Chapter 24:

Shana Hatzopoulos

Sebrina A. Lindsay-Law

Education 295

Dr. Patricia Johnson

The George Washington University

“Action Research is conducted

by one or more individuals or

groups for the purpose of solving

a problem or obtaining

information in order to inform

local practice.”

(Fraenkel and Wallen, 2009)

(Youtube, 2008)

• Those who use this methodology want to

solve some daily issues, such as:

How to decrease absenteeism;

How to decrease violent incidents;

How to increase parental involvement;

How to increase funding;

How to increase teacher morale.

(Fraenkel and Wallen, 2009)

• Instructional

Strategies (best

practices)

• Performance

Assessments

• 21st Century aspects

• Tiered Educational

Strategies

• Professional Learning Communities

• Differentiated Instruction Practices

• Building School Climate and Culture Aspects

• Closing Achievement

Gaps

• is limited in generalizability because it is

more authentic;

• can be effectively implemented if several

schools are examining the same question;

• does not require complete mastery of

research methods;

(Fraenkel and Wallen, 2009)

• is necessary if there is a problem;

• has to have participation from all

stakeholders that will be effected by the

outcome of the problem;

“A successful Action Research requires a plan that will allow the

researcher to reflect on the best practice and solution.”

(Fraenkel and Wallen, 2009)

Address: A Specific Problem in an institution

Purpose: To improve practice and inform larger issues

Participants: Individuals, Teams, and others involved in the problem

Agenda: Focus remains clear and specific- to experience success this type of action research should have an action plan that will be implemented and looked at for continuous improvement.

(Fraenkel and Wallen, 2009)

Two Purpose: Empower individuals and groups to improve their lives and to bring about social change at some level- school, community, or society.

Empowerment emerges when all stakeholders are on one accord thinking and agreeing on the same strategies, data collection and analysis needs, and interpretation of results.

“PAR is a collaborative approach to research that provides people with the means to take systematic action in an effort to resolve specific problems.”

(Fraenkel and Wallen, 2009)

(Fraenkel and Wallen, 2009)

(Fraenkel and Wallen, 2009)

Step One: IDENTIFYING the

RESEARCH PROBLEM or

QUESTION• EXAMINE THE SITUATION

• CLARIFYING THE PROBLEM OR ISSUE

• DESIRE TO MAKE SOMETHING BETTER

• WATCH COMPLEX ISSUES

• USUALLY NARROW IN SCOPE; BUT CAN BE LARGE AND LONG TERM WITH PARTICIPATION

• LONG TERM EXAMPLE: PROFESSIONAL

LEARNING COMMUNITIES

(Fraenkel and Wallen, 2009)

Step Two: GATHERING the

NECESSARY INFORMATION

• HOW DO WE EXAMINE THE PROBLEM- BY GATHERING STUDIES, EXPERIMENTS, SURVEYS, ASSESSMENTS, INTERVIEWS, AND OBSERVATIONS ARE REQUIRED TO FIND THE RIGHT SOLUTION.

(Fraenkel and Wallen, 2009)

Step Three: ANALYZING and

INTERPRETING the

INFORMATION

• WHAT DOES THE DATA REVEAL TO THE STAKEHOLDERS?

• REFLECT THE PERCEPTIONS OF ALL STAKEHOLDERS.

(Fraenkel and Wallen, 2009)

Step Four: DEVELOPING an

ACTION PLAN• CREATE A PLAN TO IMPLEMENT CHANGES;

• BASED ON THE FINDINGS DEVELOP POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS;

• FORMAL DOCUMENT SHOULD BE PREPARED BUT NOT REQUIRED;

• STUDY MUST HAVE CLEAR DIRECTIONS AND CRITERIA THAT POINTS BACK TO THE ORIGINAL PROBLEM.

(Fraenkel and Wallen, 2009)

Similarities & Differences

Action Research

• Systematic Inquiry

• Goal is to solve problems of local concern

• Carried out by teacher or other local education professional

• Uses primarily teacher-developed instruments

• Less rigorous

• Usually value-based

• Purposive samples selected

• Selective opinions of researcher often considered as data

• Generalizability is very limited

Formal Quantitative & Qualitative Research

• Systematic Inquiry

• Goal is to develop and test theories & to produce knowledge

• Considerable training required to conduct such studies

• Intent is to investigate larger issues

• Carried out by researcher who is not usually involved in local situation Uses primarily professionally developed instruments

• More rigorous

• Frequently value-neutral

• Random samples (if possible) preferred

• Selective opinions of researcher never considered as data

• Generalizability often appropriate

Taken from Table 24.2 (Fraenkel and Wallen, 2009)

Sampling in Action Research

• Focus on only a particular group of individuals

– A teacher’s class

– Some of a counselor’s clients

– An administrator’s faculty

• The sample and the population are identical

• Random sampling is not as critical in schools

– Generalizing is not necessarily likely or desired

(Fraenkel and Wallen, 2009)

Advantages of Action Research

• Action research can be done by almost any professional

• Action research can improve educational practice

• When teachers design their own action research, they can develop more effective ways to practice their craft

• Action research can help teachers identify problems and issues systematically

• Action research can build up a small community of research-oriented individuals with the school

(Fraenkel and Wallen, 2009)

Practical Application of Action Research

• Investigating the teaching of science concepts by means of a comparison-group experiment

• Studying the effect of time-out on a student’s disruptive behavior by means of a single-subject experiment

• Determining what student like about school by means of a survey

Practical Application of Action Research

• Checking for bias in English anthologies by means of a content analysis

• Predicting which kinds of students are likely to have trouble learning Algebra by means of a correlationalstudy

• Comparing two ways of teaching chemistry by means of a causal-comparative study

• Finding out how music teachers teach by means of an ethnographic study

An Example of Action Research

• Ms. DeMaria’s hypothesis

– Male learning-disabled students in elementary schools who receive a systematic program of relaxation exercises would show a greater reduction in off-task behaviors than student who do not receive such a program of exercise

• Groups that received only 4 weeks of “training” actually showed a deterioration in behavior

• Groups that received 8 weeks of “training” showed a marked decrease in off-task behaviors

A Published Example of Action Research

• The questions was “Will physically and verbally aggressive students solve conflicts in a constructive manner if provided with models of pro-social alternative solutions?”

• Quantitative & Qualitative data was collected

• Students were selected based on observations of difficulty with problem-solving

Data Collection Methods

• Student surveys

• Conflict-Resolution Journals

• Tally Sheets

• Observational Notes

(Fraenkel and Wallen, 2009)

Findings

• Incidences of physical and verbal aggression decreased from the first to the eighth week

• Students need to be reminded to refer to the “Wheel of Choice” when conflicts arise

• Students did develop the skills to use more positive strategies for solving conflicts

• Students need time and practice to change negative conflict management habits

(Fraenkel and Wallen, 2009)

Summary of the Nature of Action Research

• Action research is conducted by a teacher, administrator, or other education professional to solve a problem at the local level

• Each of the specific methods of research can be used

• A given research question may be investigated by any one of several methods

• Some methods are more appropriate to a particular question or setting

(Fraenkel and Wallen, 2009)

Assumptions Underlying Action Research

• Participants have the authority to:

– Make decisions

– Improve their practice

– Be committed to continual professional development

– Engage in systematic inquiry

(Fraenkel and Wallen, 2009)

Let’s Do It

References

• Fraenkel, J. R., & Wallen, N. E. (2009). How to design and evaluate research in education. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.

• Crotty, Y. (Producer). (2008). Action research made simple. [Web]. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qg83f72_6Gw&feature=channel