Action Research: A Method for Learning about Your Program for Positive Change

Action research is a genera of researchmethods for the purpose oflearning about your program and practice for positive change. Action research aims to improve educational practice by systematically studying an issue or problem faced in an educational setting (Creswell, 2002). There are two types of action research discussed in the literature, practical action research and participatory action research. Practical action research is primarily concerned with improving practice and assumes a neutral stance toward study participants. Participatory action research focuses on studying social issues that constrain people and that require the researcher to assume an advocate role for those who are being researched, thus empowering those who are affected. The first step in doing action research is to decide if action research will help you solve your problem. Next, you must decide which role you will assume: practical or participatory action researcher. The next steps in the process are to identify a problem to study and to secure resources (money and time). After these initial steps are completed, the process becomes nonlinear. The beauty of action research is that you can enter the process at any stage, unlike other forms of research that require a strict and inflexible protocol. Stringer (1999) developed a model for action research called the Action Research Interacting Spiral where researchers look, think, and act about their problem. For example, you have a problem with low levels of participation in the National FFA Organization at your school. You look, notice that students are not joining the FFA, you think that the reason is because the uniform is considered not cool by your students, and then you act to remedy the situation. Stringer's model is a spiral that continues to rotate. As you solve one problem, you may discover others, requiring the process to be repeated. The difference between research knowledge and folk knowledge is that research knowledge is based on data and analysis of the data. Once you learn why students are not joining the FFA, you can think about how to solve the problem and act to increase membership. But first, you must collect and analyze data or evidence that points to the reasons for nonparticipation in the FFA. Looking at the problem requires the researcher to first understand, clarify, and gather insight into the problem. Gathering information from your study participants is the next step in the looking phase of the model. You can interview students, parents, and teachers. You can observe students' behavior, and you can read documents that address your problem (review the literature). It is best to involve a team of people to collect data. Complex surveys are not required for understanding most of our daily problems, and this saves us from having to run statistical analysis on the data. One goal of the action research paradigm is to make the process of research available to everyone, not just those trained in statistical methods and survey development. It is important to record your interviews and observations and to take notes on your findings. Once you feel that you understand the problem with the information you have collected, it is time to analyze the data. …