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ACTION RESEARCH: AN INVESTIGATION OF PRIMARY SCHOOL HEADMASTERS’ PERCEPTIONS OF THE SCHOOL MANAGEMENT PROJECTS AS PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM. By Hamzah Md.Omar Universiti Malaysia Sabah, Sabah, Malaysia ABSTRACT Accountability in education is perhaps the most significant issue faced by primary school headmasters today. With the education reformation of the Elementary and Secondary Education in term of delivery system, Universiti Malaysia Sabah has been concentrating efforts on meaningful headmasters’ development to improve school management. The adoption of the Special Professional Education Program for Headmasters (SPEPH) has enabled the UMS to provide these primary headmasters with staff development opportunities during the school day to closely examine instructional practices. School of Education and Social Development, Universiti Malaysia Sabah has expanded this to include a specific headmasters initiated, action research initiative. The headmasters identify areas of inquiry upon which to gather data and make adjustments in administration to improve school administration. This study was designed to be a participatory action research based on headmasters’ actions. Utilizing survey instruments and questionnaires, headmasters provided initial feedback to evaluate the effectiveness of the school management in the areas of school organization, curriculum, co-curriculum, finance, student affairs, etc. Data was gathered through both qualitative and quantitative means to establish support for the cultural impact of action research on the professional staff. Data were analyzed comparing nine distinct areas of school management concerns of school heads that completed the action research phase. The data were used to determine if the project had a positive impact on instructional practice and to what degree action research is sustained in the daily lives of the professional educators. Results of the study suggested that a positive impact occurred with respect to School management efficacy issues and improvements in management practice. Data suggest that action research, when used as a reflective/professional development tool was sustained after teachers were no longer formally involved in the SPEPH program as participants. Keywords: Professional development, Action research, program evaluation, primary headmasters, and growth and benefits Biographical data: Hamzah Md.Omar is a Lecturer in TESL in the School of Education and Social Development, University Malaysia Sabah, Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia where he teaches on TESL undergraduate and post graduate programmes. He obtained his first degree in Teaching of English as A Second Language in1991 from UPM. In 1996, he left to pursue his M.A. in Linguistics for ELT at Lancaster University, UK. Completed his PhD in TESL on Smart School Teachers’ Thinking at UPSI in 2006. He had taught in the primary schools, secondary schools and a teacher training college before taking up the present post. He has longstanding interests in researches in teacher thinking, second language classroom, approaches to language teaching, and classroom discourse. ACTION RESEARCH: AN INVESTIGATION OF PRIMARY SCHOOL HEADMASTERS’ PERCEPTIONS OF THE SCHOOL MANAGEMENT PROJECTS AS PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM. By Hamzah Md.Omar Universiti Malaysia Sabah, Sabah, Malaysia Accountability in education is perhaps the most significant issue faced by primary school headmasters today. With the education reformation of the Elementary and Secondary Education in term of delivery system, Universiti Malaysia Sabah has been concentrating efforts on meaningful headmasters’ development to improve school management. The adoption of the Special Professional Education Program for Headmasters (SPEPH) has enabled the UMS to provide these primary headmasters with staff development opportunities during the school day to closely examine instructional practices. School of Education and Social Development, Universiti Malaysia Sabah has expanded this to include a specific headmasters initiated, action research initiative. The headmasters identify areas of inquiry upon which to gather data and make adjustments in administration to improve school administration. This study was designed to be a participatory action research based on headmasters’ actions. Utilizing survey instruments and questionnaires, headmasters provided initial feedback to evaluate the effectiveness of the school management in the areas of school organization, curriculum, co-curriculum, finance, student affairs, etc. Data was gathered through both qualitative and quantitative means to establish support for the cultural impact of action research on the professional staff. Data were analyzed comparing nine distinct areas of school management concerns of school heads that completed the action research phase. The data were used to determine if the project had a positive impact on the school management practice and to what degree action research is sustained in the daily lives of the professional educators. Results of the study suggested that a positive impact occurred with respect to School management efficacy issues and improvements in management practice. Data suggest that action research, when used as a reflective/professional development tool was sustained after teachers were no longer formally involved in the project. Keywords: Professional development, Action research, program evaluation, primary headmasters, and growth and benefits INTRODUCTION This paper describes an Action Research Project (ARP, or the Project) conducted by 44 primary school headmasters to improve the effectiveness of school management in a semi urban primary school (voluntarily offered to be the project school). The project was part of Special Professional Education