Elements of action research

Of faculty ng / learning ications & learning ate faculty ate faculty certification l professor p honors abroad leader oard s of ential and justice m learning ng / learning / director ial ces for essential s for teaching / learning & ts of an action research information is designed to serve as both a guide and a worksheet. Answering the questions under each element will move you through the steps to both design and then implement an action research project in your practice. For additional information on assessing the effectiveness of your project, consult the action research project r friendly action research project plan the steps have been laid out to help you accomplish your ive of action l action research process. Succinct definition of action research appears in the workshop materials we use at the institute for the study of inquiry in education. That definition states that action research is a disciplined process of inquiry conducted by and for those taking the action. The primary reason for engaging in action research is to assist the “actor” in improving and/or refining his or her tioners who engage in action research inevitably find it to be an empowering experience. Relevance is guaranteed because the focus of each research project is determined by the researchers, who are also the primary consumers of the s even more important is the fact that action research helps educators be more effective at what they care most about—their teaching and the development of their students. When teachers have convincing evidence that their work has made a real difference in their students' lives, the countless hours and endless efforts of teaching seem action research ional action research can be engaged in by a single teacher, by a group of colleagues who share an interest in a common problem, or by the entire faculty of a school. These seven steps, which become an endless cycle for the inquiring teacher, are the following:Identifying research informed 1—selecting a action research process begins with serious reflection directed toward identifying a topic or topics worthy of a busy teacher's time. Selecting a focus begins with the teacher researcher or the team of action researchers asking: what element(s) of our practice or what aspect of student learning do we wish to investigate? 2—clarifying second step involves identifying the values, beliefs, and theoretical perspectives the researchers hold relating to their focus. For example, if teachers are concerned about increasing responsible classroom behavior, it will be helpful for them to begin by clarifying which approach—using punishments and rewards, allowing students to experience the natural consequences of their behaviors, or some other strategy—they feel will work best in helping students acquire responsible classroom behavior 3—identifying research a focus area has been selected and the researcher's perspectives and beliefs about that focus have been clarified, the next step is to generate a set of personally meaningful research questions to guide the 4—collecting sional educators always want their instructional decisions to be based on the best possible data. Action researchers can accomplish this by making sure that the data used to justify their actions are valid (meaning the information represents what the researchers say it does) and reliable (meaning the researchers are confident about the accuracy of their data). Lastly, before data are used to make teaching decisions, teachers must be confident that the lessons drawn from the data align with any unique characteristics of their classroom or ensure reasonable validity and reliability, action researchers should avoid relying on any single source of data. Most teacher researchers use a process called triangulation to enhance the validity and reliability of their findings. Observing a phenomenon through multiple “windows” can help a single researcher compare and contrast what is being seen through a variety of planning instruction, teachers want the techniques they choose to be appropriate for the unique qualities of their students. All teachers have had the experience of implementing a “research-proven” strategy only to have it fail with their students. The ability of the action research process to satisfy an educator's need for “fit” may be its most powerful attribute. Because the data being collected come from the very students and teachers who are engaged with the treatment, the relevance of the findings is the harried and overworked teacher, “data collection” can appear to be the most intimidating aspect of the entire seven-step action research process.

