Hints and tips to keep in mind while doing research:
*Establish a general focus for the investigator and stakeholders. Be sure to keep a focus on the original focus of the study, and do not let participants become sidetracked.
*Make sure that events and activities relate to the problem at hand.
*Ensure that that the compilation of the data reflects the perceptions for all the stakeholders in the study populations.
* In some cases, not all stakeholders can be involved in all steps of the process at all times. Investigators need to make every effort to regularly keep stakeholders informed of various accounts as they develop. (Berg 2004, pp. 200 - 201).
*Researchers and practitioners need to work together in a way that allows for a mutually acceptable ethical framework.
*Although there are examples of action research articles, there are few comprehensive sites to serve as a guide for novice researchers. (Avison, et al, 1999, p. 96)
Types of Action Research For Educators:
Individual teacher research: This has a focus on a single issue in the classroom, such as classroom management, instructional strategies, use of materials, etc. Teachers may have the support of management, and they can address the research on an individual basis. Drawback: Data sharing may be limited, or not shared with others unless it is done formally at a faculty meeting, conference, or submitted to a listserv, journal, or other written media.
Collaborative action research: This may include 2 or more researchers interested I addressing a classroom or department issue.
School-wide research: This focuses on issues common to all (i.e., lack of student involvement in on-campus activities, working with students on regularly checking campus e-mail, etc). Teams of staff work together to narrow the question, gather and analyze the data, and decide on a plan of action. Advantage: A sense of ownership and accomplishment shared by a campus-community.
District-wide research: This deals with issues that relate to organizational, community-based, performance-based, or processes for decision-making. It works with a wide-spread problem. Drawbacks: Communication can be an issue since this type of research works with such a large task force. Research is complex and utilizes more resources, and its harder to keep the process moving. (Ferrance, 2000, p. 3 – 5)
Other types of Action Research:
Technical/scientific/Collaborative Mode
The researcher serves as a collaborator and a facilitator for the practitioner, whereas the practitioner acts as a liaison to bring information from the researcher to his or her clients.
Communication flow is primarily between the facilitator and the group (Berg, 2004, p. 203).
A Practical/Mutual Collaborative/Deliberate Mode
The researcher and the practitioner come together and collaboratively identify potential problems and issues, their underlying causes and possible interventions. This has a more flexible approach than the prior method, and embraces a greater concern for empowering the stakeholders working with the practitioner. The practitioner also works to incorporate the information developed by the research (Berg, 2004, p. 203).
Emancipating/Enhancing/Critical Science Mode
This type of research has two distinct goals: to find the connection between problems encountered by practitioners in specific settings and theories used to explain the problem, and to assist the practitioners in the understanding of the problem (Berg, 2004, p. 204).
Photovoice and Action Research:
In this method, researchers give their subjects a camera and ask them to photograph certain aspects of their lives. This empowers the participant in a variety of ways, including tangible evidence of issues and personal interaction with the material. It allows participants who are not in control of situations causing problems to share information with those who are (i.e., management, administrators, etc.). Often, these personal photographs are in addition to researcher observation and field note taking or photos taken by the investigator. These photographs are then discussed with others, allowing for participants to share meanings attached to the people, scenes, objects and situations captured in the photographs.
Note: participants will need to identify which of the photographs they believe most accurately reflect their concerns and issues or which photographs best depict their view about the world around them. They will also need to conceptualize stories with the researchers, sharing information about why the photos were taken, what the images mean to them, and what they intend the photograph to represent. Lastly, the researcher will need to codify the information, searching for central issues, themes or theories that emerge during the course of viewing and discussing the photographs. Participants may also add observations that they want to prioritize (Berg, 2004, p. 204-206).
Class project:
I find the idea of photovoice fascinating. I have brought three Polaroid cameras with me tonight. The class is to break up into three groups of 4. Each group is to discuss the following concern:
What aspect of the PhD program causes me the most anxiety?
Utilizing the cameras, students should try to capture images (staged, due to class time limits). Please try to limit photographs to one per group member. Turn the photographs in to me. We will discuss major themes as depicted in each group, selecting the predominant theme to discuss (BRIEFLY) in class. (Note: Participants are ultimately responsible for solving their own issues on their own time).
Do you find this methodology to be useful? Did your experience match the research presented tonight?
