Second Term

Lesson 1
Theme: Classroom research stages
Time – 80 minutes
The aim of the lesson: to introduce a new phenomenon of classroom research,
to explain its importance through different practical exercises
Key words: Action research, introduction, focus

Action Research is either research initiated to solve an immediate problem or a

reflective process of progressive problem solving that integrates research, action,
and analysis. The integration of action includes the development and
implementation of a plan or strategy to address the focus of the research. The
research includes building a knowledge base to understand the effectiveness of
the action or plan being considered. Put simple, action research can be viewed as
a form of disciplined inquiry utilized by teachers, instructors, and supervisors to
better understand student learning and teacher effectiveness.
There are many guides and permutations available for conducting action research
in the classroom. I will link to some of these resources in the citations section at
the conclusion of this post. The purpose of this post is to get you up and running
with four basic steps needed to conduct action research in your own practice.
Selecting a focus
The first step in conducting action research is to identify and define the focus of
your investigation. You’ll want to develop some questions about the area of your
focus. Finally, you’ll need to identify a plan to effectively study and answer the
questions you’ve developed.
Please note that action research typically will include an examination of the
school, programs, students, and instructional practices. You’ll want to consider
what aspects of these areas will you need to study in your research. Specifically,
will you need to examine student outcomes (dispositions, achievement);
curriculum (instructional materials, content standards, frameworks); instruction
(teaching strategies, use of technology); school climate (student morale, teacher
morale, relationships between teachers and supervisors); parental involvement
(participation on committees, attendance at events).
As you develop your focus and identify a specific frame to guide your thinking,
you should also adjust your research questions. As an example, if you’re
concerned with issues of school climate, you might want to consider the
following guiding questions:
 How can I document the morale of teachers?
 What impact does possible low morale of teachers have on student achievement?
 Will increased relationships between teachers and supervisors yield higher teacher
morale?
 How might we increase more positive relationships between students, teachers, and
supervisors?
Developing and revising the focus and guiding questions for your action research
will help you understand what elements you are interested in examining. You
will also need to identify questions you can effectively gather information about
and conduct your research. What research questions do you want to answer?
What research questions do you think you can answer?
Collecting data
The second step involved in conducting action research includes collecting data
to use in answering your research questions. Once again, in step one you’ll
identify questions you are interested in answering..and think that you can
effectively “answer”? In the second step, you’ll need to gather info to address
these questions. This data may consist of teacher-made surveys and standardized
test data. Data may consist of surveys and interviews. Collected data may also
consist of student portfolios, observations, and other sources of information.
The data you collect may also consist of research conducted to identify best
practices, or research tested techniques. This is an opportunity to learn from
others that may have been trying to unpack the same problems or challenges.
After I have identified the focus, keywords, and relevant search terms, I can
continue my examination at the library or using online sources.
You’ll want to make sure that your data will address the focus of your action
research. If you’re interested in studying the district’s new ELA/Reading
curriculum, you might collect interview and survey data. You may also collect
student scores on district-wide assessments. Finally, you may collect the
previous curriculum, or examine other curricular materials available.
As you collect data, you’ll want to make sure that you organize it to make it easy
for you (and others) to analyze. You may not present the data to others, but it
helps you in the long run in you keep your work organized as you work. You
may also choose to share your data with others to help prove a point or connect
your findings with others.
One of the last points I’d like to make about data collection is identifying when
you have collected enough data. This is always a question that is asked as we
begin the research process. What you’re looking for is “saturation of data.” As
you collect data, you’ll begin to recognize patterns in the data. If you start to get
a “gut feeling” that “you’ve already seen this before”…chances are
you’re approaching saturation.
Analyzing and interpreting data
After identifying your focus and collecting data, you’ll need to analyze and make
interpretations from your materials. In this you’ll want to describe or summarize
the data clearly. You’ll also look for consistent patterns or themes across the
data. Finally, you’ll want to use the data to answer your research questions
and/or prove your hypotheses.
There are multiple strategies and techniques that can be used as you analyze your
data. In my own work I find it is helpful to lay out all of my data and the
identified themes or patterns in an area that is easily visible while working. I’ll
save these themes and patterns written on paper on my desk, or on a white board
in my office. I also find it helpful to just write and think through the data,
themes, and patterns as I make sense of the results.
As you “make sense” of the results, you’ll want to identify how you’ll develop
your findings. In qualitative analysis, there is usually a focus on deductive or
inductive analysis of the data. Deductive means that you’re moving from
concepts to examples while inductive means that you’re moving from examples
to concepts. Another way to consider this is that deductive reasoning has you
examine your data with an open mind, look for patterns, develop a hypothesis,
and then move to theory. Inductive on the other hand has you moving from the
theory and using your hypothesis and the data to confirm your findings.
Please also note that it is possible and appropriate to move from one frame to
another, or include bits and pieces across the research process. You’ll just want
to understand where you’re obtaining your results, and what lenses you’re using
as you analyze and interpret your data.
Taking action
The fourth step includes you making a decision about your research and
identifying next possible actions. Let us suppose you have researched the
question above about teacher morale and have uncovered the root cause of the
problem. You’ve surveyed the students, teachers, and supervisors and you know
exactly how to “fix” the problem.
You now have to take action and this includes several possibilities. First, you
may choose to continue the system as it currently operates and make no changes.
Second, you may choose to disband the organization to address the problem.
This may include shutting down the school and sending all of the students,
teachers, and supervisors elsewhere. Third, you may choose to modify or make
small tweaks to the school, program, or relationships between all partners to
address the culture of the school.
Your decision on how you take action will be determined by a multitude of
factors…some of which may be out of your control. Please note that action
research typically follows a cycle as you move through each of the steps. As you
work through the sequence, you’ll learn a bit more about the problem or research
question. You’ll use this information as a way to improve your focus, research,
or action in subsequent steps through the cycle. This most likely will not be the
end of the cycle. You’ll continue to observe, act, and reflect as you continue to
plan and operate in the classroom.

