Action Research

1. Action Research Angela Busbea EDFN 7773 July 26, 2004

2. Action Research is . . . A family of research methodologies which pursue action or change and research or understanding at the same time using a cyclic or spiral process which alternates between action and critical reflection while refining methods, data, and interpretation in the light of the understanding of developed action in the earlier cycles.

3. Action Research is . . . Evolved from the notion that people themselves should use their own expertise as the basis for developing services, programs, and resources in their own contexts (Stringer, 1999). Research in the context of focused efforts to improve the quality of an organization and its performance (NCREL, 2004).

4. Characteristics of Action Research Democratic enabling the participation of all people Equitable acknowledging people's equality of worth Liberating providing freedom from oppressive, debilitating conditions Life enhancing enabling the expressing of people's full bloom (Stringer, 1999).

5. Characteristics of Action Research It gives educators new opportunities to reflect on and assess their teaching, to explore and test new ideas, methods, and materials to assess how effective the new approaches were; to share feedback with fellow team members and to make decisions about which new approaches to include in the team's curriculum, instruction, and assessment plans.

6. Action Research vs. Formal Research: On your own Applies to local situation Identified by assessing current problems Use of own students Loose procedures with lots of change Convenient measures for evaluation Emphasis on practical significance Informal sharing

7. Extensive training Generalizable Identified by reviewing previous research Random sampling rigorous control Pre and Post tests for evaluation Emphasis on theoretical significance Published report Action Research vs. Formal Research:

8. Reflection . . . Is a process in which practitioners step back from the fast-paced and problematic world of practice to ponder and share ideas about the meaning, value, and impact of their practice. From such reflection, practitioners make new commitments, discover new topics to explore, and gain new insights into the strengths and weaknesses of their current practices (Gall, Gall, & Borg, 2003).

9. Data and Action Research Quantitative Descriptive statistics such as student percentages can be used as quantitative data. Qualitative A rich, thick description of the findings can be qualitative data.

10. Personal Purposes for Action Research To develop a greater understanding of individual students' thoughts and actions To develop a deeper understanding of teachers' experiences with particular educational innovations To provide teachers an opportunity for personal examination and generation of theory

11. Personal Purposes for Action Research To produce heightened self-awareness in practitioners, including clarification of their assumptions about education and recognition of contradictions between their espoused ideas and actual classroom practice To examine the impact of the research process on practitioners To conduct research as an individual learning process that values experiential knowledge

12. Professional Purposes for Action Research Engaging in action research as a form of staff development Seeking to legitimize their role as producers of knowledge and contributors to the literature on educational research and theory Developing networks of practitioners engaged in action research to promote their colleagueship and professionalism.

13. Political Purposes for Action Research Seeking to make one's own teaching practices more humane and just Providing full participation in the research process of all those who are affected by it Embracing an overt agenda of social change with a commitment to promote economic and social justice through collaborative efforts to increase education opportunities and outcomes for all constituents.

14. Three “Basic” Phases Look building a picture and gathering information Think Interpreting and explaining Act resolving issues and problems (Stringer, 1999).

15. Stages of Action Research Select a Focus Take Action Collect Data Analyze and Interpret Data Reflect Continue or Modify Action

16. Select A Focus Acknowledge an inequity and the need for change. Can be an existing, historical, or a newly emerged issue.

17. Collect Data Develop and carry out methods for evaluating the breadth and depth of the inequity and how it informs the experiences of all community members. Evaluation must start with a consideration of the institutional and historical context of the inequity.

18. Analyze and Interpret Data Based on the Evaluation, provide specific recommendations for change and/or continued evaluation.

19. Take Action Work with the powers that be to take action and institutionalize the recommendations.

20. Reflect With changes in place, reflect on ways in which new practices affect the school community. Concurrently, reflect on what you, as an individual teacher-researcher, and/or the AR team learned from the process of the research.

21. Continue or Modify Action Acknowledge and dialogue about new questions that have emerged from the changes. Have the changes worked? Are there any shortcomings? Did the team uncover additional issues or inequities in the process of the AR? (EdChange.org)

22. The Cyclical Nature

23. The Cyclical Nature

24. The Cyclical Nature

25. Reasons for the Cyclical Nature Action researchers. . . . Do not always carry out the stages of action research in the same order May return to earlier stages as their research progresses May continue going through the stages rather than bringing the research to an end

26. Credibility of Action Research Outcome Validity Concerns the extent to which actions occur that lead to a resolution of the problem that prompted the action research study Process Validity Involves examination of the adequacy of the processes used in different phases of the action research

27. Credibility of Action Research Democratic Validity The extent to which the action research project is done in collaboration with all parties who have a stake in the problem being investigated Dialogic Validity Reflects the value of dialogue with peers in the formation and review of the action researcher's findings and interpretations

28. Credibility of Action Research Catalytic Validity The extent to which an action research project reorients, focuses, and energies participants such that they are open to transforming their view of reality in relation to their practice

29. Reducing Discrepancies Espoused theory one's beliefs about how one deals with problems Theory-in-action what one actually does in practice

30. Ethical Issues Zeni's Guide Zeni, J. (Ed.). (2001a). Ethical issues in practitioner research. New York: Teachers College Press. Contact your institution's IRB board