2. Action research is an approach by one or
two individuals or groups for the purpose
of solving a problem or obtaining
information to inform local practice.
These may have practical applications i.e.
How to decrease the incidence of
absenteeism in class; motivate apathetic
students; improve the teaching of
mathematics or to increase funding
3. Examples are:
What kind of methods work best with
certain types of students?
How can teachers encourage students to
think about important issues?
How can content, teaching strategies and
learning activities be varied to help
students?
How can subject matter be better
presented to promote understanding?
5. Those undertaking the research must be
informed individuals capable of identifying
problems that need to be solved i.e.
Economic experts in talking about what to do
with OFW remittances
The ones involved must be seriously
committed to solving the problem and
improving their performance
The participants must engage in the research
systematically
6. Identify
the problem
Decide on investigative procedures
Determine data collection techniques
Analyze and interpret data
Develop plans of action to deal with
problems
The ones undertaking the research must
have the authority to undertake the
necessary procedures and implement
recommendations.
7. Practical action research – this is intended to
address a specific problem within a
classroom, school or other communities.
It can be carried out in a variety of settings such as
the educational, school service or business
locations
The primary purpose of practical action research is
to improve practice in the short term and to inform
larger issues.
This is performed by individuals, teams or larger
groups provided the focus remains clear and
specific.
The result of this research is an action plan
8. This type of research involves individuals
which are called stakeholders
These individuals function as equal partners
In this type of research the subject and the
researcher find ways to bring about social
change and improve their lives.
Stakeholders may not be involved at the
beginning of the research but become active
early in the process and jointly plan the study.
9. A collaborative research provides people
with the means to take systematic action in
an effort to resolve specific problems
It is consensual,
Democratic
Participatory
Encourages people to formulate accounts
and explanations of their situation and to
develop plans to resolve these problems
10. A trained researcher may identify the
problem and brings it to the attention of the
stakeholders.
It is important that the problem is not just
of interest to the researcher but also to the
stakeholders
The researcher stands alongside the
stakeholders he is not anymore an
outsider but is now an internal consultant.
11. Information gathering
Crafting of the instruments i.e.
Questionnaire
Participants may review the findings
Data collection and analysis
Making the recommendation
12. # 1: Identify the research question
The research question must be clear
It must be manageable
Large-scale and complex questions should
be better left to professional researchers
13. Find out the best method: experiments,
surveys, causal-comparative studies,
interviews, ethnography; historical method
Teachers can be active participants
(observing computer techniques by
students)
Taking down notes
Interviews and use of questionnaires
Analysis of documents
14. Interview schedules, checklists, rating
scales, attitudinal measures
Triangulation – finding of common data
How to treat anecdotal data- while it is
important to collect such data it is
important to get substantive evidence i.e.
Common denominators in the interviews
15. After getting the general focus of the
information, it is important to provide a
guiding procedure in answering the
questions
Get the purpose of the data
Then the what, how, who, where and when
and finally the why
16. When analyzing and interpreting data
gathered in participatory research it is
important for the participants to reflect on
the perception of all the stakeholders in the
study. They should work together to create
description of what the data may reveal.
Finally they must keep all the stakeholders
informed of what is going on in the data-
gathering stage and provide opportunities
for everyone to read accounts of what is
17. A formal document should be prepared
and should indicate clear direction for
further work on the original problem or
concern
18. Sample -Action research almost always
focuses on a particular group or individual
whereas the sample in formal research is
not identical
Internal validity – threats in action research
is greater because of collector bias. The
source of data is also the researcher
External validity – results in external
research cannot be generalized compared
to formal reserarch
19. It can be done by an individual or a group
It improves educational practice and helps
create better professionals
Educators can develop ways to improve
their craft
The researchers identify the problems
systematically
It can lead to the development of research-
oriented individuals
It is collaborative and democratic
20. “Investigating
the teaching of science
concepts by means of comparison-group
experiment”
Problem: does using drama help fifth-
graders understanding of basic science
concepts?
Method: assigning some teachers to use
dramatics while others do not
They compare the results with an
instrument designed to measure
21. “Checking for bias in English anthologies
by means of a content analysis”
Problem: “Is the content presented in the
literature anthologies in our district biased
in any way? If so, how?
Method: images of heroes are presented
in literature anthologies . The researcher
restricts herself to the texts used in the
district and creates a scale adjectives
which is analyzed for triangulation
22. Action research is conducted by a
teacher, administrator or an educational
professional to solve a problem at a local
level
Each of the specific methods of research
may apply in research action methods but
in a smaller scale
A given research question may often be
investigated by any one of several
methods
23. Several assumptions underlie action
research studies.
These are the participants that should
have the authority to make decisions, want
to improve their practice and are
committed to continual professional
development and will engage in systematic
inquiry
24. Practical action research addresses a
specific local problem
Participatory action research while also
focused on a specific local problem
attempts to empower participants or bring
about social change