C H A P T E R 7

NEXT STEPS & FUTURE CYCLES:DEVELOPING AN ACTION PLAN

Action Research: Improving Schools and Empowering Educators (4/e) Craig A. Mertler SAGE Publications, 2014

DEVELOPING AN ACTION PLAN

• Action plan—formal or informal plan for some type of action, implementation, or revision that follows from the results of an action research project• Formal or informal may depend largely on purpose of project• Informal action plans• Brief statements or simple descriptions of plan to revise or implement new educational

practice• Plan to share results with local audiences

• Formal action plans• Complete written report for presentation or publication

• Plan is strategy for putting into practice changes resulting from action research project

DEVELOPING AN ACTION PLAN

• Possible, and common, outcomes of action research studies:• Greater understanding of situation is developed• New problem is discovered• Plan, program, method is found to be effective• Plan, program, method is found to need modification• Plan, program, method is found to be ineffective

• “Based on what I have learned from my study, what should I do now?”• Note the integration of reflection yet again

DEVELOPING AN ACTION PLAN

• Complete “Steps to Action” chart (see Figure 7.1) as a guide• Levels of action plans:• Individual action planning• Results from individual teacher-researchers engaged in the process• Guided by professional development, leading change in their classroom or school,

coursework, or grant activity• Primary audience is typically the individual teacher

• Conducted the research, but also target of action plan

• Others may still be interested in results

DEVELOPING AN ACTION PLAN

• Team action planning• Action research conducted by teams of teachers• May result from networks of teachers, perhaps in different schools or districts• Typically will share a common area of interest• Sometimes easier to facilitate, since labor is divided up

• Realize that this can also be a disadvantage

• Commitments from all team members is critical

• School-level or districtwide planning• All members of a broader group decide on a common focus within the building or

district• Becomes a communitywide effort for school improvement

DEVELOPING AN ACTION PLAN

• Action planning and REFLECTION• Reflection on where you’ve been, what you’ve learned, and where you’re going• Potential to lead to much more action research/professional development

activities• Important questions:• What were the intended and unintended effects of your actions?• What educational issues arise after examining what you’ve learned about your

practice?

• REMEMBER: all of this has stemmed from systematic inquiry into your own practice

ACTION PLANNING TEMPLATE

• Action Planning for Practice and Next Cycles of Action Research

ACTION RESEARCH CHECKLIST 7

Action Research Checklist 7:

Action Planning for Practice and Future Cycles of Action Research

☐ Revisit your research question(s).

☐ Sketch out an answer to each research question, based specifically on the results of your data analysis.

☐ Spend some time reflecting on the process of conducting action research.

☐ What did you learn about your topic that you didn’t know before you started?

☐ Did you experience any unintended consequences from your action research study?

☐ Did this process force you to reevaluate any preconceptions you may have held about your practice,

your students, or education in general?

☐ List several possible recommendations or ideas for changes to your practice that might result from your

action research study.

☐ List several possible recommendations or ideas for your next cycle of action research.