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The key to managing triangulated data collection is, first, to be effective and efficient in collecting the material that is already swirling around the classroom, and, second, to identify other sources of data that might be effectively surfaced with tests, classroom discussions, or 5—analyzing gh data analysis often brings to mind the use of complex statistical calculations, this is rarely the case for the action researcher. A number of relatively user-friendly procedures can help a practitioner identify the trends and patterns in action research data. During this portion of the seven-step process, teacher researchers will methodically sort, sift, rank, and examine their data to answer two generic questions:What is the story told by these data? Answering these two questions, the teacher researcher can acquire a better understanding of the phenomenon under investigation and as a result can end up producing grounded theory regarding what might be done to improve the 6—reporting is often said that teaching is a lonely endeavor. The loneliness of teaching is unfortunate not only because of its inefficiency, but also because when dealing with complex problems the wisdom of several minds is inevitably better than sad history of teacher isolation may explain why the very act of reporting on their action research has proven so powerful for both the researchers and their colleagues. The reporting of action research most often occurs in informal settings that are far less intimidating than the venues where scholarly research has traditionally been shared. Faculty meetings, brown bag lunch seminars, and teacher conferences are among the most common venues for sharing action research with peers. However, each year more and more teacher researchers are writing up their work for publication or to help fulfill requirements in graduate programs. Regardless of which venue or technique educators select for reporting on research, the simple knowledge that they are making a contribution to a collective knowledge base regarding teaching and learning frequently proves to be among the most rewarding aspects of this 7—taking informed informed action, or “action planning,” the last step in the action research process, is very familiar to most teachers. When teachers write lesson plans or develop academic programs, they are engaged in the action planning process. What makes action planning particularly satisfying for the teacher researcher is that with each piece of data uncovered (about teaching or student learning) the educator will feel greater confidence in the wisdom of the next steps. Although all teaching can be classified as trial and error, action researchers find that the research process liberates them from continuously repeating their past mistakes. More important, with each refinement of practice, action researchers gain valid and reliable data on their developing purposes for action stated earlier, action research can be engaged in by an individual teacher, a collaborative group of colleagues sharing a common concern, or an entire school faculty. These three different approaches to organizing for research serve three compatible, yet distinct, purposes:Building the reflective progress on schoolwide ng professional ng the reflective individual teachers make a personal commitment to systematically collect data on their work, they are embarking on a process that will foster continuous growth and development. In this way, the individual teachers conducting action research are making continuous progress in developing their strengths as reflective progress on schoolwide singly, schools are focusing on strengthening themselves and their programs through the development of common focuses and a strong sense of esprit de corps. As a result, when a faculty chooses to focus on one issue and all the teachers elect to enthusiastically participate in action research on that issue, significant progress on the schoolwide priorities cannot help but ng professional an entire faculty will share a commitment to student development, yet the group finds itself unable to adopt a single common focus for action research. However, like the doctors at the medical center, the teachers in a “quality” school may well differ on which specific aspects of the shared vision they are most motivated to pursue at any point in s whose faculties cannot agree on a single research focus can still use action research as a tool to help transform themselves into a learning organization. It is common practice in a quality medical center for physicians to engage in independent, even idiosyncratic, research agendas. However, it is also common for medical researchers to share the findings obtained from their research with colleagues (even those engaged in other specialties).

In these schools, multiple action research inquiries occur simultaneously, and no one is held captive to another's priority, yet everyone knows that all the work ultimately will be shared and will consequently contribute to organizational action research now? Ever there were a time and a strategy that were right for each other, the time is now and the strategy is action research! With the exploding knowledge base on teaching and learning and the heightened demands on teachers to help all children achieve mastery of meaningful objectives, the inadequacy of the blue-collar model for teaching is becoming much the teachers in a school begin conducting action research, their workplace begins to take on more of the flavor of the workplaces of other professionals. Nevertheless, great personal satisfaction comes from playing a role in creating successful solutions to continually changing puzzles. For this reason, it is imperative that these 21st century pioneers, our classroom teachers, conduct the research on “standards attainment” the time is right for action research. Choice and syntax are so precise in a research proposal title that some researchers create the titles for their projects last in the proposal writing process. They do this so that they can be as precise as possible in their wording and sentence structure in order to best represent their following list contains example of research proposal titles in a variety of fields of investigation. You looks like youse yo’ own daughter’: figuring (in)fertility and maternity in their eyes were watching effects of estrogen, alcohol, and age on the astrocytes in female rats following an inflammatory a title page is created, it often is arranged in this format:   example of title website provides formatting tips to assist you in the general layout and design of a research proposal title page. It also contains general guidelines and further descriptions for the parts of a research tion:  in your reflection journal, explain why the title is so important to a research proposal. Key parts of the introduction often become a part of a research abstract that may be used when you present your completed investigation and conclusions to an audience. You will see actual introductions later when you begin to review research proposals for specific disciplines, but here are some "how to" procedures from research courses that explain the construction of the introduction paragraph. Cite relevant literature that calls for the need for the research in this area, or demonstrates the lack of attention to the topic. In your own words, describe how you think this study will be be the intended audience for your research (e. Your research question(s) or the problem you want to address as clearly as possible. How you came to this question/problem based on your previous interests (research you might have been involved in, other courses you have taken, your work experience, discussions, etc. Tentative thesis (argument) (your best answer to the research question based on your work to date). Section sets the context for your proposed project and must capture the reader's n the background of your study starting from a broad picture narrowing in on your research what is known about your research topic as far as it is relevant to your relevant introduction should be at a level that makes it easy to understand for readers with a general science background, for example your tion:  based on the three examples, what are the characteristics that most introductions seem to have in common? Answer these questions as an entry in your reflection journal,Clear statement of the most important aspect of a research proposal is the clarity of the research problem. As a part of the introduction, effective problem statements answer the question “why does this research need to be conducted?

