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.
18.2
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,
Copyright © 2008 bythird edition
Pearson Education, Inc.
Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458
All rights reserved.
18.3
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,
Copyright © 2008 bythird edition
Pearson Education, Inc.
Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458
All rights reserved.
18.4
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,
Copyright © 2008 bythird edition
Pearson Education, Inc.
Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458
All rights reserved.
18.5
How Action Research
Developed
2000s
Teacher and school inquiries
(teacher-initiated
research studies)
1990s School-based
Professional inquiry by
site councils
teachers (self-study)
(school
1980s committees)
1970s In-service days (teacher
staff-development activities)
John W. Creswell
Movement Toward Action Research
Educational Research: Planning, Conducting,
and Evaluating Quantitative and Qualitative
Research,
Copyright © 2008 bythird edition
Pearson Education, Inc.
Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458
All rights reserved.
18.6
Types of Action Research
Designs Action Research
Practical Participatory
•Studying local practices •Studying social issues
Involving individual or team- that constrain individual lives
based inquiry •Emphasizing “equal”
•Focusing on teacher development and collaboration
student learning •Focusing on “life-enhancing
•Implementing a plan of action changes”
•Leading to the teacher-as-researcher •Resulting in the emancipated
John W. Creswell
researcher
Educational Research: Planning, Conducting,
and Evaluating Quantitative and Qualitative
Research,
Copyright © 2008 bythird edition
Pearson Education, Inc.
Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458
All rights reserved.
Mills (2000) Dialectic Research
18.7
Spiral
Identify an
Area of Focus
Develop an
Collect Data
Action Plan
Analyze and
John W. Creswell
Interpret Data
Educational Research: Planning, Conducting,
and Evaluating Quantitative and Qualitative
Research,
Copyright © 2008 bythird edition
Pearson Education, Inc.
Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458
All rights reserved.
Features of
18.8
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,
Copyright © 2008 bythird edition
Pearson Education, Inc.
Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458
All rights reserved.
18.9
Stringer’s (1999) Action
Research
Think Interacting Spiral
Look
Act
John W. Creswell
Educational Research: Planning, Conducting,
and Evaluating Quantitative and Qualitative
Research,
Copyright © 2008 bythird edition
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 educator-
researchers 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,
Copyright © 2008 bythird edition
Pearson Education, Inc.
Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458
All rights reserved.
18.11
Collaboration
Students
Community
Teachers Stakeholders
Collaborative
Team
Parents
Staff
Administrators John W. Creswell
Educational Research: Planning, Conducting,
and Evaluating Quantitative and Qualitative
Research,
Copyright © 2008 bythird edition
Pearson Education, Inc.
Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458
All rights reserved.
18.12
Key Characteristics of Action
Dynamic process
Research
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,
Copyright © 2008 bythird edition
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,
Copyright © 2008 bythird edition
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,
Copyright © 2008 bythird edition
Pearson Education, Inc.
Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458
All rights reserved.
18.15
The Problem Is Only
One Phase in Which to Enter
Evaluating
Identifying Collecting Taking
Existing
“Problem” Data Action
Data
Point of Point of Point of Point of
Entry Entry Entry John W.Entry
Creswell
Educational Research: Planning, Conducting,
and Evaluating Quantitative and Qualitative
Research,
Copyright © 2008 bythird edition
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)
Examining
Experiencing Enquiring Using and making
Through observation When the researcher records
and fieldnotes asks Archival documents
Participant observation Informal interview Journals
(Active participant) Structured formal Maps
interview Audio and
Privileged, active Questionnaires videotapes
observer Attitude scales Artifacts
John W. Creswell
Educational
Standardized tests Research: Planning, Conducting,
Fieldnotes
Passive observer and Evaluating Quantitative and Qualitative
Research, third edition
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,
Copyright © 2008 bythird edition
Pearson Education, Inc.
Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458
All rights reserved.
18.18
Does the project clearly address a problem or
Evaluating Action Research
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,
Copyright © 2008 bythird edition
Pearson Education, Inc.
Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458
All rights reserved.
