A Practical Guide to Action Research for Literacy Educators

Create an Action Plan
■
■
■
■
Who will participate in the research?
What will happen with the participants?
How will the research be conducted, and
what will be the specific sequence of actions?
When will the research be conducted, and
how might it unfold or change over time?
Think carefully and be specific as you ask yourself
each question. For example:
■
■
■
■
Where will the research take place?
Specify the context for the Action Research:
district, school, classroom, and grade level.
Who will participate in the research?
Identify specifically the individuals who are the
focus of the Action Research. Will it be students
from one classroom or multiple classrooms? Will
it be all students from these classrooms or
specific students (lowest-achieving students in
one class, unmotivated students identified by the
teacher)?
What will happen with the participants?
Specify what participants will experience as part
of the research. For example, “First-grade
students will be taught explicit reading strategies
for comprehending nonfiction text.”
How will the research be conducted?
Specify what needs to be accomplished in order
for the research to be conducted with the
participants. For example, “First-grade students
will be taught explicitly how to use nonfiction
texts in their small groups at their specific
reading levels for 20 minutes each day.”
■
When will the research be conducted?
Establish a timeline or schedule for conducting
all phases of the Action Research. The timeline
should specify the start and end dates for each
activity and how frequently the activity will
occur. For example, “The research will begin the
second nine weeks of school and end after nine
weeks. The small group instruction will occur
each day for the students involved.”
In developing your action plan, you need to
anticipate obstacles and how you will react to them.
Ask yourself these questions:
■
■
■
■
■
■
What could interfere with your plan?
What will you do to avoid these obstacles?
Identify possible changes in your teaching
which might help resolve issues.
What instructional/organizational/
supervisory changes will you make?
What can you do about the problem? (To find
out, talk to colleagues, read, ask students, etc.)
What CONTROL do you have to solve the
problem? How do you know that your action
plan can resolve the problem/get the best
results?
You are almost ready to implement your plan, but
first, consider these points:
■
■
Does the research question seem focused
enough to be doable?
Does it focus on what the researcher can
actually control?
■
Does the plan incorporate a way to overcome
obstacles?
31