Program for Headmasters (SPEPH) at Universiti Malaysia Sabah, a broad-based public university located in Sabah, East Malaysia. The overall purpose of the SPEPH was to help the primary school headmasters achieve greater success in managing their schools as well as upgrading their academic qualification. The paper is organized as follows: The next section briefly discusses the role of action research in the social sciences, adult learning, and higher education. The section following describes the SPEPH. The specifics of the Project will then be discussed. Findings and recommendations from the Project will then be presented in a final section which summarizes and concludes the paper. Action Research Action research is a research method that includes several models of interpretive and qualitative research. It is specifically characterized by its twin objectives of engaging in the pursuit of useful knowledge and seeking to facilitate social or organizational change. Action research has features which resemble change agency, and some which resemble field research. Action research is often described as being cyclical, participative, qualitative, reflective and responsive (Dick, 1993). Background of Action Research Historically, action research as a research method has been used in the social sciences for over a century. McKernan (1991) indicates that action research in educational curriculum development can be traced to the Science in Education Movement of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. He also suggests that the work of American philosopher, John Dewey, was a precursor of action research through his use of inductive methods to solve practical problems in fields of education, psychology, aesthetics, and philosophy (McKernan, 1991). McKernan also states that the Group Dynamics movement in social psychology during the first half of the twentieth century was a type of action research which addressed social problems through qualitative methods. Kurt Lewin was an important figure in action research during the 1940s and 1950s (Lewin, 1947). Lewin viewed action research as an experimental form of inquiry focused on groups that were experiencing social difficulties. Lewin often maintained that social problems should be the primary focus of all research in the social sciences. Lewin's approach to action research included a series of cycles including: analysis, fact-finding, conceptualization, planning, implementation, and evaluation. During the 1950s and early 1960s action research was frequently used to study companies and business organizations. The methodology became popular in the United States at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and in the United Kingdom at the Tavistock Institute (Masters, 1995; McKernan, 1991). Towards the end of the 1960s, action research more or less disappeared from mainstream social science research because of an increasing emphasis on quantitative methods (Baskerville and Wood-Harper, 1998). One notable exception was Argyris, who advocated a type of action research which he called action science. Argyris stressed integration of theory with practice in a cyclical process of problem diagnosis, intervention and reflective learning. Argyris promoted action science in a series of books and articles, many of which were written in collaboration with Daniel Schön (e.g. Arygris and Schön, 1978, 1991). Action Research in Education Some of the earliest applications of action research were in the field of education, and it has been in the field of education where action research has become a well-accepted methodology. Paisey and Paisey (2005) state that action research "has been advocated as a research method particularly suited to classroom inquiry where time, cost or the small-scale nature of an investigation might render other methods unsuitable" (p. 3). They also indicate that while action research in education was originally focused on primary and secondary schools, in recent years there has been a growing use of action research in higher education (Schratz,1992; Apsland and Brooker, 1998; Atweh et al., 1998; Hand, 1998; Winter, 1998). Models of Action Research Action research focuses on a problem, or particular practice, occurring within a specific social setting. The purpose of action research is to alleviate the problem or increase the effectiveness of the practice. Action research typically involves a cyclical series of steps such as: planning, acting, observing and reflecting (Masters, 1995; Stringer, 1996). Based on Bassey (1998) and Hand (2001),) a model of action research for higher education suggested by Paisey and Paisey (2005) which involves five steps was adapted in this study as below: 1. Defining the problem and framing research questions. 2. Collecting data and deciding how specific school management problem could be changed. 3. Implementing the selected changes to specific school management specific school management. 4. Monitoring and evaluating the changes made. 5. Reviewing and reflecting upon the changes, repeating cycle if necessary The Paisey and Paisey model has a number of advantages, particularly in terms of its emphasis on data collection prior to taking action, and in the step of monitoring and evaluation. However, when we began our Project, we were unfamiliar with this approach; consequently, we based our research on another model of action research derived from Grundy and Kemmis (1981, as cited in Grundy, 1988). As compared with the Paisey and Paisey model, the Grundy and Kemmis approach places a somewhat greater emphasis on taking action first and then evaluating the results of the action through observation and reflection. Observation is defined by Grundy and Kemmis primarily in terms of qualitative data, such as observing and noting changes in the behavior of participants in the social setting after taking an action (Grundy, 1988). The