ACTION RESEARCH

LEILANI SAMSON CUNANAN

Assistant Schools Division
Superintendent

What is Action Research?

A process in which participants examine their

own educational practice systematically and

carefully, using the techniques of research. It
is based on the following assumptions:
- Teachers and principals work best on problems
that 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 help each other by
working collaboratively
- working with colleagues helps teachers and
principals in their professional development
(Watts, 1985, p. 118)

Action research specifically refers to a

disciplined inquiry done by a teacher
with the intent that the research will
inform and change his or her practices in
the future.
This research is carried out within the context of

the teachers environment that is, with the

pupils/students and at the school in which the
teachers work on questions that deal with
educational matters at hand.

Action research is a practical,

dynamic process that an educator
uses to improve his/her practice.
It is practical and often
collaborative. Action research may
mix methods for analysis.

 Taking action to improve teaching and learning plus

systematic study of the action and its consequences.

It is typically designed and conducted by
practitioners who analyze data from their workplace
to improve their own practice.
Type of applied research in which the researcher is
actively involved in the cause for which the research
is conducted.
Fits within the rich tradition of qualitative research
that has emerged from the fields of anthropology,
sociology, and ethnography.

What is not action research?

Not a library project where we learn more about a

topic that interests us

It is not problem solving in the sense of trying to
find out what is wrong, but rather a quest for
knowledge about how to improve
Not about doing research on or about people, or
finding all available information on a topic looking
for the correct answers. It involves people working
to improve their skills, techniques and strategies.
Not about learning why we do certain things, but
rather how we can do things better. It is about how
we can change our instruction to impact
pupils/students.

Two main Types of Educational

Research Designs/Methods

1. Quantitative method
2. Qualitative method

Educational Research
Designs/Methods

Quantitative
- Uses numbers and statistics; designed for
objectivity
- Identifies a research purpose or question,
often in the form of a hypothesis or
prediction. Quantitative designs are
Designs
that manipulate variables (attributes
that can
change and be measured)

Between Groups:
Experimental-comparison of treatment
effects on groups; random assignment to
groups
Quasi-experimental- comparison of groups;
uses intact groups
Example: compares the effects of two
teaching strategies on mathematics
achievement
Factorial-studies interaction effects
Example: looks for differential impact of
teaching strategies on sub-groups of
students

Within-Groups:

Within-Groups:
Time Series: studies effects of one treatment on
one group over time
Example: impact of feedback on group
achievement
Repeated Measures: studies effects of more than
one treatment on one group over time
Example: impact of feedback and group discussion
on achievement
Single subject designs-studies impact of
intervention on one student or small group of students
Example: study impact of behavioral intervention

Designs that relate or summarize

variables--Correlation: finds relationships among

variables
Example: relationship between selfconcept and achievement
Survey: finds attitudes, opinions, or
behaviors; looks for trends; uses
questionnaires or structured interviews;
often includes demographic information
Example: assess student attitudes toward
science

Qualitative Design:
Qualitative:
Analyses words and documents;
acknowledges subjectivity; uses non-numerical
data
Collect data based on a central
phenomenon to be studied, (e.g. the
interactions in a third grade classroom or
lunch room behavior )
an umbrella term encompassing a wide
range of methods, such as interviews, case
studies, ethnographic research and discourse
analysis, to name just some examples.

Qualitative Design
qualitative methods are more suited to

looking at the meaning of particular

events or circumstances.
Does not manipulate variables
Uses observations, open-ended interviews,
analysis of documents, analysis of audio-visual
materials
May result in theory development (grounded
theory), description of culture (ethnography or
case study), stories
Researcher acknowledges his/her role in study
Sampling is purposeful rather than random

Types of Action Research

Individual Teacher Action Research
Collaborative Action Research
School-wide Action Research
District-wide Action Research

Types of Action Research

Individual
Teacher
Research

Collaborative
District-wide
School-wide
Action
Action
Action Research
Research
Research

FOCUS

Single
classroom
issue

Single
classroom or
several
classrooms w/
common issue

School issue,
problem, or area
of collective
interest

District issue
Organizational
structures

POSSIBL
E
SUPPOR
T
NEEDED

Coach/ment
or
Access to
technology
Assistance
w/ data
organization
& analysis

Substitute
teachers
Release time
Close link w/
administrators

School
commitment
Leadership
Communication
External
partners

District
Commitment
Facilitator
Recorder
Communication
External
partners

Types of Action Research

Individual
Teacher
Research

Collaborativ
e Action
Research

School-wide
Action
Research

District-wide
Action
Research

POTENTIAL
IMPACT

Curriculum
Instruction
Assessment

Curriculum
Instruction
Assessment
Policy

Potential to
impact to
school
restructuring
and change
Policy
Parent
involvement
Evaluation of
programs

Allocation of
resources
Professional
devt activities
Organizational
structures
Policy

SIDE
EFFECTS

Practice
informed by
data
Information
not always
shared

Improved
collegiality
Formation of
partnerships

Improved
collegiality,
collaboration &
communicatio
n
Team building
Disagreements
on process

Improved
collegiality,
collaboration &
communicatio
n
Teambuilding
Disagreements
on process

ACTION RESEARCH MODEL

(Adapted from Susman 1983)

DIAGNOSING
Identifying or
Defining a
problem

SPECIFYING
LEARNING

ACTION
PLANNING

Identifying general
findings

Considering
alternative courses of
action

EVALUATING

TAKING ACTION

Studying the
consequences of an
action

Selecting a course
of action

Steps to the Action Research Process

AREA OF FOCUS:

(What is your chosen area of focus? How

does it directly impact student
achievement? Why did you choose this
area?)
TARGET GROUP:

(Who are the students you are trying to

impact? (use first names only or another
identifier) How do you think this strategy or
content focus will benefit the target group?)

