ACTION RESEARCH

Trudy Thorson & Kendra Beliveau

ED 800

November 19th, 2012

ACTION RESEARCH

“Action research is characterized as research that is done by teachers for themselves” (Mertler, 2009).

Teachers examine their own classrooms, instructional strategies, assessment procedures, and interactions with student learners in order to improve their quality and effectiveness.

WHAT ACTION RESEARCH IS AND IS NOTWhat it is… What it is not…

• A process that improves education through change

• Problem-solving

• Collaborative • Doing research on or about people

• Cyclical • Linear

• Practical and relevant • Conclusive

• Within context of teacher’s environment

• Generalizing to larger populations

• How we can do things better

• Why we do certain things

• Explores, discovers and seeks to find creative solutions

• The implementation of predetermined answers

• A way to improve instructional practice by observing, revising, and reflecting

• A fad

VIDEO: ACTION RESEARCH MADE SIMPLE

Action Research Made Simple

Key Characteristics Addresses Real Life Problems Constructs Knowledge Promotes Change Collaborative / Participatory

A BRIEF HISTORY OF ACTION RESEARCHFERRANCE (2000)

Kurt Lewin, a social psychologist and educator, first formulated the idea of performing research in a “natural” setting in the 1940s.

No distinction between the research study and the problem to be solved.

Proposed that research should be cyclical rather than linear.

Stephen Corey was among the first to use action research in education and he stated the following:

We are convinced that the disposition to study…the consequences of our teaching is more likely to change and improve our practices than is reading about what someone else has discovered of his teaching (Corey, 1953, p. 70).

MODELS AND TYPES OF ACTION RESEARCH

MODELS OF ACTION RESEARCH

Many models exist but all share the same basic principles which are: A central problem or topic Observation or monitoring takes place Collection and synthesis of data Some type of action is taken Next stage of action research (varies)

CENTRAL FEATURES OF PARTICIPATORY ACTION RESEARCH (KEMMIS & WILKINSON, 1998)

It is a social process – people individually and collectively attempt to discover who they are and redevelop these identities in order to make improvements

It is participatory – people can only do action research “on” themselves and not “on” others

It is practical and collaborative – It is research done “with” others where people strive to reconstruct their interactions in a more productive way.

CENTRAL FEATURES OF PARTICIPATORY ACTION RESEARCH (KEMMIS & WILKINSON, 1998)

It is emancipatory – It helps people break loose and recover from the constraints of unproductive social structures which limit self-development and the ability to determine actions. If not possible to be released from limitations, how best to work within them and around them.

It is critical – A way in which people can deliberately set out to change something in their teaching and learning environment that is irrational, unproductive or unjust.

It is recursive – Helps teachers examine reality in order to change it and continually try to make it better. A process of learning by doing with others to improve interactions in our social world.

ACTION RESEARCH INTERACTING SPIRAL(ERNEST STRINGER, 2007)

LEWIN’S ACTION RESEARCH SPIRAL(MERTLER, 2009)

CALHOUN’S ACTION RESEARCH CYCLE(MERTLER, 2009)

BACHMAN’S SELF-REFLECTIVE SPIRAL IN ACTION RESEARCH (MERTLER, 2009)

RIEL’S ACTION RESEARCH MODEL(MERTLER, 2009)

PIGGOT-IRVINE’S ACTION RESEARCH MODELMERTLER (2009)

TYPES OF ACTION RESEARCH (FERRANCE, 2000)

VIDEO: WHAT “NAGS” YOU ABOUT YOUR TEACHING PRACTICE?

Video: What nags you about your teaching practice?

STEPS IN ACTION RESEARCH

STEPS IN ACTION RESEARCH (FERRANCE, 2000)

STEPS IN ACTION RESEARCHFERRANCE (2000)

Identify a problem area Meaningful, attainable and within teacher’s

influence Higher order question that is specific and concise

Collection and organization of data Portfolios, interviews, photos, diaries, field notes,

videos, journals, case studies, checklists, surveys Appropriate, easy to collect, and readily available Triangulate data (i.e. use three or more sources) Organize to identify themes; can be arranged by

gender, classroom, school, grade level, age, etc. Interpretation of data

Analyze and identify major themes Quantitative, qualitative or mixed methods

STEPS IN ACTION RESEARCH

Action based on data Use the data collected complemented by current

research to develop a plan of action Alter only one variable Document and collect data during action phase

Reflection Evaluate the results Was the intervention successful? Can the

positive results be directly attributed to the variable addressed?

If unsuccessful, what could be done in subsequent attempts to elicit more favorable results?

EXAMINATION OF AN ACTION RESEARCH STUDY

Action Research: Using Wordles for Teaching Foreign Language Writing by Baralt, Pennestri, and Selvandin (2011)

CONTEXT

Eighteen students in an intermediate-level Spanish Foreign Language class at a private research university

Attended class three times per week for fifty minutes each

Studied Spanish writing and grammar Students wrote four major compositions per

semester

IDENTIFY THE PROBLEM

Two main issues in students’ writing:1. Continuous repetition of errors 2. Reliance on high frequency words without

attempting to use new vocabulary in writing

GATHER DATA

Reviewed literature on the use of data visualization. Acknowledged there is little or no research

and ideas for teachers are mostly found online. For example, The Clever Sheep Website (Lucier, 2008), provides 20 ideas for using Wordle.

