What Is Action

Research?
 Action research has been defined as a
form of collective self-reflective inquiry
done by participants in social situations.
Its aim is to improve the rationality and
justice of their own social and
educational practices, as well as their
understanding of those practices.
IN THE FIELD OF EDUCATION

Action Research is a family of

activities in curriculum development,
professional development, professional
improvement programs and systems
planning and policy development.
APPLIED IN SCHOOLS

Action Research investigates actions

or activities which are experienced by
teachers, supervisors or administrators,
planners and policy makers.
 Action Research as a form of inquiry
or investigation aimed at solving and
practical school problem.

- Borg and Gall

ESSENTIAL AIMS OF ACTION
RESEARCH ACTIVITY:
TO IMPROVE
TO INVOLVE
1. Improvement of a practice
2. Improvement of professional
development of the practice by its
practitioner
3. Improvement of the situation in which
the practice takes place
COMPARISON AND CONTRAST OF ACTION RESEARCH AND FORMAL
RESEARCH

Topic Formal Research Action Research

Training needed by Extensive
Researchers
Goals of Reseach Knowledge that is
generalizable or externally
valid
Methods of identifying the Review of previous or past
problem to be studied research (es)
Procedure for literature Extensive, using primary
review sources
Sampling frame Random and representative
sampling
Research Design Rigorous control, long time
frame
Measurement procedures Evaluate and pretest
measures
Data Analysis Statistical tests; qualitative
techniques
Application of results Emphasis on theoretical
On own or with consultation
Knowledge to apply to local
situation
Current needs of problems
faced
More cursory, using
secondary sources
Students/pupils or clients with
whom they work
Looser procedures, may
change during study; quick
time frame; control through
triangulation
Convenient measures or
standardized tests
Focus on practical, not
statistical significance
Emphasis on practical
KEY POINTS ABOUT SCHOOL ACTION RESEACH

1. Action research is an approach to improve education by

changing it or some of its practices and their rationales
or theories and principles that guide or shape them.
2. Action research is participative and collaborative in
approach; people work together towards the
improvement of their own practices.
3. Action research sets up self-critical communities of
teachers and educators.
4. Action research involves in theorizing about their
practices, in being inquisitive about the conditions,
actions and effects of such practices on their own lives.
KEY POINTS ABOUT SCHOOL ACTION RESEACH

5. Action research starts small by working through

changes which even a single teacher can try, and
then works toward bigger changes that could lead
to broader reforms in classroom, school or system-
wide policies and practices.
6. Action research requires that school personnel
submit their practices, ideas and assumptions
about education to the test by collecting evidence
which could convince them that their practices,
ideas and assumptions are wrong or wrongly
headed.
KEY POINTS ABOUT SCHOOL ACTION RESEACH

7. Action research has a much broader meaning of the

term evidence. It involves not only keeping record of
what is happening relevant to the questions being
studied, but also collecting and analyzing our own
judgments, reactions, and impressions of what is going
on.
8. Action research deepens teachers understanding of the
problem by adopting an exploratory stance any initial
definitions of the problem or situation they may hold.
9. Action research interprets what is going on from the
point of view of those acting and interacting in the
actual problem situation.
FOUR THINGS ACTION RESEARCH IS NOT

1. It is not improving a practice

through trial and error and
individual effort alone. Action
research is more systematic and
participative and collaborative in
gathering evidence on which to
base rigorous group reflection,
action and evaluation..
FOUR THINGS ACTION RESEARCH IS NOT

2. It is not simply problem solving, it

also involves problem posing. It does
not start from a view of problems as
pathologies. It is a quest by
practitioners themselves to
understand and improve their
educational practices.
FOUR THINGS ACTION RESEARCH IS NOT

3. It is not research done on other

people. It is particular people on
their work, their places, their
practices, to help them improve
what they do including how and
they work a with each and relate
with each other.
FOUR THINGS ACTION RESEARCH IS NOT

4. It is not the scientific method applied

to teaching. It is not just about
hypothesis testing or about arriving at
conclusions that are grounded on data.
It is concerned with changing situations
for the better, not just interpreting
them. It is a process which changes
both the researcher and the situations
in which they act.
DIFFERENT KINDS OF ACTION RESEARCH
DIAGNOSTIC

For example, a school principal may

request a division science supervisor
and a science specialist-researcher to
visit his school and observe his
teachers teach science and identify
possible causes of poor student
performance in science.
PARTICIPANT

The central idea in this kind of action

research is that the people who are
take action should be involved in the
research process from the beginning.
EMPIRICAL

This is best exemplified by many

community projects such as community
education, greening the environment,
livelihood programs for the poorest of
the poor, and the like. The idea is to do
something and keep a record of what is
done and what happens. The research
process is primarily a matter of record-
keeping and accumulating experience
in day-to-day work
EXPERIMENTAL

It is controlled research on the

relative effectiveness of different action
techniques. There is almost always
more than one possible way of trying to
accomplish something.
SAMPLE TITLE OF RESEARCH

Effective Disciplinary Measures for Pupils with Behavioral Problems in the

Implementation of K+12 Curriculum.
- Maria Imelda Paddayuman
Train Your Peer (TYP): Strategy to Make TLE Teachers K to 12 Ready
- Elwood L. Prias
Demographic and Internal Characteristics Among Secondary School of
Apayao: Their Relationship to Stress Level
- Jesusa Reyes, Biggayan Ph D.
Kahusayan sa Mekaniks ng Pagsulat ng Personal na Sanaysay ng
Ikawalong Baitang: Batayan sa Pagbuo ng Modyul sa Komposisyon.
- Johnryll C. Ancheta
Efficiency of Mother Tongue Based-Multi Lingual Education (MTB-MLE)
Approaches in Teaching Science.
- Marnelyjane P. Albite
Illustrated Assessment Versus Worded Assessment: Its Influence on the
Conceptual Understanding of Children with Learning Disability in Physics.
-Cifide Luvit G. Apostol