What does effective classroom research mean for teaching — and for schools as learning communities?

In this episode of Education Unlocked — Learn. Apply. Thrive., Marc Pietersen explores the implications of his action research findings for both classroom practice and whole-school development.

This episode examines:

•How research-informed strategies can strengthen everyday teaching

•Why scaffolding, reflection, and confidence matter — especially for EAL learners

•How action research can move from individual inquiry to collective professional growth

•Practical ways schools can embed reflective practice into CPD

Grounded in established educational research, this episode supports teachers and leaders looking to create sustainable, inclusive, and evidence-informed learning environments.

References:

•Alqahtani, S. S. (2024). A meta-analysis of technology-based interventions for
elementary students with reading difficulties. Humanities and Social Sciences
Communications, 11, Article 1629. https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-024-04159-y

•British Educational Research Association. (2018). Ethical guidelines for
educational research (4th ed.)
https://www.bera.ac.uk/publication/ethical-guidelines-for-educational-research-20
18

•CAST. (2018). Universal Design for Learning guidelines version 2.2. CAST.
http://udlguidelines.cast.org

•CColorín Colorado. (2012). ELLs and reading fluency in English.
https://www.colorincolorado.org/article/ells-and-reading-fluency-english

•Hammond, J., & Gibbons, P. (2005). Putting scaffolding to work: The contribution
of scaffolding in articulating ESL education. Prospect: An Australian Journal of
TESOL, 20(1), 6–30.
https://neilwhitfield.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/11/20_1_1_hammo
nd.pdf

•Lincoln, Y. S., & Guba, E. G. (1985). Naturalistic inquiry. Sage Publications.

•Piaget, J. (1973). To understand is to invent: The future of education. Grossman
Publishers. https://archive.org/details/tounderstandisto0000piag

•Vygotsky, L. S. (1978). Mind in society: The development of higher psychological
processes (M. Cole, V. John-Steiner, S. Scribner, & E. Souberman, Eds.).
Harvard University Press.
https://www.hup.harvard.edu/catalog.php?isbn=9780674576292

About the Podcast

Education Unlocked supports teachers in building confidence, clarity, and classroom impact through research-informed, practical strategies. Hosted by Marc Pietersen, this podcast bridges the gap between theory and practice — helping teachers thrive, one lesson at a time.

If this episode helped you reflect or refine your practice, consider following the podcast or sharing it with a colleague.

Learn. Apply. Thrive.

What happens when struggling readers begin to believe they can succeed?

In this episode of Education Unlocked — Learn. Apply. Thrive., Marc Pietersen shares the key findings from his action research exploring how technology-supported, research-informed strategies impacted reading fluency and learner confidence among low-ability EAL students.

This episode unpacks:

•How fluency improved through structured practice

•Why confidence became a catalyst for progress

•Practical strategies teachers can apply immediately

•How action research can inform wider teaching practice

Grounded in established literacy research, this episode offers actionable insight for teachers looking to improve reading outcomes while strengthening learner confidence.

References:

Dignath, C., & Büttner, G. (2008). Components of fostering self-regulated learning among students: A meta-analysis on intervention studies at the primary and secondary school level. Metacognition and Learning, 3(3), 231–264. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11409-008-9029-x

Pinnell, G. S., Pikulski, J. J., Wixson, K. K., Campbell, J. R., Gough, P. B., & Beatty, A. S. (1995). Listening to children read aloud: Data from NAEP’s integrated reading performance record (IRPR) at grade 4. U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics. https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED522191

Virginia Literacy Partnerships. (2024). Fluency infographic. University of Virginia. https://literacy.virginia.edu/sites/g/files/jsddwu1006/files/value-series/inforgraphics/Fluency-Infographic-20240611.pdf

Zuo, X., & Ives, D. (2023). The effectiveness of Reading Tutor software for improving EAL students’ oral reading fluency and comprehension. SAGE Open, 13(3), 1-12. https://doi.org/10.1177/20965311231179490

About the Podcast

Education Unlocked supports teachers in building confidence, clarity, and classroom impact through research-informed, practical strategies. Hosted by Marc Pietersen, this podcast bridges the gap between theory and practice — helping teachers thrive, one lesson at a time.

If this episode helped you reflect or refine your practice, consider following the podcast or sharing it with a colleague.

Learn. Apply. Thrive.

Episode 4: Data Collection & Analysis — Turning Classroom Evidence into Insight

How can everyday classroom data be transformed into meaningful evidence that improves teaching and learning?

In this episode of Education Unlocked — Learn. Apply. Thrive., Marc Pietersen explores how data was ethically collected and systematically analysed within a Year 6 action research project focused on improving reading fluency for low-ability EAL learners.

This episode breaks down how quantitative measures (such as oral reading fluency and recorded reading samples) and qualitative data (including student journals, audio reflections, and teacher observations) were gathered naturally within the classroom environment. Marc explains how these data sources were triangulated to strengthen trustworthiness and ensure that findings reflected genuine learner progress rather than isolated outcomes.

