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WhatIsActionResearch?
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GuidingSchoolImprovementwithActionResearch

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TableofContents

1. The
Understanding
byDesign
Guideto
CreatingHigh
QualityUnits

Chapter1.WhatIsActionResearch?
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Asuccinctdefinitionofactionresearchappearsintheworkshopmaterials
weuseattheInstitutefortheStudyofInquiryinEducation.Thatdefinition
statesthatactionresearch
isadisciplinedprocessofinquiryconductedbyandforthosetakingthe
action.Theprimaryreasonforengaginginactionresearchistoassist
theactorinimprovingand/orrefininghisorheractions.

Practitionerswhoengageinactionresearchinevitablyfindittobean
empoweringexperience.Actionresearchhasthispositiveeffectformany
reasons.Obviously,themostimportantisthatactionresearchisalways
relevanttotheparticipants.Relevanceisguaranteedbecausethefocusof
eachresearchprojectisdeterminedbytheresearchers,whoarealsothe
primaryconsumersofthefindings.
Perhapsevenmoreimportantisthefactthatactionresearchhelpseducators
bemoreeffectiveatwhattheycaremostabouttheirteachingandthe
developmentoftheirstudents.Seeingstudentsgrowisprobablythegreatest
joyeducatorscanexperience.Whenteachershaveconvincingevidencethat
theirworkhasmadearealdifferenceintheirstudents'lives,thecountless
hoursandendlesseffortsofteachingseemworthwhile.

2. Engaging
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Povertyin
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TheActionResearchProcess
Educationalactionresearchcanbeengagedinbyasingleteacher,byagroupofcolleagueswhoshare
aninterestinacommonproblem,orbytheentirefacultyofaschool.Whateverthescenario,action
researchalwaysinvolvesthesamesevenstepprocess.Thesesevensteps,whichbecomeanendless
cyclefortheinquiringteacher,arethefollowing:
1. Selectingafocus
2. Clarifyingtheories
3. Identifyingresearchquestions
4. Collectingdata

Permissions

5. Analyzingdata

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6. Reportingresults

PoliciesandRequests

7. Takinginformedaction

Step1SelectingaFocus
Theactionresearchprocessbeginswithseriousreflectiondirectedtowardidentifyingatopicortopics
worthyofabusyteacher'stime.Consideringtheincredibledemandsontoday'sclassroomteachers,no

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TranslationsRights

activityisworthdoingunlessitpromisestomakethecentralpartofateacher'sworkmoresuccessfuland

BooksinTranslation

satisfying.Thus,selectingafocus,thefirststepintheprocess,isvitallyimportant.Selectingafocusbegins
withtheteacherresearcherortheteamofactionresearchersasking:
Whatelement(s)ofourpracticeorwhataspectofstudentlearningdowewishtoinvestigate?

Step2ClarifyingTheories
Thesecondstepinvolvesidentifyingthevalues,beliefs,andtheoreticalperspectivestheresearchershold
relatingtotheirfocus.Forexample,ifteachersareconcernedaboutincreasingresponsibleclassroom
behavior,itwillbehelpfulforthemtobeginbyclarifyingwhichapproachusingpunishmentsand
rewards,allowingstudentstoexperiencethenaturalconsequencesoftheirbehaviors,orsomeother
strategytheyfeelwillworkbestinhelpingstudentsacquireresponsibleclassroombehaviorhabits.

Step3IdentifyingResearchQuestions
Onceafocusareahasbeenselectedandtheresearcher'sperspectivesandbeliefsaboutthatfocushave
beenclarified,thenextstepistogenerateasetofpersonallymeaningfulresearchquestionstoguidethe
inquiry.

