AU- MAEL Dr. Dan Bertrand Action Research AU- MAEL Dr. Dan Bertrand

Definition of Action Research Is a study conducted by colleagues in a school setting of the results of their activities to improve instruction. It implies that the researchers are practitioners.

Comparison of Traditional vs. Action Research Insert table 20.1

Five Phases of Action Research Phase I- Select Focus Area Phase 2- Conduct a needs assessment Determine common goals for improvement of instruction. Techniques may include: Observations, records, review of teacher and student work, open ended survey, delphi tech., nominal group tech., cause and effect diagrams, flowcharts, pareto charts

Explain Techniques

Phase 3: Design Action Plan template

Phase 4: Carry out Action Plan Implement activities to achieve the goals. Determine ways to observe the progress of the action plan as it is implemented. Techniques which may be used include: Narrative, observation, questionnaries, frequency, performance indicators, etc.

Phase 5: Evaluate Effects and Revise Action Plans Select an evaluation design that will enable you to analyze data, determine whether the objectives have been met, and decide what further actions need to be taken. The design can be quantitative or qualitative or a combination of both. Questions to be answered……

Evaluation Questions to Answer What is the purpose of the evaluation? Who will evaluate? What questions need to be answered? What and how will data be gathered? How will the data be analyzed? How will the evaluation be reported?

Interpretive Action Research Attempt to understand phenomena in schools and the meaning that participants make of those phenomena. Ex.) school culture, classroom implementation of a new curriculum and interaction between students and teachers during classroom discussions, use of a new inquiry based science program.

Interpretive Research Questions What does the teacher experience during inquiry learning? What does the student experience during inquiry learning? How does the teacher describe learning that results from inquiry learning? How does the student describe learning that results from inquiry learning? Gather data by interviews and observation.

Critical Action Research Examines and challenges established, taken for granted way of doing things that support inequity, with an eye towards changing practice to increase equity. External social, economic,and political forces that cause inequity also are examined and ways to overcome those forces are considered. Ex.) High school tracking system

Critical Action Research Questions Whose interests are served by the existance of the tracking system? What cultural values are reinforced by the tracking system? What power relationships are present in the current tracking system? How does the tracking system reflect socio-economic realities in the community that the school serves? Who decides which students are placed in the various tracks?

Questions Critical Action Research Answers Tries to answer questions through repeated cycles of data gathering and dialogue on the meaning of data. Eventually, the researchers begin to focus on a series of questions about changing the system to increase equity. Q) What ways of grouping students will benefit the least advantaged students? Q) How can student grouping promote democracy and social justice?