Benguet State University

College of Arts and Sciences

DEPARTMENT OF HUMANITIES
GRADUATE SCHOOL

ACTION RESEARCH

Name of Reporters:
Elizabeth C. Fetalvero
Genelyn B. Viloria
Candylyn Are
Valentina Atiwag

Subject: Lang 397 (Qualitative Research)

Propesor: Dr. Jhordan Cuilan

What is Action Research?

‘It is done by systematically collecting data on your everyday practice and
analysing it in order to come to some decisions about what your future practice should
be.’
(Wallace, 1998:4)

Action research specifically refers to a disciplined inquiry done by a teacher with

the intent that the research will inform and change his or her practices in the future. This
research is carried out within the context of the teacher’s environment—that is, with the
students and at the school in which the teacher works—on questions that deal with
educational matters at hand. While people who call for greater professionalization say
that teachers should be constantly researching and educating themselves about their
area of expertise, this is different from the study of more educational questions that
arise from the practice of teaching. Implicit in the term action research is the idea that
teachers will begin a cycle of posing questions, gathering data, reflection, and deciding
on a course of action. When these decisions begin to change the school environment, a
different set of circumstances appears with different problems posed, which require a
new look. Indeed, many action research projects are started with a particular problem to
solve, whose solution leads into other areas of study. While a teacher may work alone
on these studies, it is also common for a number of teachers to collaborate on a
problem, as well as enlist support and guidance from administrators, university scholars,
and others. At times, whole schools may decide to tackle a school-wide study to
address a common issue, or join with others to look at district-wide issues.

Features of Action Research

 Contextualised, small-scale and local

 Evaluative and reflective
 Aims to bring about change
 Changes are based on the collection of data which provides impetus for change
 Cyclical.
(Adapted from Burns, 1999:30)

How to do Action Research

 Develop a plan of critically informed action to improve what is already happening

 Act to implement the plan
 Observe the effects of critically informed action on the context in which it occurs
and
 Reflect on the effects as the basis for future planning.
(Kemmis and McTaggart, 1988:10, cited in Burns, 1999:32)

Action research is participative and collaborative; it is undertaken by individuals

with a common purpose.

 It is situation-based and context specific.

 It develops reflection based on interpretations made by the participants.
 Knowledge is created through action and at the point of application.

Action research can involve problem solving, if the solution to the problem leads
to the improvement of practice

 In action research findings will emerge as action develops, but these are not
conclusive or absolute

Types of Action Research

Practical Action Research- enhances the practice of education through the systematic
study of a local problem.
Examples :
 An elementary teacher studies the disruptive behavior of a child in her
classroom.
 A college instructor studies his professional development using technology in
teaching.

Participatory Action Research

 collaborative and community- based research
 contributes to emancipation or change.
 addresses the social problems that constrain and repress the lives of students
and educators.
Examples:
 Curricula that deny students enrolment.
 Assessments that serve to confirm student failure rather than learning.
 K-12 classroom interactions that silence and quiet the voices of certain students.
 Inequitable distribution of college faculty salaries that favour men over women.

Steps in Action Research

Within all the definitions of action research, there are four basic themes:
empowerment of participants, collaboration through participation, acquisition of
knowledge, and
social change. In conducting action research, we structure routines for continuous
confrontation with data on the health of a school community. These routines are loosely
guided by movement through five phases of inquiry

1. Identification of problem area

2. Collection and organization of data
3. Interpretation of data
4. Action based on data
5. Reflection

IDENTIFY A PROBLEM AREA

Teachers often have several questions they wish to investigate; however, it is
important to limit the question to one that is meaningful and doable in the confines of
their daily work. Careful planning at this first stage will limit false starts and frustrations.
There
are several criteria to consider before investing the time and effort in “researching” a
problem. The question should

 be a higher-order question—not a yes/no

• be stated in common language, avoiding jargon
• be concise
• be meaningful
• not already have an answer

An important guideline in choosing a question is to ask if it is something over

which the teacher has influence. Is it something of interest and worth the time and effort
that will be spent? Sometimes there is a discrete problem that is readily identifiable. Or,
the problem to be studied may come from a feeling of discomfort or tension in the
classroom. For example, a teacher may be using the latest fashionable teaching
strategy, yet not really knowing or understanding what or how kids are learning.

GATHER DATA
The collection of data is an important step in deciding what action needs to be taken.
Multiple sources of data are used to better understand the scope of happenings in the
classroom or school. There are many vehicles for collection of data:
- interviews
- portfolios
- diaries
- field notes
- audio tapes
- photos
- memos
- questionnaires
- focus groups
- anecdotal records
- checklists
- journals
- individual files
- logs of meetings
- videotapes
- case studies
- surveys
- records – tests, report cards, attendance
- self-assessment
- samples of student work ,projects, performances

Select the data that are most appropriate for the issue being researched. Are the data
easy to collect? Are there sources readily available for use? How structured and
systematic will the collection be? Use at least three sources (triangulation) of data for
the basis of actions. Organize the data in a way that makes it useful to identify trends
and themes. Data can be arranged by gender, classroom, grade level, school, etc.

