n recent time, Action Research (AR) has become a commonly used term in the field of education in general and to be particular in second language teaching. AR explores solution to real classroom problems or strives to develop classroom practices by collaborative activity among the peers with a view to improving the achievement of the learners. Burns (2010:3) outlines, 'It is related to the ideas of 'reflective practice' and 'the teacher as researcher'. AR involves taking a self-reflective, critical, and systematic approach to exploring your own teaching contexts.' He further states that in AR 'a teacher becomes an 'investigator' or 'explorer' of his or her personal teaching context, while at the same time being one of the participants in it.' Action Research for language teachers is 'an approach to collection and interpreting data which involves a clear, repeated cycle of procedures'. Bailey (2001: 490).

Though teachers play a pivotal role in teaching language in Bangladesh, it is assumed that teachers in Bangladesh are not much organized in doing action research. Consequently, it becomes difficult for the teachers to address the problems or the difficulties that they face time to time while teaching learners in different context.

Language teachers in Bangladesh teach learners in unusually large classes and multidimensional contexts. And with the attendance of mixedcapability learners from different backgrounds in language classrooms, teaching as a profession is becoming more challenging day by day because teachers in these classes of different contexts encounter many unpredictable and unexpected challenges that they require to deal with tactfully. Wallace (1991: 56-7) states that AR can have 'specific and immediate outcome which can be directly related to practice in the teacher's own context' and is 'an extension of the normal reflective practice of many teachers, but it is slightly more rigorous and might conceivably lead to more effective outcomes'. The research can pave the way for better practices of the teachers and can perhaps guide them towards their continuing professional development. Thus, language teaching can be more effective than the previous time and enhance the achievement of the learners.

It is observed that a top-down process is followed in the field of English Language Teaching in Bangladesh. For example, before introducing a new textbook or designing a new syllabus or curriculum, a pilot study is made and then the Ministry of Education goes for implementation of it. Usually, there remains a huge gap between most of the field level practitioners and policy makers and planners while introducing something new. On top of that, it is a confessed truth that the Ministry cannot train even one third of the total language teachers to teach after the new textbook or syllabus. And there emerges mutual blame-the Ministry claims that the teachers are following the traditional ways of teaching instead of coping themselves up with the new text book or syllabus. On the contrary, the teachers claim that the new textbook or syllabus is not suitable for their contexts. The ultimate result is very dissatisfactory. Besides, many novice teachers are starting their teaching career and teaching at secondary level along with experienced teachers. It is a big challenge for both groups of language teachers to teach new textbook in both urban and rural contexts with limited resources. One of the ways of addressing these problems and making language teaching effective is to promote action research to practitioners, the teachers.

One of the objectives of this research is to find out what the secondary level teachers know about action research. Secondly, it attempts to explore how the teachers who are familiar with action research deal with different problems and difficulties to solve them. Also, it strives to know what the secondary language teachers having no idea about action research do to solve new problems or difficulties. Besides, the researchers aim at exploring how far the practices of both groups of teachers conform to action research. And last but not the least, based on the findings of the research, the researchers plan to present recommendations so that language level teachers at secondary level can progress in terms of profession, make teaching effective and enhance learners efficiency.

Action research bears the implication that "'research' is not only something that is done 'on' or 'to' teachers, but is also an undertaking in which they can themselves be actively involved" (McDonough & McDonough, 1997: 22). While conventionally, research is being linked with contemplation and teaching with action, action research tries to bring these two polarized notion together. In order to understand the term better, few definitions of the term, from its early proponents to its recent advocates have been presented below.

Carr and Kemmis opine that, "action research is simply a form of self-reflective inquiry" (1986: 162). Robinson's definition seems to explain it further when he says, "any action undertaken by teachers to collect data and evaluate their own teaching can be termed as action research" (1991). Describing it more systematically, Ferrance asserts, "action research is a process in which participants examine their own educational practice systematically and carefully, using the techniques of research" (2000: 1).

