Action research is a systematic process that allows teachers to try different teaching methods in their classroom until they find what works best for their students. It involves examining current practices, developing solutions informed by research, implementing changes, and evaluating the results in an ongoing cycle of reflection and improvement. Some key aspects of action research include: individual or collaborative projects aimed at solving practical classroom problems; improving instructional practices; and generating new knowledge. Effective action research is small-scale, addresses concrete issues, and feeds findings directly back into practice through continuous cycles.

1. Action research in educationHeryYanto TheHost Your Own Webinar - ElluminateAugust 10, 2011

2. What grade are you teaching right now?K – 67 – 8 9 – 12others

3. Have you done an action research before?YesNoI am not sure

4. How do you answer these questions?What can I do to accommodate diversity in learning style of my students?Why most of my students cannot write a good essay?Does doing a classroom presentation effective for this lesson?How can I encourage my students to read their lesson chapter before coming to class?

5. AgendaAction research approachAction research in educationTypes of action researchTeacher and action researchAction research is a cycleExamples of action research questionAction research report

6. Action research approach (Denscombe, 2007)Hands-on, small scale research projectOriginally: Social theory – solving immediate social problemsRecently: organization development, education, health and social careImprove practice/professional development – “participation”Involved with practical issues

7. What is action research?Action research is a process in which participants examine their own educational practice systematically and carefully, using the techniques of research. (Ferrance, 2000)

8. What is action research in education? Action research is a systematic process that allows you to try out different ways of doing things in your classroom or in your school, until you find something that really works for you and for your students . (Laycock & Long, 2009)

9. Types of action research in education(Ferrace, 2000)Individual teacher researchCollaborative action researchSchool-wide action researchDistrict-wide action research

10. Why should teachers do action research? (Laycock & Long, 2009)Examine situationGet input from participatorsCollaborate with colleagues to solve problemsAppraise self-performanceImprove practice and professional knowledge

11. Action research is a cycle(Riel, 2011)

12. Action research is a cycle (Laycock & Long, 2009)Look ThinkActReflect

13. Example of action research #1Problem: 9th grade students cannot write a good sentence.Solution form reading: writing workshop, wiki, blog, peer mentor, twitterIdea: students tweet a sentence everyday and peers and instructor give them feedbackEvaluate: quality of writing sentence, discussion, interview student, student evaluationBased on evaluation – next action

14. Example of action research #2Problem: 12th grade students have low performance on applying power and square rootSolution from reading: math software, supplement with calculator, role play, gameIdea: role play and group presentationEvaluation: using pre-test, quality of project, post-test, students evaluationBased on evaluation – what is going wright and what is going wrong? What is the next action?

15. How the action research report look like? IntroductionLiterature reviewResearch questionsMethod for data collectionFindingReflectionConclusionReferencesAppendix

16. Conclusion: A checklist for action research (Denscombe, 2007)…[1]Does the research project address a concrete issue or practical problem?Is there participation by the practitioner in all stages of the research project?Have the grounds for the partnership between practitioner and any outside expert been explicitly negotiated and agreed?

17. Conclusion: A checklist for action research (Denscombe, 2007)…[2]Is the research part of a continuous cycle of development (rather than a one-off project)?Is there a clear view of how the research findings will feed back directly into practice?Is it clear which kind of action research is being used-’technical’, ‘practical’, or ‘ emancipatory’?

18. Conclusion: A checklist for action research (Denscombe, 2007)…[3]Has insider knowledge been acknowledged as having disadvantages as well as advantages for the research?Is the research sufficiently small-scale to be combined with a routine workload?Have ethical matters been taken into consideration?

19. ReferencesDenscombe, M. (2007). The good research guide for small-scale social research projects (p. 310 p.). Open University Press. Retrieved from http://www.amazon.co.uk/Good-Research-Guide-small-scale-research/dp/0335220223Ferrance, E. (2000). Action research. Brown University. Retrieved from http://www.alliance.brown.edu/pubs/themes_ed/act_research.pdfLaycock, D., and Long, M. (2009). Action Research? Anyone can!. IBSC Global Action research Project. Retrieved from http://drjj.uitm.edu.my/DRJJ/MATRIC2010/5.%20Anyone_can_Action_Research-DRJJ-02022010.pdfRiel, M. (2011). Understanding action research. Retrieved from http://cadres.pepperdine.edu/ccar/define.html

20. Future questionsHery TheUniversity of Hawaii at Manoaherythe@hotmail.co.ukMAHALO