THE ASSESSMENT OF TEACHERS KNOWLEDGE, SKILL AND FACTORS IMPENDING TEACHERS FROM CONDUCTING ACTION RESEARCH:

Abstract

Assessing the practice and factors impeding teachers from conducting action research in selected secondary schools of Jabi-Tehinan woreda was the major purpose of the study. To this end, descriptive research design involving both quantitative and qualitative approaches was employed. The total population of the study comprises 3 principals and teachers Jabi-Tehinan woreda secondary schools. Teachers, principals and woreda education office were data sources for this study. To collect the data, a questionnaire, semi-structured interview and document analysis were used.. Thus, this statistics implies that teachers’ poor understanding, time pressure due employed to analyze the collected data research. The t value to work load, lack of the required knowledge and skills on the part of principals and teachers, lack of adequate resource, inadequate awareness about action research, and inadequate incentives available for teacher researchers as the most severe challenges. The data obtained during the interviews and documents indicated that these factors were identified as the most severe constraints that faced teachers. Based on the findings of this thesis, the researcher concluded that due to lack of the required knowledge and skills on the part of principals and teachers, time pressure, lack of adequate resource, inadequate awareness about action research, and inadequate incentives available for teacher researchers and other related factors, the involvement of teachers in the task of action research was very limited and inadequate. Therefore, the woreda education office needs to provide adequate trainings for school leaders and teachers to develop their knowledge and skills of conducting action research tasks. The woreda education experts should to support and motivate teachers to conduct action research activities. The school together with the nearby universities should provide training, seminars and work-shop programs for teachers to ensure a good understanding and adequate skills about action research activities