Transcript 18_Action Research Designs

Chapter 18
Action Research Designs
John W. Creswell
Educational Research: Planning, Conducting, and Evaluating
Quantitative and Qualitative Research, third edition
Copyright © 2008 by Pearson Education, Inc.
Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458
All rights reserved.
By the end of this chapter,
you should be able to:
Define the purposes and uses of action research
Describe types of action research designs
Identify key characteristics of action research
Describe the steps in conducting an action
research study
List criteria for evaluating an action research
study
John W. Creswell
Educational Research: Planning, Conducting, and Evaluating
Quantitative and Qualitative Research, third edition
Copyright © 2008 by Pearson Education, Inc.
Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458
All rights reserved.
18.2
What Is Action Research?
Action research is systematic inquiry done by
teachers (or other individuals in an educational
setting) to gather information about, and
subsequently improve, the ways their particular
educational setting operates, how they teach,
and how well their students learn (Mills, 2000).
John W. Creswell
Educational Research: Planning, Conducting, and Evaluating
Quantitative and Qualitative Research, third edition
Copyright © 2008 by Pearson Education, Inc.
Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458
All rights reserved.
18.3
When Do You Use Action Research?
When you have an educational problem to solve
When educators want to reflect on their own
practices
When you want to address schoolwide problems
When teachers want to improve their practices
When educators want to participate in a
research project
John W. Creswell
Educational Research: Planning, Conducting, and Evaluating
Quantitative and Qualitative Research, third edition
Copyright © 2008 by Pearson Education, Inc.
Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458
All rights reserved.
18.4
How Action Research Developed
Teacher and school inquiries
(teacher-initiated
research studies)
2000s
1990s
1980s
School-based
site councils
(school
committees)
1970s
Professional inquiry by
teachers (self-study)
In-service days (teacher
staff-development activities)
Movement Toward Action Research
John W. Creswell
Educational Research: Planning, Conducting, and Evaluating
Quantitative and Qualitative Research, third edition
Copyright © 2008 by Pearson Education, Inc.
Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458
All rights reserved.
18.5
Why Action Research Is Important
Encourages change in the schools
Fosters a democratic (involvement of many
individuals) approach to education
Empowers individuals through collaboration on
projects
Positions teachers and other educators as
learners who seek to narrow the gap between
practice and their vision of education
Encourages educators to reflect on their practices
Promotes a process of testing new ideas (Mills,
2000)
John W. Creswell
Educational Research: Planning, Conducting, and Evaluating
Quantitative and Qualitative Research, third edition
Copyright © 2008 by Pearson Education, Inc.
Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458
All rights reserved.
18.6
Types of Action Research Designs
Action Research
Practical
•Studying local practices
Involving individual or teambased inquiry
•Focusing on teacher development and
student learning
•Implementing a plan of action
•Leading to the teacher-as-researcher
John W. Creswell
Educational Research: Planning, Conducting, and Evaluating
Quantitative and Qualitative Research, third edition
Participatory
•Studying social issues
that constrain individual lives
•Emphasizing “equal”
collaboration
•Focusing on “life-enhancing
changes”
•Resulting in the emancipated
researcher
Copyright © 2008 by Pearson Education, Inc.
Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458
All rights reserved.
18.7
Practical Action Research:
Mills (2000) Dialectic Research Spiral
Identify an
Area of Focus
Develop an
Action Plan
Collect Data
Analyze and
Interpret Data
John W. Creswell
Educational Research: Planning, Conducting, and Evaluating
Quantitative and Qualitative Research, third edition
Copyright © 2008 by Pearson Education, Inc.
Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458
All rights reserved.
18.8
Features of
Participatory Action Research
Deliberate exploration of a relationship between
the individual and others
Participatory: People conduct studies on
themselves
Practical and collaborative
Emancipatory (challenges procedures)
Helps individuals free themselves from
constraints found in media, language, work
procedures, and power relationships
Reflexive or dialectical: Focused on bringing
about change in practices
John W. Creswell
Educational Research: Planning, Conducting, and Evaluating
Quantitative and Qualitative Research, third edition
Copyright © 2008 by Pearson Education, Inc.
Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458
All rights reserved.
18.9
Stringer’s (1999) Action Research
Interacting Spiral
Think
Look
Act
John W. Creswell
Educational Research: Planning, Conducting, and Evaluating
Quantitative and Qualitative Research, third edition
Copyright © 2008 by Pearson Education, Inc.
Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458
All rights reserved.
18.10
Key Characteristics of Action Research
A practical focus: Researchers study practical
issues that will have immediate benefits to
teachers, schools, and communities.
