action research - kpli

8/3/2019 Action Research - KPLI

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Action ResearchNature of action researchIgnorance is an equal opportunity

experience. And it recognized and openly

acknowledge as such, it can be a catalystfor true collaborative learning-the kind oflearning in which students learn fromteachers, students learn from otherstudents, and teachers learn as much fromstudents as students learn from them.



The obvious benefit of action learning isthat people work on real issues or

problems, carrying real responsibility inreal conditions. Its question-basedapproach to learning differs from much

normal training by teaching them how tolearn from others.Cliff Richards



Action research is undoubtedly the

wave of the future. It is the new wayof looking at the world. It is the newway of changing the world.

Ian Lowe



French and Bell describe ActionResearch as a “process ofsystematically collecting researchdata about an on going systemrelative to some objective, goal, orneed of that system; feeding thesedata back into the system; takingactions by altering selected variables

within the system based both onhypotheses; and evaluating the resultsof actions by collecting more data”



Action Research is a form of self reflectiveenquiry undertaken by participation in social

(including educational) situations in order toimprove the rationality and justice of (a)their own social or educational practices,(b) their understanding of these practices,

and © the situations in which the practicesare carried out. It is most rationallyempowering when undertaken byparticipants collaboratively, sometimes incooperation with outsiders.

(Kemmis, cited in Hopkins, 1985)



Action Research is the systematic study ofattempts to improve educational practiceby groups of participants by mean oftheir own practical actions and by meansof their own reflection upon the effects

of those actions.(Ebbutt, cited in Hopkins, 1989)



Action research aims to contribute bothto the practical concern of people inan immediate problematic situationand to the goals of social science by

joint collaboration within a mutuallyacceptable ethical framework .

(Rapoport, 1985)Research carried out by practitioners

with a view to improving their

professional practice andunderstanding it better.(Cameron-Jones,1983)



It would be argued that 3 conditions areindividually necessary & jointly sufficient foraction research to be said to exist:

1. A project takes as its subject matter asocial practice regarding it as a form ofstrategic action susceptible of improvement;

2. The project proceeds through spiral ofcycles of planning acting, observing andreflecting, with each of these activitiesbeing systematically and self-criticallyimplemented and interrelated;

3. The project involves those responsible forthe practice in each of the moments of theactivity to include others affected by thepractice, and maintaining to collaborativecontrol of the process.

(Carr& Kemmis 1986)



Action Research is an approach toimprove education by changing it and

learning from the consequences ofchanges.Collaborative , a process that involves

key actors so bringing about acommitment to action and change.Data are systematically sought and

recorded and then interpreted inorder to find out what happened whencertain procedures are employed.



Develop through self-reflective spiralcycles of planning acting, observing,

reflecting… then replanning, furtherimplementation, observing andreflecting.

Require systematic inquiry, the practionerbe fully involved in the problem underinvestigation.

Participatory, which typically arises fromthe clarification of some concernsgenerally shared by a group.



People describe their concerns, explorewhat others think, and probe to find

what it might be possible to do. Inthe discussion they decide what it isthat would be feasible to work on agroup project.

It may also start with a hypothesis butcertainly will focuses on situation interms of what is going on.

It also collects data and seeks solutionsor conclusion relevant to the situation.



Open minded about data, not onlykeeping records but also collecting and

analysing own judgements, reactionsand impressions.Involves keeping personal journal in

which to record progress reflectionsabout practices and process.Start small by working through changes

which even a single person can try.



Action

Critical

Reflection

What worked? What didn t? What havewe learned? How might we do itdifferently next time?



Words tend to produce qualitativeinformation. therefore, actionresearch tends to be qualitative.

A cyclic process can be flexible andresponsive.

You can refine your research design asyou learn more about the situation.

AR allow imprecise beginnings whileprogressing towards appropriate

endings. With each cycle they become moreprecise.



