Action Research

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Action Research

• Reflections, Opinions, and Examples
• George Reese

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What is action research?

• Among the definitions Action research is
  deliberate, solution-oriented, investigation
  that is group or personally owned or conducted.
  It is characterized by spiraling cycles of
  problem identification, systematic data
  collection, reflection, analysis, data driven
  action taken, and, finally, problem
  redefinition. Johnson (1993)

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What are the methods?

• Qualitative, such as case studies or ethnographic
  observations
• Quantitative, such as experimental designs with
  control groups and pre/post tests
• Mixtures
• Whichever methods suit the questions being asked

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Examples

• A project that this just beginning Math
  Toolsmathforum.org/mathtools/research/
• A project that is on-going at U of I East St.
  Louis Action Research Projectwww.eslarp.uiuc.edu
• An individual project The electronic other
  by Michael Todd Edwards

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Overview of Todd Edwards Study

• Compared two groups of students, both of whom he
  was teaching, who were studying algebra. One
  group used a Computer Algebra System (CAS) and
  the other did not.
• He wanted to see the effects of CAS on student
  learning.

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Contact information

• Michael Todd Edwards mtedwards_at_jcu.edu

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Another project to check out

• Dialogues in Methods of Education (DIME)
  www.mste.uiuc.edu/DIME/
• Math Tools again
• mathforum.org/mathtools/research/

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Recommended Reading

• Berliner, D. C. (2002). Educational Research
  The Hardest Science of them All. Educational
  Researcher, 31(8), 18-20.
• Bishop, A. P., et al. (1999). Public Libraries
  and Networked Information Services in Low-Income
  Communities. Library Information Science
  Research, 21(3), 36190.
• Bruce, B. C., Easley, J. A. (2000). Emerging
  communities of practice Collaboration and
  communication in action research. Educational
  Action Research, 8(2), 243-259. Available at
  http//www.mste.uiuc.edu/dime/collab_com.html.
• Feldman, A., Capobianco, B. (2000). Action
  research in science education (ERIC Digest
  ED463944). Columbus, OH ERIC Clearinghouse for
  Science, Mathematics, and Environmental
  Education. Available at http//www.ericfacility.ne
  t/ericdigests/ed463944.html.
• Ferraro, J. M. (2000). Reflective practice and
  professional development (ERIC Digest ED449120).
  Washington, DC ERIC Clearinghouse on Teaching
  and Teacher Education. Available at
  http//www.ericfacility.net/ericdigests/ed449120.h
  tml.
• Johnson, B. (1993). Teacher-as-researcher (ERIC
  Digest ED355205). Washington, DC ERIC
  Clearinghouse on Teacher Education. Available at
  http//www.ericfacility.net/ericdigests/ed355205.h
  tml.
• Paley, V. G. (1981). Wally's stories. Cambridge,
  MA Harvard University Press.

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Contact Information for George

• reese_at_uiuc.edu
• 217.333.6604