A research proposal may not be considered acceptable or credible if you fail to clearly identify the problem. Your literature review should be a helpful the problem statement itself is just one sentence, it is always accompanied in the larger introduction by several paragraphs that help to elaborate and that may include other elements of the research proposal. Understand what makes ___ successful or is then followed by a paragraph which describes the objectives that support the goal of the research words goal and objective are often confused with each other. Purpose toward which an investigation is ing that one's efforts or actions are intended to attain or accomplish; purpose; is the time frame of the statement? This section gives the definition of important terms and concepts that are usually stated in the objectives, hypothesis, and research questions. An example of an operational definition is: "for the purpose of this research, improvement is operationally defined as posttest score minus pretest score". Clearest way to arrange your definitions page is to arrange terms in alphabetical order, with definitions stated in complete following is an example of a definition section from a proposal entitled "self-directed learning readiness and life satisfaction among older adults. It is a combination of (a) personality factors such as mood and self-concept, (b) more socially-related factors such as the nature of one’s social interactions, (c) perceived health, and (d) financial adult – for the proposed study, older adult is defined as any person who is at least 65 years of -directed learning – a process in which individuals take the initiative, with or without the help of others, in diagnosing their learning needs, formulating learning goals, identifying human and material resources for learning, choosing and implementing appropriate learning strategies, and evaluating learning -directed learning readiness – the degree to which one perceives oneself to possess the attitudes and skills needed to be an effective self-directed learner. The following excellent sources for defining terms:Thinkmap visual tion:  write one paragraph for each of the sources linked above in your reflection journal, describing what is there and how you might be able to use icance of the explanation of the significance of a study may include the meaning of the research work to you personally and should include how your research benefits or impacts others in part or whole. A discussion of the present understanding and/or state of knowledge concerning the problem or issue sets the context for your to ons or ons and hypotheses are testable explanations that are proposed before the methodology of a project is conducted, but after the researcher has had an opportunity to develop background knowledge (much like the literature review that you just finished). Although research questions and hypotheses are different in their sentence structure and purpose, both seek to predict relationships. Deciding whether to use questions or hypothesis depends on facts such as the purpose of the study, the approach and design of the methodology, and the expected audience for the research proposal. There are three types of research questions:A descriptive research question seeks to identify and describe some example:  what is the ethnic breakdown of patients seen in the emergency room for non- emergency conditions. Differences research question asks if there are differences between groups on some example:  do patients who receive massage experience more relief from sore muscle pain than patients who take a hot bath? Of which is selected, questions or hypotheses, this element of the research proposal needs to be as specific as possible in whatever field of study you are investigating. How do you think that the researchers were able to determine these were sound propositions to make? Record your response in your reflective to of the collection and ility and validity of methods and ces and you know that the key element of your research proposal will be its methodology section? How can they believe that you will produce results if you do not tell them about the methods you intend to use in order to assess and study your research and data? Based on your research proposal's methodology, the grant foundation will either approve or disapprove your investigation, and will determine the amount of your is time to examine and study research proposal methodology.

