WRITING AN ACTION

RESEARCH

By
DENNIS C. RAMIREZ
Session Objectives:
At the end of the session, the teachers will be able
to:
1. Define action research

2. Identify the parts of an action research , topics

and themes for research

3. Write and present sample research outlines.

Research in the Basic
Education Curriculum: Legal
Bases in the Philippines

1. DepEd Order No. 24 s. 2010

2. DepEd Order No. 43, s. 2015

ACTION RESEARCH:
Meaning
A process of systematic inquiry
to improve educational practices
or resolve problems in
classrooms and schools.

A method of finding out what

works best in your own
classroom so that you can
improve student learning.
 C. Reasons for Conducting an
Action Research

a. A very effective way of improving your teaching.

b. Helps you plan the most effective strategies for the
rest of the school year.
c. Helps you discover which teaching techniques
work best in a particular situation.
d. Automatically take into account your own teaching
strengths and weaknesses, skill level of your
students, etc.
D. Types of Action Research
Based on the Number of
Researchers
1. INDIVIDUAL - working independently on
a project
2. COLLABORATIVE - a group of teachers or
researchers working together to explore a
problem that might be present beyond a
single classroom

3. SCHOOL-WIDE - focuses on issues

present throughout an entire school or across
the district.
E. AR contains two-phase
methodology

Research Action
 How to conduct an
ACTION RESEARCH
 1. Review your
current practice.
7.Use findings 2. Identify a
to make problem that
decisions; share you want to
them investigate.

6. Analyze data;
look for findings 3. Review
with practical literature
significance

4.Plan a research
5. Gather data
method/strategy
 Criteria in Choosing
a Topic for Action Research
a. Must be inherent in the context of the school
management, classroom, teaching and
learning.
b. Must be meaningful, compelling, and
important to you as a teacher-researcher and
for your personal and professional growth
c. Must be within your sphere of influence,
consonant with your work and can be
addressed within the confines of your
classroom.
d. Must be focused but not so ambitious, big, or
complex that it requires extraordinary
resources, time, and energy.
d. Must urgently address an intense,
pervasive or serious problem before
such problem gets worst or creates
more serious problem.
e. Must benefit your students or
stakeholders by informing them about
your teaching and the curriculum, by
providing new insights about them and
their learning, or by improving practice.
THEMATIC AREAS OF RESEARCH
(DO No. 43, s. 2015: Sec. V. 2)

Improving
access to
education

Improving
Improving
quality of
governance
education
I. Proposed Areas of Concern
(DepEd Order No. 43, s. 2016)
Research that would inform or
improve:
• Teaching and learning;
• School governance;
• Matters arising from School Improvement Plan
(SIP) analysis and Learning Action Cells (LAC)
sessions that require further investigation;
• Policy and decision making;
• Program development and implementation;
• Program evaluation;
• Process evaluation; or
• Impact study.
J. Specific Areas of Concern
 1.Academic
problems

6.Community – 2.Behavioral
related issues problems

5.Administrative
and operational 3.Physical or
management health - related
issues
4.School
environment
problems
K. Examples of Questions
Based on Identified
Problems/ Issues
1. How does the use of computers affect the student
writing process in the fourth-grade classrooms?
2. What happens to the academic performance of
the Grade Six pupils when heterogeneous groups
are assigned for cooperative learning activities?
3. How can student feedback improve classroom
instruction in English?
4. How can cooperative learning in high-school
mathematics class improve student learning?
5. What happens to student learning in the
classroom when project-centered approach is
applied to teaching Literature?
L.WRITING THE TITLE
The first thing that any reader will read
is the research title.
Research title should be catchy.
But, above all,it should be correct and
appropriate for an action research.
Below is a list of researches, your task
is to identify which belongs to an
action research.
1. Virtual teacher: its impact to the
mathematical performance of grade 9
students
2. Enhancing the grammar competence of
grade 12 students using the visit-my-
checker strategy
3. Challenges of students in work immersion
4. Ang kahusayan ng mga mag-aaral sa ika-
labing isang baitang sa pagsasalingwika
5. Improving the reading comprehension
ability of grade 5 students in local short
stories.
GUIDELINES PRESENTATION
1. It should contain a strategy and an objective.
2. The objective should be specific
Illustrative examples:
Incorrect: Enhancing the mastery of grade 9
students in English through peer picture analysis
Correct: Enhancing the poetry analysis ability of
grade 9 students through guided brain map.
3. It should be noticeable that the intervention
and the objective should match.
Below are titles for critiquing . Please try to analyze
the title. Ensure that the intervention matches the
problems presented,
Title critiquing: Alignment of Intervention
Title 1
-Improving the attendance frequency of students
using flash cards
Title 2
-Improving the reading ability of students using Phil-
IRI
Title 3
-Effectiveness of GENMATH module in enhancing
students, problem solving skills in normal
distribution.
4. The title should not more than 15 substantive
words and written in not more than 3 lines,
inverted manner.
5. It can start with a gerund (enhancing….)or the
intervention with a semi-colon.
6. When wording limit has been reached, the
locale of the study is removed from the title. The
locale can be seen in the other parts.
If these are rules, which research titles should be
considred appropriate?
Your answer should be…
1. Virtual teacher: its impact to the
mathematical performance of grade 9
students (Incorrect)
2. Enhancing the grammar competence of grade
12 students using the visit-my-checker
strategy (Correct)
3. Challenges of students in work immersion
(Incorrect)
4. Ang kahusayan ng mga mag-aaral sa ika-labing
isang baiting sa pagsasalingwika (Incorrect)
5. Improving the reading comprehension ability
of grade 5 students in local short stories.
(Correct)
7. It should consider also that the titles be
anchored on the research agenda.
Basic Education Research Agenda
Teaching ang Learning Child Protection Human Resource Management