Grundy and Kemmis approach has certain similarities with "participant observation" as a method of social science research, in that the researcher is a participant in the social setting and he or she gathers data primarily through observation of other participants in the social setting (see Diesing, 1991; Baker, 1977). The principal difference between participant observation and action research is that action research seeks to change the social setting in order to facilitate improvement in a perceived social problem. Assumptions and Beliefs About Adult Learning. Headmasters as students continuing in tertiary study bring with them considerable informal and formal knowledge of the learning process derived from earlier formal study and from their reflection on their own and their student’s learning. One would assume that they would be better informed about learning than tertiary students in the other disciplines and that they would have organized their knowledge into an overarching structure that they could apply selectively to different aspects of learning and teaching. In the literature about understanding and facilitating adult learning assumptions and statements are made about the distinctive nature of the processes for adults. Most of these assumptions are not derived directly from empirical research into adult learning such as but from a wide range of related studies. One of the most influential authors in the field of adult learning has been Knowles who made the term andragogy synonymous with adult learning. In one of his more recent statements Knowles (1990) described again the differences, as he perceived them, between pedagogy (teaching children) and andragogy (teaching adults). These differences were in the six main areas as follows; need to know; self concept; role of experiences; readiness to learn orientation to learning; and motivation. At the extremes of the continua he maintains that: o Children need to learn what the teacher teaches them whilst adults know what they need to learn. o Teachers conceive of children as dependent learners whilst adults believe themselves responsible for their own learning. o Children’s experience is of the little worth in terms of learning whilst adults have more experience, some of it useful and some that causes bad learning habits. o Children are ready to learn what the teacher tells them whilst adults are ready to learn what they believe they need to know. o Children are subject centered and adults are life/task/problem centered o Children are dependent on external motivation whilst internal motivators such as self-esteem, job satisfaction and quality of life are more potent for adults. Whilst these differentiating statements are useful as a talking point they can be quiet dangerous if taken literally. It may have been true that pedagogy was one based on premises as Knowles described them and that they are some teachers who still hold such views. However, any person with a constructivist perspective of cognitive development and learning would disagree strongly with the contention that children do not have some idea of what they are interested in, some useful knowledge, and some intrinsic interest and motivation. Conversely adults, particularly in formal learning situations, often do not appear to possess the characteristics that Knowles attributes to them. Boulton Lewis (1994) found for example, with a large sample of students across faculties in a university, that the “majority of students believe that the learning is a matter of how much information is retained by rehearsal for recall, and [that it] depends on the lecturer’s presentation and success in arousing their interest”. Brookfield (1991), in discussing interpretations of andragogy, cited Jarvis (1984) as writing that andragogy is not grounded in sufficient empirical research to justify its dominant position. Brookfield also stated that whilst self directedness is a defining indicator of adulthood for Knowles, many adults do not pursue their lives in a way that indicates that self directedness influences their behaviour. In fact Brookfield believes that there are good grounds for maintaining that self-directedness in adult learning is an “empirical rarity” and goes onto describe the discomfort experience by adults, in groups that he taught, when they were required to assume a degree of responsibility for their own learning. Hence adult education might better be conceived of as education devoted to nurturing those attributes that Knowles believes adults posses rather than as a facilitating activity with adults who already know what they want to learn. The Special Professional Education Program for Headmasters (SPEPH) This section describes the background of the Project within the setting of the SPEPH. It should be noted that the Project comprised a small portion of the SPEPH. The author had no direct responsibility for the design and implementation of the SPEPH. His only involvement in the SPEPH was with regard to the Project. While the purpose of the SPEPH was to increase the general level of academic qualification of the primary school headmasters as a whole, the purpose of the Project was limited to increasing the level of academic success of students in the action research course. "Academic Success" for the SPEPH was defined to be graduation from the university, or continuation in making good academic standing of their schools and making normal school management progress. This measure was also adopted as the measure of academic success for the Project. Description of the Special Professional Education Program for Headmasters (SPEPH) The mission of the PKPB is expressed as follows: "To empower primary school headmasters by providing them an opportunity to pursue a university education and by providing support for their academic and personal development" (SPEPH, 2005). The university has adopted the requirements shown below for entry into the university (UMS Prospectus, 2005). Special Program Requirement i. Other qualifications as approved by the Senate: a. Holding the post of Headmaster/Administrator. b. Pass the interview. ii. Additional requirements: a. Possess certificate or Diploma in Education. b. Confirmed in the post as Headmaster/Administrator. c. Had served a minimum of 3 years. d. Pass he interview. Consequently, students who are evaluated as being close to meeting the requirements may gain admission to the university through the SPEPH. The objectives of the SPEPH, as established by the IAB/KPM and approved by the university administration, are as follows: 1. To fulfill the need to graduate the primary school headmasters who will be able to apply the scientific approach in school administration. 