Sagor's view seems to shed some more light on it when he proclaims, "action research is a disciplined process of inquiry conducted by and for those taking the action. The primary reason for action research is to assist the "actor" in improving and/or refining his or her actions" (2000). In the same line Burns (2010) declares "action research is related to the ideas of 'reflective practice' and 'the teacher as researcher'" (2010: 2). Extending it further, she says, in action research, a teacher becomes an investigator or explorer of his her personal teaching context, while at the same time being one of the participants in it" (Burns, 2010: 2).

Describing it more clearly Mills (2003) quoted in Donato asserts, "action research is any systematic inquiry conducted by teacher researchers to gather information about the ways that their particular school operates how they teach, and how well their students learn. The information is gathered with the goals of gaining insight, developing reflective practice, effecting positive changes in the school environment and on educational practices in general, and improving student outcomes" (Donato, 2003: 1).

Giving high value to its methodology, Burns concludes that action research is a "part of 'a quiet methodological revolution' towards qualitative research approaches" which encourages "participative, 'naturalistic' enquiry with its exploratory-interpretive underpinnings (2004: 57).

The roots of action research can be traced back to Aristotle. The Aristotelian concept of 'phronesis', roughly translated to English as 'practical wisdom', along with its relationship to other ethical and intellectual virtues can be seen as the starting point of action research (for a detailed discussion see Eikeland, 2006).

Regarding the modern tradition of action research, some relate it to Kurt Lewin whereas others to John Dewey. Somekh, forming a balance, credits both of them by asserting, "the tradition of action research is rooted both in Lewin's social psychology, which conceived of action as emerging from a process of group exploration of social interactions rather than solely from rational deduction, and in John Dewey's theory of 'learning by doing'" (Somekh, 2006: 23). "Theories of action in action research also draw heavily on the European philosophers, Habermas, Gadamer and Arendt" (ibid). Similar discussion can be found in Tomal (2003: 22).

Stephen Corey might be credited for being among the first ones to use action research in the field of education. "He believed that the scientific method in education would bring about change because educators would be involved in both the research and the application of information" (Ferrance, 2000: 13).

After being regarded as 'unscientific' and the 'work of ametures' (Ferrance, 2000: 14)

There is a concern that "research is not adopted by those that could benefit from it most" and that "often, research never makes it beyond journal articles and into practice" (Landers, 2012 quoted in Huang, 2012: 13). Action research seems to be able to change the scenario entirely. Because, "when teachers Year 2015 are able to engage in research and make justified pedagogical decisions informed by sound research evidence, this will have a beneficial effect on both teaching and learning" (Davies 1999 quoted in Borg, 2006: 22). Burns (2005) presents the benefits of educational action research as identified by Kemmis & McTaggart. The benefits are that teachers develop skills in:

? thinking systematically about what happens in the school or classroom

? implementing action where improvements are thought to be possible

? monitoring and evaluating the effects of the action with a view to continuing the improvement

? monitoring complex situations critically and practically

? implementing a flexible approach to school or classroom

? making improvements through action and reflection

? researching the real, complex and often confusing circumstances and constraints of the modern school ? It begins with and builds on the knowledge that teachers have already accumulated.

? It focuses on the immediate concerns of classroom life.

? It matches the subtle organic process of classroom life.

? It builds on the 'natural' processes of evaluation and research which teachers carry out daily.

? It bridges the gap between understanding action by merging the role of researcher practitioner.

? It sharpens teachers' critical awareness through observation, recording and analysis of classroom events.

? It helps teachers better articulate teaching and learning processes to their colleagues and interested community members.

? It bridges the gap between theory and practice.

Action research seems to have flourished well in the BANA countries (see Perrett, 2003). But the condition of action research in the rest of the world is still to be properly researched. Burns quotes Borg's comment in this issue that "action research has taken root only in places where teachers are well supported and teach in instructional contexts" (Burns, 2005: 69). Despite the limitations action research seems to have gained popularity outside BANA countries as well.

Action research separately conducted by Gow, Kember and McKay (1996) and Curtis (2001) in Hong Kong promotes positive result (Ferrell, 2007: 94). In China, "most trainees are willing to try action research ? trainee teacher-researchers find themselves more aware of the teaching and learning processes, more capable of improving their own practice, and more confident in their future professional development" (Thorne and Qiang, 1996: 261).

