EDU 575

ACTION RESEARCH
Lecture 5
The Process of Action Research
WHAT IS ACTION RESEARCH?
Action Research is a process through which teachers
collaborate in evaluating their practice, try out new
strategies, and record their work in a form that is
understandable by other teachers.

John Elliott. (1991). Action Research for Educational Change.

Philadelphia: Open University Press/Milton Keynes.
AR IS BASED ON THESE ASSUMPTIONS:
Educators work best on problems they
have identified for themselves
Teachers and principals become more
effective when encouraged to examine and
assess their own work, and then consider
ways of working differently
Teachers and principals need time and
space away from their daily routine to
think deeply about their work
Teachers and principals can provide help,
support and encouragement by working
collaboratively
CYCLES OF ACTION RESEARCH
Action Research is systematic and
involves collecting evidence on which to base
rigorous reflection.
ACTION RESEARCH is a CYCLE!!
Plan, act, observe, reflect.
Revised plan, act, observe, reflect.
 Action Research involves problem posing,
not just problem solving. It is motivated by a
quest to improve and understand the world by
changing it and learning how to improve it from
the effects of the changes made.
 Action Research is research by particular
people on their own work to help them
improve what they do and how they work with
others.
 Action Research is concerned with
changing situations, not just interpreting
them.
 Action Research is an evolving process of
changing both the researcher and the situations
in which he or she works.
FIVE PHASES OF ACTION RESEARCH
#1. Problem Identification
#2. Plan of Action
#3. Data Collection
#4. Data Analysis
#5. Plan for Future Actions
ACTION RESEARCH: FIVE PHASES
Problem Identification
Why do you want to study this topic?
What is the proposed change?
How do you plan to introduce this change?
Is this problem broad enough to illustrate student
achievement and narrow enough to be manageable?
Who will be part of the action research group?
ACTION RESEARCH: FIVE PHASES
PROBLEM IDENTIFICATION CONTINUED
What resources will be necessary to support this
change?
What is the proposed timeline for the action research
cycle?
What type of action research data will be collected?
ACTION RESEARCH: FIVE PHASES
Plan of Action
Will you look at your existing practices or develop
and implement a new strategy?
How will you focus your question to increase
student achievement?
DATA COLLECTION METHODS
Quantitative:
(Counting and Sorting)
* Questionnaires or surveys
* Assessments:
Projects,
Open-ended questions,
Tests or quizzes, or
other statistical analyses.
DATA COLLECTION METHODS
Qualitative
(Telling Stories)
* Logs and Journals
* Individual Interviews and Focus Groups
* Opinion Essays
ACTION RESEARCH: FIVE PHASES
Data Collection
Who are the subjects of the action research effort?
What is the sampling plan?
What are the data collection methods?
How will you ensure that you have multiple
perspectives?
ACTION RESEARCH: FIVE PHASES
Data Analysis
What can you learn from your data?
What patterns, insights, and new understandings
can you discover?
What long term changes will you make?
What is the plan for sharing your findings?
ACTION RESEARCH: FIVE PHASES
Plan for Future Actions
What will you do differently in your class/school as
a result of this study?
How will you write about what you have learned so
that your findings will be useful to others?
FINAL ACTION RESEARCH REPORT
Identify
Question addressed
Instrument used to collect data
Data used
Reflections
Conclusions (Future directions)
RESOURCES
http://www.teachinflorida.com/teachertoolkit/ActionR
esearch.htm

http://www.madison.k12.wi.us/sod/car/carhomepage.h
tml