Continuing the action research cycle

 Information gained from previous research may open new avenues of research.
You may choose to come down to this last step and decide to move back to the
top of the cycle and start the process over again after tweaking one small variable
in the sequence. Action research is ongoing. In this cycle, you are continually
involved in assessing instruction and seeking ways of improving your practice,
classroom, or even more.
For more guidance, please review some of the resources I used to compile this
post:
 A practical guide to action research for literacy educators
 Action Research: A guide for associate lecturers
 Action research in education
 Action Research in Qualitative Research
Activity 1. Duration ; 10 min
The teacher tells a story about animals. Children make animal noises every time
they hear the name of the animal.
Activity 2. Discussion ; 20 min
What is important for Analyzing and interpreting data?
Activity 3. 15 min
Lesson 2
Theme: Research Planning
Time – 80 minutes
The aim of the lesson: to introduce a new phenomenon of classroom research, to
explain its importance through different practical exercises
Key phrases: Effective planning of the research; Writing a research proposal,
research plan

Effective planning of the research

Writing a research proposal
A research proposal is a more detailed description of the project you are going to
undertake. Some departments require you to submit a research proposal as part of
the assessment of your dissertation, but it is worth preparing one even if it is not
a formal requirement of your course. It should build on the thinking that you
have done in defining your research problem; on the discussions that you have
had with your supervisor; and on early reading that you have done on the topic.
A comprehensive research proposal will make you think through exactly what it
is that you are going to do, and will help you when you start to write up the
project.
You could try outlining your project under the following headings
Topic: this project will study...
Question/problem: to find out...
Significance: so that more will be known about...
Primary the main data will be...
resources:
Secondary additional data comes from...
sources:
Methods: the research will be conducted as
follows...
Justification: the method is most appropriate
because...
Limitations: there are some matters that this
methodology may not help me to
explain. These might include...

You may find that some of these headings are difficult to fill in right at the start
of your project. However, you can use the gaps to help identify where you need
to begin work. If, for example, you are unsure about the limitations of your
methodology you should talk to your supervisor and read a bit more about that
methodology before you start.
Creating a research plan
A dissertation is an extended project that asks you to manage your time and
undertake a variety of tasks. Some courses schedule the dissertation at the end,
while others have it running along concurrently with other modules. Whichever
way your course is organised, it is essential that you create a plan that helps you
allocate enough time to each task you have to complete.
It is useful to work out how many weeks you have until you need to submit your
completed dissertation, and draw a chart showing these weeks. Block out the
 weeks when you know you will be unable to work, and mark in other main
commitments you have that will take time during this period. Then allocate
research tasks to the remaining time.
January
Christmas Write research Literature Complete Main data
proposal review literature collection
review and
conduct pilot
study
February
Complete data Analyse data Analyse data Write
collection dissertation
plan, then
begin first draft
March
Complete first Discuss draft Second draft Second draft Proofing/
draft with supervisor checking
It is very important to be realistic about how long each task is likely to take.
Some focused thought at the beginning, then at the planning stage of each phase,
could save hours later on. Write down the resources needed for each stage. It
could be time in the library; the resource of your working hours; or the use of
equipment or room space that needs to be booked in advance.
Procrastination
Some people find that they procrastinate more than they would like. This is a
common problem, so it is probably best to be well-prepared to identify it and
deal with it if it does start to happen. People procrastinate for various reasons for
example:
 poor time management
 daunted by the scale of the task
 negative beliefs
 loss of motivation
 perfectionism
 difficulty concentrating
 need to feel under pressure
 personal problems
Early identification of the signs of procrastination will give you the best chance
of minimising any negative effects. Once you suspect that you are
procrastinating, it can be helpful to review what you are expecting of yourself,
and check that those expectations are realistic. This is where planning is vital.
Realistic planning
To improve the prospect of completing on time, and avoiding procrastination,
you need to:
 be realistic about when you can/will start;
 devote time to planning and revising your plan;
 try to work out if any of your research will take a set amount of time to complete;
 allocate appropriate time for any travelling you need to do for your research;
 include other (non-dissertation related) things that you have to do between now and
then;
 have clear and achievable objectives for each week;
 focus on one thing at a time;
 leave time for editing and correcting;
 reward yourself when you complete objectives that you have timetabled; and
 if you fall behind make sure you spend time reworking your plan.
Your research plan should also include information about what equipment you
will need to complete your project, and any travel costs or other expenses that
you are likely to incur through the pursuit of your research. You should also
think about whether you are dependent on any one else to complete your project,
and think about what you are going to do if they are unable to help you.
Once you have created your plan it is a good idea to show it to someone else.
Ideally you will be able to show it to a member of academic staff or take it to
your Student Learning Centre, but talking it over with a friend may also help you
to spot anything that you have forgotten or anywhere that you have been
unrealistic in your planning.
Activity 1. Duration ; 20 min

Activity 2. Discussion ; 20 min

What is important for Research Planning?
Activity 3. 15 min
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