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 Simplehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qg83f72_6Gw
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)
ACTION RESEARCH INTERACTING SPIRALERNEST STRINGER (2007)
LEWIN’S ACTION RESEARCH SPIRAL(MERTLER, 2009)
CALHOUN’S ACTION RESEARCH CYCLE(MERTLER, 2009)
BACHMAN’S ACTION RESEARCH CYCLEMERTLER (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: http://www.xtranormal.com/watch/13909812/action-research
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
18 students in an intermediate-level Spanish FL class at a private research university
Attended class three times per week for fifty minutes each
Studied Spanish writing and grammar Students wrote 4 major compositions per
semester
IDENTIFY THE PROBLEM
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
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
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
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 for professional development presentations
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?
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 you 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.
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
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?
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. Action research is a slightly more formalized version of the professional development process used with pre-service.
Action research is a way in which teachers can work collaboratively in a teacher-directed 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
Lucier, R. (2008). Top 20 uses for Wordle. Retrieved 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.
Sowa, P. A. (2009). Understanding our learners and developing reflective practice: Conducting action research with English Language Learners. Teaching and Teacher Education, 25(8), 1026-1032.
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
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