A research proposal's methodology outlines the strategy for conducting an investigation in order to answer a research question. As a part of an overall research project proposal, the researcher will need to plan out and share the procedures that will be used  in the this section you will review different approaches, designs, procedures, and methods for investigating your area of research. Specific tools will be described and evaluated so that you can determine which ones will help you to meet your research overall design of a research project consists of its methods and procedures. It is also possible to have a mixture of the two approaches, both in overall design and in the specific methods used in the researchers, including you, need to understand the full nature of both quantitative and qualitative approaches to research and evaluation methodologies in order to appropriately select the overall design that best fits your investigation. While described as distinct terms, qualitative and quantitative approaches to research methods and design are complementary and can overlap to procedure or are the main types of qualitative approaches to research? There are many different investigations that can be done, a study with a qualitative approach generally can be described with the characteristics of one of the following three types:Historical research describes past events, problems, issues and facts. Study of the historical trends in public laws by looking recorded at a local raphic research develops in-depth analytical descriptions of current systems, processes, and phenomena and/or understandings of the shared beliefs and practices of a particular group or culture. The background, development, current conditions, and environmental interaction of one or more individuals, groups, communities, businesses or institutions is observed, recorded, and analyzed for patterns in relation to internal and external influences. It is a complete description of present specific form of ethnographic research is called a case study. It is an analysis of es of ethnographic research:A case study of parental involvement at a specific magnet school. Study of primate behavior in the wild measuring the amount of time an animal engaged in a specific ive research focuses on studying a single person and gathering data through the collection of stories that are used to construct a narrative about the individual’s experience and the meanings he/she attributes to es of narrative research:A study of the experiences of an autistic student who has moved from a self-contained program to an inclusion setting. Use those terms to jog your memory as you write a one paragraph summary of what you understand the qualitative approach to research design to be. Just your own words and to procedure or of the ine what your role will be in the collection of the research material. Evaluate how your own bias may affect the methodology, outcomes, and analysis of times this element of the research proposal will be affected by ethics. In addition, this section is often interwoven in a narrative design explanation with other elements of the the excerpt below from a research proposal. See if you can identify how the researcher has defined his or her role in the investigation from the narrative explanation that is ch design and ing these lines of thinking, a qualitative study of the social world of full-time adult undergraduates is proposed, using semi-structured interviews as the primary research approach. How does the researcher characterize his or her role in the research process, both directly and indirectly, in the proposal? Click to see a larger version of the  section links to a separate page which would includes:  pros/cons, guide, resources, examples and to procedure or must be considered in all phases of a research project, from brainstorming ideas, to fundraising grants, to designing studies, to conducting interviews, and right through to final publication of final national institute of environmental heath science and the national institutes of health have a thorough consideration of all aspects of research ethics for all types of research designs in the article, “what is ethics in research & why is it important? You read the article, generate a list of all of the various ways in which ethics impacts the research "what is ethics in research & why is it important?

Which one of all of the concerns related to research ethics is the most important to remember? What did you learn that might prepare you to consider ethics for your own research investigation? If the results of a study can be reproduced under a similar methodology, then the research methods are considered to be ty determines whether the research truly measures what it was intended to measure, or how truthful the research results are. In other words, does the research instrument allow you to hit "the bull’s eye" of your research objectives? Researchers generally determine validity by asking a series of questions, and will often look for the answers in the research of others. Each type of research design has its own standards for reliability and chers argue that maintaining the trustworthiness of qualitative research depends on the same issues of quantitative studies known as validity and reliability. While it is difficult in qualitative research to prove validity and reliability through reproducing the same results over and over, like a researcher can do in quantitative research, some qualitative researchers believe that the concept of dependability and consistency in results can develop a sense of validity for qualitative tency of data is achieved when the steps of the research are verified through examination of such items as raw data, data reduction products, and process notes. Because it is more difficult to define reliability and validity in qualitative terms, many researchers have developed their own concepts of validity and have often generated or adopted what they consider to be more appropriate terms, such as, quality, rigor and trustworthiness. The idea of discovering truth through measures of reliability and validity is replaced by the idea of trustworthiness, which is “defensible”and establishing confidence in the ulation is one test for improving the validity and reliability of research or evaluation of findings. By using at least three different methods, the researcher is about to obtain multiple, diverse perceptions of a single research tools and models have their own tests for reliability and validity built in to their basic procedures and methodologies. As you explore and apply these methods to your own research investigation, always question if you are implementing them in a way that makes the process and the results reliable and resources on this topic:Validity and reliability in ing the quality and credibility of qualitative ch methods tion:  in your reflection journal, sketch a visual representation of what triangulation means in a general sense. Probability sampling methods are more likely to result in selecting a sample that is representative of the population that the researcher wishes to study. The following tool is helpful in generating appropriate sample  abstract from the national institutes of health details the degree to which sample size and population sample characteristics can demonstrate the reliability of conclusions drawn from more information about reliability and validity in quantitative studies, visit the resources ch methods ty & reliability in quantitative tative research ty and tion:  in your reflection journal create a t-chart, either using a table or drawing tool. Inexperienced researchers tend to underestimate the amount of time that the various stages of research will take. Be generous when working out time frames and check them with a more experienced researcher. You should include time to prepare the final research product as er the following questions when setting up your schedule:When will your research start and finish? Way to organize yourself is to create a basic table in a word document or do look at other  are also online calculators that will assist you in setting deadlines for phases of the research ing samples of other research investigation timelines can give ideas for what you would like to include in your own schedule and how you will budget your time. Study the following example to see how this researcher organized his section presents my schedule, costs, and qualifications for completing the proposed research. Consider how each was organized and what components were research project ch repository project – example tion:  based on your exploration of the timetables above, what are the key requirements for a research proposal's timetable?

