Introduction to action research in education

Introduction to action research in education : Introduction to action research in education Hery Yanto The WizIQ Online Class May 24, 2011

Agenda : Agenda Action research approach Action research in education Types of action research Teacher and action research Action research is a cycle Examples of action research question Action research report

Action research approach (Denscombe, 2007) : Action research approach (Denscombe, 2007) Hands-on, small scale research project Originally: Social theory – solving immediate social problems Recently: organization development, education, health and social care Improve practice/professional development – “participation” Involved with practical issues

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

Types of action research in education(Ferrace, 2000) : Types of action research in education(Ferrace, 2000) Individual teacher research Collaborative action research School-wide action research District-wide action research

Why should teachers do action research? (Laycock & Long, 2009) : Why should teachers do action research? (Laycock & Long, 2009) Examine situation Get input from participators Collaborate with colleagues to solve problems Appraise self-performance Improve practice and professional knowledge

Action research is a cycle(Riel, 2011) : Action research is a cycle(Riel, 2011)

Action research is a cycle (Laycock & Long, 2009) : Action research is a cycle (Laycock & Long, 2009) Look Think Act Reflect

Examples of concern/research questions in education (Riel, 2011) : Examples of concern/research questions in education (Riel, 2011) How can I personalize instruction to match the diverse needs of my students? How can the development of a common location for shared knowledge and the use of interactive communication tools increase the collaborative effectiveness of team-based decision-making in our different regions? How will making all day support available on instant messenger for questions about the use of the wiki affect the use of the wiki to organize group work?

How the action research report look like? : How the action research report look like? Introduction Literature review Research questions Method for data collection Finding Reflection Conclusion References Appendix

Conclusion: A checklist for action research (Denscombe, 2007)…[1] : 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?

Conclusion: A checklist for action research (Denscombe, 2007)…[2] : 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’?

Conclusion: A checklist for action research (Denscombe, 2007)…[3] : 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?

References : References Denscombe, 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/0335220223 Ferrance, E. (2000). Action research. Brown University. Retrieved from http://www.alliance.brown.edu/pubs/themes_ed/act_research.pdf Laycock, 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.pdf Riel, M. (2011). Understanding action research. Retrieved from http://cadres.pepperdine.edu/ccar/define.html

Future questions : Future questions Hery The University of Hawaii at Manoa herythe@hotmail.co.uk www.wiziq.com/uhmherythe MAHALO