Action Research

Sistemas de la lengua
2019
Dra. Constanza Gerding Salas
What Is Action Research

• AR is any research into practice

undertaken by those involved in
that practice.

• Its primary goal is to encourage

continued reflection and make
improvement in any professional
field but particularly popular in
the field of education.
Advantage of AR

AR provides an opportunity to explore:

• the effectiveness of a particular teaching practice
• the development of a curriculum or your students’
learning

Hence, AR makes continual improvement possible.

By doing this, it is hoped that both teaching and

learning can be better tailored to fit the learners’
needs.
How does action research differ from
traditional research?

• Kurt Lewin (1890-1947), a famous psychologist coined

the term ‘action research’.

• He believed that there was “no action without

research; no research without action”.

• The unique combination of the two is what

distinguishes AR from most other forms of enquiry.
Traditional Research vs. AR
Traditional research emphasizes:
• the review of prior research
• rigorous control of the
research design
• generalizable and preferably
statistically significant results
Action research emphasizes:
• the insider’s perspective
• the practical significance of a
current issue
• may allow less representative
sampling and looser procedures
• the presentation of raw data and
statistically insignificant results
 What to include in an AR Report?

AR report components largely coincide with those of the AR process.

1. A question or an observation about a current problem

2. The narrowing down to make it more manageable for research
3. Devising an action plan to investigate the question
4. Gathering data and evidence to support a proposed solution
5. Analyzing the data collected
6. Reflection upon the entire AR process
Common data collection methods

• Observation of individual or group behavior

• Audio or video recordings
• Questionnaires and/or surveys
• Interviews
• Peer observations and comments
• Field notes
• Journal writing

You may use more than one data collection method

The never ending spiral

• AR leads you to think about the steps

you will try next.

• Or decide that the practice needs to be

observed again with modifications.

• If so, the whole action research process

starts all over again.
A cyclical process

AR is like a cyclical process:

• The reflection upon your action and the research
findings should lead to changes in your practice.

• This, in turn, may lead to extended questions

and further action.
Essential steps of AR

• Identifying the problem

• Devising an action plan
• Implementing the plan
• Observing & measuring reality
• Reflecting upon the process
• Evaluate changes
 What an AR report should include

• Context description = where the AR takes place

• Statement of focus = the problem to investigate, and goals to achieve

• Method(s) = procedures for data collection, types of data, strategies, justification

• Findings = observation and reflection upon practice. Was the problem solved?
What research is yet to be accomplished?

• Implication = discussion of findings to plan future practice/new research plans

 Language and publication

• Both AR and traditional research can be published

in academic journals, but AR reports may also be
published in brief reports or on websites for a
broader, non-academic audience.
• You may find it suitable to write in the first person,
but an academic writing style undeniably enhances
the credibility of a report.
• The colloquial style should be left to quote
colloquial text.
Reference
• Linking Research to Action: A Simple Guide to Writing an Action Research Report
• Tiffany Ip, Hong Kong Baptist University
• The Language Teacher
• Issue 41.1; January 2017