Introducing Action Research Muireann O'Keeffe

This presentation explores the following:

Research Paradigms

History of action research

Practitioner as researcher

Types of action research – collaborative, participatory

Design: cycles Data collection/analysis

Validity, rigour Role of reflection

Kurt Lewin

Kurt Lewin (1890-1947)

German social psychologist

Involved in combating of anti-Semitism

Joined Psychological Institute, University of Berlin 

Moved to USA

Generally credited as the person who coined the term ‘action research’

Action research and its position within the research paradigms:

EMPIRICAL RESEARCH (Quantitative)

INTERPRETIVE RESEARCH (Qualitative)

CRITICAL THEORETICAL RESEARCH

ACTION RESEARCHInterpretive approaches

Living theory approaches

Critical theoretic approaches

(McNiff & Whitehead 2002)

Action research is:

Not research ‘on’ people (Quantitative paradigm) Not research ‘for’ people (Qualitative paradigm)

BUT

Research ‘with’ people

(Critical Social theory paradigm)

Critical Research Paradigm

Emancipatory interest (Freire)

Advocates Change

Political, ideological factors, power and interests shaping behaviour

Feminism

Small scale research

Participant researchers

Understanding, interrogating, critiquing, transforming actions and interests

Critical theorists, action researchers, practitioner researchers

4 Defining Characteristics of Action Research

Practical nature – real world problems

Change – integral part of research

Cyclical process – feedback loop

Participation is active not passive

Action Research

It recognises that practitioners can and should

contribute to research - initiated, directed and

controlled by practitioner

Research in action rather than about action

It puts the ‘I’ at the centre of the research

process

Key Features of Action Research

It is research in action rather than about action

It is participative

Starts small

It has a sequence of events (cycle)

Compiles evidence – keeps records (logs, journals)

Aims to manage change and/or solve problems in an analytical, reflective series of actions, evaluations and further actions.

Key Features of Action Research CTD

It takes place in situ

It is self consciously analytical

It is generally grounded in a theoretical

framework and through its activities

generates emergent theory

It is informed by an overt ethical framework

Practitioner Action Research (in education/health)

Aims to improve education/health practices

by changing practice and learning from the

consequences of change

It is participatory and collaborative

Establishes self critical communities keen to

‘enlighten’ themselves and thus ‘emancipate’

themselves from rigid practices

Cycles of action research

Plan

Act

Observe

Reflect

(Lewin 1946)

Action Research Map2. Imagine a possible solution

1. Identify a problematic issue

3. Try it out

4. Evaluate it

5. Change your practice in the light of the evaluation

(McNiff 2002)

Simple 5 step process (ITDEM)

1• Identifying a problem/issue

2• Thinking of ways to solve the problem

3• Doing it

4• Evaluating it (research findings)

5• Modifying future practice

(Norton, 2009)

Criticisms of action research

Not valid research as seen from positivist/scientific perspective

Largely un-theorised descriptions of practice

Need to be aware of major criticisms, and have confidence in that approach to action research is well thought out and systematic

Findings not generalisable

How can we combat this?

Establishing reliability & validity

Critical friends (Whitehead,

McNiff)

Recording of events (journaling)

Validation of focus groups/interviews Triangulation

Reflection: Helps to acknowledge

individual bias

Role of reflection

What is reflective practice?

“The ability to reflect to learn from and make sense of experience”

Jackson (2006)

…the process of stepping back from experience to process what the experience means, with a view to planning further

(Kolb 1984)

“we might find ourselves driving somewhere we go every day when we actually intended going somewhere different”

(Somekh 2006)

Triangulation

Checking data from multiple sources for consistency

Member-checking, is the data consistent?

Redundancy, ask the question in various ways

Effort to assure that right information and interpretation obtained?

Does phenomenon remain the same at other times?

Action Research and Ethics

Action research is ‘insider research’

If our journals remain private and our videotapes aren’t played, we can inquire with equanimity……..however we rarely work in isolation

(Zeni, 1998)

What at first seemed a rather straightforward exercise in translation proved a formidable task…………informed consent can be sought but the journey of research often changes as action progresses

(Malone, 2010)

Checklist for action research

Cycle structure

Timescales

Ethical approval

How will you insure quality and validity

My Action Research Study Problem: students not engaging with

ePortfolio, lack of reflective practice

Question: How can I support postgraduate students developing ePortfolios?

Cycle of 2 years

Change of teaching practices, change design of curriculum implementation of new supports for students

Analysis: Currently investigating if the activities/strategies put in place during the academic year 2012-13 been effective in supporting the development of ePortfolios

Data Collection: Interviews, focus groups, student ePortfolios, my reflections.

What action research means for my practice as a teacher:

How do I improve what I am doing?

Applied research carried out on an identified need for

improvement

An enquiry carried out to

understand , evaluate and then change, in order to

improve some educational

practice

Process of systematic

reflection ..........

References & Resources

Costello, Patrick (2011) effective action research: developing reflective thinking and practice. London, New York: Continuum International Pub. Group.

Denscombe, M (2010) The Good research guide: for small-scale research projects (4th Ed) Open University Press

Farren & Crotty Educational action research http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qg83f72_6Gw&feature=player_embedded

Freire, P. (1972) Pedagogy of the Oppressed, Harmondsworth: Penguin

Malone(2010) Ethics at home: informed consent in your own backyard, International Journal of Qualitative Studies in Education, 16:6, 797-815

Mcniff, J., Lomax, P. Whitehead, J ( 2003) You and your research project (2nd ed)

Norton, L., (2009) Action research in teaching and learning: A practical guide to conducting pedagogical research in universities. Routledge

Whitehead, J (2011) All you need to know about action research. London: Sage Publications

Zeni (1998) A guide to ethical issues and action research, Educational Action Research, 6:1, 9-19

Action Research Journals

Action research http://arj.sagepub.com/

Educational journal of living theories EJOLTS http://ejolts.net/

Educational Action Research http://www.tandfonline.com/toc/reac20/current