Adapted from Anne Burns by Karen Bueno

What is Action Research?  Parsons &Brown (2002) define Action Research as “a form of investigation designed for use by teachers to attempt to solve problems and improve professional practices in their own classrooms”.  In other words, it is the act of exploring the needs of the teaching context.

In order to carry out a successful action research, considerations such as questioning and self-reflexion should be taken into account for the later development of new ideas and alternatives.

Action Research (AR) Process  The Cyclical AR Model based on Remmis and McTaggart (1988) explains its process:  Planning  Action  Observation  Reflection

Planning  Identify the problem or issue.  Develop a plan of action in order to improve it. Consider: Possible kind of investigation Possible potential improvements

Action  Deliberate, critically informed interventions over an agreed period of time.  Plan new and alternative ways of doing things.

Observation  Observe the action effects  Document context, actions and opinions of the people involved. Note: Be ”open-minded” and “open- minded”

Reflection  Reflect on, evaluate and describe the action effect.  Decide to do further cycles of AR to improve situation even more.  Share your research

Action Research Examples

The Perceptions of Students toward Online Learning at a Midwestern University: What are Students Telling Us and What Are We Doing About It?  “This action research explored attitudes and perceptions of students at a Midwestern university enrolled in at least one fully online course during fall Our objective was to initiate a study that gathered comprehensive information about the diversity of the online phenomenon at our university so that we could seek improvement as online designers and professors and subsequently share our findings with other instructors on campus who teach students within the targeted population. The study focused on student perspectives toward web-based instruction and student expectations and experiences in the areas of course format; technological support; interaction with faculty and peers; course flexibility and pace; assessment and feedback; and overall communication.An electronic survey blended a quantitative component in the form of 23 fixed response items with a qualitative element accomplished through two narrative response questions. For such responses, content analysis was employed to compress many words of text into fewer content categories based on explicit rules of coding. A total of 1,085 participated, with numbers varying for individual survey items. The critical themes that emerged spoke to the necessity for clear instructions, timely responses, instructor availability, and an overall course design that integrates appropriate, yet not overpowering, technology.” (Huss, 2013)

The Scholarship of Teaching and Learning within Action Research: Promise and Possibilities  “Herein the idea that Action Research (A.R.) and the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SOTL) are very much related is explored. For instance, educational action research demands a series of commitments; it is a journey of self, through reflective inquiry, that is social. We do it to improve our teaching and self. We desire to improve praxes (practices) and understanding within the contexts in which these understandings are implemented. The action can be described as a quest to improve just as the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SOTL) can be viewed as a systematic, even recursive effort to illuminate, improve and grow through dialogue, reflection and often strategic self-study which eventually is made public and shared.” (Ryan, 2013)

References  Parsons, Rick D., and Kimberlee S., Brown, Teacher as Reflective Practitioner and Action Researcher. Belmont, Calif.:Wadsworth/Thomson Learning.  Burns, A., Doing Action Research in English Language Teaching: A Guide for Practitioners (Online) New York and London: Routledge. Available at: 1/Doing%20Action%20Research%20in%20English%20Language%20Teaching.p dfhttp://lenguas.ujed.mx/virtualtutors/pluginfile.php/8276/mod_resource/content/ 1/Doing%20Action%20Research%20in%20English%20Language%20Teaching.p df (Accessed February 18, 2014)  Ryan, Thomas G.. (2013). The Scholarship of Teaching and Learning within Action Research: Promise and Possibilities. i.e.: inquiry in education: Vol. 4: Iss. 2, Article 3. Available at:  Huss, John A. and Eastep, Shannon. (2013). The Perceptions of Students toward Online Learning at a Midwestern University: What are Students Telling Us and What Are We Doing About It?. i.e.: inquiry in education: Vol. 4: Iss. 2, Article 5. Available at: