Resumo

PERALTA-CASTRO, Fernando  e  MAYORAL-VALDIVIA, Pedro José. Action Research as a strategy for reflection, improvement and change in Language Teaching Practice. RIDE. Rev. Iberoam. Investig. Desarro. Educ [online]. 2022, vol.12, n.24, e019.  Epub 23-Maio-2022. ISSN 2007-7467.  https://doi.org/10.23913/ride.v12i24.1152.

Action Research (AR) is understood as the reflective search process carried out by the members of a community to learn about their practice and improve the logic and justice of their own actions. This paper presents the results of an investigation on the use of AR as a strategy for reflection, improvement and change in a training program for Foreign Language teachers at the University of Colima, Mexico. The study, in its epistemological dimension, was carried out from the constructivist position since the investigator merged with the investigated object. The study was qualitative since the researcher was given the role of observer of the world in general and of that context. An open questionnaire to obtain information from a group of student teachers was administered. Data was analyzed with the Atlas.ti® software, identifying 31 codes and four categories. The results showed that AR helps student teachers to detect problems in teaching practice through reflection, to improve the process of teaching language learning, and favors academic-research training. The findings also revealed the complexity that an Action Research project could represent for university students.

Palavras-chave : action; teacher; research; foreign languages.