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ACTION RESEARCH Trudy Thorson & Kendra Beliveau ED 800 November 19 th , 2012

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Page 1: Action Research

ACTION RESEARCH

Trudy Thorson & Kendra Beliveau

ED 800

November 19th, 2012

Page 2: Action Research

ACTION RESEARCH

“Action research is characterized as research that is done by teachers for themselves” (Mertler, 2009).

Teachers examine their own classrooms, instructional strategies, assessment procedures, and interactions with student learners in order to improve their quality and effectiveness.

Page 3: Action Research

WHAT ACTION RESEARCH IS AND IS NOTWhat it is… What it is not…

• A process that improves education through change

• Problem-solving

• Collaborative • Doing research on or about people

• Cyclical • Linear

• Practical and relevant • Conclusive

• Within context of teacher’s environment

• Generalizing to larger populations

• How we can do things better

• Why we do certain things

• Explores, discovers and seeks to find creative solutions

• The implementation of predetermined answers

• A way to improve instructional practice by observing, revising, and reflecting

• A fad

Page 4: Action Research

VIDEO: ACTION RESEARCH MADE SIMPLE

Action Research Made Simplehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qg83f72_6Gw

Key Characteristics Addresses Real Life Problems Constructs Knowledge Promotes Change Collaborative / Participatory

Page 5: Action Research

A BRIEF HISTORY OF ACTION RESEARCHFERRANCE (2000)

Kurt Lewin, a social psychologist and educator, first formulated the idea of performing research in a “natural” setting in the 1940s.

No distinction between the research study and the problem to be solved.

Proposed that research should be cyclical rather than linear.

Stephen Corey was among the first to use action research in education and he stated the following:

We are convinced that the disposition to study…the consequences of our teaching is more likely to change and improve our practices than is reading about what someone else has discovered of his teaching (Corey, 1953, p. 70).

Page 6: Action Research

MODELS AND TYPES OF ACTION RESEARCH

Page 7: Action Research

MODELS OF ACTION RESEARCH

Many models exist but all share the same basic principles which are: A central problem or topic Observation or monitoring takes place Collection and synthesis of data Some type of action is taken Next stage of action research (varies)

Page 8: Action Research

ACTION RESEARCH INTERACTING SPIRALERNEST STRINGER (2007)

Page 9: Action Research

LEWIN’S ACTION RESEARCH SPIRAL(MERTLER, 2009)

Page 10: Action Research

CALHOUN’S ACTION RESEARCH CYCLE(MERTLER, 2009)

Page 11: Action Research

BACHMAN’S ACTION RESEARCH CYCLEMERTLER (2009)

Page 12: Action Research

RIEL’S ACTION RESEARCH MODEL(MERTLER, 2009)

Page 13: Action Research

PIGGOT-IRVINE’S ACTION RESEARCH MODELMERTLER (2009)

Page 14: Action Research

TYPES OF ACTION RESEARCH (FERRANCE, 2000)

Page 15: Action Research

STEPS IN ACTION RESEARCH

Page 16: Action Research

STEPS IN ACTION RESEARCH (FERRANCE, 2000)

Page 17: Action Research

STEPS IN ACTION RESEARCHFERRANCE (2000)

Identify a problem area Meaningful, attainable and within teacher’s

influence Higher order question that is specific and concise

Collection and organization of data Portfolios, interviews, photos, diaries, field notes,

videos, journals, case studies, checklists, surveys Appropriate, easy to collect, and readily available Triangulate data (i.e. use three or more sources) Organize to identify themes; can be arranged by

gender, classroom, school, grade level, age, etc. Interpretation of data

Analyze and identify major themes Quantitative or qualitative

Page 18: Action Research

STEPS IN ACTION RESEARCH

Action based on data Use the data collected complemented by current

research to develop a plan of action Alter only one variable Document and collect data during action phase

Reflection Evaluate the results Was the intervention successful? Can the

positive results be directly attributed to the variable addressed?

If unsuccessful, what could be done in subsequent attempts to elicit more favorable results?

Page 19: Action Research

UNDERSTANDING OUR LEARNERS AND DEVELOPING REFLECTIVE PRACTICE: CONDUCTING ACTION RESEARCH WITH ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNERSSOWA (2009)

The study outlined action research projects of six graduate student teachers in an ESL Methods Course. Three projects are described in the paper and we will outline one of these to show how it reflects the steps of action research.

Identify the Problem Students were not able to make “connections

between the sound symbol relationships necessary for word decoding in reading and spelling” (Sowa, 2009, p. 1029).

Page 20: Action Research

UNDERSTANDING OUR LEARNERS AND DEVELOPING REFLECTIVE PRACTICE: CONDUCTING ACTION RESEARCH WITH ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNERSSOWA (2009)

Gather Data Reading assessment: Pre- and Post-Tests Work Samples

Interpret DataA reading pre-test was used as a baselineStudent samples showed beginning writing and

spelling strategies

Page 21: Action Research

UNDERSTANDING OUR LEARNERS AND DEVELOPING REFLECTIVE PRACTICE: CONDUCTING ACTION RESEARCH WITH ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNERSSOWA (2009)

Act on Evidence Re-teach phonemic awareness to try to improve

ELLs reading, writing and spelling skills. Taught phonics in context Worked on spelling strategies including letter-

sound relationships and letter-sound combinations

Evaluate Results Work samples indicated an improvement in

spelling and reading but only a slight growth in reading.

The reading post-test showed improvement amongst students to decode words and recognize miscues.