Step4CollectingData
Professionaleducatorsalwayswanttheirinstructionaldecisionstobebasedonthebestpossibledata.
Actionresearcherscanaccomplishthisbymakingsurethatthedatausedtojustifytheiractionsarevalid
(meaningtheinformationrepresentswhattheresearcherssayitdoes)andreliable(meaningthe
researchersareconfidentabouttheaccuracyoftheirdata).Lastly,beforedataareusedtomaketeaching
decisions,teachersmustbeconfidentthatthelessonsdrawnfromthedataalignwithanyunique
characteristicsoftheirclassroomorschool.
Toensurereasonablevalidityandreliability,actionresearchersshouldavoidrelyingonanysinglesource
ofdata.Mostteacherresearchersuseaprocesscalledtriangulationtoenhancethevalidityandreliability
oftheirfindings.Basically,triangulationmeansusingmultipleindependentsourcesofdatatoanswer
one'squestions.Triangulationislikestudyinganobjectlocatedinsideaboxbyviewingitthroughvarious
windowscutintothesidesofthebox.Observingaphenomenonthroughmultiplewindowscanhelpa
singleresearchercompareandcontrastwhatisbeingseenthroughavarietyoflenses.
Whenplanninginstruction,teacherswantthetechniquestheychoosetobeappropriatefortheunique
qualitiesoftheirstudents.Allteachershavehadtheexperienceofimplementingaresearchproven
strategyonlytohaveitfailwiththeirstudents.Thedesireofteacherstouseapproachesthatfittheir
particularstudentsisnotdissimilartoadoctor'sconcernthatthespecificmedicinebeingprescribedbethe
correctonefortheindividualpatient.Theabilityoftheactionresearchprocesstosatisfyaneducator's
needforfitmaybeitsmostpowerfulattribute.Becausethedatabeingcollectedcomefromthevery
studentsandteacherswhoareengagedwiththetreatment,therelevanceofthefindingsisassured.
Fortheharriedandoverworkedteacher,datacollectioncanappeartobethemostintimidatingaspectof
theentiresevenstepactionresearchprocess.ThequestionIamrepeatedlyasked,WherewillIfindthe
timeandexpertisetodevelopvalidandreliableinstrumentsfordatacollection?,givesvoicetoarealistic
fearregardingtimemanagement.Fortunately,classroomsandschoolsare,bytheirnature,datarich
environments.Eachdayachildisinclass,heorsheisproducingornotproducingwork,isinteracting
productivelywithclassmatesorexperiencingdifficultiesinsocialsituations,andiscompleting
assignmentsproficientlyorpoorly.Teachersnotonlyseetheseeventstranspiringbeforetheireyes,they
generallyrecordtheseeventsintheirgradebooks.Thekeytomanagingtriangulateddatacollectionis,
first,tobeeffectiveandefficientincollectingthematerialthatisalreadyswirlingaroundtheclassroom,
and,second,toidentifyothersourcesofdatathatmightbeeffectivelysurfacedwithtests,classroom
discussions,orquestionnaires.

Step5AnalyzingData
Althoughdataanalysisoftenbringstomindtheuseofcomplexstatisticalcalculations,thisisrarelythe
casefortheactionresearcher.Anumberofrelativelyuserfriendlyprocedurescanhelpapractitioner
identifythetrendsandpatternsinactionresearchdata.Duringthisportionofthesevenstepprocess,
teacherresearcherswillmethodicallysort,sift,rank,andexaminetheirdatatoanswertwogeneric
questions:
Whatisthestorytoldbythesedata?
Whydidthestoryplayitselfoutthisway?
Byansweringthesetwoquestions,theteacherresearchercanacquireabetterunderstandingofthe
phenomenonunderinvestigationandasaresultcanendupproducinggroundedtheoryregardingwhat
mightbedonetoimprovethesituation.

Step6ReportingResults
Itisoftensaidthatteachingisalonelyendeavor.Itisdoublysadthatsomanyteachersareleftalonein

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theirclassroomstoreinventthewheelonadailybasis.Thelonelinessofteachingisunfortunatenotonly
becauseofitsinefficiency,butalsobecausewhendealingwithcomplexproblemsthewisdomofseveral
mindsisinevitablybetterthanone.
Thesadhistoryofteacherisolationmayexplainwhytheveryactofreportingontheiractionresearchhas
provensopowerfulforboththeresearchersandtheircolleagues.Thereportingofactionresearchmost
oftenoccursininformalsettingsthatarefarlessintimidatingthanthevenueswherescholarlyresearchhas
traditionallybeenshared.Facultymeetings,brownbaglunchseminars,andteacherconferencesare
amongthemostcommonvenuesforsharingactionresearchwithpeers.However,eachyearmoreand
moreteacherresearchersarewritinguptheirworkforpublicationortohelpfulfillrequirementsingraduate
programs.Regardlessofwhichvenueortechniqueeducatorsselectforreportingonresearch,thesimple
knowledgethattheyaremakingacontributiontoacollectiveknowledgebaseregardingteachingand
learningfrequentlyprovestobeamongthemostrewardingaspectsofthiswork.

