Group items tagged

"Madison Metropolitan School District (2001). "Classroom action research." http://www.madison.k12.wi.us/sod/car/carhomepage.html"

This website is a very helpful tool for anyone taking on the task of an action research project. In the section "Reasons to Do Actions Research" it cites collegiality, personal/professional development, consistency, and challenging the norm, all as reasons why action research needed to be done in this situation. Under the section, "A process for Analyzing Your Data" the site goes through some steps to go through in order to get a big picture of the data that has been collected. Some of the steps include, look for themes or patterns, identify the main points, and draw the information together to include some of the evidence which supports each of your themes. The site also has many other links to topics such as "What is Action Research?", "Guidelines for Developing a Question", "Techniques for Collecting Data", and "Ideas for Your Final Write-Up".

As a research methodology, Participatory Action Research (PAR) is an ideal blend of CCT skills and tools. The author of the article, Couto quoted Freire (1970) in saying that "PAR is a community-based, problem-centered, active learning pedagogy, and it imparts several social problem-solving skills and lessons about participation in democratic societies". The article chronicles efforts by the author to engage students from the University of Richmond in a participatory action research project. The purpose of the research was to better understand needs and issues facing the Richmond Juvenile and Family court system. During the project, students worked with detained juveniles to better understand how the system was affecting each individual. The article provides a clear overview of participatory action research, offering numerous benefits of the process. The author suggests that PAR has the potential to be seen as the "scholarship of engagement" and is spreading in the same way that community service and service learning caught on in the 1970's and 1990's.

This method sounds like it could deliver much stronger learning experiences than typical service learning can because there the students usually remain formally outside what they study, though they learn and gain a lot through personal interactions and experiences. Here they directly engage in situations, working for change as partners, that through the service learning model they generally only try to alleviate and understand. The example is extreme and probably unsuited for most groups, but the methods are intriguing and exciting. The part about the community affected controlling the agenda would be key, as it can be a balance act, trying to have students really learn from experiences and not take condescending approaches.

This article was a good complement to the interview of Peter Senge and Margaret Wheatley (Changing How We Work Together) and Senge's work is also quoted in the article as well. Senge says that learning organizations should nurture new and expansive patterns of thinking, have higher standards for collective learning, and engage people in the team. It would be interesting to see what would happen if higher education institutions engaged in more participatory action research, wherein the students, faculty, and staff had more of a say in the actions of the institution. As it stands now, feedback from students and faculty is sought in some respects, such as in committee work, but many students are too busy to offer feedback to the institution. Instead, there is still a hierarchy of administration that makes the final decisions for actions that affect the students, faculty, and staff.

This article talks about when it may or may not be appropriate to use action learning. Action learning is an approach you take on with a group to gain a better knowledge of a particular objective that can be achieved through shared reflection and action. Through this process individuals willingly participate to deal with a problem as a group and create innovative ideas that can be carried out and evaluated to continue revisionism. (Our action research class in a nutshell) The example chapters at the beginning outline a clear picture of a kind of problem that needs continued learning and revision to meet a better goal after reflection and reassessment occur.

The article is about a systematic approach and learning about "a problem" resolving them with a group of committed people through reflection and dialogue. This action learning approach may not be suitable for everyone due to the time constraints and the possible need for immediate problem- solving. There are tools that are utilized during the process of trying to learn about a problem that help to facilitate the learning process of that problem.

This article provides more resources to the Action Research Process. This involves identifing a problem and wanting to implement change to improve outcomes. Something each Action Research articles have in common are reflection and evaluation.

In recent years, Action Learning has gained currency as an approach to developing people by using work-based or problem-based learning. This book introduces theory, research, and practice of the two authors and colleagues (O'Neil & Marsick) who have both researched and applied Action Learning.

The chapter headings make this book seem relevant to Action Research that emphasizes reflection.

Different approaches to Action Research

This gives us another side to Action Research. I find it amazing how many versions there are to the process. This also talks about reflection.

This article looks at several different approaches to Action Research.

Model of interest: Dialogical relation between individual performance & Social knowledge, provides an axis of knowledge as a process linking dialogue communication for trust building/community with thinking while doing; and dialogue of dissemination of information with individual performance and reflection on practice. Interesting model of action research processes with social context.

This article discusses the use of large-scale randomized trials to evaluate social policy. For decades, policy makers have rolled out changes without taking the time to conduct research to determine if the idea would be effective. One reason policy makers shun trials is the reality that the trials and experiments do not always support the ideas or policies. Rather than taking the time to conduct trials, policy makers prefer to "act swiftly" and propose policy. The article references the efforts of abstinence education, Scared straight programs, drug testing in prison populations, and school driving programs as examples of policies that have not worked--the research and data suggest the programs are not effective, yet policy makers continue to support the efforts.

