Which term is a development tool for a teacher that involves observing or gathering other data about a class through interviews, case studies, and questionnaires?

• A. Action research
• B. Discourse management
• C. Text as a Vehicle for Information
• D. Text as a Linguistic Object

Answer: (A)

Action research is a teacher-centered process of inquiry that treats the classroom as a site for systematic improvement. It involves planning a small change, gathering data about how it affects students—using interviews, case studies, and questionnaires among other methods—and then reflecting on what the data show to adjust teaching practices. This cycle of plan–act–observe–reflect helps teachers develop their professional skills by making evidence-based decisions aimed at improving student learning. The approach emphasizes the teacher as researcher who learns from real classroom data, rather than just applying pre-made methods. Other terms describe different aspects of language use or analysis and don’t capture the data-driven, iterative improvement focus of action research.