Article Preview
TopNeed For Content Knowledge And Skills In Action Research For Virtual Communities Practitioners (Teacher-Researchers)
Action research must be a major priority foundation for research in teacher education and preparation in the 21st century (Boaduo, 2010). Professional teacher-researchers naturally seek answers to questions and solutions to problems that enable them to help their communities and students to learn. They are decision makers. They make thousands of choices on hourly basis regarding the choice of texts, literature, appropriate and relevant technology integration, curriculum, pedagogy, assessment and measurement. They are highly reflective and sensitive to the needs of their communities and students. In the process of articulation of their duties they encounter failures and successes. However, much of what teacher-researchers have to offer their communities and students remains a secret. Their key to success is a mystery. Teacher-researchers seek multiple means of looking at their world of teaching and learning and that of their communities and students by unlocking the secrets within their work environments. How they do all these remain a mystery which, they are the only people to understand. Action research has, however, become one of the major potential keys to help teacher-researchers unlock these secrets and help their communities and students towards effective and efficient social networking.
This section of the paper will provide detailed empirical evidence together with scholarly argument to address the issue of the need for teacher education and training institutions to provide teacher-researchers with in-depth action research content, practical knowledge and skills to enable them to meet the challenges of the twenty-first century virtual communities and students needs with confidence. The following perspectives will also be given elaborate attention: