MODULE 4

THE ACTION RESEARCH PROCESS

Desired Learning Outcomes:

At the end of the lesson, the students must have:

1. discussed the process for conducting Action Research.

2. evaluated the process of the different Action Research done in school.

Introduction

Action research is an interactive method of collecting information which is used to

explore topics of teaching, curriculum development, and student behavior in the classroom.
There are different ways on how to conduct action research. It can be done individually or with
several people which is collaborative, and it can also be school-wide in some cases.

The Action Research process can be described as a series of five interrelated processes.

Planning

Identifying
Acting
Action

Reflecting Observing

Figure 1. The Action Research Process

Planning
✓ Identifying the topic
✓ Write a good introduction or rationale for the study
✓ Identify the research questions
✓ Write the literature review
✓ Plan the methodology, data gathering procedure, and data analysis procedure
✓ Identify the research participants
✓ Develop the research tools that will be used
Acting
✓ Implementing the research plan
✓ Collecting data
✓ Reflecting on the process and making necessary revisions

Observing
✓ Analyze results
✓ Collating findings
✓ Discussing and providing interpretation of the results

Reflecting
✓ Evaluating the process
✓ Reflecting on the findings
✓ Developing recommendations for the improvement

Identifying Action
✓ Sharing the findings with colleagues
✓ Planning actions for the recommendations
✓ Implementing recommendations

Methods of Action Research (How to Collect Data)

There are many methods on how to conduct action research. Some of the methods
include:

• Observing individuals or groups

• Using audio and video tape recording
• Using structured or semi-structured interviews
• Taking field notes
• Using analytics
• Using or taking photography
• Distributing surveys or questionnaires

Researchers can also use more than one of the methods above to assist them in
collecting rich and meaningful data.
Below are examples of action research being used in the field of education. The first
example discusses observation as the method of choice for collecting data in the classroom. The
second example used surveys as the method of choice for collecting data. The cycle of action
research is emphasized in each of the examples.
Observation Example (Individual Action Research)
Planning: Identify the Problem/Topic
You are a grade 10 teacher and have identified a problem in your classroom. The
problem is that your students do not have much experience working in group work, and you
believe that they need to have more opportunities to do so. You want to assess the skill set of
your students and observe their overall approach to group work. By doing this, you feel that
next time you offer group work, you will have some new insight into what works well and what
needs improvement regarding conducting group work in your class.
Planning: Devise a Plan on your methodology, data collection, etc

Your plan includes having your students work together in groups for their upcoming
science project. By doing this, you hope to explore a variety of information, such as how the
students brainstorm together, how they interact with each other and how they distribute work
among the task groups. You provide them an instruction sheet and a time frame to work from.
Acting: Act to Implement a Plan

You act by assigning your students into groups and having them work through their
science projects. This step can also be thought of as initiating and carrying out the plan.
Observing:

During this step of the action research process, you observe the groups of students
working together. You take note on how they are progressing and what types of issues they are
having, watch them brainstorm and form interesting ideas and even observe some students not
getting along, arguing, and not participating altogether. This is the observation and data
collection phase.
Reflecting and Identifying Action

This final step is the end point of action research... however, it also might be the
beginning! You have noticed that throughout the whole week of observing and watching your
students work together, there were some things that just weren't working. You have also
noticed some things that were working really well! Either way, this is the step where you
determine if the plan needs to be observed again with some modifications or if the plan worked
perfectly.
Survey Example (Collaborative Action Research)
Planning: Identify the Problem

You are a third-grade teacher and have been asked to be a part of a collaborative action
research project at your school. The primary project organizer has explained that a problem
exists regarding a large majority of the third-grade students not completing assigned
homework. You are asked to be a part of an action research project where surveys are created
and sent home to the parents asking for their thoughts on the issue. You and your team of
researchers hope to identify reasons why students are not completing their homework and then
be able to share the results with all staff at your school to garner some conversation on how to
improve the problem.
Planning:

The plan includes creating a survey where both open-ended and multiple-choice
questions are used. You will work with three other third grade teachers to determine the best
choice of questions and layout of the survey. Once the surveys are completed, you will ask the
school principal to review the surveys and assist in distributing them through the mail to all
parents of children in the third grade at your school.
Acting:

