The Purpose of Action Research

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The Purpose of Action Research

• Contributes to the theory knowledge base to
  enhance practice
• Supports the professional development of
  practitioners
• Builds a collegial networking system
• Helps practitioners identify problems seek
  solutions systematically
• Can be used at all levels in all areas of
  education

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Formal Research vs. Action Research

• Skills needed
• Goals
• How the research problem is identified
• Literature review

• Selection of participants
• Research design
• Data collection
• Data analysis
• Application of results

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Skills Needed

• General research skills
• Ability to design research
• Ability to develop instruments
• Ability to select subjects (if necessary)
• Ability to collect data
• Ability to analyze data

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Goals

• Goals
• Overall goal should be to solve a problem
• Include collaboration
• Professional development
• Enhance professional practice

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Identifying the Problem

• First, select a general idea or area of focus
• should involve teaching and learning
• should be within your locus of control
• should be something you feel passionate about
• should be something you would like to change or
  improve

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Identifying the Problem

• Second, do Reconnaissance
• Explore your understanding of theories, your
  educational values, how your work fits into the
  larger context of schooling, the historical
  context of your school, the history of the
  development of your ideas about teaching and
  learning
• Describe the Who, What, When Where of the
  situation you want to change
• Explain the Why of the situation

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Proactive Action Research

• A new practice is tried to bring improved
  outcomes
• Hopes concerns are incorporated
• Data are collected regularly to track changes

• Reflection on alternatives takes place
• Another practice is tried
• Process begins again

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Responsive Action Research

• Data collected to diagnose situation
• Data analyzed for themes ideas
• Data distributed changes to be tried announced

• New practice tried
• Reactions checked
• Data collected to diagnose
• Process begins again

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The Process of Action Research

• Identify the problem select an area of focus.
• Review the related research literature.
• Collect the data.
• Organize, analyze interpret the data.
• Take the action (apply the findings).

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Overview
Identify the problem or area
Review related research literature
Collect data
Organize, analyze interpret
Take action apply findings
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Identify the ProblemSelect the Area of Focus

• Determine describe the current situation
• Discuss
• Negotiate
• Explore opportunities
• Assess possibilities
• Examine constraints

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Review the Related Literature

• Become familiar with other research done on the
  area of focus
• Utilize the findings of others to help develop
  the plan
• Apply research findings through the lens of
  others experience

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Collect the Data

• Using a variety of data collection strategies,
  gather information that will contribute to the
  findings
• Triangulate
• Data should be analyzed as it is collected

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Organize, Analyze Interpret the Data

• As the data is collected, it is also continually
  organized analyzed
• As new perspectives are gained on the original
  area of focus, the problem statement may change
• Interpretation is based on ongoing analysis
  continually reviewing the area of focus

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Take Action Apply Findings

• Draw conclusions from the data analyzed
• Translate conclusions into actions or behaviors
• Plan how to implement the actions or behaviors
• Do it!

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Planning Action Research

1. Describe the negotiations that need to happen.
2. Develop a timeline.
3. Develop a statement of resources.
4. Develop data collection ideas.
5. Put action plan into action.

1. Write an area-of-focus statement.
2. Define the variables.
3. Develop research questions.
4. Describe the intervention or innovation.
5. Describe the action research group.

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Area-of-Focus Statement

• Identifies the purpose of the study
• Identifies the anticipated outcome
• Identifies the problem to be addressed
• Completes the statement The purpose of this
  study is

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Define the Variables

• Write definitions of exactly what you will
  address.
• Definitions should accurately represent what
  factors, contexts variables mean to you.
• Be clear about what is being studied, so that you
  know it when you see it!

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The Research Questions

• Develop questions that breathe life into the
  area-of-focus statement.
• Research questions should be open-ended!
• Research questions help give a focus to the plan.
• They also help validate that you have a workable
  plan.

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Intervention or Innovation

• Describe your proposed solution to the initial
  problem.
• This is just a statement about what you will do
  to address the teaching and learning issue you
  have identified.
• In formal research this would be the
  experimental treatment.

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The Action Research Group

• Who will you be working with?
• Why is each member important to the study?
• What will be the roles responsibilities of each
  member?

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Negotiations

• What permissions will you need to secure?
• Who will be in control of the focus of your study
  (hopefully, you!)?
• Who needs to be notified of what?
• Whose cooperation do you need how will you get
  it?

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Develop a Timeline

• This is the essence of planning!
• Anticipate where how your study will take
  place.
• Anticipate how long each step will take.
• Apply predicted time frames to a calendar.

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Statement of Resources

• What will you need to carry out your study?
• Resources include time, money, and materials.
• Make a list before you get started!

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Data Collection Ideas

• First, decide what kinds of data you will need.
• Then, determine what kind of access you have to
  the data.
• Then, decide how you will gather it.
• Brainstorm what data naturally occurs in the
  environment you are studying.

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Put the Action Plan into Action

• From your analysis of the data you collected, you
  should have elements and ideas you can apply to a
  plan.
• Formulate the plans in collaboration with the
  Action Research Group.
• Go for it!

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Validity of Action Research

• Validity the degree to which scientific
  observations actually measure or record what they
  purport to measure (Pelto Pelto, 1978, p. 33)
• Assessing trustworthiness
• Assessing understanding

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Criteria for Assessing Validity

• Anderson, Herr Nihlen
• Democratic validity require accurate
  representa-tion of multiple perspectives of all
  subjects
• Outcome validity requires that action emerging
  from a study lead to successful resolution of
  problem being studied
• Process validity requires that study be
  conduc-ted in dependable competent way
• Catalytic validity requires that subjects are
  moved to take action
• Dialogic validity requires application of a
  peer review process

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So, ask yourself

• Democratic validity
• Have the perspectives of all of the individuals
  in the study been accurately represented?
• Outcome validity
• Did the action emerging from the study lead to
  the successful resolution of the problem?

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So, ask yourself

• Process validity
• Was the study conducted in a dependable
  competent manner?
• Catalytic validity
• Were the results of the study a catalyst for
  action?
• Dialogic validity
• Was the study reviewed by peers?

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Strategies for Meeting the Criteria

• Talk Little, Listen a lot!
• Begin Writing Early!
• Let Readers See for Themselves
• Report Fully
• Be Candid
• Seek Feedback
• Write Accurately
• (Wolcott, 1994)