The educator-researcher’s own practices:
Self-reflective research by the educatorresearchers turns the lens on their own
educational classroom, school, or practices.
Collaboration between stakeholders
John W. Creswell
Educational Research: Planning, Conducting, and Evaluating
Quantitative and Qualitative Research, third edition
Copyright © 2008 by Pearson Education, Inc.
Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458
All rights reserved.
18.11
Collaboration
Students
Community
Stakeholders
Teachers
Collaborative
Team
Parents
Staff
Administrators
John W. Creswell
Educational Research: Planning, Conducting, and Evaluating
Quantitative and Qualitative Research, third edition
Copyright © 2008 by Pearson Education, Inc.
Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458
All rights reserved.
18.12
Key Characteristics of Action Research
Dynamic process
– The process spirals back and forth among reflection,
data collection, and action
– Does not follow a linear pattern
– Does not follow a causal sequence from problem to
action
A plan of action
– The action researcher develops a plan of action
– Formal or informal—involve a few individuals or an
entire community
– May be presenting data to stakeholders, establishing
a pilot program, or exploring new practices
John W. Creswell
Educational Research: Planning, Conducting, and Evaluating
Quantitative and Qualitative Research, third edition
Copyright © 2008 by Pearson Education, Inc.
Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458
All rights reserved.
18.13
Key Characteristics of Action Research
(cont’d)
Sharing research
–
–
–
–
Groups of stakeholders
Local schools, educational personnel
Local or state individuals
Not specifically interested in publication, but in
sharing with individuals or groups who can
promote change
John W. Creswell
Educational Research: Planning, Conducting, and Evaluating
Quantitative and Qualitative Research, third edition
Copyright © 2008 by Pearson Education, Inc.
Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458
All rights reserved.
18.14
Steps in Conducting Action Research
1. Determine if action research is the best design
to use
2. Identify the problem to study
3. Locate resources to help address the problem
4. Identify the information you will need
John W. Creswell
Educational Research: Planning, Conducting, and Evaluating
Quantitative and Qualitative Research, third edition
Copyright © 2008 by Pearson Education, Inc.
Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458
All rights reserved.
18.15
The Problem Is Only
One Phase in Which to Enter
Identifying
“Problem”
Collecting
Data
Evaluating
Existing
Data
Point of
Entry
Point of
Entry
Point of
Entry
John W. Creswell
Educational Research: Planning, Conducting, and Evaluating
Quantitative and Qualitative Research, third edition
Taking
Action
Point of
Entry
Copyright © 2008 by Pearson Education, Inc.
Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458
All rights reserved.
18.16
Taxonomy of Action Research Data
Collection Techniques
Action Research
Data Collection Techniques
(The Three Es)
Experiencing
Through observation
and fieldnotes
Participant observation
(Active participant)
Privileged, active
observer
Passive observer
John W. Creswell
Educational Research: Planning, Conducting, and Evaluating
Quantitative and Qualitative Research, third edition
Examining
Enquiring
When the researcher
asks
Informal interview
Structured formal
interview
Questionnaires
Attitude scales
Standardized tests
Using and making
records
Archival documents
Journals
Maps
Audio and
videotapes
Artifacts
Fieldnotes
Copyright © 2008 by Pearson Education, Inc.
Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458
All rights reserved.
18.17
Steps in Conducting Action Research
(cont’d)
5. Implement the data collection
6. Analyze the data
7. Develop a plan for action
8. Implement the plan and reflect
John W. Creswell
Educational Research: Planning, Conducting, and Evaluating
Quantitative and Qualitative Research, third edition
Copyright © 2008 by Pearson Education, Inc.
Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458
All rights reserved.
18.18
Evaluating Action Research
Does the project clearly address a problem or
issue in practice that needs to be solved?
Did the action researcher collect sufficient
data to address the problem?
Did the action researcher collaborate with
others during the study? Was there respect
for all collaborators?
Did the plan of action advanced by the
researcher build logically from the data?
Is there evidence that the plan of action
contributed to the researcher’s reflection as a
professional?
John W. Creswell
Educational Research: Planning, Conducting, and Evaluating
Quantitative and Qualitative Research, third edition
Copyright © 2008 by Pearson Education, Inc.
Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458
All rights reserved.
18.19
Evaluating Action Research (cont’d)
Has the research enhanced the lives of the
participants by empowering them, changing
them, or providing them with new
understanding?
Did the action research actually lead to
change, or did a solution to a problem make
the difference?
Was the action research reported to
audiences who might use the information?
John W. Creswell
Educational Research: Planning, Conducting, and Evaluating
Quantitative and Qualitative Research, third edition
Copyright © 2008 by Pearson Education, Inc.
Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458
All rights reserved.
18.20