Action Research
Dr. Ali Hussain Al Bulushi + Dr. Abdullah Ambosaidi
College of Education, Sultan Qaboos University
Outline of the workshop
 Task: What do you know about action research?
 What is it?
 Why are people conducting it?
 Action research vs. formal research
 What are the different phases/processes it includes?
 Group Reflections
Task 1: What do you know about action
research?
 Within your school’s team discuss the following questions and
come up with a unified answer for each. You only have 10
minutes.
1.
What do you think action research is?
2.
Why would a teacher or a school in general conduct action
research?
3.
What are the main phases of conducting action research at a
school?
4.
Who should be responsible for conducting it?
5.
How different is it from formal academic research?
6.
How generalizable are the results?
7.
Have you (individually or collaboratively) done it before at your
schools? If so, briefly describe an example?
What is Action Research?
1. An enquiry which is carried out in order to understand, to evaluate
and then to change, in order to improve education practice
(Bassey, 1998: 93)
2. Action research combines a substantive act with a research
procedure; it is action disciplined by enquiry, a personal attempt
at understanding while engaged in a process of improvement and
reform (Hopkins, 2002: 41)
3. An on-the-spot procedure designed to deal with a concrete
problem located in an immediate situation (Cohen and Manion,
1994: 192)
4. A constructive enquiry during which the researcher constructs
his/her knowledge of specific issues through planning, acting,
evaluating, refining, and learning from the experiences. It is a
continuous learning process in which the research learns and also
shares the newly generated knowledge with those who may benefit
from it (Koshy, 2008:9)
Why are people conducting it?
 Research can be set within a specific context or situation
 Researchers can be participants – they don’t have to be
distant and detached from the situation
 Action research involves continuous evaluation and
modifications can be made as the project progresses
 There are opportunities for theory to emerge from the
research rather than always follow a previously formulated
theory
 Supports the professional development of practitioners
 Builds a collegial networking system
 Helps practitioners identify problems & seek solutions
systematically
 Can be used at all levels & in all areas of education
Action Research vs. Formal Research:
Action Research
Formal Research
1.
On your own
1. Extensive training
2.
Applies to local situation
2. Generalizable
3.
Identified by assessing current
problems
4.
Use of own students
5.
Loose procedures with lots of
change
6.
Convenient measures for
evaluation
7.
Emphasis on practical
significance
8.
Informal sharing
3. Identified by reviewing
previous research
4. Random sampling
5. rigorous control
6. Pre and Post tests for
evaluation
7. Emphasis on theoretical
significance
8. Published report
Contexts or Themes of Action Research
 Contexts for action research?
 Enhancing classroom practice
 How can I improve my questioning skills?
 Who does most of the talking in my class – the children or me?
 How can I improve children participation in CT?
 Studying of a particular theme
 What is personalized learning and how can I implement it in my
classroom?
 Can we teach problem-solving skills and does the teaching of
problem-solving enhance children’s performance in other areas of
their work?
 What is meant by creativity in the classroom? What is creativity and
how can I encourage children to be creative?
 Institutional focus
 How can we enhance the motivation of our students?
 How can we increase participation at parent’s meetings?
 How can we encourage more discussion during staff meetings?
 Implementation of a new initiative?
 Setting up a learning mentor scheme and producing a set of
guidelines for schools on how to implement them effectively.
 How can we make school-based in-service sessions more effective?
 Adopting the new assessment for learning framework?
What are the different phases/processes it
includes?
Addresses
practical
problems
Identification
of practical
problems in a
specific
context and
seeking and
implementing
solutions
within that
context
Generates
knowledge
Production of
knowledge to
produce
change and
the enacting
of change to
produce
knowledge
Enacts
change
Is
participatory
Is a cyclical
process
Changes are
incorporated
into
immediate
goals and not
left to be
implemented
after the
project
Researchers
collaborate
with
practitioners
and other
stakeholders.
AR works
with rather
than on or for
the
researched.
Takes shape
as knowledge
emerges
(EdChange.org, 2003)
Smith, (2001)
(Gabel,1995)
Identify
the
problem
or area
Review
related
research
literature
Collect
data
Organize,
analyze
&
interpret
Take
action &
apply
findings
Group Reflections