Benefits of Action Research in a Teacher Training Program

Research in action has had a great influence on teacher education in recent decades. The objective of this work is to show the benefits of a collaborative teacher training process, in the field of psychomotor skills, advised by an expert, based on the diagnosis of the needs of the participants. In a school in Venezuela, two Physical Education teachers and ten Early Education teachers, after receiving training, transformed the approach to psychomotor skills, designing and putting into practice new classroom plans, and procedures for the detection and referral of children with high motor risk. The action research began with a diagnosis and was developed in three cycles that interacted with each other. With the aim to evaluate the process, various techniques for the collection of qualitative and quantitative information were used. The statistical analyses carried out (descriptive and Kendall's W), allow us to affirm that the training contributed to the teachers seizing the theoretical knowledge and consolidating significant changes in their pedagogical practice. Reflective learning has been a fundamental element in advancing the professional knowledge and autonomy of teachers, and in improving the psychomotor education at school.