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Action Research

Describes Action Research and how it is used in education.

Conducting Teacher Action Research

Pine’s (2009) chapter on “Conducting Teacher Action Research” provides a number of good tips for this process. Developing good teacher action research takes time. The teacher has to understand her own classroom or school.  What are the issues that can be improved? What can they change?

Pine advises teacher researchers that they do not have to do it by themselves. Get feedback from others especially from those who may have a different perspective.

Pine, G. (2009). Conducting teacher action research. Teacher Action Research: Building Knowledge Democracies (pp. 234-262) Thousand Oaks, CA. Sage Publications, Inc. Retrieved from https://www.sagepub.com/sites/default/files/upm-binaries/27031_11.pdf  

The Action Research Question

“A good classroom action research question should be meaningful, compelling, and important to you as a teacher-researcher. It should engage your passion, energy, and commitment. It has to be important for your personal and professional growth; it should stretch you intellectually and affectively. You should live the question.” Pine, p. 239.

Developing your Action Research Questions

  • They are not static.
  • They will evolve and change as your research proceeds.
  • They don’t have yes or no answers.
  • Don’t rush the development of the question.

Framing the Question (p. 242)

  • Clearly state the issue to be investigated
  • What action/intervention will you implement?
  • Don’t use jargon or value-laden terms
  • Questions beginning with what, why or how work well.

Riel points out that a good Action Research Question should not do any of the following:

  • The answer is already known and you are proving the point.
  • Yes of no can answer the question
  • A literature review could answer the question.

Riel, M. Understanding Action Research. http://cadres.pepperdine.edu/ccar/define.html

Action Research Cycle