Page 22: Action Research

ACTION RESEARCH: USING WORDLES FOR TEACHING FOREIGN LANGUAGE WRITINGBARALT, PENNESTRI, & SELVANDIN (2011)

Used Mackey and Gass’s (2005) explanation of action research as framework for study.

A very comprehensive research report which includes three sections:

1. Explanation of data visualization as a learning tool (creates a rationale for the research study)

2. The action research report conducted by the authors using Wordle

3. The outcome of the project and suggestions for how educators can use word clouds in foreign language classrooms

Context: 18 students in an intermediate-level Spanish FL class at a private research university who met for 50 minutes three times a week. Four compositions were to be written during the semester and students were expected to be able to: present information formally with an introduction, provide supporting paragraphs and a conclusion; use accurate grammar; and use instructors’ feedback in their writing. The expectations were clearly communicated to the students.

Page 23: Action Research

ACTION RESEARCH: USING WORDLES FOR TEACHING FOREIGN LANGUAGE WRITINGBARALT, PENNESTRI, & SELVANDIN (2011)

Identify the Problem Two main issues in students’ writing:1. Continuous repetition of errors 2. Reliance on high frequency words without

attempting to use new vocabulary in writing Data Collection Word frequency counts from students’

compositions and a whole-class-based word cloud. Teaching reflection about the class discussion Instructor asked students about their perceptions of

the use of Wordle in the writing process This procedure was used for all four compositions.

Page 24: Action Research

ACTION RESEARCH: USING WORDLES FOR TEACHING FOREIGN LANGUAGE WRITINGBARALT, PENNESTRI, & SELVANDIN (2011)

Act on Evidence Wordles helped to show students’ progress Students used more vocabulary in their compositions Facilitated class discussions about the writing

process Evaluate Results Both the students and instructor agreed that using

Wordles created excitement about writing. Effective, novel, and enjoyable. Students incorporated more varied vocabulary, used

grammar more accurately, and had more content in their writing.

Workshop days became more student-centered

Page 25: Action Research

ACTION RESEARCH: USING WORDLES FOR TEACHING FOREIGN LANGUAGE WRITINGBARALT, PENNESTRI, & SELVANDIN (2011)

Limitations Lack of generalizability Findings of action research are typically only

relevant to the specific classroom being investigated, its students and its own unique characteristics

It may yield different results in other classrooms, contexts or languages.

As with any technology, teachers must ensure that the software works with their computer systems; Wordle requires a Java-enabled web browser

Page 26: Action Research

WRITING THE ACTION RESEARCH REPORT

Page 27: Action Research

WRITING ACTION RESEARCH REPORTS

Reports vary depending on the variables, context, and action involved but most include: Introduction

Area of focus Defining the variables Research questions

Review of related literature Description of the Intervention or Innovation Data Collection and Considerations Data Analysis and Interpretation Conclusions Reflection and Action Plan (Mertler, 2009)

Examples of Action Research Reports written for professional development presentations

Page 28: Action Research

DISADVANTAGES OF ACTION RESEARCH Lack of Time

• Action Research is demanding of space and time, both of which are stretched to their limits.

Validity• Inevitable research bias

Results are not Generalizable• Although a researcher’s findings may be tested

by another teacher in their own classroom

Range of Models and Process• Action Research is a messy process and the

constraints of the models may “trap teachers”

Page 29: Action Research

VIDEO: WHAT “NAGS” YOU ABOUT YOUR TEACHING PRACTICE?

Video: http://www.xtranormal.com/watch/13909812/action-research

Page 30: Action Research

TIME TO REFLECT!

After viewing our presentation on action research, what nags you about your teaching practices that you’d like to change?

At your table groups, use the questions on the next slide to come up with a possible research question(s) that you could test in you own classroom.

Examples include but are not limited to: teaching method, identifying a problem, examining an area of interest, classroom environment, classroom management, evaluation, etc.

Page 31: Action Research

ACTIVITY: WRITE ACTION RESEARCH QUESTIONS PINE (2009)

I would like to improve by __________________. I am perplexed by _____________________. I am really curious about

____________________. Something I really think would make a

difference is _______________________. Something I would really like to change is

____________________. What happens to student learning in my

classroom when I ___________________? How can I implement ______________________? How can I improve _______________________?

Page 32: Action Research

REFERENCES

Baralt, M., Pennestri, S., & Selvandin, M. (2011). Using Wordles to Teach Foreign Language Writing. Language Learning & Technology, 15(2), 12-22.

Ferrance, E. (2000). Action Research. Providence, RI, USA. Retrieved November 14, 2012 from http://www.lab.brown.edu/pubs/themes_ed/act_research.pdf

Mackey, A., & Gass, S. M. (2005). 7.5.2 Action Research. In Second Language Research: Methodology and Design (pp. 216-220). Mahwah, New Jersey: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc.

Mertler, C. (2009). Action Research. Thousand Oaks, California, USA: Sage Publications, Inc.

Pine, G. (2009). Teacher Action Research. Thousand Oaks, California: Sage Publications, Inc.

Sowa, P. A. (2009). Understanding our learners and developing reflective practice: Conducting action research with English Language Learners. Teaching and Teacher Education, 25(8), 1026-1032.

Stringer, E. T. (2007). Action Research (3rd ed.). London: Sage Publications, Inc.

Waters-Adams, S. (2006). Action Research in EducationRetrieved November 14, 2012 fromhttp://www.edu.plymouth.ac.uk/resined/actionresearch/arhome.htm