Action Research By: Jenna Ferrara

Why research? Research is important because it suggests improvements for practice. “Educators strive for continual improvement. ...Adding to knowledge means that educators undertake research to contribute to existing information about issues” (p. 4). Creswell (2008)

What is action research? Action research uses quantitative and/or qualitative methods to address a specific, practical issue and seeks to obtain solutions to a problem (Creswell, 2008). According to Mills (2000), action research designs are systematic procedures done by teachers (or other individuals in an educational setting) to gather information about or improve the way their educational setting is run, their teaching, and their student learning. The goal in action research is to improve what is happening in schools.

Key Characteristics of Action Research A practical focus A problem in the educational setting is addressed The researcher’s own practices Looking at what one does in their own classroom Collaboration Co-participants in research A dynamic process Reflect, collect data, try a solution, and then begin again A plan of action Choosing one plan to move ahead with Sharing research Sharing results with coworkers so they may learn and benefit from the research Creswell (2008)

Choosing a focus area Think about your daily teaching in your classroom. Is there any aspect of your teaching that you feel is inefficient? Do you notice any patterns in where students are struggling? Is there a problem that recurs each year with select students that you do not know a solution to? Ex: retelling, inferencing, fluency, etc. Is there any technique that you have seen other teachers utilize that you would like to know more about?

How to conduct action research Step 1: Determine if action research is the best design to use You will need time to collect and analyze data along with experiment with potential solutions to your problem. people who can be co-researchers with you or that are willing to analyze and discuss your findings with you. knowledge of quantitative and qualitative data collection Creswell (2008)

How to conduct action research Step 2: Identify a problem to study You should have a practical problem that you would like to solve. Step 3: Locate resources to help address the problem Once you have the problem, do some digging to see what research has been done in that area. Look at different methods or techniques used to aid your problem area. See if any colleagues have interest in joining your study. Then, choose one you think is manageable and phrase it as your research question. For example: If retelling is your problem area, then you look up potential solutions or techniques that enhance retelling. Once you chose a technique that you would like to try, then formulate a question. Does indexing improve a student’s ability to retell? Creswell (2008)

How to conduct action research Step 4: Identify information you will need Who will be the participants? Will your coworkers be assisting you? Make a plan for how you will gather data. Will you collect qualitative (text analysis) or quantitative (statistical analysis) data The more data you have the better you will understand the problem. Creswell (2008)

How to conduct action research Step 5: Implement the data collection Staying organized is key! Step 6: Analyze the data Keep your analysis manageable. Descriptive statistics are usually enough Step 7/8: Develop a plan for action and Implement the plan and reflect Share what you have learned Decide whether to continue with the technique or move onto another. Creswell (2008)

Questions Are there any questions? My questions for you: Talk with your teams. Is there any aspect of your day/teaching/objectives/grade-level expectations that you are struggling with? How would you go about finding a solution to that problem? Would an action research study help? What kind of data would you collect?

Conclusion I hope that you learned the process to conduct your own action research studies. Do you think you will utilize this information in your classroom? I appreciate your time and participation. If I can help you with action research projects, just let me know! I will guide you through the process.

References Creswell, J. W. (2008). Educational Research: Planning, Conducting, and Evaluating Quantitative and Qualitative Research. Columbus: Pearson Merril Prentice Hall. Mills, G. E. (2003). Action research: A guide for the teacher researcher (2nd ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Merrill/Prentice Hall.