Step7TakingInformedAction
Takinginformedaction,oractionplanning,thelaststepintheactionresearchprocess,isveryfamiliarto
mostteachers.Whenteacherswritelessonplansordevelopacademicprograms,theyareengagedinthe
actionplanningprocess.Whatmakesactionplanningparticularlysatisfyingfortheteacherresearcheris
thatwitheachpieceofdatauncovered(aboutteachingorstudentlearning)theeducatorwillfeelgreater
confidenceinthewisdomofthenextsteps.Althoughallteachingcanbeclassifiedastrialanderror,action
researchersfindthattheresearchprocessliberatesthemfromcontinuouslyrepeatingtheirpastmistakes.
Moreimportant,witheachrefinementofpractice,actionresearchersgainvalidandreliabledataontheir
developingvirtuosity.

ThreePurposesforActionResearch
Asstatedearlier,actionresearchcanbeengagedinbyanindividualteacher,acollaborativegroupof
colleaguessharingacommonconcern,oranentireschoolfaculty.Thesethreedifferentapproachesto
organizingforresearchservethreecompatible,yetdistinct,purposes:
Buildingthereflectivepractitioner
Makingprogressonschoolwidepriorities
Buildingprofessionalcultures

BuildingtheReflectivePractitioner
Whenindividualteachersmakeapersonalcommitmenttosystematicallycollectdataontheirwork,they
areembarkingonaprocessthatwillfostercontinuousgrowthanddevelopment.Wheneachlessonis
lookedonasanempiricalinvestigationintofactorsaffectingteachingandlearningandwhenreflections
onthefindingsfromeachday'sworkinformthenextday'sinstruction,teacherscan'thelpbutdevelop
greatermasteryoftheartandscienceofteaching.Inthisway,theindividualteachersconductingaction
researcharemakingcontinuousprogressindevelopingtheirstrengthsasreflectivepractitioners.

MakingProgressonSchoolwidePriorities
Increasingly,schoolsarefocusingonstrengtheningthemselvesandtheirprogramsthroughthe
developmentofcommonfocusesandastrongsenseofespritdecorps.PetersandWaterman(1982)in
theirlandmarkbook,InSearchofExcellence,calledtheachievementoffocusstickingtotheknitting.
Whenafacultysharesacommitmenttoachievingexcellencewithaspecificfocusforexample,the
developmentofhigherorderthinking,positivesocialbehavior,orhigherstandardizedtestscoresthen
collaborativelystudyingtheirpracticewillnotonlycontributetotheachievementofthesharedgoalbut
wouldhaveapowerfulimpactonteambuildingandprogramdevelopment.Focusingthecombinedtime,
energy,andcreativityofagroupofcommittedprofessionalsonasinglepedagogicalissuewillinevitably
leadtoprogramimprovements,aswellastotheschoolbecomingacenterofexcellence.Asaresult,
whenafacultychoosestofocusononeissueandalltheteacherselecttoenthusiasticallyparticipatein
actionresearchonthatissue,significantprogressontheschoolwideprioritiescannothelpbutoccur.

BuildingProfessionalCultures
Oftenanentirefacultywillshareacommitmenttostudentdevelopment,yetthegroupfindsitselfunableto
adoptasinglecommonfocusforactionresearch.Thisshouldnotbeviewedasindicativeofaproblem.
Justasthemedicalpractitionersworkingataqualitymedicalcenterwillholdasharedvisionofahealthy
adult,itiscommonforallthefacultymembersataschooltoshareasimilarperspectiveonwhat
constitutesawelleducatedstudent.However,likethedoctorsatthemedicalcenter,theteachersina
qualityschoolmaywelldifferonwhichspecificaspectsofthesharedvisiontheyaremostmotivatedto
pursueatanypointintime.
Schoolswhosefacultiescannotagreeonasingleresearchfocuscanstilluseactionresearchasatoolto
helptransformthemselvesintoalearningorganization.Theyaccomplishthisinthesamemannerasdo
thephysiciansatthemedicalcenter.Itiscommonpracticeinaqualitymedicalcenterforphysiciansto
engageinindependent,evenidiosyncratic,researchagendas.However,itisalsocommonformedical
researcherstosharethefindingsobtainedfromtheirresearchwithcolleagues(eventhoseengagedin

