action research eloise forster, ed.d. foundation for educational administration (fea)

ACTION RESEARCH

Eloise Forster, Ed.D.Foundation for Educational Administration (FEA)

What is Action Research?

Action Research is a disciplined process of inquiry conducted by and for those responsible for taking action . . . to assist them in improving and/or refining their actions.

(Institute for the Study of Inquiry in Education)

What is Action Research?

“The process by which practitioners attempt to study their problems scientifically in order to guide, correct, and evaluate their decisions and actions.”

Stephen Covey (1953)

Purpose of Action Research . . .

Building the Reflective Practitioner:

Systematically using data to investigate factors affecting school effectiveness, teaching, and learning fosters continuous professional growth and development


Making Progress on School-wide Priorities:

When a staff shares a commitment to achieving excellence with a specific focus on pedagogical issues, then collaboratively studying their practice will not only contribute to the achievement of the shared goals but also has a powerful impact on teambuilding and program development.


Building Professional Cultures: Helps transform schools into a learning organization by

engaging in independent and collaborative research and share findings with colleagues as a learning community

Team Learning

Multiple action research inquiries occurring simultaneously

The 7-Step Action Research Process . . .

1. Selecting a Focus

Selecting elements of school and instructional practice or aspects of student learning that are worthy of investigation as areas for improvement

Writing a problem statement that clearly articulates the issues and problems related to the selected focus


2. Clarifying Theories

Review of the research and literature to identify the values, beliefs, theoretical perspectives, and effective strategies and practices related to the selected focus for the action research project.


3. Identifying Research Questions

Formulating a set of clearly defined and well articulated research questions related to the problem statement that will guide the inquiry


4. Collecting Data Reasonable validity (the information represents what

the researchers say it does) and reliability (the researchers are confident about the accuracy of the data based on consistent results)

Techniques used to collect data are aligned appropriate for the unique characteristics of the school and student population


5. Analyzing Data

Not reliant on complex statistical calculations

User-friendly procedures help practitioners systematically identify trends and patterns in action research data


6. Reporting Results

Sharing action research supports collegiality and professional contribution to the collective knowledge base regarding school improvement, teaching, and learning


7. Taking Informed Action

Action Planning for improvement of schools, teaching, and student learning based on data analysis that systematically leads to logical findings and informed conclusions upon which one can base actions

Choosing An Action Research Topic . . .

Selection of an appropriate research topic should meet three criteria:

Involves an issue within the scope of the researcher’s authority (educational leadership, teaching, and learning)

Addresses a matter that the educator is personally and passionately concerned about

Involves a matter that will lead to improvement of schools, teaching, and learning

Developing the Problem Statement . . .

Formulating concise questions that address the following:

Who is affected by the problem? (target populations) What is the nature of the problem? (organizational,

instructional, etc.) What is the suspected cause of the problem? What, if anything, is intended to address the problem? What is the primary goal for improvement? What do you need or want to know about the problem?

Data Collection to Answer Research Questions. . .

First, look for data where it already exists.

Think of data as artifacts of evidence of existing conditions.

Consider various types of data to ensure a comprehensive view of what currently exists.

Develop a plan for data collection and analysis.

Respect confidentiality and individual privacy as appropriate.

Types of Data . . .

Student Records Teacher Records Test Data Observational Data (i.e. journals, open-ended

and predefined observation checklists) Anecdotal Data Rating Scales

Creating Data Collection Instruments to Answer Research Questions . . .

Shadowing (observe things from another person’s perspective)

Rating Scales & Rubrics to assess student work

Teacher and Student Journals

Logs

Probes . . .

Digging deeper to find out what is going on under the surface:

Written Surveys

Individual Interviews

Focus Group Interviews

Building a Valid & Reliable Data Collection Plan . . .

Ensuring Validity Are there any factors or intervening variables that

should cause me to distrust this data?

Ensuring Reliability Is this information an accurate representation of reality?

Can I think of any reasons to be suspicious of its accuracy?

Triangulation Use of multiple independent data sources to establish

truth and accuracy

Data Analysis . . .

Based on your Triangulated Data Collection Plan and Matrix, answer two key questions:

What is the story embedded in my data?

What factors significantly influenced this story?

Analysis of Action Research . . .

Raw data can be enormous in scope and requires organization:

Coding and characterizing data (sorting into categories)

Using an Analysis Matrix to sift through and organize data

Make a List of Findings as narrative, factual statements that surfaced during during data sorting

Organize Findings according to Research Questions

Checking Data . . .

When data analysis is nearly complete, an additional validity check is needed:

“Member Checking” -- asking the members of the population being studied for their reaction to the findings

Revisiting Your Theory . . .

After “member checking”, it is time to consider your original theory and contrast it with your data and findings

Revise your theory as needed

Action Planning . . .

Given what I now know, what should I do?

Develop your action plan as an improvement plan for the school, and for teaching and learning based on your data and findings

Action Research Report . . .

Executive Summary

Narrative (Problem Statement, Research Questions, Methodology, Relevant Research and Literature, List of Findings and Conclusions, Action (Improvement) Plan

Presentation of Data (may be included in narrative or appendices, e.g. charts, graphs)

Dissemination . . .

Key questions for sharing with the professional community: Why are you interested in this topic? What are significant factors regarding the setting where

the research was conducted? What were the research questions that guided the study? What were your judgments based upon? What techniques

were used to collect and analyze data? How did the data analysis inform your conclusions? What did you learn? What are you planning to do now?

action research eloise forster, ed.d. foundation for educational administration (fea)

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