SchoolBased Action Research

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Chapter 9

• School-Based Action Research

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• The next four slides present links to models of
  action research as presented on the National
  Council for Staff Development web site. Please
  take a few minutes and read through two of the
  studies that you find most appealing.

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Action Research Dissecting My Classroom

• http//www2.alliance.brown.edu/voices/3qrt1999/act
  ref.shtmlJulie Nora. Voices from the Field. The
  Education Alliance at Brown UniversityA middle
  school ESL teacher in Rhode Island relates her
  experiences in using action research, stressing
  the importance of collaboration in effective
  teacher research.

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Collaboration for a Change Teacher-Directed
Inquiry about Student Performance Assessments
PDF

• http//www.mcrel.org/hpc/products/publications_pdf
  s/Collab.Chng.pdfEdited by Elizabeth A. Horsch,
  Audrey M. Kleinsasser, and Elizabeth Traver,
  University of Wyoming, November 1996.Wyoming
  State Department of Education, MCREL, and the
  High Plains Consortium at MCREL.Five
  classroom-based investigations are described in
  detail in this report. Key ingredients in these
  research projects include collaboration at
  several levels, and the involvement of students
  as well as teachers as experts in improving
  classroom learning.

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Changing Omaha Classrooms Collaborative Action
Research Efforts PDF

• http//www.mcrel.org/hpc/products/publications_pdf
  s/COmahaC.pdfEdited by Deborah L. Jordan, Martha
  A. Henry, and John T. Sutton, February
  2000.Omaha Public Schools, MCREL, and the High
  Plains Consortium at MCREL.These twelve teacher
  research studies document first-time teacher
  researchers' work in using their investigations
  to improve classroom practice. Research topics
  include learning styles, block scheduling, and
  increasing student responsibility.

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Excerpts from Language, Discourse, Learning in
Science Improving Professional Practice through
Action Research

• http//www.enc.org/professional/guide/strategies/r
  esearch/document.shtm?inputBYD-002640-ldls_tocAl
  drin E. Sweeney, Kenneth Tobin, 2000.The
  Southeast Eisenhower Regional ConsortiumSeveral
  specific action research studies by science
  teachers are published here. The introduction
  explains the research methodology used in these
  studies.

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Action Research

• Type of practitioner research.
• Used to improve the practitioner's practice.
• Main reason teachers engage in action research
  is to understand and improve their own teaching
  activities.
• Teacher is at the center of action research.

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Action Research

• Also known as
• teacher research.
• practitioner inquiry.
• teachers professional development.
• teacher as researcher.
• and teacher self evaluation.

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Good Action Research is

• systematic
• problem based
• data based
• characterized by a valid approach.

• It shares these characteristics with other forms
  of research.

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Action research differs form other research
because

• It aims to find and correct problems of practice.
• It is designed, conducted, and interpreted by the
  teacher researcher.
• It is value-based rather than value neutral in
  approaching a study.

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Reflection

• Most useful reflections are those grown with
  tangible data.
• Reflections in and after classroom activities
  have limited usefulness other than for forming
  problems to investigate.

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Four steps of action research

• Problem or topic identification.
• Data gathering.
• Decision making.
• Resulting action.

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Topics

• Practice driven.
• Typical topic prompts include
• How can I improve
• Can I make this better if I

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Topics

• Narrow topics are more manageable than broad.

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• Generalization beyond a particular classroom or
  school is not a major concern of most action
  research.

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Traditional vs. Action Research

• Traditional
• Conducted by university professors, scholars, and
  graduate students on experimental and control
  groups.

• Action
• Conducted by teachers and principals on children
  in their care.

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Traditional vs. Action Research

• Traditional
• Conducted in environments where variables cab be
  controlled.

• Action
• Conducted in schools and classrooms.

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Traditional vs. Action Research

• Traditional
• Conducted using quantitative methods to show, to
  some predetermined degree of statistical
  significance a cause and relationship between
  variables.

• Action
• Conducted using qualitative methods to describe
  what is happening and to understand the effects
  of some educational intervention.

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Traditional vs. Action Research

• Traditional
• Conducted to report and publish conclusions that
  can be generalized to larger populations.

• Action
• Conducted to take action and effect positive
  educational change in the specific school
  environment that was studied.

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Data

• Tangible data help foster an objective
  perspective.

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Ways to improve data validity

• Allow students to respond anonymously to
  questionnaires.
• Build a comparison into data collection.
• Develop criteria to identify and narrow the
  specific aspects of practice that will be
  examined.

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• Results of action research are used to plan
  steps needed to be taken to alter and improve
  practice.

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Quantitative aspects of validity

• Use clear criteria to focus data collection.
• Build a comparison into the study.

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Qualitative aspects of validity

• Form validation groups.
• Extent to which teachers and researchers in a
  group concur with the research results and
  changes in practice.