BULACAN STATE UNIVERSITY Graduate School

ACTION RESEARCH
Methodology of Research
Michelle G. Caliuag - MAEd Physics

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ACTION RESEARCH
ACTION RESEARCH is the application of fact-finding to practical-solving in a social situation with a view to improving the quality of action within it. ACTION RESEARCH is a process in which participants examine their own educational practice systematically and carefully using techniques of research. It is based on the following assumptions: Teachers and principal work best on problems they have identified for themselves. Teachers and principal become more effective when encouraged to examine and assess their works and consider ways of working differently. Teachers and principal help each other by working collaboratively. Working with colleagues help teachers and principal in their professional development. TYPES OF ACTION RESEARCH Individual Action Research -conducted by one teacher or staff to analyze a specific task. Collaborative Action Research involves a group of people researching a specified topic School-wide Action Research generally created from a problem found within an entire school District-wide Action Research used for an entire school district, usually more community-based. BASIC CHARACTERISTICS OF ACTION RESEARCH It is situational. It is collaborative.

It is participatory. It is self-evaluative

WHAT CAN ACTION RESEARCH BE USED FOR? The purpose of action-research in school and classroom fall broadly into categories. 1. It is a means of remedying problems diagnosed in specific situations, or of improving in some way a given set of circumstances. 2. It is a means of in-service training. 3. It is a means of injecting additional or innovatory approaches to teaching and learning into an ongoing system which normally inhibits innovation and change. 4. It is a means of improving the normally poor communications between the practicing teacher and the academic researcher, and of remedying the failure of traditional research to give clear prescriptions. 5. It is a means of providing a preferable alternative to the more subjective, impressionistic approach to problem-solving in the classroom. 6. It is a way of studying human relations, morale and personnel functioning in the organization. 7. It can facilitate job analysis. Action-researchers are interested in the improvement of the educational practices in which they are engaging- how to do their jobs better. Their investigations are conducted into those activities they wish to handle more capably.

LEWINS MODEL OF ACTION RESEARCH The term action-research was first coined by the social psychologist Kurt Lewin. Lewins model involves a cyclic sequence.

This cyclic model of problem identification, therapeutic action and evaluation can be divided into seven substages. Stage 1. This involves the identification, evaluation and formulation of the problem or general idea perceived as critical in an everyday teaching situation. Problem should be interpreted in as wide a way as possible to prevent constraints too early about issues/ideas creating too narrow a focus. In other words, the general idea refers to a state of affairs or situation a participant wishes to change or improve on. The original problem may, in fact, change and be revised in a cyclic process.
A problem occurs when there is a difference between what should be and what is actually happening.

In action research, the problems to be investigated are (1) those causing the teacherresearcher trouble, and (2) those that are interfering with the teaching and learning process. Areas to be considered for an action research studies Classroom environment Instructional materials Classroom management Instructional methods The relation of human growth patterns to education Grading evaluation Conferencing

Stage 2. This is the time for fact finding, so that a full description can be given of the situation. Facts will help to clarify the nature of the problem. Stage 3. This may involve a review of the research literature to find out what can be learned from comparable studies, their objectives, procedures and problems encountered. All this is related and synthesized with the critical review of the problem in stage 2. Hypotheses can now be formulated. These hypotheses are general statements which attempt to explain some of the facts of the problem. Stage 4. This involves gathering of information which is relevant to testing hypothesis. The gathering of this evidence may suggest further explanations of the problems situation, which in turn leads to more gathering of information. This testing of hypothesis is seeing whether the evidence is congruent with the hypothesis. Stage 5. Before going into action there is a need to decide on the selection of research procedures such as choice of materials, resources, teaching method, allocation of tasks. Equally important are the discussions and negotiations among interested parties. As a general principle, the initial

action-steps proposed should lie within areas where the action-researchers have the maximum freedom of decision. Stage 6. This involves the implementation of the action plan. Decisions about the conditions and methods of data collection; the monitoring of tasks and the transmission of feedback to the research team; and the classification and analysis of data. The choice of evaluative procedures is considered here too, in order to monitor the implementation: One needs to use monitoring techniques which provide evidence of how well the course of action is being implemented. One needs to use techniques which provide evidence of unintended as well as intended effects. One needs to use a range of techniques which will enable one to look at what is going on from a variety of angles or points of view. (triangulation)

TRIANGULATION involves gathering accounts of a teaching situation from three quite different points of view; namely, those of the teacher, the students, and a participant-observer. Who in the triangle gathers the account, how they are elicited, and who compares them, depends largely on the context.

Stage 7. The final stage involves the interpretation of the data and the overall evaluation of the project, often by writing a case study. Ideally, case study reports should be written at the end of each cycle, each building on and developing previous reports. At least one full report should be written at the point where one decides to end a particular spiral of action and research and switch to a quite different issue or problem. Another model by Kemmis and McTaggart ( 1982)

TIMING With respect to classroom action research, a teacher should decide exactly how much time can be set aside for monitoring the next action-step, when and its effects. BENEFITS OF ACTION RESEARCH Form of Teacher Professional Development Collegial Interactions Potential to Impact School Change Reflect on Own Practice SAMPLE ACTION RESEARCH DESIGN ( Classroom Level) I. Situation: There are students in First Year Math who are unable to interpret and solve one to three step word problems. II. Problem: How to enable students to solve Math problems correctly. Possible Causes: 1. Inability of students to understand the language of the problem. 2. Lack of adequate preparatory activities to actual problem-solving. 3. Irrelevant problems ( not within students experiences) 4. Negative attitude of students towards math. 5. Ineffective motivation. 6. Teachers inadequate questioning skills. Most Probable Cause/s: Nos. 1, 2 and 6 III. Plan of Action ( Possible Solutions premised on identified Most Probable Cause/s) A. Use visual aids in problem-solving lessons (to be implemented first) B. Prepare variety of exercises. C. Validate development lesson with sample students (not in your classes) D. Use of appropriate selected/constructed word problems IV. Action/Implementation: Possible Solution A
STRATEGIES DATA TO BE COLLECTED (qualitative/quantitative) DATA ANALYSIS/INTERPRETATION

Instructional Materials Development Validation with other Math Teachers

- Types of effective visual aids - Number of visuals per type needed in class - List of guide questions in using visual aids

-Frequency/ rank - Frequency/ rank

 Interview with students

Diagnostic/ Achievement Testing

- Kinds of visual aids needed - Reasons problems prove difficult to solve - Steps in the problem-solving that are hard to do - Types of problems that are difficult - Types of problems that are difficult -Test scores

- Rank order - Frequency/ Percentage - Frequency/ Percentage - Rank order - Rank order - Mean/ Median

V. Evaluating/ Follow-Up Action: Possible actions depending on findings/ results - Preparation of research report - Revising/ Re- planning

- REFERENCES Burns, R. B., Introduction to Research Methods pp. 445- 450 Waters-Adams S. (2006) , Action Research in Education