2. To produce excellent headmasters who will be able to steer their schools into excellence centers for learning. 3. To improve school academic success 4. To enhance the quality of school administration in the nine areas of school administration. 5. To create awareness among the headmasters that quality school administration ensures academic success. 6. To produce headmasters who are creative, innovative and proactive in school administration. Table ' provides a statistical summary of the SPEPH enrolment from 2005 to 2008. The variation in the number of applications enrolled into the Program on semester basis was not under the control of the university but under the Ministry of Education (handled by Aminuddin Baki Institute (IAB) ), however, the School of Education and Social Development sought to meet the program intake of between 60 and 100 students. Therefore, the table below shows the difference in number of projected intake, enrolled, and completed the Program. |Year |2005 |2006 |2007 |2008 | |Intake |60 |60 |60 |60 | |Enrolment |44 |112 |44 |19 | |Graduated |- |- |- |44 | Focus When the SPEPH was established in 2005, it quickly became apparent that the quality of school administration and academic success were not at the national standard level. This was considered to be a problem by the IAB/MOU, the university administration, and the school of Education and Social Development. Therefore, a decision was made in 2005 to include an action research course in the SPEPH program. The purpose of the course was to interest headmasters in improving their school administration and academic success. This purpose was not just to achieve a better balance between the two areas; it was also felt that headmasters would benefit by becoming aware of an increased probability of improving school administration efficiency in the nine vital school administration areas, namely; 1. Organizational Management and Leadership; 2. Curriculum Management; 3. Student Affairs Management; 4. Financial Management; 5. Office Administration Management; 6. Environmental and Physical Facilities Management; 7. Human resource Management; and 8. Public Relation Management. The purpose of this study is to document the nature and impact of action research professional development program for primary school principals undergoing Educational Management program at School of Education and Social Development in Universiti Malaysia Sabah, Kota Kinabalu. The Project, spanning the one semester period in class entry year 2008. A lecture with a vast experience in primary and secondary schools background became the course instructor and the primary investigator for the Project. The Project This professional development program is incorporated under Action Research subject (TP4033) in their educational management course structure in 2008 and, to date this is the first cohort being involved in conducting research about school management practices. During their participation in this program which runs from April to May, researchers (headmasters) formulate research questions and carry out an inquiry related to this question over the course of a semester. The focus areas are as follows: Organizational and Leadership, Curriculum, Student Affairs Management, Financial, Office Administration, Environmental and Physical Facilities, Human resource Management, and Public Relation Management. The researchers meet once a week for two hours in small groups of 4-10 people that is facilitated by the course instructor who acts as the programme coordinator. Although one of the researchers is the principal of the project school, the other members of the groups are all interschool in composition. Five days of released time per week are provided for each group to conduct their action research at the project school. Researchers complete a written report of their studies that are submitted for evaluation. Research Questions • What is the nature of the action research process in this project' What happens in the action research groups over the course of a semester' What are the key aspects of the organization and facilitation of the groups' What are the obstacles that researchers experience' • What is the role of knowledge previously produced in the project in informing the research of participants' What happens to the knowledge produced through action research once a study is completed' • How has the project affected the way that participants think about their practice' • How has the project influenced the practice of participants' • How has the project influenced the culture of the particular school' Ethical Considerations Before embarking on the project, the headmasters were briefed on the need to be sensitive to the ethical issues surrounding the project. As action research is carried out in real-world circumstances, and involves close and open communication among the people involved, they must pay close attention to ethical considerations in the conduct of their work. The experience in dealing with ethical issues in this study was quite alarming as management issues are always