Action Research 1

Definition

• The study of a social situation in order to improve the quality of the action within it (Elliott, 1991).
• Action research is a process in which participants examine their own educational practice systematically and carefully, using the techniques of research (Watts, 1985).
• Action research happens when people are involved in researching their own practice in order to improve it andto come to a better understanding of their practice situations.
  Action: act within the systems that they are trying to improve and understand.
  Research: systematic, critical inquiry which made public (Feldman, 2007).
  
  
  Concepts of Action Research
• reflective process that allows for inquiry and discussion
• interactive process that integrates theory with practice, through reflection and action planning
  prefer action rather than dealing with the theoretical
• concerned with diagnosing a problem and attempting to solve it
• focus a specific problem in a specific setting
• it aims to:
  - feed practical judgment in concrete situations
  - feed validity of the theories or hypotheses
• Importance:
  - To carry out development work
  - Broaden the knowledge and professional competency
  - Practice to strengthen and develop positive features
  - inform and change the practices in the future
  - carried out within the context of the teacher’s environment
  - a quest for knowledge about how to improve
  - Involves people working to improve their skills, techniques, and strategies
• To be a good action researcher,
  - Reflect on what we do
  - Speculate on the possible implications of every situation
  - Generate theories to be tested in action
  
  
  
  Steps of Doing Action Research
  
• According to Margules (1977),
  "in combining action processes (planning, implementation, and evaluation) with research processes (problem identification, hypothesis formation, and testing), the result is a sequence of steps and activities that identify the relevant events that must happen in the initiation and implementation of change."
• The essential steps in action research are the following:
  1. Analysis of the problems
  2. Research designs on how to solve the problems
  3. Implementation of action plan
  4. Evaluation of results of implementation
  
  
  Different Kinds of Action Research
  
  There are different kinds of action research depending upon the participants involved which shown as below:
  1. individual action research
  - focuses on a single issue in the classroom
  - working concurrently on the same problem with no knowledge of the work of others may also say as individual research
  - seeking solutions to problems of classroom management, instructional strategies, use of materials, or student learning
  - support by supervisor, principal, instructor for a course or parents
  - The problem is one that can be addressed on an individual basis
  - may not be shared with others
  2. collaborative action research
  - may include as few as two participants
  - the issue may involve one classroom or a common problem shared by many classrooms
  - support by individuals outside of the school, such as a university or community partner
  3. school-wide research
  - focuses on issues common to all
  - involve most of the teams of staff from the school
  - emphasize on team work and individual contributions to the whole
  4. district-wide research
  - more complex than others
  - utilizes more resources, but the rewards can be great
  - Issues can be organizational, community-based, performance-based, or processes for decision-making
  - Involve several schools or one of organizational management
  - involvement of multiple constituent groups can lend more energy to the process
  
  
  Examples
  
  Canning is one of the methods that school teachers mostly used in controlling students discipline in classroom. However, it physically and mentally brings some negative influence to certain students and is not suitable for further uses. In order to solve this solution, “reinforcement” can be used rather than punishment. Positive reinforcement can be done by having a reward as encouragement for the students who finished work. A part of these, negative reinforcement can also be given by not giving the students’ unlikely job as they finish the work. For example, Andrew not needs to throw the dustbin if he finishes his homework today. Different kinds of reinforcement can be used in different time and situations. It can be given continuously or randomly.
  
  
  References
  Cohen L, Manion L: Research Methods in Education. London, Croom Helm, 1980.
  Elliott, J. (1991). Action Research for Educational Change. PA: Open University Press.
  Marguiles N. (1977). Managing change in health care organization. Medical Care 15:693-704.
  Feldman, A. (2007).Teachers, Responsibility and Action Research. Educational Action Research, 15 (2): 239-252.
  Ferrance, E. (2000). Action Research. Brown University: Northeast and Islands Regional Educational Laboratory.
  Watts, H. (1985). When teachers are researchers, teaching improves. Journal of Staff Development, 6 (2): 118-127.