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otherspecialties).
Schoolfacultieswhowishtotransformthemselvesintocommunitiesoflearnersoftenempowerteamsof
colleagueswhoshareapassionaboutoneaspectofteachingandlearningtoconductinvestigationsinto
thatareaofinterestandthensharewhatthey'velearnedwiththerestoftheschoolcommunity.This
strategyallowsanentirefacultytodevelopandpracticethedisciplinethatPeterSenge(1990)labeled
teamlearning.Intheseschools,multipleactionresearchinquiriesoccursimultaneously,andnooneis
heldcaptivetoanother'spriority,yeteveryoneknowsthatalltheworkultimatelywillbesharedandwill
consequentlycontributetoorganizationallearning.

WhyActionResearchNow?
Ifevertherewereatimeandastrategythatwererightforeachother,thetimeisnowandthestrategyis
actionresearch!Thisistrueforahostofreasons,withnonemoreimportantthantheneedtoaccomplish
thefollowing:
Professionalizeteaching.
Enhancethemotivationandefficacyofawearyfaculty.
Meettheneedsofanincreasinglydiversestudentbody.
Achievesuccesswithstandardsbasedreforms.

ProfessionalizingTeaching
TeachinginNorthAmericahasevolvedinamannerthatmakesitmorelikebluecollarworkthana
professionalundertaking.Althoughbluecollarworkersareexpectedtodotheirjobswithvigilanceand
vigor,itisalsoassumedthattheirtaskswillberoutine,straightforward,and,therefore,easilyhandledby
anisolatedworkerwithonlytheoccasionalsupportofasupervisor.
Professionalwork,ontheotherhand,isexpectedtobecomplexandnonroutine,andwillgenerallyrequire
collaborationamongpractitionerstoproducesatisfactoryresults.Withtheexplodingknowledgebaseon
teachingandlearningandtheheighteneddemandsonteacherstohelpallchildrenachievemasteryof
meaningfulobjectives,theinadequacyofthebluecollarmodelforteachingisbecomingmuchclearer.
Whentheteachersinaschoolbeginconductingactionresearch,theirworkplacebeginstotakeonmore
oftheflavoroftheworkplacesofotherprofessionals.Thewisdomthatinformspracticestartscomingfrom
thosedoingthework,notfromsupervisorswhooftentimesarelessintouchwithandlesssensitivetothe
issuesofteachingandlearningthantheteachersdoingthework.Furthermore,whenteachersbegin
engagingtheircolleaguesindiscussionsofclassroomissues,themultipleperspectivesthatemergeand
thusframethedialoguetendtoproducewiserprofessionaldecisions.

EnhancingTeacherMotivationandEfficacy
Theworkofteachinghasalwaysbeendifficult.Butnowitisn'tjustthedemandsoftheclassroomthatare
wearingteachersdown.Studentsincreasinglybringmoreproblemsintotheclassroomparentaland
societalexpectationskeepincreasingandfinancialcutbacksmakeitclearthattoday'steachersarebeing
askedtodomorewithless.Worsestill,therespectthatsocietyhadtraditionallyplaceduponpublicschool
teachersiseroding,asteacherbashingandattacksontheveryvalueofapubliceducationarebecoming
aregularpartofthepoliticallandscape.Consequently,teacherburnouthasbecometheplagueofthe
modernschoolhouse.
Manyteachersnowask,AmImakinganydifference?Regardlessofallthenegativepressureson
teachers,thesheernobilityoftheworkkeepsmanydedicatededucatorsonthejob,butonlysolongas
theycangetcredibleanswerstotheefficacyquestion.However,withoutcredibleevidencethatthework
ofteachingismakingadifference,itishardtoimaginethebestandbrighteststickingwithsuchadifficult
andpoorlycompensatedlineofwork.Fortunately,evidencehasshownthatteacherswhoelectto
integratetheuseofdataintotheirworkstartexhibitingthecompulsivebehavioroffitnessenthusiastswho
regularlyweighthemselves,checktheirheartrate,andgraphdataontheirimprovingphysical
development.Forbothteachersandathletes,thecontinuouspresenceofcompellingdatathattheirhard
workispayingoffbecomes,initself,avitallyenergizingforce.