--OR--
Click on the link below for the class discussion project:
Want to learn more? Useful sites:
“Action Research Resources”
“Action Research”
“Glossary of Research Methodologies”
Resources:
Avison, D., Lau, F., Myyers M., & Nielsen, P. (1999) Action research. Communications of the ACM, Vo. 42, (No.1), 
p. 94 – 97.
Berg, B.L. (2004) Qualitative research methods. 5th edition. California State University: Pearson.
Bowen, R. (1998) Graphic approaches to describing action research methodology. Educational Action Research, Vol. 6 (No. 3), p. 507 – 526.
Stringer, E. T. (1999) Action research: A handbook for practitioners, Newbury Park, Ca.: Sage.
What is Action Research?
Action Research, (also known as Participatory Action research) is a form of inquiry into methodologies designed to improve organizations or institutions. Its purpose is to help people in their understanding of a specific situation in order to resolve the problems that confront them.
In other words, action research can also be understood as “a means or model for enacting local, action-oriented approaches of investigation and applying small-scale theorizing to specific problems in particular situations” (Berg, 2004, p. 196).
It utilizes research in a “natural” setting to change the way that the researcher interacts with the participant (Ferrance, 2000, p. 7)
What makes this approach different from the others we have studied?
Unlike other methodologies, the researcher works within the community, not outside as an objective observer or external consultant. He or she contributes expertise when needed as a participant in the process.
To further emphasize the point, participants are also called shareholders, and come in a variety of types:
Focus groups: participants with similar interests or agendas discuss a particular issue
In-group forums: participants from single-interest or stakeholder groups discuss particular issues
Informal meetings: form spontaneously in response to particular circumstances or issues
Community group meetings: community members meet to explore interests or agendas (Berg, 2004, p. 201)
How can we use this in our program of educational studies?
"Action research has the potential to generate genuine and sustained improvements in schools. It gives educators new opportunities to reflect on and assess their teaching; the explore and test new ideas, methods, and materials; to assess how effective the new approaches were; to share feedback with fellow team members; and to make decisions about which new approaches to include in the team's curriculum, instruction, and assessment plans."
When did this methodology originate?
The origins are nebulous, though most resources refer to Kurt Lewin and his psychological research studies done in the 1940s. Lewin is believed to be the first to coin the term “action research”. (Smith, 1996)
In the 1950s, Stephen Corey, a researcher at the Teachers College at Columbia University, was among the first to use action research in the field of education. He believed that this research style would bring about change since it allowed educators to interact with their passion for learning. However, action research was attacked as unscientific and amateur. It did not resurface in education until the 1970s when educators began to question the standard research methods as means to solving educational issues (Ferrance, 2000, p. 7 – 8).
The rise in its use continued in the subsequent decades with the rise of racial and ethnicity studies, as well as the feminist movement. For researchers, it became particularly useful for studying classroom-teaching practices. It also appears in nursing studies (Berg, 2004, p.195).
What are the strengths of this type of research?
*The democratization of knowledge production and use (everyone has a voice)
*Ethical fairness in the benefits of the knowledge generation process (no one participant is more important than another)
*An ecological stance toward society and nature (studying individuals in a natural setting)
*Appreciation of the capacity of humans to reflect, learn, and change
*A commitment to nonviolent social change
(Berg, 2004, p. 196)
For educators, it remains beneficial as it allows for professional development, limits isolation (which is problematic for some levels of educators), has the potential for positive change within a school, and allows teachers to reflect on their own classroom practices (Ferrance, 2000, p. 15).
How does it work?
Action research focuses on methods and techniques of investigation that take into account the study population’s history, culture, interactive activities and emotional lives.
One of the most popular models is Stringer’s spiral, which describes action research works through three basic phases:
Look - build a picture and gather information. When evaluating, the researcher defines and describes the problem to be investigated and the context in which it is set. The researcher also describes what all the participants (educators, group members, managers etc.) have been doing.
Think – interpret and explain. Researchers analyze and interpret the situation, reflecting on what the participants have been doing. The focus is to look at areas of success and any deficiencies, issues or problems.
Act – resolve issues and problems. In evaluation the researcher judges the worth, effectiveness, appropriateness, and outcomes of those activities, then works to formulate solutions to any problems. (Stringer 1999: 18; 43-44;160)
