Nurturing the Reflective Practitioner: The Benefits and Challenges of Practitioner Inquiry: Teachers’ Perspectives

This is an exploratory study to develop an understanding of teachers’ readiness in embarking on Practitioner Inquiry (PI) by investigating the benefits and challenges faced by them. The school in this study is an independent secondary school in Singapore for high-ability learners. It constantly seeks to uphold the standards in the curriculum with evidence-backed pedagogies, as well as focus on knowledge creation and innovative practices that is pertinent to the needs of high ability students.

To cultivate informed practice within the school community, PI is considered to be integral part of the school’s direction. The school’s Centre for Pedagogical Research and Learning has established a structure to provide resources, infrastructure and training to teachers embarking on PI. Although some teachers have embarked on PI projects, we have observed that there may be support systems and barriers affecting involvement of teachers in PI.

Hence, this study determines factors contributing to the participation of teachers in PI by investigating the benefits and challenges of conducting an inquiry. Focus group interviews were conducted on teachers who have embarked on PI and needs analysis on teacher readiness in PI was used as supporting evidence. Results were then used to plan strategies to increase teacher involvement in PI and help them to attain the relevant skills and knowledge required to carry out PI.