Action Research- A Brief Introduction

amelia.punzalan@up.edu.ph

April 2013

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Runners in action @ University Academic Oval, UP Diliman

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outline

1. history of action research

2. what is action research and what is not action research?

3. types of action research

4. steps in action research

5. benefits of action research

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History of “action research”

Kurt Lewin,

a social psychologist and educator,

is credited

with coining the term

“action research.”

USA, 1940s 4

History of “action research”

Stephen Cory (Teachers College,

Columbia University)

-- first to use action research in education

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History of “action research”

Stephen Cory says--

1. studying the outcome of one’s

teaching would improve one’s daily

teaching practices, and

2. there is a need for teachers and

researchers to work together.

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History of “action research” (AR)

1950s AR was attacked as:

--- unscientific,

--- a bit more than common sense,

and an

--- amateurs’ work…

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History of “action research” (AR)

1950s - research designs and quantitative data

collection methodologies has been the norm…

1970s revival of AR – teachers questioned the

applicability of the above for being—

theoretical and general –

not grounded in practice 8

History of “action research” (AR)

Why science and math education research had little influence on practice?

Two main perspectives: researchers and teachers

a. academic discipline vs classroom culture and

reality

b. Psychostatistical vs myriad variables in actual

research paradigm interaction

(standard --- generalization)

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"Non-professional sweeper" "professional sweeper"

History of “action research” (AR)

As it spreads, action research

is seen with great value, and has taken

many meanings.

(e.g., teacher-based research, classroom

research by teachers, school-based

research, teacher research) 10

What is research?according to Shulman -- is a

family of methods sharing the characteristics of scientific inquiry such as:

1. Evidence and arguments are verifiable or open to examination.

2. Not dependent on human consideration e.g., eloquence or sweet/flowery talk

3. Avoids (as much as possible) and discusses sources of errors in conclusion

4. Can be speculative, creative and inventive.

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Additional characteristics of Research

• Share and publish results and experiences via:

.. Faculty and/or parents’ meetings

.. Conferences, seminars/workshops

.. Journals, newsletters, blogs, internet sites/slide

share, Agίmat

www.curriculum.nismed.upd.edu.ph

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Many studies are currently being undertaken re action research in science and mathematics education.

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14 ACTION RESEARCH in large classes project by DOST-SEI in Ph schools and in science and mathematics classrooms (2011- 2013)

What is action research & what is it not?

√ Action research is …

A tool to help raise science & mathematics education

process where participants systematically examine their own practice using research techniques that aims to inform or improve his/her practices in the future.

NOT a library project

in order to learn more about a topic

NOT a problem-solving activity in

order to see what

is wrong.

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What is action research & what is it not?

√ Action research is … It involves people

working to improve their skills and techniques, and strategies

Learning HOW we ourselves can do things better –

What worked and what didn’t…

NOT doing research on/about people

nor finding information

to answer questions

NOT about learning why we do this or that

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types of action research

Individual

Teacher

Action Research

Collaborative

School-wide Action

Research

District-wide

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Identify a problem

Gather data

Inter-pret data

Action based on

data (interv-ention)

Reflection and planning

Writing/sharing/

publishing

steps in action research

1. Identify a problem area

Some criteria:

- not a yes/no question

- stated in common language

- concise

- meaningful

- no answer yet

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2. Gather data through: -->

Interviews Focus group discussions

Journals, diaries Individual files and Self-assessment

Samples of student work: projects, performances, portfolios

Memos Minutes of meetings

Audio-videotapes Photos Field notes

Case studies Surveys Anecdotal records

Checklists Questionnaires

Records such as tests, report cards, attendance

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3. Interpret Data

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Analyze and identify: Themes Patterns Relationships Important elements Summarize and group/ tabulate quantities Use technology, statistics as needed

4. Action based on data

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-- collected data + current literature review -> plan changes on action -- one variable at a time -> significant Continue to document/collect data …

5. Reflection & Planning

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Evaluate the effects of the action research intervention. Are there pieces of evidence to show clearly that there is improvement? What changes can be made to actions to get better results? As a result of the action research, what are other questions, improvements, revisions and steps that can be pursued by the research team?

6. write and share results & experiences

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Good teachers have always systematically looked at the effects of their teaching on student learning. Mills, E.G. (2000). Action research: A guide for the teacher researcher. NJ: Merril,Prentice Hall. p15

Benefits of Action Research

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Teaching as a Profession - Autonomy in professional judgement - need not be told what to do or not to do by superintendents,

principals, researchers, innovators … - New ideas are welcomed but.. are subject to the

judgement of the teachers themselves. Anything new is subject to adaptation of teachers.

Teachers are in a privilege position to teach well.

Benefits of Action Research

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Professional development - Sense of growth and efficacy - Gain confidence - Self knowledge, PCK, ways

to improve, etc.

Science & Math education development -- team work/collegial interactions -- increased sharing and collaboration -- raise students’ performance -- add to knowledge base, transformation (culture/country)

References

Mills, G.E., (2000). Action Research:A guide for the teacher

researcher. NJ:Merril,Prentice Hall.

Hopkins, D. (2002). A teacher’s guide to classroom

research. NY: Open University Press

Ferrance, E. (2000). Action research. LAB, The Education

Alliance, RI: Brown University

Capobianco, B. & Feldman, A. (2010). Repositioning teacher

action research in science teacher education. J.Sci.

Teacher Education. 21:909-915 DOI 10.1007/s10972-

010-9219-7

Coghlan, D. (2007). Insider action research doctorates: Generating

actionable knowledge. Higher Education. 54:294-306. DOI

10.1007/s10734-005-5450-0

Lim, P.T.H. (2007). Action research for teachers: A balanced model. Proceedings of the

Redesigning Pedagogy: Culture, Knowledge and Understanding Conference, Singapore,

May 2007.

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