Using Collaborative "Action Research" for a Genuine School-Based Educational Change: An Exemplar Case and Reference Notes for Novice Teacher.

Background: Collaborative Action Research has been a popular form of research method conducted by the BEd (Hons) inservice and pre-service students studying the early childhood education at the Hong Kong Institute of Education. With a thorough understanding of the theory and practise of the collaborative action research by these novice teachers in this form of research methods, they could be benefited by an understanding on how they might develop a genuine school-based curriculum for an educational change in their schools. Aims: This paper aimed to provide guidelines on how to conduct a Collaborative Action Research for facilitating schoolbased Curriculum Development by theory and practise. A case study on how to carry out a collaborative action research is quoted for reference of those who would conduct this kind of research for the first time. The insertion of this case study is to highlight the meaning of 'collaborative' in an action research; it is not suffice to provide chances for teachers to voice out their opinions. What needs more to be done is to incorporate voices of teachers when formulating the plan in next action research cycle. With a thorough understanding of the theory and practise underpinned the Collaborative action research, it is anticipated that the novice teachers would gain in knowledge of what a "child-centred" curriculum and its pedagogic application would be like. In view of the variation in practices among today's teacher researchers, the theoretical and philosophical perspectives of Action Research will be reviewed to inform practitioners of the historical roots of their practise. What has been mentioned by Coulter (2002) as the essence of what constituting an authentic education "action' research would be revisited. Arguments: Allied with Coulter's argument in his What Counts as Action in Educational Action Research (2002), the author of this paper is keen to reiterate the differentiation of the three forms of Action research. In order to launch for an educational change to gear towards a child-centred practise, the genuine form of "Action" research is needed in lieu of the Educational "labour" research and the Educational "work" research. Conclusion: The paper ends with a Question and Answer section to conclude the special features and commonly asked questions of collaborative Action Research. In other words, the author of this paper expects the readers to work out the conclusion of this paper by answering the questions themselves [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]