This slide contains the nature of action research, how it is distinct with basic research, and the steps in conducting action research.

1. Action Research:
A Tool for
Continuous
Improvement
Carlo Magno, PhD.
crlmgn@yahoo.com

2. What is Action Research?
• Reason and Bradbury “Handbook of Action
Research” (2001, 2006, 2008)
• “a participatory process concerned with
developing practical knowing in the pursuit of
worthwhile human purposes … It seeks to
bring together action and reflection, theory
and practice, in participation with others, in
the pursuit of practical solutions to issues of
pressing concern to people.”

3. Characteristics of Action Research
• Grounded in real life experience
• Developed in partnership
• Addresses significant needs
• Develops new ways of seeing/interpreting the world
(i.e., theory)
• Works with (rather than simply studying) people
• Uses methods that are appropriate to the audience
and participants at hand
• Develops needed structures to allow for follow up or
institutionalization of new practices so that the work
may have a lasting, positive impact

4. Comparison
Action Research in schools
(Applied)
Basic Research
(Theoretical)
Seek solutions to practical and
ongoing problems
Seeks solutions to theoretical
problems (i. e. expand
theory/knowledge)
To improve the teaching and
learning process (work process)
To arrive with models in
explaining the teaching and
learning process
Greatly considers the needs
and concerns of the
stakeholders
Driven by the need to fill up the
gap in previous studies
(literature reviews)
Providing and taking “informed
action”
Recommendations are
provided for further study

5. Action Research Process
Taken from ASCD (Sagor, 2000):
1. Selecting a focus
2. Clarifying theories
3. Identifying research questions
4. Collecting data
5. Analyzing data
6. Reporting results
7. Taking informed action

6. Step 1—Selecting a Focus
• Selecting a focus begins with the teacher
researcher or the team of action researchers
asking:
• What element(s) of our practice or what
aspect of student learning do we wish to
investigate?

7. Step 1—Selecting a Focus
• Some areas for investigation in Action Research
– Low student participation in class activities
– Irregular attendance/tardiness in class
– Students negative attitude towards mathematics and
science
– Low motivation of pupils to perform in the test
– Non accomplishment of homework, assignment, or
projects.
– Students unruly behavior
– Parents indifference in their child’s education
– Non-observance of healthy or hygienic practices inside and
outside of the school
– Students ‘learning in a group work

8. Step 2—Clarifying Theories
• The second step involves identifying the
values, beliefs, and theoretical perspectives
the researchers hold relating to their focus.
• Conduct search of literature reviews for the
theory needed.
• Example of theories:
– Self-determination theory
– Social cognitive theory
– Zone of Proximal Development

9. Step 3—Identifying Research
Questions
• Generate a set of personally meaningful research
questions to guide the inquiry.
• Be specific with the Independent, dependent,
mediating, moderating, and dependent variables
(outcomes).
– Effect of Project Based-Learning on students
engagement.
– Effect of feedback strategy on students spelling scores.
– Effect of CORI on students motivation on reading.
• The relationship among the variables needs to be
explained and guided by the theory in step 2.

10. Step 3—Identifying Research
Questions
• Bad action research questions:
– What will improve critical thinking skills?
(too broad, no specific IV)
– Is the KPUP assessment effective in schools?
(no idea on what data will be collected)
– To what extent is the K to 12 program effective?
(there are several indicators of K to 12 to be considered , not
outcome specified)
– Is there a significant difference between principals
leadership styles and teachers attitude on teaching?
(Confused researcher: illogical to compare two different
variables)

11. Step 3—Identifying Research
Questions
• Qualitative Action Research Questions:
– What are the difficulties of IP students in
answering mathematics word problem tasks?
– What are the general and subject specific
characteristics of an intelligent student as
perceived by grade 3 students?
– What metacognitive strategies are used by
Chinese students in comprehending their reading
of English books?

12. Step 4—Collecting Data
• The data used justify that the actions are valid
(meaning the information represents what the
researchers say it does)
• The data are reliable (meaning the researchers
are confident about the accuracy of their
data).
• Must be confident that the lessons drawn
from the data align with any unique
characteristics of their classroom or school.

13. Step 4—Collecting Data
• Methods of collecting data:
– Experiment
– Survey
– Use of self-reports: tests, scales, and inventories
– Observation (checklists)
– Interview
– Focus group discussions
– Metacards
– Content analysis
– Indigenous methods: Pakikipagkentuhan,
pagtatanong-tanong, pakapa-kapa, pakikipanuluyan

14. Step 5—Analyzing Data
• Quantitative
• Qualitative
• Both quantitative and qualitative

15. Step 5—Analyzing Data
• Quantitative Analysis
– Sources of information: Surveys, questionnaires,
rating scales, checklists, formative and summative
assessments, standardized tests
– Testing hypothesis
• Relationship of variables
• Comparing categories on a dependent variable
• Effect of an IV on a DV
– Use descriptive and inferential statistics

16. Step 5—Analyzing Data
• Qualitative data analysis
– Sources: interview transcripts, observational
notes, journal entries, audio and video
transcription, records, reports.
1. Reduction of large amounts of narrative data.
Search for words or phrases in the observation that
begins to repeat themselves.
Coding – group data that provides similar types of
information.