Julie's point about not taking the time is a good one. This article was somewhat shocking in that it highlighted just how poor the research is behind many of our public policies and programs. Policy makers and politicians rush to gain political capital by moving decisively when they have only a kernel of research in support of their claims, without taking the time or making an effort to test the findings or dig deeper. After a policy or program is in place, it is not in their best interests to support research which may disprove the efficacy of what they have put in place. This could all tie back to our educational system, to whether or not we teach solid critical thinking and research skills.

I found this article to be very interesting. My favorite part was the study done in schools that polled the most influential peers, informed them on dangers of smoking, and attempted to decrease smoking by reverse peer pressure. I think this was a great idea!!!

This is a reflective paper after implementing an action research plan. It discusses results of the action as well as difficulties that arose throughout the action research cycle. I thought this was fitting as our own action research projects come to an end. Enjoy!!

This article has helped further define the principles of action research that we have visited throughout the semester. It provides several visual aids that overlap with our cycles and epicycles design. Information here provide important key aspects of the research process with relevance to an area of interest, in this case education. Many valuable works cited throughout help gain a better understanding of the bones of action research as well as its evolution.

By: Dr. Stephen Waters-Adams 2006

I think this is a good example of action research. The article discusses the relationship between stress at work and how it can have an effect on employees' health. It also gives ideas on ways to decrease stress at work thus improving the health of employees.

This is as very interesting article. The action research process is used along side quantitative data collection procedures to determine effects and solutions to employee stress and workplace changes. The article is extensive and I confess I did skip over the details of the subjects involved in order to see the author's results. The inclusion of employee input to determine matters that disturb them, which can be underestimated and overlooked, such as the simple need to be validated in the work they do, or the desire to have more input into decisions, is how the researchers were able to create interventions for change, by learning about the actual areas of stress.

This is another look at some stages of action research that overlap with PT, Calhoun and Shmuck. He further describes some current types of action research including traditional, contextual, radical and educational. He also includes some project examples that might be helpful when constructing our own plans and organization.

By: Rory O'Brien

This article is actually an interview of Peter Senge, author of The Fifth Discipline, and Margaret Wheatley, author of Leadership and the New Science; both are also organizational theorists. The two discuss how organizations can be more successful if they can work better with uncertainty, and incorporate meditation, derived from periods of silence in dialogue sessions, into their work. They claim that organizations need to accept that change should be accepted as the reality, and that life is a continuous state of change. The two also discuss the concept of "collective cultivation," wherein Buddhism teaches that cultivation is the practice of meditation, study, and service. Organizations not only need to accept change, but they need to collectively work hard and know how to accept this change. Unfortunately, most organizations don't have the tools or methods to support this idea. This interview allows the reader to think more about the concept of organizations and leaders in general, and how we understand them. We can't blame the hierarchy for the way things are, because we put the hierarchy in place. We are responsible for our own actions when we obey the demands of our leaders. If we can change our own views of organizations and the habits that we have adopted to work in them, then we can potentially change the way that they function from the inside out.

What struck me most about this article is their suggestion that we need to change our concept of what it means to be a leader in an organization. Particularly in the Western world, we look to our leaders, in fact expect our leaders, to have all the answers. As a leader, being comfortable sitting with uncertainty makes those you lead uncomfortable with you. The process of action research incorporates many of the same characteristics Senge and Wheatley identify: listening, being open, engaging in dialogue. Actively using action research in the workplace may help us reform our model of leadership.

I thought this article was very different but also very interesting. I like the combination of a business perspective and a religious one. I never really put too much thought into any similarities between the two. The suggestions on an effective leader and an effective organization are insightful. I agree there needs to be more dialogue as well as more reflection in order for things to work more efficiently.

"Greenwood, D. J. and M. Levin (1998). Introduction To Action Research: Social Research For Social Change. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage. (pp. 187-202)"

access to materials from 2011 conference

begins w/ a brief introduction to appreciative inquiry (Ai)...Calls for evaluation of the process are acknowledged, as are the few evaluations/critiques of Ai we have found in literature. discuss how critical theory may be applied to an evaluation of appreciative inquiry bridging an apparent paradox between the negativity associated with the former and the positive focus of the latter. An initial application of Critical Appreciative Process (CAP) is described to illustrate how the integrated use of appreciative inquiry and critical theory deepens insight and recognition of the complexity in human endeavours.

This site provides provides a multicultural lens through which to view action research. There are numerous resources for teachers who want to incorporate social justice within their curriculum.

This 8 minute video was helpful in breaking down the pieces that go into action research. It also help further define why we do all of the necessary steps while keeping a positive and encouraging attitude throughout the process. By: Jackie Gerstein