Governance DRRM Inclusive Education Gender & Devt

8. It should not contains abbreviations.

M. Prescribed Outline for
ACTION RESEARCH
PROPOSAL
(DO No. 43, S. 2015: Annexes 3b, 4a, 4b)
I. CONTEXT AND RATIONALE

II. RESEARCH QUESTIONS

III. PROPOSED INNOVATION,

INTERVENTION, AND STRATEGY

IV. ACTION RESEARCH METHODS

A. Participants and Other Sources of Data
and Information

B. Data Gathering Methods

C. Data Plan Analysis

V. ACTION RESEARCH WORK PLAN
AND TIMELINESS

VI. COST ESTIMATES

VII. PLAN FOR DISSIMENATION &

UTILIZATION

VIII. REFERENCES
Common Parts of a
Completed Action
Research
I. TITLE PAGE
II. ABSTRACT
III. ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
IV. CONTEXT AND RATIONALE
V. INNOVATION,INTERVENTION, AND STRATEGY
VI. ACTION RESEARCH QUESTIONS
VII. ACTION RESEARCH METHODS
VIII.DISCUSSION OF RESULTS AND REFLECTIONS
IX. ACTION PLAN
X. REFRENCES
XI. FINANCIAL REPORT
 CONCEPTUALIZING THE
CONTEXT AND RATIONALE
GUIDELINES PRESENTATION:
The ff: are the thumb rules in writing the context and
rationale
1. It should be written deductively
2. The problem being considered is discussed
comprehensively
3. Different aspects of the action research setting
are elaborated showing an in-depth and critical
analysis of the situation.
4. The use of correct in-text citations using APA
format should be observed.
5. After the comprehensive discussion of the
problem, the intervention is now formally
introduced.
6. Make this part brief but substantial.
7. In view of technical writing, this part should be
coherent and should not use personal pronouns
(we, us, our, among others).
8. This part, as already expected, should be
coherent, informative, accurate,interesting,and
grammatical among others.
9. Use idea skeleton technique to help you
organize your paragraphs.
SKELETON TECHNIQUE

1
Beginning paragraph; an overview; a setter

2
Problem Analysis
Context, extensive and intensive review of the
problem situation
The specific problem should be discussed (i.e
problem on grammar)

3
Discuss in Brief the innovation/strategy
Ending Paragraph
ALIGNING THE ACTION
RESEARCH QUESTIONS
A research question is answerable inquiry to
specific concern or issue.

GUIDELINES PRESENTATION:
1. The research questions logically proceed from the
context of the inquiry.
2. The action research questions are divided into general
questions and the specific questions.
3. They clearly relate to the identified problem or issue
qand convey the desired change or improvement.
4. Be sure that the questions can be answered by the
study.
5. Depending on the action research design, more
questions are desired when the action research design is
more complicated.
THINKING OUT OF THE
BOX: THE PROPOSED
INTERVENTION
The heart of any action research is its intervention.
When a research has no intervention, it cannot be
classified as an action research.

GUIDELINES PRESENTATION:
1. It must be novel.
2. It must devised by the researcher as an innovation.
3. It must not be copied from the net(or from other
sources); if it is it must be altered so the researchers
touch can be felt.
4. It must address the presented predicament
5. Dicuss the details of interventions
6. Discuss how it will be implemented
7. Discuss limitations
SETTING UP THE ACTION
RESEACH METHODS
One of the most important parts of an action
research is its methodology.

GUIDELINES PRESENTATION:
For the participants and /or other sources of data, the
following are observed
1. Details are provided about the target participants
2. Select only those who need the intervention (for one
group)
3. It can be one-group design or two-group design
For data-gathering methods, the following are observed
1. There are possible options for data gathering tools.
These include test, questionnaire, observation,interview,
among others.
2. The data gathering tool must be explained in
terms of parts and formulation. If it is a test, a
table of specifications must be presented.
3. Validity and reliability of the instrument must
be both ensured.
ACTION RESEARCH WORK
PLAN AND TIMELINES
The action research include ng the manuscript ,
should be done in 6 months. Thus, proper
scheduling of research activities should be
thought of to avoid delays in the submission of
the action research paper.
GUIDELINES PRESENTATION
1. One can use Gantt chart
2. One can also use the matrix
Research Activities Jan Feb March April May June
Research proposal
Validation of data
gathering tools

