Action Research in Education Personnel Development. A Case Study in Botswana.

A case study in action research which forms part of the Junior Secondary Education Improvement Project, was designed to enable dissemination and permeation of approaches to comprehension of English to all levels of educational personnel in Botswana (Africa). The work supports the national goal of expanding and improving Junior-Secondary education as part of a provision of nine years basic education. Using a multiplier approach, the research serves to identify language comprehension levels and instructional needs, improve the quality of education, and increase the output of qualified personnel from the school system. A long-term aim is to develop a culturally appropriate reading test. It is argued that dissemination and permeation of new ideas and techniques to all levels of the education system is a key area in education personnel development. This is considered to be acute in developing nations, where needs for rapid development are hampered by shortages of skilled personnel and inaccessibility of interior regions. The latter frequently prevents effective dissemination and uptake of new approaches. The principle underlying the action research design is suggested as a strategy with wider applications. Preliminary findings are presented. (Author/CB)