Action Research

Charlie V. Ladrona
MAED- ELT Student
Charlad18@gmail.com
09098087010

 For teachers to fully embrace the

principles and philosophy of action
research, they need to begin by
reinventing themselvesWe can
only create alternatives to the
existing method and structures
after
we
have
restructured
ourselves
(Mingucci, 199, p.16)

Overview

Definition of Action Research

Research Cycle
Methods of Collecting Data for AR
Quality Control Issues
Payoffs and Pitfalls

Defining Action Research

Action research is a systematic,
iterative process of (1) identifying an
issue, a problem, or puzzle we wish
to investigate in our context; (2)
thinking and planning an appropriate
outcomes of the action; (3) carrying
out the action; (4) observing
apparent outcomes of the action; (5)
and repeating these steps.

 Kemmis and McTaggart (1982)

- [t]he linking of the terms action
and research highlights the
essential feature of the method:
trying out ideas in practice as a
means of improvement and as a
means of increasing knowledge
about curriculum, teaching and
learning. The result is improvement

in what happens in the classroom

and school, and better articulation
and justification of the educational
rationale of what goes on. Action
research provides a way of working
which links theory and practice into
the whole: ideas-in-action.

 In contrast to experimental research,

[a] distinctive feature of action
research is that those affected by
planned changes have the primary
responsibility
for
deciding
on
courses of critically informed action
which seems likely to improvement,
and for evaluating the results of
strategies tried out in practice.
Action research is a group activity.

Characteristics of Action Research

(Kemmis and McTaggart)
(1)Carried out by classroom practitioners;
(2)Collaborative in nature
(3)Aimed at bringing about change

(Cohen and Manion 1985)

(1)Situational in a specific context
(2)Collaborative for improvement

Action Research Cycle

Most writers on action research
agree that it is an iterative, cyclical
process rather than onetime event.
In other words, unlike the one-shot
case study design in experimental
research, at least two action
research cycles are required to
resolve the problem or puzzle that
initiated the research.

Action Research Cycle (Lier, 1994)

1. plan

2. act

III

GOAL

II

GOAL

GOAL

REVISE
REPORT

4. reflect

3. observe

Action Research Cycle (Nunan, 1992)

Cycle and Step

Example

Cycle 2
Step 7

Identify follow-up
problem

How can I ensure more involvement

and commitment by learners to their own
learning process?

Step 8

Second hypothesis

Developing reflective learning attitude

on the part of learners will enhance
involvement and motivation to learn.

Step 9

Take action and

observe outcomes

At the end of each unit of work, learners

complete a self-evaluation of learning
progress.

Step 10

Reflect on outcomes

Self-evaluations show not all learners

feel they are improving, even though I
think they are.

Action Research Cycle (Nunan, 1992)

Cycle and Step

Example

Cycle 1
Step 1

Problem Identification

Student motivation is declining over the

course of the semester.

Step 2

Preliminary
Investigation

Interviews with students confirm my

suspicion.

Step 3

Hypothesis Formation

Students do not feel they are making

progress. Learning logs will provide
evidence of their progress.

Step 4

Plan Intervention

Have students complete weekly LL.

Step 5

Take action and

observe outcomes

Reading the learning logs suggest that

learners are not really aware of their own
progress.

Step 6

Reflect on outcomes

Motivation is improving, but not rapidly

as desired

What Action Research Is Not

1. It is NOT the usual thing teachers do when
they think about their teaching. It is
systematic and involves collecting evidence
on which to base rigorous reflection.
2. It is not (just) a problem solving: it involves
problem posing, tooIt is motivated by a
quest to improve and understand the world
by changing it and learning how to improve
it from the effects of the changes being
made.

3. It is NOT research on other people. Action

research is research by particular people on
their own work, to help them improve what they
do, including how they work with and for others.
4. It is NOT the scientific method applied to
teachingIt adopts a view of social science
which is distinct from a view based on the
natural sciences (in which the objects of
research may legitimately be treated as
things); action research also concerns the
subject (the action researcher) him or
herself.

Action
research
differs
from
experimental research in that the
former like naturalistic inquiry works
with naturally occurring groups and
does not impose artificial control over
variables. in action research, the
participants themselves decide what to
do to bring about positive change.

Like naturalistic inquiry but unlike

experimental research, the research
questions may evolve as action research
proceeds. And, because it is concerned
with a particular situation, action research
tends to be messy and unpredictable
(van Lier, 1994) so the data collection and
analysis may also change.

Like naturalistic inquiry but unlike

experimental research, the research
questions may evolve as action research
proceeds. And, because it is concerned
with a particular situation, action research
tends to be messy and unpredictable
(van Lier, 1994) so the data collection and
analysis may also change.

Methods of Collecting Data

Please complete the following honestly.
I will use your responses to plan our approach to reading classes next
semester.
Week __________ Title of text: _______________________________
Approach: ________________________________________________
What was the aim of this class? ______________________________
What did you learn during this class? __________________________
What did you enjoy most about the class? ______________________
Why? ___________________________________________________
What did you find most difficult? ______________________________
Why? ___________________________________________________
Other comments: __________________________________________

Methods of Collecting Data

Please complete the following table with numbers.
1 = the most (e.g. the most enjoyable, the most useful)
9 = the least (e.g. the least enjoyable, the least useful)
Week

Approach

Jigsaw Reading

Question Cards

Silent Reading

Group Reading

Analysis

Clap

Prediction

Question Writing

Paragraph
Matching

Useful

Difficult

Interesting

Enjoyable

Methods of Collecting Data

What I DIDNT like about the
lesson

What I found MOST Difficult

I dont like your lines.

You give me sentence but I dont
give one.
The sentences and examples are
not clear.
I get confused wit the past and
perfect together why do you
do this?
Why your line so confussing?
What concept?

The different with the 3 concepts

The draws for the lines because
they are nor clear.
I cant see the connection to now
which you always say.

Quality Control Issues in Action

Research
Quality control is largely a matter of being
systematic and committed engaging in the
process over a period of time.
Triangulation
a.Data Triangulation
b.Theory Triangulation
c.Researcher Triangulation
d.Methods Triangulation

Payoffs and Pitfalls

Challenges in Doing Action Research
1.Lack of Time
2.Lack of expertise
3.Lack of ongoing support
4.Fear of being revealed as incompetent
5.Fear of producing public account of their
research for a wider (unknown) audience

Payoffs and Pitfalls

Possible Solutions
1.Motivate yourself.
2.Be prepared.
3.Get some relief from normal duties.
4.Establish collaborative teams across
schools
5.Get adequate training.

Conclusion
Action research can contribute to both the
knowledge base of the field and the
ongoing professional development of the
teachers who use it to investigate important
issues in their own classrooms. As van Lier
(1994) noted Action research is hardly ever
short-term, buta way of working in which
every answer raises new questions, and
one can thus never quite say, Ive
finished.