MeetingtheNeedsofaDiverseStudentBody
Inahomogeneoussocietyinwhichallstudentscometoschoollookingalike,itmightbewisetoseekthe
onerightanswertoquestionsofpedagogy.But,asanyonewhohasrecentlyvisitedanAmerican
classroomcanattest,itisraretofindanytwochildrenforwhomthesameinterventioncouldeverberight
ontarget.Thedaysaregonewhenitwaspossibletobelievethatallateacherhadtodowasmasterand
deliverthegradelevelcurriculum.Itisnowimperativethatclassroomteachershavestrongcontent
backgroundineachofthesubjectstheyteach,befamiliarwiththerangeofstudentdifferencesintheir
classrooms,andbecapableofdiagnosingandprescribingappropriateinstructionalmodificationsbased
uponaknowledgeofeachchild'suniqueness.
Craftingsolutionstothesedynamicandeverchangingclassroomissuescanbeanexcitingundertaking,
especiallywhenoneacknowledgesthatnewerandbetteranswersareevolvingallthetime.Nevertheless,

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WhatIsActionResearch?
greatpersonalsatisfactioncomesfromplayingaroleincreatingsuccessfulsolutionstocontinually
changingpuzzles.Conversely,ifteachersareexpectedtoroboticallyimplementoutdatedapproaches,
especiallywhencountlessnewchallengesarearrivingattheirdoor,thefrustrationcanbecome
unbearable.

AchievingSuccessinaStandardsBasedSystem
Inmostjurisdictionsstandardsdrivenaccountabilitysystemshavebecomethenorm.Althoughtheydiffer
somewhatfromstatetostateandprovincetoprovince,fundamentallythesestandardsbasedsystems
havecertainthingsincommon.Specifically,mosteducationdepartmentsandministrieshavedeclared
thattheyexpectthestandardstoberigorousandmeaningful,andthattheyexpectallstudentstomeetthe
standardsatthemasterylevel.
Thestakesinthestandardsmovementarehigh.Studentsfaceconsequencesregardingpromotionand
graduation.Teachersandschoolsfaceridiculeandlossoffundingiftheyfailtomeetcommunity
expectations.Ofcourse,noneofthatwouldbeproblematicifweasasocietyknewwithcertaintyhowto
achieveuniversalstudentsuccess.However,therealityisthatnolargesystemanywhereintheworldhas
everbeensuccessfulingettingeverystudenttomasterasetofmeaningfulobjectives.Ifweacceptthe
truthofthatstatement,thenweneedtoacknowledgethefactthatachievingthegoalofuniversalstudent
masterywillnotbeeasy.Thatsaid,mostpeoplewillagreeitisamostnobleendeavorinwhichtoinvest
energyandaworthygoalforanyfacultytopursue.
Therealityisthatourpublicschoolswillnotprevailwiththechallengesinherentinthestandards
movementunlesstheyencourageexperimentation,inquiry,anddialoguebythosepioneers(theteachers)
whoareworkingtowardmeetingthosechallenges.Forthisreason,itisimperativethatthese21stcentury
pioneers,ourclassroomteachers,conducttheresearchonstandardsattainmentthemselves.
Sothetimeisrightforactionresearch.Theteachers,schools,andschoolsystemsthatseizethis
opportunityandbegininvestinginthepowerofinquirywillfindthattheyarerecreatingtheprofessional
practiceofeducationintheirlocaleasameaningfulandrewardingpursuit.Conversely,schoolsystems
thatenterthe21stcenturyunwillingtoinvestinthewisdomofpracticewilllikelyfinditincreasinglyhard
tofilltheirclassroomswithenoughteacherswhoarebothcapableofandwillingtotacklethechallenges
thatlieahead.

Copyright2000byAssociationforSupervisionandCurriculumDevelopment.Allrightsreserved.Nopartofthis
publicationincludingthedrawings,graphs,illustrations,orchapters,exceptforbriefquotationsincriticalreviewsor
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