Short Guide to Action Research Chpt 3
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Chapter 3 Introduction to Action Research: This chapter defines and describes action research. Action Research can be defined as the systematic and orderly process of studying a real school or classroom situation to understand and improve the quality of actions of instructions. This type of research is used so that teachers can observe their own practices to explore and create solutions for a problem.
There are five/six steps in action research: 1. Ask a question to identify the problem and determine what you want to study. 2. Decide what data should be collected and how often. 3. Collect and analyze data 4. Describe how what you discovered can be applied to the issue. You will create your plan of action based on this. 5. Report and share your findings and plan to take action with others. 6. Some action research will need to put the findings into a theoretical frame work-Literature review
Action research may not always follow a defined procedure you may have to complete the steps in varied order, skip steps, add steps and many times repeat steps. Ten general chacteristics of action research include: 1. Action research in systematic. It is planned and methodical 2. You do not start with an answer. You should not assume the answer to any research question. Your observations need to be analyzed with an unbiased eye. 3. An action research study does not have to be complicated or elaborate to be rigorous or effective. What you do not include can be just as important as what you do include. 4. You must plan your study adequately before you begin to collect data. It is okay to change your plan of observation once you have created and tried it but a plan must exist. 5. Action research projects vary in length. Suggestions: Graduate students 2 weeks minimum, Master’s thesis 2 months/1year 6. Observations should be regular, but they do not necessarily have to be long. Observation must be consistent and planned but not necessarily long 7. Action research project exist on a continuum from simple and informal to detailed and formal. A sample guideline is in chapter 15 8. Action research is sometimes grounded in theory. Relating your action research to existing research can provide a basis for you to understand your own research. 9. Action research in not a quantitative study. Forget what you know about the nature of research. The goal of action research is to understand and from that understanding create solutions. 10. The results of quantitative action research project are limited. It is recommended that quantitative action research be avoided. Due to the small sample size and the variables that are associated with sample groups it will be difficult to apply a plan of action to a large group.
The Importance of Action Research
The Gap between Theroy and Practce
The purpose of action research is to fill the gap that is present between educational research and teacher practice. Research =theories= “best practices for teachers”. If you were every introduced to a strategy that has been proven by the expert to work and then you try it in your classroom and it was completely useless then you understand the gap between educational research and teachers practices.
Teacher Empowerment
Action research can empower teachers. The ability for teachers to collect their own data, and create and implement programs is empowering. When teachers are empowered they understand what they need individually to enhance student achievement. Teachers are placed in charge of their craft and that sense of ownership nurtures pride.
Teacher Inservice and Professional Growth
Action research can be use as or in place of traditional in-service or professional growth. Traditional in-services are generally to short for teachers grasp and apply the new information to their classrooms. While using action research as professional growth has the benefits of allowing teachers to acquire knowledge that directly related to their classroom fosters a willingness to accept new ideas, it allows teacher to expand their pedagogical knowledge and it fosters teachers to become the change agents in their school.
Chapter 3: Introduction to Action Research
This chapter defines action research as the process of studying a real school or classroom situation to understand and improve the quality of actions or instruction. There are five parts to the action research process. The first step is to ask a question, identify a problem, or define an area of exploration. The second step is to decide what data should be collected, how they should be collected, and how often. The third step is to collect and analyze the data. The fourth step is to describe how your findings can be used and applied. And finally, the last step is to report and share your findings and plan for action with others.
According to the chapter there are ten descriptors of action research that might help us to bring this type of research into clearer focus. The research must be systematic. Basically, the data needs to be collected and analyzed in a systematic way. Next, the researcher needs to make sure that he does not start with an answer. The research needs to start with a question and must be answered as an unbiased observer. Thirdly, an action research study does not have to be complicated. It only needs to be well-organized and clear. Next, the researcher must plan the study adequately before he begins. Everything should be scheduled ahead of time. Also, action research projects vary in length. Sixly, observations should be regular, but they do not necessarily have to be long. The researcher only needs enough time to collect the data he needs. Furthermore, action research projects exist on a continuum from simple and informal to detailed and formal. Action research is sometimes grounded in theory. Sometimes it is helpful to relate your research to theory that is already well known to help understand your own research better. Also, action research is not a quantitative study. The researcher is not trying to decide between one thing or the other. The goal is to simply understand. And finally, the results of quantitative action research projects are limited. As researchers, we need to make sure we do not make generalizations to larger populations.
There is an importance of action research. First, it can bridge the gap between theory and practice. Teachers have the opportunity to see real results that are relevant and not just what an expert told them in a professional development meeting. Action research can also give teachers empowerment. When teachers have the opportunity to collect their own data, they can make decisions about their schools and classrooms. And finally, action research can also be used to replace teacher inservices as a means of professional growth and development. Instead of attending a faculty meeting, action research provides teachers with benefits such as helping develop new knowledge directly related to their classrooms, promotes reflective teaching and thinking, expands teachers' pedagogical repertoire, puts teachers in charge of their craft, reinforces the link between practice and student achievement, fosters, an openness toward new ideas and learning new things, and gives teachers ownership of effective practices.