sensitive and could easily sparked controversies as well as sensationalism. Richard Winter (1996) lists a number of principles that can be considered when conducting action research: • “Make sure that the relevant persons, committees and authorities have been consulted, and that the principles guiding the work are accepted in advance by all. • All participants must be allowed to influence the work, and the wishes of those who do not wish to participate must be respected. • The development of the work must remain visible and open to suggestions from others. • Permission must be obtained before making observations or examining documents produced for other purposes. • Descriptions of others’ work and points of view must be negotiated with those concerned before being published. • The researcher must accept responsibility for maintaining confidentiality.” Methodology Choosing the right method of action research is important as the study on school management is riddled with controversies and sensitive issues existing in school dimension (Eisner, 2002). Two models of action research, notably the Grundy and Kemmis model of action research and, the Paisey and Paisey model were considered. In the Grundy and Kemmis model, Step 1 (Planning) can be compared with Step 1 (Defining the Problem) and Step 2 (Collecting Data) of the Paisey and Paisey model, while in the Grundy and Kemmis model, Step 2 (Acting) can be compared with the Step 3 (Implementing Changes) of the Paisey and Paisey model. Step 3 (Observing) in the Grundy and Kemmis model, can be compared with Step 4 (Monitoring and Evaluating) in the Paisey and Paisey model. Step 4 (Reflecting) in the Grundy and Kemmis model can be compared with Step 5 (Reviewing and Reflecting) of Paisey and Paisey. Regardless of the differences between the models of action research, it should be emphasized that in both models the overall purpose is to improve the social setting and projected four main steps of research. Therefore, Grundy and Kemmis’s (1981) model that consist of four steps which are cyclically repeated as long as necessary to change or correct the problem was adopted. The steps are: planning; taking action; observing; reflecting. During the one semester period (three months) of the Project, there have been two cycles of taking action, observing, reflecting and making changes. For purposes of explanation, the Project adopted the five phases as proposed by Gerald Susman (1983) who gives a somewhat more elaborate listing.  He distinguishes five phases to be conducted within each research cycle (Figure ').  Initially, a problem is identified and data is collected for a more detailed diagnosis.  This is followed by a collective postulation of several possible solutions, from which a single plan of action emerges and is implemented.  Data on the results of the intervention are collected and analyzed, and the findings are interpreted in light of how successful the action has been.  At this point, the problem is re-assessed and the process begins another cycle.  This process continues until the problem is resolved. [pic] Data Collection and Observation During the Project, the instructor gathered qualitative and quantitative data, primarily through observations of researchers’ (headmasters) behavior, but also through the completion of interview with the target school headmaster and the school staff. The data collected included assessments of: level of attendance; level of participation; level of timely implementation of the cycle; and ability to produce reports. Nine action research groups conducting action research on the nine school management areas i.e. Organizational Management and Leadership, Curriculum Management, Student Affairs Management, Financial Management, Office Administration Management, Environmental and Physical Facilities Management, Human resource Management, and Public Relation Management; were the focus of our efforts to document in depth the nature of action research in this one school.. A variety of data provided the basis for our documentation efforts including detailed field notes, interviews with the nine research leaders who participated in these groups, an examination of the studies of the nine groups, and artifacts such as photos, handouts and feedback sheets enclosed in the reports at the end of the study. Table 2. Action Research Project Itinerary. |Phase 1: Pre-conference process |•     agree on process design and participants | | |Introductory plenary |introductions, review objectives, outline process | | |Small group session 1 |SCANNING THE ISSUE | | | |•      past and present context | | | |•      assess current situation | | |Phase 2:Presentation plenary |reports from small groups, review progress, discuss directions | | |Small group session 2 |OPTIONS FOR CHANGE | | | |•      constraints and opportunities | | | |•      possible futures | | |Phase 3: Post-conference process |reports, define strategic tasks / actions, select key tasks, form task groups | | | |•      report distributed | | | |•      follow-up contacts | | Reflection on the Data and Changes Made As a result of evaluating the data and reflecting on the changes that make the Project, several changes were made during the second cycle. For example, the data indicated that the stakeholder (school) was not adjusting well to the project. After reflecting on this issue, a decision was made to brief these teachers and support staffs without the presence of their headmaster. This change caused more active participation on the part of teachers and support staffs in terms of asking questions and offering comments, both during the project and at other times. Another change involved the creation of a project group which met in the school's office once a week to discuss the project progress. This change produced an unexpected new piece of data. Through first hand observation of headmasters' ability to