Action Research
Supplementary Materials for LSI 580 Evaluation and Research
Department of Library Science and Instructional Technology
Southern Connecticut State University, New Haven CT

LSI 580-70
Fall 1999

CONTENTS:
1. Context for action research
2. Major concepts and principles of action research
3. Techniques of action research
4. The research notebook
5. Analyzing action research data
6. Ethical criteria for action researchers
7. The written action research report

1. CONTEXT FOR ACTION RESEARCH

Action research is very practical. Its purpose is to make a social situation better. The social situation does not need to be a problem situation. However, often it is an immediate and pressing problem which stimulates an action research initiative. Other times action research is used to evaluate the effectiveness of a set of interactions. Sometimes action research is used to explore a social system that seems to be functioning well in order to improve it further or to anticipate and prevent future problems. Action research can be used to solve day-to-day problems within a family unit; For example, coordination of conflicting transportation needs and its related stress and reduced performance or effectiveness at work or school. Action research can be used to improve curriculum in classrooms or other educational settings; For example, whether a new library and technology skills curriculum enables school media specialists and teachers to deliver learning modules which result in teacher-observable changes in student performance outcomes across disciplines. Action research can be used explore factors which predict success or failure in a learning situation; For example, self- and instructor-observable behaviors which support success or warn of deteriorating participation or learning in an online course.

In studying action research, we will use this later situation as an example in our discussions. That is, we will take part in action research as we study it. Remember, we will be participating in action research as we learn about it. You will need to keep this in mind so that you do not feel unsettled about not yet knowing the next step. Participating in action research as we learn about it will help to keep us focused. Shall we begin?

Research begins with a statement or abstract of what we intend to study and how. For example:
Abstract:
Action research will be utilized to explore behaviors which predict success or warn of failure in an online learning environment. Data collection will include triangulation among the perspectives the teacher and the student, and an outside facilitator (or critical friend) from the academic research community.

I have included a few terms, such as triangulation and critical friend, which we will introduce later. The main notion I want you to take from this abstract is that those with a stake in the situation or problem (students and instructor) will be included in the search for meaning or a solution.

Action research begins its search for meaning or a solution from a question. For example:
The research question:
What observable behaviors will enable online students and their instructors to interact in learning modules which result in student- and teacher-observable changes in student performance outcomes in the subject area?

Letıs stop a minute and talk about the wording of the research question. Notice I did not ask what observable behaviors predict success or failure. Rather, I asked what observable behavior result in changes in student performance. Success and failure are fuzzy or vague terms. We need to have something more concrete or able to be measured by others. Notice that I used the phrase observable changes. This implies that there will be two measures: a standard or initial set of behaviors and a future set of behaviors. Between the two are the conditions or activities we will observe. We will reflect on which conditions or activities influenced the observed changes. We will plan changes in those conditions or activities. And we will observe the effect of the changes on student performance. What student performance outcomes do we want to observe? For this online course, I have set six performance outcomes grouped into three skill area:
To be observed:

• Organizational skills
  • working in an organized manner
  • employing time management
  • maintaining a clear focus
• Problem-solving skills
  • using or modifying strategies that aided similar learning
  • developing new strategies for learning
• Communication skills
  • communicating and defending strategies used and knowledge gained

We will need to OPERATIONALIZE these performance outcomes. That is, What observable behaviors demonstrate working in an organized manner What observable behaviors demonstrate employing time management? We will come back to the issue of operationalizing performance outcomes later.

Now that we have a research focus (abstract), a research question, and a set of performance outcomes that we can draw upon for examples and practice, we will return to our discussion of the goal of action research.

Action research is a form of self-reflective inquiry. In action research, participants in social situations reflect on the conditions and activities which make up the social situation and how these conditions and activities influence or affect the outcomes of the social situation. Action research is undertaken in order for the participants to improve the rationality and justice of their own practices or actions. Action research is undertaken in order for the participants to understand these practices; and action research is undertaken in order for the participants to understand the situations in which these practices are carried out.

In the case of online study, the curriculum and techniques for delivery of the curriculum is one educational proposal or hypothesis of how individuals learn. Educational proposals or hypothesis invite critical response from those who implement it. We (the students and instructor) are implementing the curriculum and techniques of online education. We will use action research to respond critically to online education, for the purpose of improving it.

Collaboration in action research suggests that teams of individuals share in the planning, implementation, analysis and reporting of the research. Collaboration in action research suggests that team members contribute unique skill and expertise in a collective process. Collaborative action research takes place when all those with a stake in the situation or problem have a right to be included in the search for a meaning, improvement, or solution. This collaboration includes the shared community of discourse between insiders in the situation and outsiders of the system.

While action research involves collaboration among participants in the situation, collaborative action research adds the perspective of an outside facilitor, observer or critical friend. The purpose of the critical friend is to make observations that those within the system may be unable to make. <./p>

Action research does not use a laboratory. The setting of action research is the situation itself. For example, if this course meet in a classroom, the classroom would be the setting of action research. As this course meets online, the Web-site will be the setting of our practice of action research.

What does action research look like? Action research involves planning, acting on the plan, observing, reflecting, revising the plans, and so on. That is, the model for action research is a cyclic model. Below is one way to represent this model.

The cycle of action research:

• Begin with a plan
• Act on that plan
• Observe
• Reflect
• Revise the plan
• Act on the new plan
• Observe, reflect, revise....

Lets review what we have covered so far.

• The aim of action research is to solve immediate and pressing day-to-day problems.
• The goal of action research is to improve social situation.
• The benefits of action research include improving our understanding of events, situations and problems and to increase our effectiveness in participating in these events and situations.
• The methodology of action research is 1) small-scale intervention in the functioning of the real world and 2) close examination of the effects of these interventions.
• Action research is a form of self-reflective inquiry by participants in social situations; however, the participants work collaboratively to plan, implement, analysis and report on the research.
• In some plans of action research, called collaborative action research, an outsider or critical friend adds his or her observations to those of the insiders of the system.
• The model of action research is cyclic. It includes planning, acting on the plan, observing, reflecting, revising the plan, acting on the new plan, observing, reflecting, revising, etc.

In the next unit we will discuss the major concepts and principals of action research.