A handbook for Exploratory Action Research

M
anageable, 
U
rgent, 
S
ignificant and 
E
ngaging. 
Manageable: 
This is a criterion that is usually neglected 
but which it is important to keep in mind.
It is very important that you choose a 
research topic that you can actually explore 
by yourself in the time that you have available. You may be 
interested in finding out more about the use of the ELT 
curriculum or the textbook in your locality but you need to 
consider whether you can carry it out. If you would like to 
explore the different classroom layouts that would allow for 
a more effective class, then you need to think whether you 
can actually change the layouts in your classroom. If the 
answer is ‘no’ in these cases, then it could be better to 
consider an alternative topic area. 
Urgent: 
There are issues that you may need to 
address as soon as possible for a number 
of reasons, for example when something is 
affecting your or your students’ emotional 
well-being and maybe also having an impact on their 
learning. If, for example, you have been teaching a group of 
learners for some months and notice no improvements due 
to their behaviour, then looking at this situation may be 
more urgent than exploring other areas, particularly when 
time is also a factor. 
Significant: 
The area you focus on also needs to be 
significant, meaning it is something that 
you, your learners and maybe also your 
school can benefit from. For example, if 
you notice that your learners can read and write 
appropriately for their level but cannot communicate in 
spoken form then you may want to address this issue. This 
may not be a pressing need to be addressed quickly (unlike 
if it is ‘urgent’) but it is significant since you know your 
learners need to develop oracy as well as literacy. Similarly, 
if you have noticed that classroom management is a general 
issue of concern in your school, then a topic in this category 
could be considered significant. 
Engaging: 
It is important that the topic that 
you choose is interesting for you 
and is something that you are 
willing to focus on and spend time 
on. If you focus on an area you 
have simply read about or been told you ‘should’ focus on, 
the research process may become a burden. Ideally, 
Exploratory Action Research is an activity that both you and 
your learners will enjoy. 
Task 4.4 
Look at the ideas you wrote about in task 4.3 as possible 
motivations for doing research. Now evaluate them 
according to the MUSE criteria by placing ticks (or scores 
out of 5) in the grid below. Hopefully, one of your topics will 
tick all the boxes!

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