understand this particular complex school management system, the instructor realized that the headmasters were able to gain new insight as required of all school management leaders. This led to another change in the type of action taken, and in the way in which it was covered. There was less focus on general issues and more time devoted to account for the niche areas in the study. Through this change, the headmasters were challenged to learn at a higher level of complexity. Findings The Nine School Management Cases In evaluating the success this participatory action research projects aimed at increasing the management quality of the project school, nine areas of school management focus were selected. The members of the nine groups valued the usefulness of the project as it enhanced direct participation in improving the quality of school management by using a participatory empowered action research. They were confident and also ready to be leader of the smaller network in the target school. Nine action research projects to develop the innovation for developing the quality of school management quality are as follows: 1. Student Affairs Management: How to make the management of the fund for the poor students (KWAPM) efficient and fair. This action research involved six class teachers who were responsible in identifying students who are eligible to receive the financial funding under KWAPM. Initial analysis conducted indicated the existence of document falsifying from parents, and the information was not updated for the last two or three years. First action taken was to conduct a briefing on the use of application. The form must be duly completed and verified by the Village Head/JKKK, as well as enclosed with pay slips/income statement. The next action is, as witness to the application, the teachers were inducted on detecting the anomalies in the information before submitting them for approval by the school board. The result showed that the teachers had gained an insight of the problem and will be able to screen the application cautiously. 2. Co-curriculum Management: The main problem that was pursued by this group was on time management of Scout Activities. This study involved 156 scout cubs and their leaders. Initial analysis showed that the scout activities time allocation overlapped with the curriculum activities. The first action taken was to conduct a briefing of the new time allocation by the school’s senior assistance (Co-curriculum). This is followed by the implementation of the timetable. The action taken had enabled the scout cubs to be able to conduct their activities unperturbed. 3. Public Relation Management: Enhancing the role and commitment of AJK PIBG (PTA(Parents Teachers Association) committees) through integrated approach. This study focused on the activities of 12 PTA committee members ( six teachers and six parents). Initial study showed that parents who were PTA committee members were a bit passive in the school’s PTA activities. The first action cycle was in the form of conducting a Get Together gathering with the parents and enlightening them on the role of PTA. The next action was organizing a ‘gotong royong’ activity (working together as a group). The result showed a more committed parents’ role in taking part in school’s activities than before. 4. Classroom Management: A conducive classroom management through effective classroom arrangement. The target group was a teachers and nine students who were equipped with comfortable seats. Two action cycles were carried out to bring improvement to the situation faced. First action was to organizing a gotong royong activitiy to repair the dilapidated furniture. Next action cycle faced on getting sponsorship to buy materials to furnish the classroom. As the result, students and teacher were able to work in a warm and conducive room. 5. School Finance Management: The importance of using ‘Nota Minta’(order note) in government procurement procedure. This study focused on eight clerical staff who were directly involved in the use of the form. Initial study showed that they didn’t make use of the form though it is mandatory under government’s standard operation procedure. Instead, they were using working paper as a substitute. They have been ticked off by the Auditor on several occasions. Two action cycles were conducted. The first one was a training session conducted by the researchers. Followed by a hand-on session on using the form. The result showed that the staff concerned became aware on the need to use the form in ordering product or services, and pledge using it from now on. 6. School Office Management: Improving the effective of on-line information sharing system among teachers, support staff and headmaster. The study involved eight teachers, two support staffs: Headmaster, Senior assistants, Afternoon supervisor, Data teacher, Discipline teacher, Chief clerk, and An Administrative clerk. Initial study showed that the school self access center is not fully functioning, WYF was not used and there is non-existent of information sharing. The first action was the act of briefing the those concerned on the need of information sharing, followed by the second action on enhancing the efficiency of LAN . The result showed that the action had made all data and information available from EMIS, SMS, and SSDM, and teachers were reported to be happy using the network now. ( the sample was presented at the State Teachers’ Day exhibition) 7. School Office Management: Turning the school’s office space into a conducive area for customers’ satisfaction (parents and visitors). This study involved five support staffs and one senior assistant. Initial study showed that the visitors were not satisfied with the condition of the space available in the office (located next to the principal office). The space is too narrow and parents/visitors need to wait outside the office which quite humid. Proposal for renovating the space in the first action cycle met with failure. The second action cycle was to pass the plan for refined renovation to the principal, to be discussed at school administrative level and PTA level. The result showed that the failure to implement was due to financial and space constraint issues.