1. Action research
Elsa Fabiola Torrecillas Rodríguez

2. What is action research?
• Action research is a kind of research that
teachers carry out in order to improve or solve a
problem they have in their classroom
environment.

5. What are the steps in action research?
• AR involves four phases
1.Planning
2.Action
3.Observation
4.Reflection
Kemmis and McTaggart (1988)

6. Planning
1.You have to identify a problem or
issue first.
2. Then, develop a plan of action in
order to improve or solve the
problem or issue you are facing up
in your classroom.
Remember to consider:
a) What kind of investigation
is possible (withing the
realities or constraints of
your teaching situation)
b) What potential
improvements you think
are possible.
Burns (2010-P.8)

7. Action
• Action involves the
interventions that you carry out
to solve or improve the problem
or issue you previously
identified, and you put such
interventions into action over an
agreed period of time.
These interventions depend
on your assumptions about
your current situation and
the plans you have to
change the way of doing
things.
Burns (2010-P.8)

8. Observation
• Observation is when you
observe the effects of the
action phase, and you
document the
context, actions, and opinions
of those who were involved in
your research
(students, parents, etc.)
We can say that this is a
data collection phase.
Burns (2010-P.8)

9. Reflection
• In this phase you reflect
on, evaluate, and describe the
effects of the action in order to
make sense of what has
happened and to understand the
issue you have explored more
clearly. You can come to a
conclusion of how to solve the
problem you found first.
It is your decision to
continue researching to
improve the situation even
more.
Burns (2010-P.8)

10. How is an action research
paper/article?

11. Some examples of action research
papers/articles
• http://ro.ecu.edu.au/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article
=1317&context=ajte
This AR article has three main objectives and the
research was developed during 4 days.
• http://www.vbschools.com/accountability/actio
n_research/ClaraHeyder.pdf
This AR article relates a study about the
relationship between the strategy of knowledge
folders and study skills .

12. Sources
• Anne Burns:Doing action research in English
Language Teaching-A guide for practitioners.
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZHiZdh85R
3w
• http://ro.ecu.edu.au/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article
=1317&context=ajte
• http://www.vbschools.com/accountability/actio
n_research/ClaraHeyder.pdf