17. Step 5—Analyzing Data
• 2. Describe the main features of the
categories
– Make connections between the data
– Connect the data to the research questions
• 3. Interpret the data
– Interpret the events for relationships, similarities,
and contradictions.

18. Step 6—Reporting Results
• The reporting of action research most often
occurs in informal settings.
• Faculty meetings, brown bag lunch seminars,
and teacher conferences are among the most
common venues for sharing action research
with peers.
• Writing up the work for publication or reports.

19. Step 6—Reporting Results
• Parts of the report
– Introduction: What event or need lead the researcher to
investigate the study?
– Review of related literature: What are the previous
studies that investigated the same phenomena? What
theory explain the relationship among the variables?
– Research Questions
– Method: Design, Participants, Instruments, procedure,
analysis
– Results
– Discussion
– References
– Appendices

20. Step 7—Taking Informed Action
• Create an action plan
– description of the implementation of a new education
practice.
– Alternative approaches to addressing the problem
– Plan to share the findings to colleagues
• Common outcomes:
– A greater understanding of the situation or the learner is
developed
– A new problem is discovered
– A plan, program or instructional method is found to be
effective or ineffective
– A plan, program or instructional method is found to need
modification

21. Step 7—Taking Informed Action
Findings
per
question
Recomme
nded
action
Who is
responsibl
e?
-Teachers
-students
-Principal
-parents
-Others
Who
needs to
be
consulted
?
Who will
monitor
the
actions?
Time line Resources
needed

22. Step 7—Taking Informed Action
• Levels of action Plan
– Individual action planning: lesson plans
– Team action planning: Implementation within a
level of subject area
– School level or district wide: Results translated to
practices, policies, procedures

23. Three Purposes for Action Research
• Building the reflective practitioner
• Making progress on schoolwide priorities
• Building professional cultures

24. Building the Reflective Practitioner
• When individual teachers make a personal
commitment to systematically collect data on their
work, they foster continuous growth and development.
• When the empirical investigation affect the teaching
and learning: Reflections on the findings from each
day's work inform the next day's instruction, teachers
can't help but develop greater mastery of the art and
science of teaching.
• The individual teachers conducting action research are
making continuous progress in developing their
strengths as reflective practitioners.

25. Making Progress on Schoolwide
Priorities
• When a faculty shares a commitment to achieving excellence with a
specific focus—for example, the development of higher-order
thinking, positive social behavior, or higher standardized test
scores—then collaboratively studying their practice will not only
contribute to the achievement of the shared goal but would have a
powerful impact on team building and program development.
• Focusing the combined time, energy, and creativity of a group of
committed professionals on a single pedagogical issue will
inevitably lead to program improvements, as well as to the school
becoming a “center of excellence.”
• As a result, when a faculty chooses to focus on one issue and all the
teachers elect to enthusiastically participate in action research on
that issue, significant progress on the schoolwide priorities cannot
help but occur.

26. Building Professional Cultures
• School faculties who wish to transform themselves into
“communities of learners” often empower teams of
colleagues who share a passion about one aspect of
teaching and learning to conduct investigations into
that area of interest and then share what they've
learned with the rest of the school community.
• Multiple action research inquiries occur
simultaneously, and no one is held captive to another's
priority, yet everyone knows that all the work
ultimately will be shared and will consequently
contribute to organizational learning.

27. Why Conduct Action Research
• Professionalize teaching
• Enhance the motivation and efficacy of a
weary faculty
• Meet the needs of an increasingly diverse
student body
• Achieve success with “standards-based”
reforms

28. Workshop
Indicate the following:
1. What area, topic or concern in your school
needs to be addressed?
2. What theory explains the event you will
investigate?
3. State the research questions
4. Method of Collecting data
5. Analyzing data
6. What results are expected
7. Informed action to be made

29. Example of Output
1. What area, topic or concern in your school needs to
be addressed?
Students seem interested in using their ipads and they
download educational apps. They read e-books rather
than their textbooks.
2. What theory explains the event you will investigate?
The technology integration model explains that learning is
effective when students use instructional materials as
medium of learning (Teo, 2010).
3. State the research questions
Will students who read the social studies material in the e-
book have higher scores in the test than students who read
the books?

30. Example Output
4. Method of Collecting data
- A test on the content of the lesson read will be given
5. Analyzing data
The t-test for two independent samples will be used to
compare the two groups on their test performance.
6. What results are expected
The results will be presented to the principal.
7. Informed action to be made
School level: Social studies materials will be made into e-
book and it will be used is the effects are significant.