( There is some mixed reaction among the staff, headmistress and researchers on its implementation – put on hold) 8. Human Resource Management: Teachers coming to class late-Improving punctuality. The target group was 78 teachers. Initial study showed that around 20% were not punctual. They were always late in entering their respective classes. The phenomena have raised uneasiness among other teachers in the school as these classes (without teachers) tended to be noisy, and unruly; thereby disturbing their teaching. Two action cycles were conducted to improve the situation. The action was conducted within a period of three days. The first action taken was having a brainstorming session with teachers concerned on how to solve the problem. This was followed by monitoring of teachers’ punctuality in their classes. The result was very positive, teachers were now aware of the need to enter their classes on time, though a tiny fraction of them feel intimidated by the study. Punctuality was fully achieved. (There was a big commotion among teachers as the way this was implemented – ethical and administrative issues surfaced violently) 9. Academic Management: Improving Bahasa Malaysia panel’s file management system. The study involved the head of Bahasa Malaysia panel and the committee members. Initial study showed that the panel management especially in filing system was in array. Two action cycles were carried out to improve their efficiency. The first action is a round of discussion with the head and teachers on the need to allocate a special file cabinet for the panel, this followed by an application to acquire a cabinet for the purpose and the act of filing the files systematically. The study indicated awareness of the panelists of the need to ensure a systematic filing for future references. 1. The nature of this project as a professional development activity. Our analyses indicate that the following are the critical features of this project as a professional development activity. • It is a project in which headmasters assume ownership of the professional development process (e.g., choosing their own research question, data collection and analysis strategies, etc.). Because headmasters can choose their own research issues and can connect their research to their current concerns and work situations as school principals, they develop a personal investment in the process that is often missing from professional development activities for headmasters. • There is a recognition of and respect for the knowledge that headmasters bring to the activity and for headmasters as professionals (providing space for thinking and working away from the hectic pace of the normal workday, comfortable meeting venues, the particular way in which meetings were conducted that embraced headmasters' struggles and provided intellectual challenge, and the opportunities made available for headmasters to present their work). • The activity takes place in a nurturing and supportive environment over an extended period of time. The groups provided headmasters with emotional support and a chance to think deeply about their practice with colleagues, situations that many thought were missing from their everyday work lives. The authentic nature of the communication in the groups (e.g., people "really listening" to each other) was an important aspect of the group experience for headmasters. • Participants in the groups developed their own criteria for ways to interact with each other, how to choose a research question, etc. that provided unique cultures within the groups. There was an emphasis by the coordinator on modeling the asking of questions to further teacher thinking rather than on providing answers. There was a general structure to the activities in the groups over the course of the school year (e.g., development and refinement of a research question, September- November). Coordinator plays a number of different roles in the groups that include: providing an overall framework within which the research is conducted, asking questions to help headmasters think more deeply about their practice, providing technical assistance in forming and refining questions, collecting and analyzing data, helping headmasters locate literature and resources related to their research topic, providing headmasters with written records of group conversations about their projects, and in supporting headmasters in the writing their research report. • The project requirement of writing a final report of the research for evaluation, although feared initially by many headmasters, was felt by many to be an important vehicle for helping them analyze and synthesize their research. [pic] 2. Obstacles and difficulties experienced by headmasters while doing action research project Although most headmasters stressed the positive nature of the experience, some shared with us difficulties that they had encountered during the process. • Some felt that there are increasing pressures on them. Some headmasters said that they had little time to do things like collect and analyze data, write a research report, etc. because of these increased demands. The need to attend other lectures and completing assignments as well as sitting for tests/examinations are the examples of pressure cited by headmasters. • A few headmasters felt that the time frame of three months is too short to conduct action research and write a report about it. • In some of the groups, there was occasionally a problem where there was no time during a given session (by the coordinator) to let everyone report on their progress and get feedback from the group. 