1. Action Research Designs
Chapter 18
Action Research Designs
John W. Creswell Educational Research: Planning, Conducting, and Evaluating
Quantitative and Qualitative Research, third edition

2. By the end of this chapter, you should be able to:
Define the purposes and uses of action research
Describe types of action research designs
Identify key characteristics of action research
Describe the steps in conducting an action research study
List criteria for evaluating an action research study
John W. Creswell Educational Research: Planning, Conducting, and Evaluating Quantitative and Qualitative Research, third edition

3. What Is Action Research?
Action research is systematic inquiry done by teachers (or other individuals in an educational setting) to gather information about, and subsequently improve, the ways their particular educational setting operates, how they teach, and how well their students learn (Mills, 2000).
John W. Creswell Educational Research: Planning, Conducting, and Evaluating Quantitative and Qualitative Research, third edition

4. When Do You Use Action Research?
When you have an educational problem to solve
When educators want to reflect on their own practices
When you want to address schoolwide problems
When teachers want to improve their practices
When educators want to participate in a research project
John W. Creswell Educational Research: Planning, Conducting, and Evaluating Quantitative and Qualitative Research, third edition

5. How Action Research Developed
Teacher and school inquiries
(teacher-initiated
research studies)
2000s
1990s
School-based
site councils
(school
committees)
Professional inquiry by
teachers (self-study)
1980s
1970s
In-service days (teacher
staff-development activities)
Movement Toward Action Research
John W. Creswell Educational Research: Planning, Conducting, and Evaluating Quantitative and Qualitative Research, third edition

6. Why Action Research Is Important
Encourages change in the schools
Fosters a democratic (involvement of many individuals) approach to education
Empowers individuals through collaboration on projects
Positions teachers and other educators as learners who seek to narrow the gap between practice and their vision of education
Encourages educators to reflect on their practices
Promotes a process of testing new ideas (Mills, 2000)
John W. Creswell Educational Research: Planning, Conducting, and Evaluating Quantitative and Qualitative Research, third edition

7. Types of Action Research Designs
Participatory
Practical
Studying local practices
Involving individual or team-
based inquiry
Focusing on teacher development and
student learning
Implementing a plan of action
Leading to the teacher-as-researcher
Studying social issues
that constrain individual lives
Emphasizing “equal”
collaboration
Focusing on “life-enhancing
changes”
Resulting in the emancipated
researcher
John W. Creswell Educational Research: Planning, Conducting, and Evaluating Quantitative and Qualitative Research, third edition

8. Practical Action Research: Mills (2000) Dialectic Research Spiral
Identify an
Area of Focus
Develop an
Action Plan
Collect Data
Analyze and
Interpret Data
John W. Creswell Educational Research: Planning, Conducting, and Evaluating Quantitative and Qualitative Research, third edition

9. Features of Participatory Action Research
Deliberate exploration of a relationship between the individual and others
Participatory: People conduct studies on themselves
Practical and collaborative
Emancipatory (challenges procedures)
Helps individuals free themselves from constraints found in media, language, work procedures, and power relationships
Reflexive or dialectical: Focused on bringing about change in practices
John W. Creswell Educational Research: Planning, Conducting, and Evaluating Quantitative and Qualitative Research, third edition

10. Stringer’s (1999) Action Research Interacting Spiral
Think
Look
Act
John W. Creswell Educational Research: Planning, Conducting, and Evaluating Quantitative and Qualitative Research, third edition

11. Key Characteristics of Action Research
A practical focus: Researchers study practical issues that will have immediate benefits to teachers, schools, and communities.
The educator-researcher’s own practices: Self-reflective research by the educator-researchers turns the lens on their own educational classroom, school, or practices.
Collaboration between stakeholders
John W. Creswell Educational Research: Planning, Conducting, and Evaluating Quantitative and Qualitative Research, third edition

12. Collaboration Students Community Stakeholders Teachers Collaborative
Administrators
Staff
Teachers
Students
Parents
Community
Stakeholders
Collaborative
Team
John W. Creswell Educational Research: Planning, Conducting, and Evaluating Quantitative and Qualitative Research, third edition

13. Key Characteristics of Action Research
Dynamic process
The process spirals back and forth among reflection, data collection, and action
Does not follow a linear pattern
Does not follow a causal sequence from problem to action
A plan of action
The action researcher develops a plan of action
Formal or informal—involve a few individuals or an entire community
May be presenting data to stakeholders, establishing a pilot program, or exploring new practices
John W. Creswell Educational Research: Planning, Conducting, and Evaluating Quantitative and Qualitative Research, third edition

14. Key Characteristics of Action Research (cont’d)
Sharing research
Groups of stakeholders
Local schools, educational personnel
Local or state individuals
Not specifically interested in publication, but in sharing with individuals or groups who can promote change
John W. Creswell Educational Research: Planning, Conducting, and Evaluating Quantitative and Qualitative Research, third edition

15. Steps in Conducting Action Research
1. Determine if action research is the best design to use
2. Identify the problem to study
3. Locate resources to help address the problem
4. Identify the information you will need
John W. Creswell Educational Research: Planning, Conducting, and Evaluating Quantitative and Qualitative Research, third edition

16. The Problem Is Only One Phase in Which to Enter
Identifying
“Problem”
Collecting
Data
Evaluating
Existing
Data
Taking
Action
Point of
Entry
Point of
Entry
Point of
Entry
Point of
Entry
John W. Creswell Educational Research: Planning, Conducting, and Evaluating Quantitative and Qualitative Research, third edition

17. Taxonomy of Action Research Data Collection Techniques
(The Three Es)
Examining
Using and making
records
Archival documents
Journals
Maps
Audio and
videotapes
Artifacts
Fieldnotes
Passive observer
Experiencing
Through observation
and fieldnotes
Privileged, active
observer
Enquiring
When the researcher
asks
Informal interview
Participant observation
(Active participant)
Structured formal
interview
Questionnaires
Attitude scales
Standardized tests
John W. Creswell Educational Research: Planning, Conducting, and Evaluating Quantitative and Qualitative Research, third edition

18. Steps in Conducting Action Research (cont’d)
5. Implement the data collection
6. Analyze the data
7. Develop a plan for action
8. Implement the plan and reflect
John W. Creswell Educational Research: Planning, Conducting, and Evaluating Quantitative and Qualitative Research, third edition

19. Evaluating Action Research
Does the project clearly address a problem or issue in practice that needs to be solved?
Did the action researcher collect sufficient data to address the problem?
Did the action researcher collaborate with others during the study? Was there respect for all collaborators?
Did the plan of action advanced by the researcher build logically from the data?
Is there evidence that the plan of action contributed to the researcher’s reflection as a professional?
John W. Creswell Educational Research: Planning, Conducting, and Evaluating Quantitative and Qualitative Research, third edition

20. Evaluating Action Research (cont’d)
Has the research enhanced the lives of the participants by empowering them, changing them, or providing them with new understanding?
Did the action research actually lead to change, or did a solution to a problem make the difference?
Was the action research reported to audiences who might use the information?
John W. Creswell Educational Research: Planning, Conducting, and Evaluating Quantitative and Qualitative Research, third edition