TEACHER AS A RESEARCHER IN SOCIAL SCIENCE

TEACHER AS A RESEARCHER IN SOCIAL SCIENCE

Teaching is the noblest of all professions. Only men and women with high intellectual caliber, quick with imagination and resourcefulness should take to teaching profession. A teacher will guide the young along the lines of their natural aptitudes and in accordance with the urgent needs of gainful occupations. A good teacher fashions the minds of the young through patient toil, intelligent instruction, sympathetic guidance and wholesome discipline.

Teaching and research are two inseparable components. Research can increase the quality of future generations. Research is composed of two words‘re’ and ‘search’ which means to search again or to search new facts or to modify older ones. Research in common parlance refers to a search of knowledge. It is really a method of critical thinking. It comprises defining and redefining problems, formulating hypothesis, collecting, organizing and evaluating data, making deductions and making conclusions and at last carefully testing conclusions to determine whether they fit the formulated hypothesis. Thus, the term ‘research’ refers to a critical, careful and exhaustive investigation or inquiry or experimentation having as its aim in the light of newly discovered facts.

CHARACTRISTICS

v Educational research attempts to solve a problem.

v Research involves gathering new data from primary or first hand sources or wring existing data for a new purpose.

v  It is based upon observable experience.

v Research demands accurate observation and description.

v Research attempts to find an objective, unbiased solution to the problem.

v Research is carefully recorded and reported to other persons interested in the problem.

Action Research is very important for teaching learning process. It is a method for improving and modifying the working system of classroom and a school. Action Research is focused on immediate application, not on the development of a theory, not upon general application. It has placed its emphasis on a problem here and now in a local setting. Many action research projects are carried out in a classroom by a single teacher. As it becomes more extensive it becomes more similar to other types educational research. The emphasis is Action Research, not on obtaining generalisable scientific knowledge about educational problems but on obtaining knowledge concerning a specific local problem.

The function of action research therefore, is to combine the research function with teacher growth in such qualities as objective thinking, skill in research processes, ability to work harmoniously with others and develop professional spirit. Quite often, many teachers will not have time, resources or technical background to engage in formal research activity but more teachers can be involved in action research activity and model studies may be undertaken for the purpose of trying to improve local classroom practices.

TEACHER AS A RESEARCHER

The concept of teacher is included in recent literature on educational reform, which encourages:

« Teachers to be collaborators in revising curriculum, improving their work environment, professionalizing teaching and developing policy.

« Teacher should be facilitator in school based curriculum development strategy in pre service and graduate courses in education, and in system planning and policy development.

« Teacher should be input. It means knowledge, skills, attitudes and values which students are required to acquire in accordance without national goals of education.

« Teacher should be a manager, i.e., he has to ensure that the work assigned to him is done with satisfaction to himself and to benefit to the students and the organization.

« The teacher as practitioner has to diagnose before he or she prescribes treatment or intervene and then vary to the prescription after seeing the effect.

« Real classrooms have to be teacher’s laboratories.

« For teachers as practitioners, the research acts their professional obligation.

QUALITIES OF A GOOD RESERACHER

Keen Observer

Teacher (researcher) should be a keen observer. He should have a capacity to see the difference between fact and fiction.

Curiosity and Thirst for Information

A good researcher shows an open mind about thongs and always curious. A good researcher has a great passion for finding deeper knowledge.

Making Meaningful Discrimination

A good researcher should be able to distinguish the relevant and irrelevant information and be able to reach a meaningful conclusion.

Intellectual Ability

The ability to identify and select appropriate method, tools, and techniques to collect data is very much essential.

Logical Reasoning

Research requires systematic and objective thinking to arrive at conclusion. Logical reasoning helps to break the complex situation into manageable bits and gave more attention to specific area.

Reflective Thinking

Research can reflect the knowledge that they gained either from school or from experiences and insights.

Ability to Check and Verify

The good research worker does not accept anything on its face value, but subjects all his data to critical security.

Predictive Capacity

The good research worker must be able to foresee the consequences of the conceptions formed in the course of his investigation.

Objectivity

The researcher should have the willingness and ability to examine evidence dispassionately, must be free the bias and prejudices.

Vigilant

Researcher should always think and plan very fastly. Each and every moment in research process is so precious. He must be vigilant from the starting point to end of research.

Open Mindedness

The researcher must have an open mind to subject his research process and interpretation to critical review of other scientists.

Patience

In the process of research, the researcher may be experiencing some issues and problems. The researcher must have patience and self control.

BENEFITS OF EDUCATIONAL RESEARCH FOR TEACHERS

v    Develops more confidence in teachers

v    Develops a sense of empowerment in the teachers

v    Bridges gaps between theory and practice

v    Provides avenues to teacher to be innovative

v    Solves problems of teaching-learning thus contributing to qualitative improvement of education.

          Teachers in every country have the opportunity and capacity to undertake some research. Such research carried out in the day-to-day work of the school, should be concerned directly with the problems of the school. It can properly concern itself with such matters as child development, class organization, teacher-pupil relationships, and interaction with the community, curriculum matters, teaching techniques and many others. Teaching and research go hand-in-hand.

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