A teacher in the education system is a self—developing personality who improves his professional and personal qualities through constant work and self-improvement. For professional competence, a teacher must continuously study, engage in self-education and realize himself in pedagogical practice. Effective activity requires teachers to have the skills to plan lessons, assess students' knowledge, and use modern teaching methods.

The purpose of the study is to identify the effectiveness of using Action Research to develop the creative abilities of 9th grade students through working with text.

Research objectives:

1. Identify the problem of pedagogical practice and formulate a research question.

2. Study the theoretical literature that identifies key approaches to working with text and developing students' creative skills.

3. Collect and analyze data on the current level of work with texts and motivation of students.

4. Develop and implement methodological approaches to improve the effectiveness of working with text.

5. Evaluate the results of the implemented measures and, if necessary, adjust the practice.

Research hypothesis: the systematic application of methods of working with text in the framework of research in action contributes to the development of creativity, critical thinking and text analysis skills among 9th grade students.

The research methodology (Action Research) involves the active participation of teachers: they identify the problem themselves, jointly develop ways to solve it, plan and implement lessons, reflect on the results and make adjustments to practice. The main resource of this approach is the teachers themselves, who, through the exchange of knowledge, experience and feedback, improve pedagogical skills and learning effectiveness.

Stages of research:

1. Problem definition — identification of topical issues of pedagogical practice and formulation of a research question (for example, low efficiency of working with text).

2. Data collection — recording the current situation in the classroom through observations, questionnaires, and tests.

3. Data analysis — interpretation of the information received, identification of key issues and joint discussion with colleagues or a school psychologist.

4. Lesson planning and implementation — the introduction of approaches aimed at solving the identified problem (for example, differentiation and creative tasks to increase motivation).

5. Evaluation of results — checking the effectiveness of changes and comparing them with the initial data.

6. Re—planning - adjusting approaches based on identified difficulties and recommendations from coaches or colleagues.

Choosing a topic and methods of working with text: "Developing the creative abilities of 9th grade students through working with text." Practical (exercises, graphic organizers, creative tasks, information searches), reproductive, problem-based search methods, and critical thinking strategies were used.

Expected results for students:

• ability to describe and analyze the content of texts of various genres;

• identification of the hidden meaning of the text and semantic groups of artistic and visual means;

• conducting information search and information processing using various reading strategies;

• identification of genre and stylistic features of texts and creative works.

The practical value of the research lies in the fact that the developed and proven methods of working with text can be directly implemented into pedagogical practice to develop students' creative and analytical abilities. Using the Action Research approach allows teachers to independently identify problems, plan and adjust lessons based on the data obtained, which helps to increase teachers' professional competence and confidence. The recommendations and methods for working with texts can enhance students’ critical thinking, analytical reading, creativity, and ability to express opinions, improving knowledge quality and learning outcomes.

Thus, the research is aimed at systematically improving the level of creative and analytical skills of students through the teacher's pedagogical activity within the framework of Action Research.

The study employed theoretical, empirical, and statistical methods. Theoretical methods included literature review, modeling, analysis, and synthesis; empirical methods comprised questionnaires, testing, diagnostics, and pedagogical experiments; statistical methods involved mathematical processing and quantitative and qualitative data analysis. The research was conducted to improve students’ work with texts and identify effective methods for enhancing comprehension and analytical skills. To assess teachers’ professional development needs and level of personal-professional growth, 30 teachers were surveyed. Results showed that nearly 80% of teachers considered professional development essential for acquiring the knowledge and confidence necessary to implement active learning effectively in their classrooms. The survey revealed that the majority of teachers expressed a desire to improve their skills in working with texts. Collaborative interaction among teachers provided opportunities to enhance professional competencies through the systematic implementation, analysis, and reflection on practical teaching activities. Focusing on the question “What knowledge do you lack to achieve high results?” helped teachers target areas directly relevant to curriculum content and classroom practice. To develop students’ reading skills and improve text-based learning, the study employed methods such as previewing texts, predicting content, identifying main ideas and structural elements, searching for information, critical reading, and producing oral and written reflections. Initial findings indicated that 30% of teachers selected action research specifically aimed at improving work with texts. Analysis of 9th-grade students’ cumulative assessments revealed low performance on reading tasks, demonstrating that the choice of methods and techniques directly affects comprehension. Reading was conducted both silently and aloud to enhance knowledge acquisition and address related learning challenges. The experimental work included three stages of text-based instruction: • Pre-text – introducing the topic, teaching key vocabulary, and predicting content; • Text-based – developing comprehension, analysis, and interpretation skills; • Post-text – discussing issues raised in the text and consolidating information. The results confirmed the initial hypothesis. Both theoretical analysis and empirical data demonstrated the effectiveness of the applied methods. Positive trends were observed in teachers’ professional growth and in students’ reading comprehension and analytical abilities, confirming that the study successfully achieved its goal of improving students’ work with texts.

In the course of examining our own teaching practice, we applied game-based technologies, forecasting, dialogue, and critical thinking techniques such as "Snowball," "Insert," "SWOT Analysis," "POPS," "Brainstorming," "Hot Chair," "Thick and Thin Questions," and "Fishbone." Lessons emphasized understanding key ideas rather than memorizing the entire text. Intellectual reading required full comprehension, search-based reading developed the ability to locate and apply information, and indicative reading trained students to structure texts, assign subtitles, and identify main ideas. The study was conducted to improve students’ text work and reading skills. In the 9th grade, students’ quality of knowledge increased from 92% at the beginning to 100% by the end of the research. Summative assessment showed that nearly all students achieved learning objectives, including understanding both primary and additional information. Overall, knowledge quality rose from 97% to 100%, with an average score improvement of 0.06 and an 8% increase by the end of the year. The research demonstrated that students’ skills in analyzing texts, identifying key points, structuring information, generalizing, providing evidence, and drawing conclusions were significantly enhanced. Action Research strategies allowed the learning process to become more focused, individualized, and effective, enabling differentiation and identifying groups with the best results. Students increasingly took initiative, engaged creatively, and applied lesson requirements consistently, showing tangible improvement in reading comprehension and analytical skills. The results confirm that systematic use of these methods effectively improves the quality of students’ knowledge and develops their ability to work with texts critically and creatively. This approach supports continuous professional practice and highlights the importance of ongoing development in reading, comprehension, and reflective learning.

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