Characteristics of Action Researchin Schools

1. Investigates human actions and socialsituations which are experienced byteachers as:

–

Unacceptable in some respects(problematic)

– Susceptible to change (contingent)– Requiring a practical response

(prescriptive)



2. Action research is concerned witheveryday practical problems

experienced by teachers rather thanthe „theoretical problems defined bypure researchers within a disciplineknowledge.

3. The aim of action research is todeepen the teacher s understanding(diagnosis) of his problem. It

therefore adopts an exploratorystance towards any initial definitionsof his situation he may hold.



4. Action research interprets „what isgoing on from the point of view of

those acting and interacting in theproblem situation.5. Since action research looks at a

problem from the point of view of thoseinvolved it can only be validated inunconstrained dialogue with them and

there must be free information flowbetween them.



6. Action research cannot beundertaken properly in the absence of

trust established by fidelity to amutually agreed ethical frameworkgoverning the collection, use and

release of data.

O O CA O A AC O



HOW TO CARRY OUT AN ACTIONRESEARCH?

Deciding on an Area of Focus• should involve teaching and learning.• something that is within your locus of

control.• something that you feel passionate

about.•

something that you would like tochange or improve on.



Explore your own understandings of:• The theories that impact your practice•

The educational values you hold• How your work in schools fits into the

larger context of schooling and society•

The historical contexts of your schooland schooling and how things got to bethe way they are



• The historical contexts of how youcame to believe what it is that you

believe about teaching and learning(Mills, in press)

• Review of Related Literature



Getting Started• Get an action research group together

and participate yourself.• Establish a time line and realistic trial

period.• Be persistent about monitoring.• Those who are involved shared

responsibility for the whole ARprocess.



• Must defined common goals evolvedfrom its need to solve a problem.

•

The goal must be flexible, importantto the group and significant to theorganisational functioning.

•

The goal should be feasible to thoseconcerned.• Group members must be willing to try

out proposed improvements.



Basically the process of action researchconsists of a number of phases:

Initial reflectionPlanningActionObservationReflection

Where possible or appropriate mostprojects go through several cycles ofspiral of the basic phases.



Act

Reflect

Plan

Observe



• To develop a plan of criticallyuniformed action to improve what is

already happening.• To act to implement the plan• To observe the effects of the

critically informed action in thecontext in which it occurs, and• To reflect on these effects as a basis

for further planning, subsequentcritically informed action and soon,through a succession of cycles.



• Planning:Who is going to do what, and bywhen?What are the proposed alterations?

• ActionDo not be afraid to make minordeviations from your plan in thelight of experience and feedback.New insights are likely to arise.



• ObservationDetailed observation, monitoring

and recording enables you to assesthe effect of your action and hencethe effectiveness of the proposed

change.All involve should keep a diary or journal where additional observation

and insights are recorded on aregular basis.



• ReflectionShould reflect critically on what

has happened using the plannedobservations and notes made indiaries.How effective were your changes?What have you learnt?What were the barriers to change?How cqan you improve the changesyou are trying to make in thefuture?



Logs:Similar to diaries but usually are

organised by time allocations forparticular classroom activities. Usuallyinclude some commentary on what is

going on.Portfolios:Collection of materials that are relevant

to the problem or issue underinvestigations.



Questionnaires/Surveys:Collected from students, parents or

teachers about their attitudes andopinions.Structured using multiple-choice

responses, rating scales or open-endedallowing respondents to express opinionsin their own words.

Interviews:Can be informal chat or they can behighly structured with a specific of

questions to be asked.



Tape Recording:Recordings of lessons, meetings, and

discussions can produce large amounts ofuseful information.Video Recording:

It can capture the dynamics of students-teacher interaction during a lesson.Teachers and students can observe their

own behaviour and analyse it with inputfrom peers.



Photographs and Slides:Useful for recording critical incidents in

a classroom. They provide visualreinforcement of data collected bydiaries or logs.

Rating scalesInventories JournalsAttitude scalesStandardized tests Field notes

T i l i



Triangulation• The use of a combination of methods

to study the same phenomena orprograms.

• Increases validity as the strengths ofone method and data type cancompensate for the weakness ofanother method & another type ofdata.



