Emerging variations of action research, lesson study, reflective practice and teacher research grow out of values, purposes and perspectives of different stakeholders at different times. From the perspective of an individual teacher these practices are conceptualised as a process of understanding and improving one’s own teaching methods; from the school-wide perspective, it is to form a collaborative learning with an aim to create local shared knowledge and building the trust among teachers, supported by the conscious commitment of school administration.

Despite being in the early stages of implementation in Kazakhstani comprehensive schools, with its introduction only in 2016, action research has become an integral part of the teacher appraisal system and teacher qualification process. Kazakhstani teachers aspiring to be recognised as “teacher-researchers” and “master teachers” are required to engage with action research. This innovation signifying a notable departure from traditional beliefs and practices in the education system. However, there is a gap between the expectations outlined in policy documents and teachers’ understanding of action research, as it is not adequately covered in teacher education and professional development courses struggle to keep pace with the changes.  Hence, the success and sustainability of these changes face challenges unless the necessary conditions are established in schools.  

In 2019, the School Hub for Action Research in Education (SHARE) project was introduced in 22 comprehensive schools in Astana city, aimed at establishing a school hub to share practices and ideas, fostering teacher leadership in development through action research.  The SHARE was established on four main concepts: 1) employing action research methodology to help teachers to reflect about daily practices, 2) facilitating understanding of changes in teaching and learning, 3) fostering the development of teacher leadership, 4) establishing conditions for collaborative professional learning.  

The project was led by Professor Colleen McLaughlin, Emirates Professor of the University of Cambridge, Kate Evans, Ex-principal of Bottisham Village School, and Dr Nazipa Ayubayeva, an advocate of action research in Kazakhstan. The project was supported by the Mayor of Astana city and was coordinated by the Astana Department of Education’s Center for Education Modernisation. The successful implementation of the project was facilitated by three-year (2020-2023) financial commitment from Astana Department of Education. Additionally, the project coordination, led by Roza Shayakhanova, co-authored this article, from the Center for Education Modernisation, played a pivotal role in building effective communication among schools with diverse expectations and commitments. Moreover, an essential requirement of the SHARE was the compulsory involvement of school principles. However, unforeseen changes, introduced in 2021, in policy regulations governing the rotation of schools’ principles had a substantial impact on the project. In the third year of SHARE, only five principals retained their positions in their original schools; three principals were reassigned to schools involved in SHARE; another three principals who had been rotated to new schools became ambassadors of the initiative and contributed to the expansion of SHARE by joining the initiative; yet another two completely new schools joined SHARE motivated by the interests of their principals, who in turn had learned about the SHARE at the exchange-conferences. Although, this organic growth in participation reflects the positive impact of networking in the education community, there are few schools that have chosen not to continue with the SHARE beyond the initial three-year commitment.           

As such, it was crucial for the authors of this paper to explore the teacher-participants’ perception about the sustainability of the project beyond the financial commitment and school principals’ decision. This exploration is essential for assessing the project impact on establishing a sustainable network of action researchers who collaborate, share practices, and contribute to ongoing teacher professional development. 

In this study, data were gathered from three sources: firstly, survey results obtained from SHARE teacher-participants; secondly, reflective accounts from school teams; and thirdly, one-to-one reflective interviews conducted with network coordinators and teachers. The survey addressed key questions revolving around the four main concepts of SHARE. Questionnaire was distributed online in Kazakh and Russian languages. The survey data validated with responses from 228 participants across 22 schools, were complemented by the analysis of 20 school team reflective accounts and ten one-to-one interviews. A deliberate selection of diverse data collection strategies and sources was made to ensure the utilasation of appropriate approaches and fit-for purpose research instruments. This approach enabled the collection of both individual and collective perspectives among teachers, contributing to a comprehensive understanding of SHARE’s sustainability beyond financial commitments and school principals’ decisions. The participants were informed that, within the local context, it may be impossible to guarantee 100 percent confidentiality as regards their identity, consequently, the findings were reported collectively.

Preliminary findings from the study revealed that the SHARE teacher-participants actively employ action research methodology; understand the importance of critical friend and engaging with the professional literature. Additionally, they acknowledge that the conditions to engage with action research on daily bases depend on their own motivation and values they uphold regarding teaching and learning. Moreover, teacher-participants report that sustainability of SHARE is dependent on external support and training and coordination from the Center for Education Modernasation. At the same time, the findings indicate that an individual teacher may wish to collaborate for changes in teaching and learning, especially if it is beneficial in terms of undergoing teacher appraisal and attaining recognistion as a “teacher researcher” or “master teacher”. Hence, education policy, even when mandated centrally, is interpreted, translated, adjusted and worked differently by teachers, in a process of enactment in specific contexts. Therefore, in order to change a culture, it is important to understand the current mental models held by schools, perceptions of classroom organisation, and the individual perspectives of teachers. The importance of this study, thus, is that it may shed light on the ways to use individual teacher potential as a factor to create professional learning culture in schools. The paper concludes significance of examining the local conditions and practices for the successful implementation of the reform initiatives.

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