The best way to learn about the global condition of action research is perhaps through Rainey's (2000) research. Because, though done in a relatively small scale, it is one of the few international researches to be found on action research. Her findings after surveying 10 countries with 240 questionnaires and follow up interviews, bring about both, hope and despair. Despair, due to the fact that, "three-quarters of the teacher surveyed had not heard of action research" (Rainey, 2000: 79). Hope, because "the responses to action research among those who have (heard of action research) are in general very positive" (ibid).

To think of a well supported teaching context in Bangladesh seems to be a far cry still (see Hamid and Baldauf, 2008). Thus not many reports of action research are to be found. Even after all the limitations cases of action research evolve no matter how less frequent.

The establishment of Bangladesh Reading Association's (BRA) Journal for Classroom Teaching can be seen as a milestone in classroom based research aka action research.

In the April 2013 issue of the quarterly journal, an individual teacher's action research has been presented as a case study. After identifying a problem following the Kemmis model of action research the researcher comes to a solution and concludes that "a teacher can solve classroom problem using action research" (Salahuddin and Khatun, 2013: 19).

A small scale survey conducted by Harun and Amin (2013), shows that majority of the teachers are not familiar with the term action research. But almost 90% of them basically reflect on their classes without knowing the implication of it. Hopefully, after learning about Year 2015 action research and reflective teaching "all the interviewed teachers opined that both reflective teaching and action research would be really helpful for promoting teachers' professionalism and make classroom practice effective and enjoyable" (Harun and Amin, 2013: 74). Khan (2008), keeping in mind the initial difficulty, showed "collaborative, institutional and participatory approaches to action research" as important for professional development of teachers in Bangladesh.

In order to conduct the research a mixedmethod has been followed, as "this approach helps construct a more complete picture of human behavior and experience" (Morse, 2003).

The study was conducted using two data instruments. It includes: a survey questionnaire and indepth unstructured interview. a) Survey Questionnaire Creswell (2008) suggests survey design for measuring attitudes, beliefs and opinions in educational research, as it is the best popular form of collecting information from a large population. Thus a survey questionnaire with 13 statements and a number of options was designed in order to elicit data.

Unstructured interview was used as another primary research tool. It is because "such interviews are more in touch with the social world, being able to tap into everyday reality" (McDonough and McDonough, 1997: 184)

The research was conducted in seven different schools based in Chittagong and Dhaka. Twenty three primary and secondary level school teachers participated in answering the survey questionnaire. Principals of four schools out of seven as the representatives of school authorities were interviewed.

IV. Data Analysis a) Questionnaire Analysis 25 questionnaires were distributed among 25 teachers of 7 different schools based in Dhaka and Chittagong. 23 of them were filled and returned. The teaching experience of the teachers ranged from a year to 13 years.

Systematic order was followed in placing the statements in the questionnaire. They were not put randomly. The statements consisted of a number of options and also occasionally, spaces for writing.

Response 1 Response 2 Response 3 From the table we can see that a good number of teachers record their classroom experiences in the form of diary keeping. It is also visible that more than half of the teachers read self-study books for their development. A good number of teachers keenly observe their classroom activities. They often allow their colleagues to observe their classrooms, and frequently observe their colleagues' classrooms. They discuss their classroom situations with their colleagues pretty often. More than half of the teachers are found to be very enthusiastic in trying new techniques inside the classroom. Even after all these, unfortunately an overwhelming number of teachers are found to be unfamiliar with the term 'action research'. Hopefully a good number of them think that teachers can simultaneously play the role of a researcher and research as an activity should not be confined to experts only. More than half of them are found eager to express their opinions as teachers, to the world and would like to involve themselves in decision making besides the policy makers. They think that they are the ones who are able to describe their own classroom situation best. To them the term 'teacher-researcher' "sounds interesting". The only obstacle on the way for them to become teacher-researcher is their lack of knowledge and exposure.

School Principals, as the representatives of the school authorities, from four out of seven schools were interviewed. A short summary of all the four interviews have been presented below.

