Action research is a cyclical process of posing questions, gathering data through action and reflection, and using results to decide on further action. It involves practitioners systematically evaluating their own practices to improve outcomes. The process typically includes planning an action, implementing it, observing results, and reflecting to inform future planning. Groups that use action research include educators researching ways to engage students, and religious and community groups planning interventions.

1. Action ResearchA Presentation by:Patricia Canterino, Erin Horlander, & Iman Nero-Hernandez

2. What is Action Research?

3. Action Research is… “A cycle of posing questions, gathering data, reflection and deciding on a course of action.”(Ferrance, 2000)

4. Kurt Lewin describes Action Research as…A process of:PlanningActionSearching(Lewin, 1946)

5. Learning Point Associates define Action Research as…“Inquiry or research in the context of focused efforts to improve the quality of an organization and its performance.”“It typically is designed and conducted by practitioners who analyze the data to improve their own practice.”“Action Research can be done by individuals or by teams of colleagues.”(Learning Point Associates)

6. Action Research is a recurring processProblem –describe current situationDesign – develop a strategy for improving situationAction – Identify forcesReflection – looking back on your action after collecting dataCapture – the learning is accessible to others(Lewin, 1946)

7. Action Research…Has the potential to generate real & continued improvements in organizationsIt gives employees new opportunities to reflect on and assess their organizationTo test and explore new ideas, methods, and materialsTo assess how effective the new approaches wereTo share feedback with fellow team membersTo make decisions about which new approaches to include in the teams organizations(McKay, 1992)

8. Another important element of action research is reflection“A cycle of action and reflection is the heart of action learning.”Looking back on your action after collecting data:What thoughts come to mindIf you were to repeat the process what would you change?What worked best for you?What most surprised you?(Center for Collaborative Action Research)

9. (O'Leary, 2004)9Cycles of Action Research

10. How is Action Research evaluated?

11. Conducting Action Research: Evaluate the Research ProcessKemmisand Wilkinson (1998) suggest the following questions:Does the project clearly address a problem or issue in practice that needs to be solved?Did the researcher collect sufficient data to help address the problem?Did the plan of action build logically from the data?Did the action research actually lead to a change or did a solution to a problem make a difference?

12. Conducting Action Research: Evaluate the Research ProcessEvaluate the Research Process with all involved:What would we do differently next time?Does the instrument need revising?Did the research generate the information we wanted?What new questions did the research generate?

13. Conducting Action Research: Evaluate the Research ProcessSolicit feedback from participantsParticipants are empowers them to think of themselves as active learners Evaluation is something to be used supportively for growth rather than something to be feared.

14. Issues in Action ResearchWhile, the participatory and collaborative nature of action research can be highly rewarding and productive, it can also result in sticky management issues including:a lack of control over the project’s direction and pace the potential for stakeholder conflictthe sole burden of ethical responsibility O'Leary, Z. (2004)

15. Current Uses of Action Research

16. Groups that use action research…EducationReligious InstitutesCommunity groups

17. EducationTo promote a culture of leisure reading among reluctant readers (Martin, 2000)

18. Teachers study what is happening in situations in order to make improvements (Morton, 2005)

19. Developing techniques that would promote student engagement and learning (Morton, 2005)“Keeping in mind that more than 20% of children in the United States today live in poverty, teachers’ confidence in teaching less privileged children is of grave importance.”(Morton, 2005)

20. Religious educators conduct research…..When planning programs, reflection occurs through critical reflection and prayer on the educational and spiritual need of the congregants ()When studying preparation materialsWhen concerns arise regarding specific learners, discovering the underlying problem is attemptedWhen coordinating and leading educational ministries, reading and discussing the ideas and experiences of others occursAction research occurs when the research above is combined with the action to fix any issues or when problems occur. “Action research is not a complex methodology requiring technical expertise, it is more a state of mind in which, in our work, we intentionally and systematically reflect, plan, act, and observe.”(Martin, 2000)

21. Community GroupsVolunteering for community corrections (Snyder, 2009)HIV Prevention (Snyder, 2009)Neighborhood watch (Snyder, 2009)Residential stability (Snyder, 2009)Planning a change with the communityActing and observing the process and consequencesAnd further cycles of planning and reflecting (Baden and Wimpenny, 2007)“Sense of community manifests itself in diverse forms of action”(Snyder, 2009)