Investigating the Ability of Bhutanese Teachers to Understand and Carry Out Action Research in Teaching

Research demonstrates that teacher action research can help teachers, school and system bring positive change, ultimately impacting the students’ learning. Teacher action research (TAR) has been implemented in Bhutan to improve the professionalism of Bhutanese teachers, but there have not been any studies conducted to investigate the state of TAR in Bhutan. This descriptive study with qualitative support investigated Bhutanese teachers’ ability to understand and carry out action research in teaching. A semi-structured online survey questionnaire was used to collect data and to gain a better understanding and insights about the Bhutanese teacher action research program. These data were interpreted by means of descriptive statistics to draw conclusions, which was corroborated with qualitative open-response data. Participants expressed that TAR was essential in improving their practice, but they lack comprehensive abilities. This downside was described as due to lack of knowledge, time, and resources pertaining to TAR. In addition, teachers in this study expected to receive in-depth professional development workshops, attend educational conferences and seminars from within the country and outside. Recommendations for support for TAR in Bhutan is provided.