P1 has been running the school for almost a decade now. Through the interview the researcher got an implication that he finds the extended roles of teachers as absolutely unnecessary. Form him teachers should only focus on textbooks. He does not believe that teachers might have anything to say. The entire notion of classroom research is nothing but 'meaningless' to him.

P2 claimed to have a good collection of teacher resources on campus. What she meant by "resources" is not clear to the researcher. She showed much interest regarding teacher activities. She claimed her teachers to be very "involved" in classroom activities. On further questioning it became clear that she holds a very narrow view of teachers' classroom activities. For her the teachers are not qualified enough to carry out classroom research. Despite her enthusiasm her outlook towards teacher-research seemed to act as a hindrance towards the institutions involvement in activities like action research.

P3 seemed to hold rigid views regarding teachers' involvement in research, policy making, curriculum development etc. Not unlike that of P1, P3 thinks teachers are supposed to 'teach' only. "That's the reason they are paid for", he commented. Increasing their roles and activities will call for a raise in their salary he confided. He is not willing to 'spoil' the teachers by instilling the idea of 'research' into their heads.

P4 seemed pretty enthusiastic regarding the interview. She demonstrated a zeal regarding teacher education and their continuing professional development. The idea of teacher-researcher amazes her greatly. She said, English is something she really wants to focus on. And for that purpose she has even hired an ELT expert, who works as a coordinator and provides teachers with a safe ground regarding new approaches and methodologies.

V.

? Though the teachers are not formally acquainted with the term action research, they perform a lot of activities similar to action research.

? Most of the teachers want to share their experiences as teachers with the world.

? They are not familiar with the self-study books which can help them become better teachers. Some of them referred to grammar books, novels, text books as self-study books. Some of them found internet much more helpful than books.

? A large number of teachers claimed that they keenly observe their classrooms but they seemed to have little knowledge regarding the actual observation procedure.

? A good number of teachers said that they let their colleagues observe their own classrooms and vice versa. Even in this case they seemed to have little

Year 2015 idea regarding the procedure. One of the teachers said, "I overhear" (that is how she observes her colleague's class); while another commented "I usually ask them to come and sit at the back, but they never did".

? Most of the teachers are interested in implementing new techniques in their classrooms but quoting the words of one of them "rarely the authority supports".

? Most of them believe that, "even teachers can be researchers".

? They said that the authority seldom asks for their opinion regarding issues like syllabus and curriculum design.

? To most of them, the term teacher-researcher "sounds interesting. I would like to become one, but don't know how." Interview with the authority revealed that:

? While some of them are interested in involving the teachers, some of them hold very rigid view.

? Internet, text-books, guide-books are the resources they provide the teachers with. "Guide-books are prohibited but essential", said one of them.

? For some, giving class, setting question-paper etc. are the only things teachers should remain busy with.

? While one school claimed to have a separate library for teachers with sufficient resources. On visit, it became clear that it does not contain any book meant for teacher improvement or research involvement.

? One of the schools seemed to stand with some ray of hope, with insufficient but proper knowledge regarding action research.

VI.

? Teachers can be made familiar with the term Action Research and its procedures, so that they may tell their stories in their own words. In this regard teacher-educators should come forward.

? The authorities of the respective schools should give-up their rigid viewpoints.

? Schools can create a section in their libraries for teacher resources.

? This is an age of technological advancement. Therefore, the teachers should be facilitated in a way that enables them to connect with other teachers from home and abroad.

? Different journals should come forward in order to publish the articles written by school teachers, sharing their experiences. As Freeman asserts, "when pursued in a disciplined manner, teaching itself becomes a form of research" (Freeman, 1996: 112).

VII.

Surprisingly, most of the school based researches are done by outsiders. Hence we miss out the inside stories. It is like hearing the story from some pseudo storytellers, who are not even part of the story! Freeman comments "you have to know the story in order to tell the story" (1996: 89). From the present paper, it is clear that the storytellers need some guidelines in order to develop their elocution. With the support of the school authorities and the help of teacher educators, we can hope that, soon we will hear the stories from the actual storytellers. And the actual firsthand stories will pave a new way towards effective English language teaching in Bangladesh.