementation stage of the work
plan. With this notion, teachers and master teacher must be
motivated to conduct research by assuring to them that they will be
supported by the school financially with their work plan.

Utilization of the Findings of the Study

The findings of the study can be used towards continuous

quality improvement and strengthening the monitoring system by:

1. Follow up the needs improvement in this research like,

format and style, and clarity of expressions. Intervention
must be proposed by integrating related activity in
Teacher Quality Circle and Professional Learning
Community.
2. Members of the School/ Division and Region Research
Committee should make themselves available for
consultation related to action research of teachers.
3. Chiefs and School Heads are expected to motivate their
subordinates by assuring them that qualified proposals
will be given priority for funding.
4. Teacher-researcher may be unloaded of at least one
subject if they are in the process of accomplishing their
action research.

CONCLUSIONS

In this study, it is therefore concluded that the recently

conducted training had effectively improved the knowledge, skills
and attitude of the participants in conducting action research. This
 was based on the results of the hypothesis testing where the
computed t-test values were higher than the t-test critical values at .
05 level of significance. To validate these values, use of software
applications revealed p-values lower than .05. The training provided
them the necessary knowledge, skills and attitudes in line with the
standards set by the central office and in the international level.
Finally it helped them carry out the priority gaps of their respective
divisions as well as validated their action research proposals.

RECOMMENDATIONS

In light of these findings, it is further recommended that

master teachers must be equipped with the necessary knowledge,
skills and attitudes in order for them to produce a quality and more
responsive action research. Chiefs and School head should prioritize
action research in the allotment of budget in order to avoid the out-
of-pocket spending of master teachers. Lastly, school heads should
strengthen their research culture by strong collaboration, coaching,
mentoring, consultations and inviting experts from partner
institutions and agencies.

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