Bridging the gap between theory and practice: Insight gained via an action research

There is a growing concern over the need to bridge the gap between theory and practice in teacher education. The inter-connectedness amongst curriculum design, teaching, learning and assessment has also become an important aspect of study in teacher education. In this action research, ways to narrow the gap between theory and practice via a conscious highlighting of the inter-connections amongst curriculum design, the process of teaching, learning and assessment in a module taught to a group of in-service teachers were experimented, documented and analyzed. The research was conducted in the qualitative paradigm. Methods included video recording of lessons, collecting of feedbacks from participants via interview and post-lesson feedback forms, plus content analysis of assignments. Apart from data derived by such means, lesson plans, teaching materials and lesson diary composed by the researcher constituted other sources of data for triangulation. The intended outcomes and the actual outcomes of the module delivery were compared and contrasted. Lessons learned and the implications for teacher education were discussed. Recommendations were also made. Copyright © 2005 Hawaii International Conference on Education.