Transcript What is Action Research?

Conducting Action Research in
Your School
What is Action Research?
“The development of powers of reflective
thought, discussion, decision and action
by ordinary people participating in
collective research on ‘private troubles’
that they have in common” – Kurt
Lewin, 1934
“A disciplined process of inquiry
conducted by and for those taking the
action. The primary reason for
engaging in action research is to assist
the actor in improving or refining his or
her actions.” – Sagor, 2000
Action Research is
conducted…
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By teachers, administrators, and other school
professionals vs. “researchers”
In the “messiness” of real life in schools and
classrooms vs. settings where variables are
easily controlled
Using descriptive or quasi-experimental
research designs and methods vs. an
experimental design and purely quantitative
methods
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To enable educators to make informed
decisions about how to improve opportunities
for students to learn and to take action vs. to
generate generalizable, statistically significant
research findings
To contribute to a relevant and accessible
knowledge base about teaching vs. speaking
to the purely academic community
Why conduct Action Research?
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To address the complexity of teaching
(Sagor, 2000)
As a powerful source of professional
development (Osterman & Kottkamp,
1993)
To improve student performance, close
the achievement gap (Little, 1982;
Rosenholtz, 1985)
The Four Stages of the Action
Research process [Figure 1.1, pg. 7]:
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Stage 1:Clarifying Vision and Targets
Stage 2: Articulating Theory
Stage 3: Implementing Action and
Collecting Data
Stage 4: Reflecting on the Data and
Planning Informed Action
Stage 1: What do we want to
accomplish?
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Identify “we” – form a team
Identify the goal that will serve as the
focus for your team’s project
Identify achievement targets for your
goal
Finding a focus
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Variety of strategies for identifying your
focus – many are reflected in your
school’s strategic planning process
Consider the goals in your Five-Year
Strategic Plan
Consider the targets you already need
to address
Identifying your achievement
targets and appropriate growth
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Performance targets
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Process targets
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Changes in academic performance
Changes in student behavior
Changes in student attitude/affect
Changes in teaching skills and methods
Changes in school procedures
Program targets
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Changes in curriculum
Changes in offerings
What fits “under the Action
Research umbrella”?
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A focus on action.
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Past action (summative evaluation)
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Present action (formative evaluation)
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Future action (evaluating materials for
adoption)
A real need for action.
You are empowered to take action.
You have the resources to take action.
Improvement is possible.
Refining your focus
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Instructional postmortem
Comparing experiences, considering
context
Collecting insights from colleagues
Conducting a literature review
Exploring existing programs or
strategies
Beginning the process: Stage 1
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September 21 – November 15 complete Stage 1
Identify a goal, a focus for your project
Identify who might serve on your team
Make sure the focus is something your school/your
team cares about
Identify how performance can be improved
Identify the actions your team will need to take to
improve performance
Post description of Stage 1 to the Discussion Board
The Action Research process
continues…
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December 5-6 Meeting
Begin Stage 2: Exploring research and best practices
to provide a strong rationale for the design of your
team’s action research project
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Identify possible strategies for collecting data to inform
action
Begin Stage 3: Implementing the strategy or
strategies your team identifies and collecting data
that will help you see what effect the action is having
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Explore possible strategies for analyzing data and using
results to inform action
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December 7 – January 15 complete
Stage 2
Post description of Stage 2 to the
Discussion Board
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January 16 – March 15 complete Stage
3
Begin implementing the project – taking
action and collecting data
Work with your team to analyze and
reflect on data the team has collected
Post description of Stage 3 to the
Discussion Board
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April 1 – 15 complete Stage 4
Reflect on the data and your goal and
achievement targets to revise your action
plan
Work with your team to write a brief
summary of your project
Using the format used in the Research
Network summaries, complete the Stage 4
Form on the WVCPD website
Sharing Your Project
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April 24 – 25 Meeting
Share project results!