3. How has the project influenced how participants think about their practice and their actions' We found much evidence that participation in this project influenced the ways in which headmasters think about their work and their teaching practice. Although there was variation in the effects reported by different individuals, the following themes emerged in our data: • Many headmasters reported that their participation in the project helped them develop more confidence in their ability as headmasters to influence their work and the circumstances in which they practice. They argue that they now feel a greater sense of control over their work and are more proactive in dealing with situations that arise. Action research was an energizing and validating experience for many headmasters. • Many headmasters told us that doing action research caused them to look at their teaching in a more analytic, focused and in depth way, habits that many claim they have now internalized and made use of subsequent to their participation in the project. Headmasters told us that they are now more likely to step back and examine what they are doing using the tools they acquired in the project, and they are now more concerned with the need to gather data to understand the impact of their teaching. Headmasters describe the thinking that they do in the daily course of their work and in most professional development experiences as superficial in comparison with the thinking about their practice they did while doing action research. • A number of headmasters told us that they are more likely now to talk with colleagues in their buildings about their teaching and that being part of an action research group convinced them of the importance of collaborative work with other headmasters. They also said that the quality of these conversations is of a higher quality than before. • Several headmasters told us that the action research experience raised their expectations for how they should be treated by others. Because they felt that they were treated with respect and trust within this project and were given lots of support, they now expect other staff development activities to display the same respect for headmasters and ambitious view of their capabilities. The idea of headmasters producing knowledge that can be valuable for others was a surprise to many, but is another dimension of the project that helped headmasters to develop a more positive view of themselves as headmasters and of the teaching profession. • There was a "multiplier effect" in the learning that occurred in the groups. Headmasters said that they learned things about school management that were helpful to them and that caused them to rethink aspects of their way of management from all of the studies conducted by their groups. • There is overwhelming evidence in our data that headmasters became more learner-centered in their practice, in part, as a result of gathering data from the school and teachers during their action research project. Many headmasters told us that they are now much more convinced of the importance of talking to their teachers and listening carefully to them, that they now listen much more closely and effectively to their teachers than before, and that they have developed higher expectations for what their teachers know and can do as a result of closely studying them in their action research. Many headmasters developed a new appreciation for the knowledge that teachers have. • There is some evidence in our data that the development of a greater disposition to listen to teachers leads to more democratic and interactive work in schools. Many headmasters told us that they are now more willing to let their teachers participate in decision making about school affairs including curriculum issues, and a number of headmasters reported movement where teachers are more actively involved. • Several headmasters told us that because of habits acquired during their action research, they now keep much more detailed documentation about their academic progress. The three categories and the related concepts are summarized in the following figure. [pic] Figure 1: Categories and concepts common across and within cases Conclusion Although this study has shown that there are many positive effects on headmasters, their teaching, and on student learning as a result of conducting action research, one must be very cautious about using these results to advocate for teacher research as a professional development activity. 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Zuber-Skerritt, Ortrun.  New Directions in Action Research.  London: The Falmer Press, 1996. ----------------------- Indicators of Level of Use of Action Research ACTION RESEARCH STRATEGIES IN ENHANCING SCHOOL MANAGEMENT QUALITY Coordination Level Making Changes Level Orientation level Rules, Repetitions, Practice, Recitation Inhibitions, anxiety, boredom, fear of making mistakes, panic, self-consciousness Freedom, variety, individual goal, use of strategies, independence,purpose Confidence, fervor, pleasure, sense of achievement, progress Strictness, control, formality, dominance, student inactivity, inflexible ACTION RESEARCH STRATEGIES IN ENHANCING SCHOOL MANAGEMENT QUALITY Professional Development Activity Obstacles and Difficulties Practice and A-4@APr~”§ÒÓÜÝö [']ly~Ý è ò ú ! — ¡ ¢ 5 7 T íÞíÞíÌíÌíº²£Ì•„s„se„T„T„T„T„T„T„ hdqthdqtCJOJQJ^JaJhJTCJOJQJ^JaJ hdqthStýCJOJQJ^JaJ hdqtho –CJOJQJ^JaJhdqtCJOJQJ^JaJhdqt5'CJOJQJ^JaJctions Rules, Repetitions, Practice, Recitation Inhibitions, anxiety, boredom, fear of making mistakes, panic, self-consciousness Freedom, variety, individual goal, use of strategies, independence,purpose Confidence, fervor, pleasure, sense of achievement, progress Strictness, control, formality, dominance, student inactivity, inflexible