Reliability
Documentary
Analysis/Implementation
of the intervention

Data tallying
Data Analysis
Research finalization
Results sharing
 Research Activity Timeline
Research proposal January 1-15, 2022
Validation of data January 16-20,2022
gathering tools
Reliability testing January 21-30,2022
Documentary analysis Feb 1-30,2022
Implementation of the
intervention
Data tallying March 1-15,2022
Data Analysis March 16-30,222
Research Finalization April 1-31,2022
Result sharing May 28,2022
Submission of June 15, 2022
manuscript
ESTIMATING THE COSTS
Conducting an action research needs funding.
These funds need to be managed well so that
there will no question on falsification of
documents or illegal spending.
 PLANNING FOR
DISSEMINATION AND
UTILIZATION
A research should not just be printed, bound and
be placed in a shelf just to earn dusts and webs.
For it to become perpetual, it needs to be
disseminated among teachers for duplication and
bench marking.
GUIDELINES PRESENTATION
-The ff: are the flatforms for dissemination:
The region and division may organize
-research conference
- research forums,
-policy forums
Publish research journals and bulletins
-LAC/INSET
ANALYZING DATA
 DATA ANALYSIS

INSPECTING MODELLING

CLEANSING TRANSFORMING
GUIDELINES PRESENTATION:
1. As a general rule, the research questions must match its statistical
treatment.
Question Keyword in the Statistical Tool
Question
What is the level of LEVEL Mean
ability of the control
and experimental
groups in solving
problems on
exponential functions
before the ASPC
Strategy was utilized?

What is the level of LEVEL Mean

ability of the control
and experimental
groups in solving
problems on
exponential functions
before the ASPC
Strategy was utilized?
Question Keyword in the Statistical Tool
Question

Is there a significant Significant difference t test

difference in the level 1 group paired/dependent
of ability of the
control group before
and after the ASPCS
Strategy was utilized?
Is there a significant Significant difference t test
difference in the level 1 group paired/dependent
of ability of the
experimental group
before and after the
ASPCS Strategy was
utilized?
Question Keyword in the Statistical Tool
Question

Is there a significant Significant difference T test independent

difference in the level
of ability of the 2 groups
control group and
experimental groups
before and after the
ASPCS Strategy was
utilized?
What is the Percentage Frequency count and
percentage of the percentage
students with
improved ability?
GUIDELINES PRESENTATION:
2. Also, follow the 4 levels of interpretation, as reflected in the diagram

TABLE READ

INITIAL MEANING

DISCUSSION

CORROBARATION/NEGATION
LET US TRY

Table 1 indicated the level of performance of students in

Science 6 before the implementation of the interactive
games. The mean of 8.00 show that the performance did
not meet expectations. It implies that the students cannot
identify the type of relationship existing between among
organisms. They cannot explain why such exists. The
finsing is similar to the study of Abner (2016)showing
that pupils are not good in Science.
T-test Two sample Assuming Equal Variances
Compare Mean Dif t-stat t-critical
Variables
_______________________________________________
Pretest 72.17 6.31 8.84 2.01
Posttest 78.48
________________________________________________
The table suggest that the mean performance before the
intervention was 72.17, which denotes below expectations.
This mean that the students did not pass in the said
quarter. On the other hand , the skill rating increased to
78.48. This means that the students perform better after
the intervention. The difference of 6.31 is significant as
attested by the t-stat of 8,85 vs t critical 2.012 at 0.05 level
of significance. This means the intervention used was
effective. The students who,at first, cannot solve particular
problems can now solve due to the intervention used. The
students can now analyze word problems and arrive at a
particular answer. Also, the students can now write their
own problems and determine the correct solution.
THE STATISTICS OF
RESEARCH
 ACTION
RESEARCHERS
 MS EXCEL
ANALYSIS TOOL
PAK
Open MS
Excel

Click File and

select options

Click add-ins
and press go

Check the first

two options
Check on data
to check if it is
successful
1. CITE REFERENCES Using
the APA Format
A. Website
Angeli, E., Wagner, J., Lawrick, E., Moore, K.,
Anderson, M., Soderlund, L., & Brizee, A.( May
5, 2015). General format. Retrieved from
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/5.
B. Book
Nunez, D.B. (2015). Action research. Quezon City:
Adriana Publishing Co., Inc.
C. Magazine
Tumulty, K. (April 2016). Should they stay or should
they go? Time, 167(15), 3-40.
D. Online Magazine
Tumulty, K. (April 2006). Should they stay or should
they go? Time, 167(15). Retrieved from http://
content.time.com/ time/ magazine/ article/
0,9171,1179361,00.html
E. Newspaper
Rosenberg, G. (March 31, 1977). Electronic discovery
proves an effective legal weapon. The New York
Times, p. D5.
F. Online Newspaper
Rosenberg, G. (March 31, 1977). Electronic discovery
proves an effective legal weapon. The New York
Times, Retrieved from
http://www.nytimes.com
 6/20/23
76