Chapter 18
Action Research Designs
Power Point Slides by Ronald J. Shope in collaboration with John W. Creswell
Key Topics
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Purposes and uses of Action Research
Types of action research designs
Key characteristics of action research
Steps in conducting an action research study
Evaluating an action research study
Educational Research 2e: Creswell
What is action research?
• Action research is systematic inquiry
done by teachers (or other individuals in
an educational setting) to gather
information about, and subsequently
improve, the ways their particular
educational setting operates, how they
teach, and how well their students learn
(Mills, 2000).
Educational Research 2e: Creswell
When do you use action research?
• When you have an educational problem to
solve
• When educators want to reflect on their own
practices
• When you want to address school-wide
problems
• When teachers want to improve their
practices
• When educators want to participate in a
research project
Educational Research 2e: Creswell
How did action research
develop?
2000s
1990s
1980s
1970s
Teacher and school inquiries
(e.g. teacher-initiated
research studies)
School-based
site councils
(e.g. School
Committees)
Professional inquiry by
teachers (e.g. self-study)
In-service days (e.g. teacher
staff development activities)
Movement Toward Action Research
Educational Research 2e: Creswell
Types of action research
designs
Action Research
Practical
Participatory
•Studying local practices
Involving individual or teambased inquiry
•Focusing on teacher development and
student learning
•Implementing a plan of action
•Leading to the teacher-as-researcher
Educational Research 2e: Creswell
•Studying social issues
that constrain individual lives
•Emphasizing equal
collaboration
•Focusing on “life-enhancing
changes”
•Resulting in the emancipated
researcher
Practical action research: Mills
(2000) Dialectic Research Spiral
Identify an
Area of Focus
Develop an
Action Plan
Collect Data
Analyze and
Interpret Data
Educational Research 2e: Creswell
Participatory action research
• Deliberate exploration of relationship between
the individual and others
• Participatory: people conduct studies on
themselves
• Practical and collaborative
• Emancipatory (Challenges procedures)
• Helps individuals free themselves from
constraints found in media, language, work
procedures, and power relationships
• Reflexive or dialectical – focused on bringing
about change in practices
Educational Research 2e: Creswell
Stringer’s (1999) Action
Research Interacting Spiral
• Think
• Look
• Act
Educational Research 2e: Creswell
Key characteristics of action
research
• A practical focus
• The educator-researcher’s own
practices
• Collaboration
• Dynamic process
• A plan of action
• Sharing research
Educational Research 2e: Creswell
Practical focus
• A problem that will have immediate
benefits for
– Single teachers
– Schools
– Communities
Educational Research 2e: Creswell
Study of the educatorresearcher’s own practices
• Self-reflective research by the
educator-researchers turns the lens on
their own educational classroom,
school, or practices.
Educational Research 2e: Creswell
Collaboration
Students
Community
Stakeholders
Teachers
Collaborative
Team
Parents
Staff
Administrators
Educational Research 2e: Creswell
A dynamic process
• Dynamic process of spiraling back and
forth among reflection, data collection,
and action
• Does not follow a linear pattern
• Does not follow a causal sequence from
problem to action
Educational Research 2e: Creswell
A plan of action
• The action researcher develops a plan
of action
• Formal or informal; involve a few
individuals or an entire community
• May be presenting data to stakeholders,
establishing a pilot program, or
exploring new practices
Educational Research 2e: Creswell
Sharing research
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Groups of stakeholders
Local schools, educational personnel
Local or state individuals
Not specifically interested in publication
but in sharing with individuals or groups
who can promote change
Educational Research 2e: Creswell
The problem is only one
phase in which to enter
Identifying
“Problem”
Collecting
Data
Evaluating
Existing
Data
Point of
Entry
Point of
Entry
Point of
Entry
Educational Research 2e: Creswell
Taking
Action
Point of
Entry
What are the steps in
conducting action research?
• Determine if action research is the best
design to use.
• Identify the problem to study
• Locate resources to help address the
problem
• Identify the information you will need
Educational Research 2e: Creswell
Taxonomy of action research
data collection techniques
Action Research
Data Collection Techniques
(The Three E’s)
Examining
Experiencing
Enquiring
(Through observation
and field notes)
When the researcher
asks
Participant observation
(Active participant)
Privileged, active
observer
Passive observer
Informal Interview
Structured formal
Interview
Questionnaires
Attitude Scales
Standardized Tests
Educational Research 2e: Creswell
Using and making
records
Archival documents
Journals
Maps
Audio and
Videotapes
Artifacts
Fieldnotes
What are the steps in
conducting action research?
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Implement the data collection
Analyze the data
Develop a plan for action
Implement the plan and reflect
Educational Research 2e: Creswell
How do you evaluate action
research?
• Does the project clearly address a problem or
issue in practice that needs to be solved?
• Did the action researcher collect sufficient
data to address the problem?
• Did the action researcher collaborate with
others during the study? Was there respect
for all collaborators?
Educational Research 2e: Creswell
How do you evaluate action
research?
• Did the plan of action advanced by the
researcher build logically from the data?
• Is there evidence that the plan of action
contributed to the researcher’s reflection as a
professional?
• Has the research enhanced the lives of the
participants by empowering them, changing
them, or providing them with new
understanding?
Educational Research 2e: Creswell
How do you evaluate action
research?
• Did the action research actually lead to
change or did a solution to a problem make
the difference?
• Was the action research reported to
audiences who might use the information?
Educational Research 2e: Creswell