INTERPRET DATA
Analyze and identify major themes. Depending upon the question, teachers may
wish to use classroom data, individual data, or subgroup data. Some of the data are
quantifiable and can be analyzed without the use of statistics or technical assistance.
Other data, such as opinions, attitudes, or checklists, may be summarized in table form.
Data that are not quantifiable can be reviewed holistically and important elements or
themes can be noted.

■ ACT ON EVIDENCE
Using the information from the data collection and review of current literature,
design a plan of action that will allow you to make a change and to study that change. It
is important that only one variable be altered. As with any experiment, if several
changes are made at once, it will be difficult to determine which action is responsible for
the outcome. While the new technique is being implemented, continue to document and
collect data on performance.

■ EVALUATE RESULTS
Assess the effects of the intervention to determine if improvement has occurred.
If there is improvement, do the data clearly provide the supporting evidence?
If no, what changes can be made to the actions to elicit better results?

Benefits of Action Research

Action research can be a worthwhile pursuit for educators for a number of

reasons. Foremost among these is simply the desire to know more. Good teachers are,
after all, themselves students, and often look for ways to expand upon their existing
knowledge.

Focus on school issue, problem, or area of collective interest

Research done with the teacher’s students, in a setting with which the teacher is
familiar, helps to confer relevance and validity to a disciplined study. Often, academic
research is seen as disconnected from the daily lives of educators. While this might not
always be true, it can be very helpful for teachers to pick up threads suggested in
academic circles, and weave them in to their own classroom. It is also comforting for
parents, or education administrators outside of the school, to know that a teacher is not
just blindly following what the latest study seems to suggest, but is transforming the
knowledge into something meaningful.

Form of teacher professional development

Research and reflection allow teachers to grow and gain confidence in their work.
Action research projects influence thinking skills, sense of efficacy, willingness to
share and communicate, and attitudes toward the process of change. Through action
research, teachers learn about themselves, their students, their colleagues, and can
determine ways to continually improve.

Collegial interactions

Isolation is one of the downsides of teaching. Teachers are often the sole adult in a
room of children, and have little or no time scheduled for professional conversations
with others. Action research in pairs or by teams of teachers allows time to talk with
others about teaching and teaching strategies. By working on these teams, teachers
must describe their own teaching styles and strategies and share their thoughts with
others. As a team they examine various instructional strategies, learning activities, and
curricular materials used in the classroom. Through these discussions with colleagues
they develop stronger relationships. As the practice of action research becomes part of
the school culture, we see increased sharing and collaboration across departments,
disciplines, grade levels, and schools.

Potential to impact school change

As teachers get into action research, they are more apt to look at questions that
address school and district concerns rather than questions that affect the individual
teacher. This process creates new patterns of collegiality, communication, and sharing.
Contributions to the body of knowledge about teaching and learning may also result.
Development of priorities for school-wide planning and assessment efforts arise from
inquiry with potential to motivate change for improvement’s sake.

Reflect on own practice

Opportunities for teachers to evaluate themselves in schools are often few, and usually
happen only in an informal manner. Action research can serve as a chance to really
take a look at one’s own teaching in a structured
manner. While the focus of action research is usually the students, educators can also
investigate what effect their teaching is having on their students, how they could work
better with other teachers, or ways of changing the whole school for the better.
Conversations can take on a different focus from attempting to “fix” to arriving at
understanding.

Improved communications

Team work within the school or district brings individuals together for a shared purpose.
Educators involved in
action research become more flexible in their thinking and
more open to new ideas (Pine, 1981). Studies by Little
(1981) suggest positive changes in patterns of collegiality,
communication, and networking

Ethical Considerations
 Make sure that the relevant persons, committees and authorities have been
consulted, and that the principles guiding the work are accepted in advance by
all.
 All participants must be allowed to influence the work, and the wishes of those
who do not wish to participate must be respected. 
 The development of the work must remain visible and open to suggestions from
others.
 Permission must be obtained before making observations or examining
documents produced for other purposes.  
 Descriptions of others’ work and points of view must be negotiated with those
concerned before being published.

 The researcher must accept responsibility for maintaining confidentiality

 Decisions made about the direction of the research and the probable outcomes
are collective
 Researchers are explicit about the nature of the research process from the
beginning, including all personal biases and interests
 There is equal access to information generated by the process for all participants

 The outside researcher and the initial design team must create a process that
maximizes the opportunities for involvement of all participants.

References
Johnston, R.. 2002. “Addressing the age factor: some implications for language policy”.
Council of Europe. Available at
http://www.coe.int/t/dg4/linguistic/Source/JohnstoneEN.pdf
Robinson, P..1997. “State of the Art: SLA Research and Second Language Teaching”.
The Language Teacher Online 21/7. Available at http://jalt-
publications.org/tlt/files/97/jul/robinson.html
O'Brien, R. (2001). Um exame da abordagem metodológica da pesquisa ação [An
Overview of the Methodological Approach of Action Research]. In  Roberto Richardson
(Ed.), Teoria e Prática da Pesquisa Ação [Theory and Practice of Action
Research]. João Pessoa, Brazil: Universidade Federal da Paraíba. (English version)
Available: http://www.web.ca/~robrien/papers/arfinal.html (Accessed 20/1/2002