Analyzed students’ writing compositions for word variety and grammatical accuracy

Consulted with instructional technology consultant and decided to use wordles as a teaching tool

INTERPRET DATA

Noted word frequency counts from students’ compositions and a whole-class-based word cloud

Teaching reflection about the class discussion Students were excited to see the whole class

Wordle each week and interpreted their own data

The procedure was used for all four compositions

ACT ON EVIDENCE

Instructor collected compositions and created a whole class Wordle

Shared the image with the class and had a group discussion

Set goals for the next writing assignment; attempted to use a wider range of vocabulary and higher level words

Teacher asked for students’ overall perceptions at the end of the semester

EVALUATE RESULTS

Wordles helped to show students’ progress Students used more vocabulary in their

compositions Facilitated class discussions about the writing

process Both the students and instructor agreed that

using Wordles created excitement about writing. Effective, novel, and enjoyable. Students incorporated more varied vocabulary,

used grammar more accurately, and had more content in their writing.

Workshop days became more student-centered

NEXT STEPS

Share results with other educators Encourage others to use Wordles in different

teaching contexts and across different languages

The instructor and students both found the use of wordles to be beneficial so one would presume a continuation of its use although the study report did not clarify this.

LIMITATIONS

Lack of generalizability Findings of action research are typically only

relevant to the specific classroom being investigated, its students and its own unique characteristics

It may yield different results in other classrooms, contexts or languages.

As with any technology, teachers must ensure that the software works with their computer systems; Wordle requires a Java-enabled web browser

WRITING THE ACTION RESEARCH REPORT

WRITING ACTION RESEARCH REPORTS

Reports vary depending on the variables, context, and action involved but most include: Introduction

Area of focus Defining the variables Research questions

Review of related literature Description of the Intervention or Innovation Data Collection and Considerations Data Analysis and Interpretation Conclusions Reflection and Action Plan (Mertler, 2009)

Examples of Action Research Reports written by teachers who participated in a school-wide project

DISADVANTAGES OF ACTION RESEARCH

Lack of Time• Action Research is demanding of space and time,

both of which are stretched to their limits. Validity

• Inevitable research bias Results are not Generalizable

• Although a researcher’s findings may be tested by

another teacher in their own classroom Range of Models and Process

• Action Research is a messy process and the constraints of the models may “trap teachers”

ACTIVITY: WHAT NAGS YOU?

PASSION IS INTEGRAL TO ACTION RESEARCH

Potential passions for coming up with a research question (Yendol-Hoppey & Dana 2008): Helping an individual student Improving the curriculum Developing more knowledge of the content Experimenting with teaching strategies Exploring the relationship between your personal

beliefs and classroom practice Exploring the connection between your personal

and professional identities Advocating for social justice Understanding the teaching and learning

environment

TIME TO REFLECT!

After viewing our presentation on action research, what nags you about your teaching practices that you’d like to change?

At your table groups, use the questions on the next slide to come up with a possible research question(s) that you could test in your own classroom.

Examples include but are not limited to: teaching method, identifying a problem, examining an area of interest, classroom environment, classroom management, evaluation, etc.

EXAMPLES OF ACTION RESEARCH QUESTIONS

What happens to the quality of student writing when we implement a coding system for grammar errors?

What happens to my students’ ability to do basic multiplication facts when we do a two minute review drill at the start of each class?

How does teaching about gender inequalities affect the perceptions of students towards gender constructs in our society?

ACTIVITY AND CLASS DISCUSSION: WRITE ACTION RESEARCH QUESTIONS PINE (2009)

I would like to improve by __________________. I am perplexed by _____________________. I am really curious about

____________________. Something I really think would make a

difference is _______________________. Something I would really like to change is

____________________. What happens to student learning in my

classroom when I ___________________? How can I implement ______________________? How can I improve _______________________?

CONCLUDING POINTS

Professional development is an important part of being a teacher and action research is a slightly more formalized version of the professional development process used with pre-service teachers.

Action research is a way in which educators can work collaboratively in a teacher-directed professional learning community.

For more resources, check out our blog!www.teachactionresearch.blogspot.ca

REFERENCES

Baralt, M., Pennestri, S., & Selvandin, M. (2011). Using Wordles to Teach Foreign Language Writing. Language Learning & Technology, 15(2), 12-22.

Ferrance, E. (2000). Action Research. Providence, RI, USA. Retrieved November 14, 2012 from http://www.lab.brown.edu/pubs/themes_ed/act_research.pdf

Kemmis, B., & Wilkinson, M. (1998). Participatory Action Research and the Study of Practice. In B. Atweh, S. Kemmis, & P. Weeks, Action Research in Practice: Partnerships for Social Justice in Education (pp. 21-37).

Lucier, R. (2008). Top 20 uses for Wordle. Retrieved November 18, 2012 from http://thecleversheep.blogspot.ca/2008/10/top-20-uses-for-wordle.html

Mertler, C. (2009). Action Research. Thousand Oaks, California, USA: Sage Publications, Inc.

Pine, G. (2009). Teacher Action Research. Thousand Oaks, California: Sage Publications, Inc.Stringer, E. T. (2007). Action Research (3rd ed.). London: Sage Publications, Inc.

Yendol-Hoppey, D. & Dana, N. (2008). The Reflective Educator’s Guide to Classroom Research. Thousand Oaks, California: Corwin Press.

Waters-Adams, S. (2006). Action Research in EducationRetrieved from http://www.edu.plymouth.ac.uk/resined/actionresearch/arhome.htm