Using a theory of change approach to support teachers' action research inquiries

Engaging teachers in action research (AR) in their own classrooms has long been established as a means to support their professional development and the quality of their practice. Yet it also presents distinct challenges. Teachers have to find ways to align the requirements of teaching practice and AR, within the demands of their education systems. This paper explores whether teachers could be supported in this by using a Theory of Change (ToC) approach within their AR projects. Data are reported from a small-scale empirical study where teachers received training on applying a ToC approach to the development, implementation and monitoring of their own classroom-based interventions. Findings suggest this helped them to think critically about, and make changes to, their practice, while also strengthening their AR's rigour and transferability. It was, however, less successful in developing teachers' thinking about evidencing impact, with wider policy emphases on identifying interventions that work to improve outcomes on narrow measures remaining influential. The paper concludes that a ToC approach can be valuable within teachers' AR projects but raises questions about what might realistically be expected when it is applied in ways commensurate with teachers' capacities and prior research experience, in contexts dominated by discourses about 'what works'.