Action research of an after-class programme

Abstract

The paper presents some aspects of the development and evaluation of an after-class programme conducted among first and second year students of a Belgrade primary school, which illustrate how it is possible to change and advance educational practice by active participation of both the researchers and the teachers in all phases of a research. The aim of the research was to stimulate both the school and the teachers to extend their educational aspect to the period which children spend in school after regular classes, in order to meet educational needs of students and stimulate their interests and creativity. The project was carried on in three phases. The phase of planning problem-solving and strategic actions included: registering the parents and students interested in after-class programme, providing and designing space for the project, determining the contents and activities, and training the teachers willing to participate in the project. In the second phase, the evaluation of what was being done was the activities, and the teachers reflected critically upon their work by reporting on the undertaken activities and discussions in order to pinpoint the difficulties and enhance their further work on the project. In the phase of the evaluation of the effects of the programme, at the end of the academic year, a survey was organized to determine what teachers and students thought of the programme, and what suggestions they had for its future development and application. The experiences acquired within this project indicate, on the one hand, to the need for elaboration of special programmes for after-class periods that students spend in school and, on the other hand, to the possibilities and importance of action research for the development of such programmes.

U ovom radu prikazani su aspekti razvoja i evaluacije programa rada u produženom boravku koji je realizovan sa učenicima prvog i drugog razreda jedne beogradske osnovne škole, a koji ilustruju kako se akcionim istraživanjem, uz aktivno učešće istraživača i nastavnika u svim fazama istraživanja, može doprineti menjanju i unapređivanju vaspitno- obrazovne prakse. Osnovni cilj istraživanja bio je da se škola i nastavnici podstaknu da povećaju vaspitnu funkciju rada u produženom boravku, a da se pri tom zadovolje vaspitne i obrazovne potrebe učenika i podstakne razvoj njihovih interesovanja i kreativnosti. Rad na projektu odvijao se u tri faze. Faza planiranja rešavanja problema ili strategijske akcije uključivala je registraciju roditelja i učenika zainteresovanih za pohađanje produženog boravka, dizajniranje i opremanje prostora u kome će se odvijati rad, osmišljavanje programskih aktivnosti i sadržaja, kao i obuku nastavnika koji će realizovati program. U drugoj fazi, paralelno sa realizacijom programskih aktivnosti, tekla je evaluacija tog procesa - istraživači su posmatrali aktivnosti, a nastavnici su vršili kritičku refleksiju sopstvenog rada kroz izveštaje o realizovanim aktivnostima i zajedničke diskusije sa ciljem da se utvrde teškoće i unapredi dalji rad na projektu. U fazi evaluacije efekata programa, na kraju školske godine, obavljeno je ispitivanje o tome šta nastavnici i učenici misle o programu, kao i o tome koje predloge daju o za budući razvoj i primenu programa. Iskustva stečena u toku realizacije ovog projekta ukazuju, s jedne strane, na potrebu za izradom posebnih programa za produženi boravak, a sa druge, na mogućnosti i značaj akcionih istraživanja u razvijanju ovih programa.