While exhaustive details are not required for a general proposal, an assessment of the potential resource requirements is essential for good research planning. A proposal that neglects resource use or underestimates the resources required suggests a poorly thought out materials and equipment that you need for your research investigation will vary based on your methodology. These unique documents are not available on interlibrary loan and must be consulted website lists the many resources that some universities offer to students who are completing research investigations. Developing a research tion:  beside calculating costs, what other benefits does planning a budget provide a researcher? Explain your ideas in a one-paragraph response in your reflection to procedure or tions are influences that the researcher can not tions are shortcomings, conditions or influences that cannot be controlled by the researcher that place restrictions on your methodology and conclusions. The instruments you qualitative research these limitations will often be that the findings cannot be generalized to the larger population. This research was carefully prepared, i am still aware of its limitations and of all, the research was conducted in the two intermediate classes which have lasted for eight weeks. Eight weeks is not enough for the researcher to observe all of the students’ speaking performance in their classes. In fact, it would have been sort of objective if it had been decided by two or three to procedure or tations are choices made by the researcher which should be tations describe the boundaries that you have set for the study. In educational research the delimitations will frequently deal with such items as population/sample, treatment(s), setting, and instrumentation. Researcher chooses to look only at senior college swimmers or adolescents between 18 to 19 years of researcher picks a particular instrument to collect data with or limits the number of questions tion:  answer in a two or three paragraph response in your reflection journal. Why is important that a researcher consider both limitations and delimitations when planning his or her methods? Be sure to include the definitions of the terms and specific details in your  to procedure or the section, the researcher discusses the possible outcomes of the study, its relation to theory and literature, and its potential impact or application. Although all of these ideas may change in light of the research process or the final results, it is always good to plan with the end product in section may also include an interpretation and explanation of results as related to your question; a discussion on or suggestions for further work that may help address the problem you are trying to solve; an analysis of the expected impact of the findings and product on the audience; or a discussion on any problems that could hinder your creative yourself the following questions:In what form will your findings be presented? How this group presented their tion:  think back to the purposes for research conclusions and findings (basic, practical, and applied). Explain in a one or two paragraph entry in your reflection journal what the connection is between these purposes for research and the final product of the research investigation. You will need to have this list to avoid plagiarism and chances are you will need to go back to certain references throughout the entire research experience. You do not need to duplicate the efforts of your literature review, but please remember to add any new references that you utilized for your methodology, data collection tools, a few appendices  to the end of your proposal allows you to show how thoroughly you have prepared your research project without obliging the reader to wade through all the details. Indent the first line 5-7 e of apa-formatted now that you have reviewed all of the elements of the research proposal, it is time to start planning for your own.

You are now ready to begin stage two: how do i write my own research proposal? To the stages of the research overview for step 4a - key elements of a research unit is designed to teach students about the elements of a research proposal as well as to provide multiple models for students as they prepare to write their own research proposal in unit 4b. Students will be able to:Explain why a title is so important to a research fy the characteristics of effective the problem in a teacher-selected research ize the differences between goals and objectives in a research subject-specific and technical research the significance of investigations included in the literature be the factors that impact the decision to use questions or an hypothesis in the research e and contrast qualitative and quantitative research an extended constructed response characterizing the role of the researcher in the research fy the pros and cons of the following data collection and analysis procedures: interview, observations, focus groups, case studies, questionnaires/surveys, and document te a list of the various ways in which ethics impacts the research reliability and validity of methods and n how a timetable and management plan affects the onal resources and lesson plans are available through the research course elements of the research are the key elements of a research proposal. Students will be able to:Explain why a title is so important to a research fy the characteristics of effective the problem in a teacher-selected research ize the differences between goals and objectives in a research subject-specific and technical research the significance of investigations included in the literature be the factors that impact the decision to use questions or an hypothesis in the research e and contrast qualitative and quantitative research an extended constructed response characterizing the role of the researcher in the research fy the pros and cons of the following data collection and analysis procedures: interview, observations, focus groups, case studies, questionnaires/surveys, and document te a list of the various ways in which ethics impacts the research reliability and validity of methods and n how a timetable and management plan affects the onal resources and lesson plans are available through the research course rship of teaching and ts of an action research project: standards of ive assessment activity: for each of the elements of an action research project, select the correct components to include.