The Action Research method is a cyclical process, an ongoing, systematic study and reflective investigation of a particular problem. There are six major steps involved, the first of which is to identify and limit the focus area, bearing in mind thatcareful planning is required to limit false starts and frustrations. Identify a problem which needs to be addressed and gather preliminary information by reading existing data, related research literature and checking the internet for related topics. You can then decide upon a particular question which will form the foundation for your research. An important guideline in choosing a question is to ask if it is something over which the teacher has influence, is it something of interest and worth the time and effort that will be spent? Sometimes there is a discrete problem that is readily identifiable. Or, the problem to be studied may come from a feeling of discomfort or tension in the classroom, (Ferrance, E.) The next five slides will give a more in-depth look at the methodology of conducting Action Research.
The next step is to develop a research plan, deciding upon which data collection techniques you will use, the timescale involved and who to include in the research. Do you wish to employ quantitative methods of data collection, (that which can be quantified) or qualitative methods, (narrative data). It may be appropriate to employ a combination of methods. Who is to be involved in the research - Children, Teachers, Parents? How many participants should be included? At this point you need to consider the question of ethics and ensure that all those involved give their permission. You should be certain that your research does not breach ethical guidelines and does not do harm to the children involved. You must, 1. Keep your supervisor informed, 2. Be tentative in your conclusions, 3. Ensure that you have adequate training to administer tests, 4. Be sensitive to children’s perspectives, 5. Maintain confidentiality, (McDevitt and Ormrod, pg. 58).
Gathering data is vital in deciding what action is to be taken. In your research plan you may have decided to incorporate at least three methods of data collection, known as ‘triangulation’ which is helpful because multiple sources of information give a better understanding of what is happening in your classroom / school. You should select sources of data most appropriate to your research – it must be relevant. There are numerous sources of data: ‘Quantitative’ sources such as test scores, attendance records and demographic statistics are useful because they are generally objective and easy to count and interpret, whereas ‘Qualitative’ sources such as interviews, observations, questionnaires, case studies and samples of students’ work are equally useful because they demonstrate subjective ideas, opinions, thoughts and feelings. In each case, data collection must be systematic and structured, truthful and unbiased.
The purpose of analysis is reduce the mountain of data collected into manageable sets of information to facilitate understanding and draw conclusions, remembering that it is crucial that the analysis of data must match the research question. To do this, you should follow four processes – Sort, Sift, Discard, Catalogue, asking the questions, ‘what are the themes?’ and ‘how much data supports these themes?’. (Sagar, 1992). Quantitative data and qualitative data should be analysed using different methods. Quantitative data may be formed into statistics which can be examined and compared, whereas qualitative data is best analysed by looking for patterns, categories and themes, (Mertler, 2006) and organising into tables. The key lies in "looking systematically at all the data collected to see what trends or patterns emerge and what conclusions, if any, can be drawn"(Sagor, 1992). You need to ensure that the new data you producefrom the data you have analysed, is valid and reliable, accurate and free from personal bias.
The Action Plan is an instrument of change and different levels of action may apply. Based upon the original study and analysed data, it may be appropriate to implement change on a individual, collaborative or school-wide basis. The action plan allows you to implement and study change and in every case it must be structured and documented. It is advisable that only one variable is altered at a time in order to determine which action is responsible for the outcome, (Ferrance, E.) and therefore you should proceed with caution before enthusiastically implementing multiple strategies or interventions. Data should continue to be collected, using the same methods as in the collection of the original data, whilst the new plan is in progress in order to reliably evaluate the effects of the plan.
Critical and systematic reflection and review allows the researcher to determine how effective or ineffective the action plan has been and decide what further action is necessary. The following questions should be asked: What did we intend to do? What actually happened? Why did this happen? What will we do next time? Does the data clearly provide supporting evidence for any improvement observed? If not, what changes need to be made in order to achieve better results? An equally important part of Action Research is to share and communicate your results with other educators who may be interested in, and benefit from your study. Results may be shared informally among your colleagues or through a presentation at a staff meeting. More formal presentation, which can include written summaries, may be made to school boards, principals, students and parents, (Mertler 2006) and results may be reproduced in various written forms and circulated appropriately among colleagues, school boards, students and parents.
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