Four basic types of triangulation:• Methods Triangulation•

Data sources Triangulation• Investigator Triangulation• Theory TriangulationMethods TriangulationIn a qualitative study, the three most

commonly used methods areobservation, interviewing and documentanalysis.

• Observations provide a check of what is



Observations provide a check of what isreported in the interviews.

• Interviews permit the observer to gobeyond external behaviour to explore theinternal states of person who have beenobserved.

• Document analysis, however, provides abehind-the –scene look at the programthat may not be directly observable andabout which the interviewer might not askappropriate questions without the leadprovided through the documents.



Triangulation of Qualitative Data Sources• Comparing and cross-checking the

consistency of information derived atdifferent times and by different meanswithin qualitative methods.

Triangulation through multiple observer• Using several interviewers, helps reduce

the potential bias that comes from asingle person and provides means ofmore directly assessing the reliabilityand validity of the data obtained



• For reducing systematic bias in data.• Involves checking findings against

other sources or perspectives.• Triangulation is a process by which

researcher can guard against the

accusation that a study s findings aresimply an artifact of a single method,a single source, or a singleinvestigator s biases.

Validity



Validityvalidity refers to the degree to which

scientific observations actually measureor record what they purport to measure“

(Pelto and Pelto, 1978, p. 33).ReliabilityThe consistency with which our data

measures what we are attempting tomeasure over time.“refers to the repeatability of scientificobservations" (Pelto and Pelto, 1978)



GeneralizabilityAs teacher researchers, we are more

concerned with finding appropriatesolutions to our own problems thanwe are with trying to generalize

what we believe works for us, andour students, to other educationalcontexts.



• Ongoing Analysis and ReflectionAction research projects provide you

with data that can be usedformatively and summatively, that is,during the research and at thecompletion of the research. It iscritical that you "pause" during thestudy to analyze and reflect--to payattention to what you are attendingto and what you are leaving out ofyour study.

D A l i T h i



Data Analysis Techniques• Identify themes•

Code surveys, interviews, andquestionnaires• Ask key questions: who, what, where,

when, why, and how• Do an organizational review of the school• Develop a concept map•

Undertake a problem analysis ofantecedents and consequences

• Display findings (Mills, in press)

D I i



Data Interpretation

Data interpretation is an attempt by the

teacher researcher to find meaning in thedata and to answer the question "Sowhat?"

Focus on the implications or meaning of thefindings (analysis) of the study. Challenge the teacher researcher's taken-

for-granted assumptions and beliefsabout what it is they have investigated.

l



Action Planning Action planning is a natural next step in

the action research process.To plan how to follow through with actionbased on what you learned in yourinquiry.

Developing Action Plans“Based on what I have learned from this

investigation what should I do now?"

"What are the effects of this action onstudent performance?"

Ch ll F i A ti R h



Challenges Facing Action Researchers• we must be prepared to address

(potential) obstacles. These hurdlesinclude a lack of resources, resistanceto change, reluctance to interfere withothers' professional practices,reluctance to admit difficult truths, andthe challenges of finding a forum toshare what you have learned and makingtime for action research endeavors(Mills, in press).



An outline of an action research report• Background/Introduction• Aim of the research• Research question• Limitations of the study• Literature review• Methodology• Data analysis• Conclusion• Reflection• Reference

ff b d l



Differences between TraditionalResearch and Action Research

Sampling procedure

TR : Place a high value on samplingprocedure.

AR : More concern with the particularsubjects they are studying in a specific

situation.



Research design:

TR : A great deal of attention isdevoted to planning the research.

AR : More flexibility in terms ofdesign. Hypothesis tested andmethods to be used are subject tochange as time progress.



Qualification expected

TR : Competency in research design,sampling theory, and statisticalanalysis.

AR : Such knowledge is not as criticalfor action researchers. AR is morequalitative.



Quality

TR : the quality is judge by itspredictive value in generalising to otherpopulations and situations.

AR : Determined by its success inimproving practice in a given situation.

action research - kpli

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