7. Understanding Action Research
What? Traditional Research Action Research
Who? Professors, scholars, graduate
students on experimental and
control groups
Teachers and principals on
current students
Where? Environments where variables can
be controlled
Schools and classrooms
How? Methods show relationship
between variables
Methods explain the effect of
interventions
Why? Report and publish conclusions to
large populations
Lead to positive change in
specific environment
8. Action Research
“Let’s study what is happening in our
school/classroom and decide how to make it
better”
(Calhoun, 1994)
9. Why Action Research?
• Participatory and democratic
• Socially responsive
• Takes place in context
• Helps focus on everyday issues
• Can transform learning environment
10. Levels of Action Research
• Individual researcher
• Small groups of
researchers
• Schoolwide research
11. Steps to Action Research
1. Identify a problem
2. Form a research question
3. Create an action plan
4. Enact the plan and collect data
5. Report results and get feedback
6. Act on the data
13. Form a Research Question
• If I (take a certain action), then will students
(demonstrate improvement on the problem)?
14. Create an Action Plan
• Seek Knowledge
• Articles (Professional Literature)
• School records
• Colleagues
• Internet sites of professional organizations
• Develop Action Plan
• Where will the research take place?
• Who will participate?
• What will happen to participants?
• What will be the specific research steps/sequence of actions?
• When will the research be conducted?
16. Enact the Plan and Collect Data:
Triangulation Method
• Compensates for imperfection of data gathering tools
• Can increase confidence in results (multiple techniques)
• Can raise follow-up questions (when results fail to match)