Action Research - The Education Alliance at Brown University

Recommendations

Info

THEMES IN EDUCATION 6 Focus Possible support needed Potential impact Side effects Figure 1. Types of action research Individual teacher research Single classroom issue Coach/mentor Access to technology Assistance with data organization and analysis Curriculum Instruction Assessment Practice informed by data Information not always shared Collaborative action research Single classroom or several classrooms with common issue Substitute teachers Release time Close link with administrators Curriculum Instruction Assessment Policy Improved collegiality Formation of partnerships School-wide action research School issue, problem, or area of collective interest School commitment Leadership Communication External partners Potential to impact school restructuring and change Policy Parent involvement Evaluation of programs Improved collegiality, collaboration, and communication Team building Disagreements on process District-wide action research District issue Organizational structures District commitment Facilitator Recorder Communication External partners Allocation of resources Professional development activities Organizational structures Policy Improved collegiality, collaboration, and communication Team building Disagreements on process Shared vision
Action Research A Brief History of Action Research The idea of using research in a “natural” setting to change the way that the researcher interacts with that setting can be traced back to Kurt Lewin, a social psychologist and educator whose work on action research was developed throughout the 1940s in the United States. “Lewin is credited with coining the term ‘action research’ to describe work that did not separate the investigation from the action needed to solve the problem” (McFarland & Stansell, 1993, p. 14). Topics chosen for his study related directly to the context of the issue. His process was cyclical, involving a “non-linear pattern of planning, acting, observing, and reflecting on the changes in the social situations” (Noffke & Stevenson, 1995, p. 2). Stephen Corey at Teachers College at Columbia University was among the first to use action research in the field of education. He believed that the scientific method in education would bring about change because educators would be involved in both the research and the application of information. Corey summed up much of the thought behind this fledgling branch of inquiry. We are convinced that the disposition to study…the consequences of our own teaching is more likely to change and improve our practices than is reading about what someone else has discovered of his teaching. (Corey, 1953, p. 70) 7
Page 1 and 2: a program of The Education Alliance
Page 3 and 4: The LAB, a program of The Education
Page 5 and 6: Table of Contents What is Action Re
Page 7 and 8: What is Action Research? Action Res
Page 9 and 10: Action Research answers. It involve
Page 11: Action Research District-wide resea
Page 15 and 16: Steps in Action Research Action Res
Page 17 and 18: ■ GATHER DATA Action Research The
Page 19 and 20: ■ NEXT STEPS Action Research As a
Page 21 and 22: Action Research Potential to impact
Page 23 and 24: Action Research researcher. That co
Page 25 and 26: Action Research Working With the St
Page 27 and 28: Action Research In a climate that i
Page 29 and 30: Action Research fourth-, eighth- an
Page 31 and 32: Action Research element of these ta
Page 33 and 34: Action Research on action research.
Page 35 and 36: Conclusion Action Research This boo
Page 37 and 38: References Action Research Best, J.
Page 39 and 40: Internet Resources Action Research
Page 41: Northeast and Islands Regional Educ

Action Research - The Education Alliance at Brown University

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

Delete template?

Save as template?