You act by working with the other teachers, completing the surveys and having the
school principal assist in mailing them out to all parents of the third-grade students.
Observing:

After a few weeks have passed, the surveys are starting to be returned. You and your
team of researchers (your colleagues) go through the surveys, take notes, organize the
responses into categories and share in the task of summarizing each of the questions in regard
to the overall consensus of answers.
Reflecting and Identifying Action

You and your team of colleagues have learned very valuable information from the
surveys. You have learned that many of the students come from dual-working families and have
multiple siblings in the elementary school system. A large volume of the students go to a
relative’s house until their parents are done working for the day. Each of these findings
contributes to issues of students not completing their homework on a daily basis, so your team
reflects on the issues and decides it is best to organize a presentation of the findings for the
entire school staff. By being able to share the findings with the entire school staff, perhaps a
resolution can be brainstormed to assist in the identified problem given more information is now
available.
Outline for the Action Research
To help you organize your action research proposal, refer to the guide questions in each
of the parts to guide you in writing your paper.

Part I – Introduction (3 pages)

This part will discuss the purpose of your study, research questions and the significance of the
study
❖ What is the basis of my interest in this topic?
❖ What are the factors in my own history and experiences that have led me to become
interested in this area of inquiry?
❖ What am I trying to learn about and understand?
❖ What is the purpose of my research?
❖ What are my overall goals?
❖ What are my specific research questions for this study?
❖ Whose interests are served by this research?
❖ Who will benefit?
❖ What is the study's potential significance for my classroom or local context?
for education or society as a whole?
❖ Who might care about this study?
❖ Where and with whom might I share the findings?

Part II – Literature Review and Methodology (7 pages)

This part will present the different studies and models (3 pages), the scope of the study
(1 page) and the methodology (3 pages)

❖ What are the related studies or model that has been conducted?
❖ What do other research say about the topic?
❖ What is the context of previous work that has been done on this topic?
❖ To what else does the topic relate?
❖ What theories support the proposed action research?

Description of the Research Context – Where and Who

❖ Where am I going to conduct this study?
❖ Where will I gather the data?
❖ What is the specific context in which the study will be conducted (e.g. school population,
the classroom environment, curriculum, etc.)?
❖ Who will be the participants in this research?
❖ How will I select the participants?
❖ What is my relationship to the people involved?
❖ Do I need to gain permission ("informed consent") from parents, guardians, or other
"gatekeepers"?
❖ If so, how will I gain this consent?
❖ How will I assure participants that they will be protected from harm and that they will
not be exposed to risks?
Methodology
❖ What is the research design? (experimental, case study, qualitative, etc.)
❖ What is the research method used?
❖ How and why did I choose this approach?
❖ What specific methods of data collection will I use? (e.g. field notes, teaching journal,
interviewing, taping, collecting artifacts, etc.)
❖ What are my tentative plans for data analysis?
❖ How do I plan to organize and analyze data as I collect it?
❖ How will I plan for more intensive analysis once the process of data collection has
been completed?
❖ How much time do I expect to spend doing which activities?
❖ What is my week-by-week research timeline?

Part III – Findings (3-5 pages)

❖ What were the strategies that you implemented?

❖ What were the results after implementation?
❖ What were the answers to the research questions?
❖ What is the interpretation of the results?
❖ Discuss significant findings and results

Part IV – Conclusions (1 page)

❖ What conclusions can be made based on the findings?
❖ What were the outcomes?
❖ What lessons were learned from doing the study?
❖ How can this study be useful to other teachers and schools?
❖ What actions can you recommend based on the results of the action research?

Part V – References (1 page)

• APA Format

REFERENCES

Pawilen, G., Reyes, E., Rivera, J. & Sison, T. (2019). Field Study II. A guide for 21st Century
student teachers. Rex Bookstore, Inc. Sampaloc, Manila. 14-17.

https://study.com/search/text/academy.html?q=action+research+in+education&pageType=ho
me#/topresults/action%20research%20in%20education