Grounded firmly in educational research, the episode draws on:

• Naturalistic inquiry to support classroom-based research design (Lincoln & Guba, 1985)

• Thematic analysis to identify meaningful patterns in learner responses and behaviours (Braun & Clarke, 2006)

• Ethical research practice, ensuring consent, confidentiality, and learner wellbeing throughout the study (BERA, 2018)

This episode is ideal for teachers, middle leaders, and practitioner-researchers who want to:

• Collect meaningful data without overburdening learners

• Strengthen reflective teaching through evidence

• Use action research to drive authentic classroom improvement

References Used in This Episode

- Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2006). Using thematic analysis in psychology. Qualitative Research in Psychology, 3(2), 77–101. https://doi.org/10.1191/1478088706qp063oa

- British Educational Research Association. (2018). Ethical guidelines for educational research (4th ed.). https://www.bera.ac.uk/publication/ethical-guidelines-for-educational-research-2018

- Lincoln, Y. S., & Guba, E. G. (1985). Naturalistic inquiry. Sage Publications.

- Pinnell, G. S., Pikulski, J. J., Wixson, K. K., Campbell, J. R., Gough, P. B., & Beatty, A. S. (1995). Listening to children read aloud: Data from NAEP’s integrated reading performance record (IRPR) at grade 4. U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics. https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED522191

- Dignath, C., & Büttner, G. (2008). Components of fostering self-regulated learning among students: A meta-analysis. Metacognition and Learning, 3(3), 231–264. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11409-008-9029-x

About the Podcast

Education Unlocked supports teachers in building confidence, clarity, and classroom impact through research-informed, practical strategies. Hosted by Marc Pietersen, this podcast bridges the gap between theory and practice — helping teachers thrive, one lesson at a time.

If this episode helped you reflect or refine your practice, consider following the podcast or sharing it with a colleague.

Learn. Apply. Thrive.

Episode 3 – Designing the Research: From Master’s Study to Classroom Impact

In this episode of Education Unlocked — Learn. Apply. Thrive., Marc Pietersen explores how his action research project was designed and why action research was chosen as both an academic requirement and a professional tool for enhancing learning within a real school environment.

Marc explains how a Master’s-level research task evolved into a wider classroom intervention that impacted not only reading fluency and comprehension, but also student confidence, engagement, and independence. He discusses how the project moved beyond assessment requirements to contribute to professional learning within the school — and how this podcast now serves as a platform to share that learning with the wider teaching community.

Drawing on Burns’ principles of action research and Rasinski and Kulich’s work on reading fluency, this episode demonstrates how theory, pedagogy, and reflective practice can come together to create meaningful and scalable classroom change.

Key references discussed in this episode:

Burns, A. (2010). Doing Action Research in English Language Teaching. http://ndl.ethernet.edu.et/bitstream/123456789/51133/1/2.pdf

Benchmark Education. (2023, August 24). S2: Ep002 The science and the art of reading fluency [Audio podcast episode]. Teachers Talk Shop. https://www.benchmarkeducation.com/teachers-talk-shop-podcast/s2-ep002-the-science-and-the-art-of-reading-fluency

Learn. Apply. Thrive.

About the Podcast

Education Unlocked supports teachers in building confidence, clarity, and classroom impact through research-informed, practical strategies. Hosted by Marc Pietersen, this podcast bridges the gap between theory and practice — helping teachers thrive, one lesson at a time.

If this episode helped you reflect or refine your practice, consider following the podcast or sharing it with a colleague.

Learn. Apply. Thrive.

Episode 2 – Why Reading Fluency Matters: The Problem Behind the Research

In this episode of Education Unlocked — Learn. Apply. Thrive., Marc Pietersen explores the real classroom problem that led to his action research: low reading fluency among Year 6 EAL learners and the impact this has on comprehension, confidence, and engagement.

Marc unpacks why fluency is more than just reading speed, drawing on classroom observations and research to explain how weak fluency acts as a barrier to understanding. Using Timothy Rasinski’s concept of fluency as the bridge between decoding and comprehension, this episode highlights why students who can read accurately may still struggle to make meaning from text.

You’ll also hear about the international school context, the challenges faced by EAL learners, and why traditional reading approaches were not enough — leading to the need for a targeted, tech-supported intervention.

Whether you teach literacy, support EAL learners, or want to strengthen foundational reading skills, this episode will help you reflect on where fluency fits within your own classroom practice.

Learn. Apply. Thrive.

About the Podcast

Education Unlocked supports teachers in building confidence, clarity, and classroom impact through research-informed, practical strategies. Hosted by Marc Pietersen, this podcast bridges the gap between theory and practice — helping teachers thrive, one lesson at a time.

If this episode helped you reflect or refine your practice, consider following the podcast or sharing it with a colleague.

Learn. Apply. Thrive.

In this opening episode, I, Marc Pietersen introduces Education Unlocked — a podcast designed to help teachers learn practical strategies, apply them with intention, and thrive in the classroom. I shares the vision behind the show, my background as a Primary Classroom Teacher and M.Ed educator, and how this space will blend powerful research with real-world classroom action.

This first series will unpack my own Master’s dissertation and action research project on improving reading fluency and comprehension in low-ability EAL learners. Across the episodes, I will break down the journey step-by-step — from identifying the problem to designing the intervention, testing tech-supported strategies, analysing data, and combining confidence-building with literacy development.

If you’re an educator who wants to move beyond theory and unlock practical, evidence-based strategies you can use the very next day — this is where your journey begins.

Learn. Apply. Thrive.

About the Podcast

Education Unlocked supports teachers in building confidence, clarity, and classroom impact through research-informed, practical strategies. Hosted by Marc Pietersen, this podcast bridges the gap between theory and practice — helping teachers thrive, one lesson at a time.

If this episode helped you reflect or refine your practice, consider following the podcast or sharing it with a colleague.

Learn. Apply. Thrive.