 BASELINE DATA:
(What are the baseline data
that support your choice for this
area of focus? What patterns or
trends do you see in the data?)
IMPLEMENTATION PLAN:

(What is your plan to

implement the strategy or content
knowledge? How did you involve
the stakeholders in the planning
process?)

 SMART OBJECTIVES:
(Identify at least one SMART objective
related to improved student performance.)
Specific,
Measurable,
Attainable,
Results-oriented,
Time-bound and Tied to Student
Achievement

 PROCEDURES & MEASURES:

(What are the steps you will follow?
How will you measure student
progress?)
DATA COLLECTION:

(What data will be collected? How

often?)

 IMPLEMENTATION:
(Describe the actual
implementation of your plan.)

DOCUMENTATION OF ADJUSTMENTS:

(How did the plan change during

the course of the AR timeline? What
prompted the change in plan? What
were the effects of the changes?)

 REPORTING RESULTS & IMPLICATIONS

FOR
FUTURE:
(What are your results and how
will you share them? How will the
results impact your teaching in the
future?)
(What are your results? How does the
baseline data compare to the ending data?
How will you share results with
stakeholders? How will you share results
with others in your school? How will the
results impact your teaching in the future?)

ILLUSTRATIVE SAMPLE
Study Title:
Collaborative Process
Intervention:
An Action Research Study
Stage 1: Problem Statement/Initial Diagnosis
The study presents the problem statement

indicating that the school was on the verge of an

educational crisis and was experiencing low teacher
morale, conflict, mediocre student test scores, high
disciplinary incidents, poor facilities, and
instructional materials.

Stage 2: Data Collection

The method of collecting data

consisted of an organizational survey

and examination of student test
scores from the Iowa Test of Basic
Skills of Reading and Total Math.

Stage 3: Analysis/Feedback
The analysis consisted of establishing a

benchmark of the student tests based upon the

Iowa Test of Basic Skills of Reading and Total
Math as well as the mean scores from the
organizational survey, which consisted of items
such as staff morale, school facilities,
instructional programs, fiscal management, etc.
The feedback process involved reporting the
results of the survey to the stakeholders (e.g.,
educators, parents, and community members).

Stage 4: Action Planning

The action planning process

consisted of forming quality

teams (e.g., multicultural,
policies, student achievement,
and safety) in which action plans
were developed.

Stage 5: Implementation
The action plans were implemented,

which included an extended school

day, multicultural events, staff
development, improved school
policies, upgrading school facilities,
and new instructional programs.

Stage 6: Evaluation And Follow

Up
An evaluation of the results of the actions

included improved test scores (Iowa Test of

Basic Skillsoverall reading, 3.5%, total math,
1%), and improved staff morale, school
facilities, instructional programs, fiscal
management, and decreased student
disciplinary incidents and crime based upon a
follow-up organizational survey, observations,
and test analyses.

Benefits of Action Research

Focus on school issue, problem, or area of

collective interest
Form of teacher professional development
Collegial interactions
Potential to impact school change
Reflect on own practice
Improved communications

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What is action research?
A: Action research is a deliberate, solution-oriented
investigation that is group or personally owned
and conducted. It is characterized by a spiraling
cycles of problem identification, systematic data
collection, reflection, analysis, data-driven action
taken, and finally, problem redefinition. The linking
of the terms action and research highlights the
essential features of this method; trying out ideas
in practice as a means of increasing knowledge
about improving curriculum, teaching, and
learning (Kemmis & McTaaggart, 1988)

Q: What is the purpose of action

research?
A: Action research is used for various
purposes: school-based curriculum
development, professional
development, systems planning,
school restructuring, and as an
evaluative tool.

Q: How can teachers become

researchers?
A: A teacher can decide to tackle a
problem alone or join with others to
learn more how children learn. They
can meet after school or during
common time to discuss the nature of
a problem and decide on a strategy
based on an analysis of data.

Q: How can I use my action

research in my classroom?
A: You can use it to chart the
effects of implementation of a
curriculum or strategy, to study
student learning and responses,
or to profile individual students.

Q: How does action research

benefit students in the classroom?
A: Action research can improve the
teaching and learning process by
reinforcing, modifying or changing
perceptions based on informal
data and non-systematic
observations.

Q: How does action research benefit

teachers?
A: Teacher learn what it is that they are
able to influence and they make
changes that produce results that
show change. The process provides
the opportunity to work with others
and to learn from the sharing of
ideas.

Q: Why should schools engage in

action
research?
A: Reasons for performing action
research fall into three categories: to
promote personal and professional
growth, to improve practice to
enhance student learning, and to
advance the teaching profession
(Johnson, 1995)

Q: What gains can be made from

action research that affect
students?

A: Change is based on data;

the student is the subject and
object of inquiry

Q: Does action research take away

from other instructional time?

A: Time must be made to

organize, study, collect data,
analyze data, and for
dissemination.

Q: Who will manage action

research
projects?
A: Projects can be managed by
individual teacher or a team
leader. With school-wide or
district-wide projects, it is not
unusual for an outside facilitator
to manage the project.

THANK YOU!