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Chapter 23 Action Research - Coggle Diagram
Chapter 23 Action Research
When is action research used?
used in real situations in solving real problems
In social sciences, used to do a pilot research in a particular when the situation is rather ambiguous to work out a precise research question
chosen when circumstances need to be flexible
What are the key points about action research?
an approach in improving practice by changing it and learning from the consequences of changes
combines rigour and relevance in moving towards high levels of performance and leading to innovation and contributing towards knowledge
geared towards solving major job or unit or organization issues and therefore improve performance
develop through several self-reflective spiral cycles of planning, acting, observing, reflecting, then back to replanning, further implementation, observing and reflecting
requires systematic inquiry
keep records, collect and analyze their own judgements, reactions and as well as impressions
Getting started with action research
get an action research group together to participate with oneself to be a model learner about action research
be content at the start to work with small group
get organized with initial launching, identifying a nucleus of enthusiasts, negotiating meeting times
set a major and minor cycles of plan, act, observe and reflect
Main stages of action research
DIAGNOSING - identifying or defining a problem
ACTION PLANNING - considering alternative courses of action
TAKING ACTION - selecting a course of action
EVALUATING - studying the consequences of an action
SPECIFYING LEARNING - identifying general findings
Beginning the action research process
entry - there is a conventional wisdom the researchers usually gain access to an organization through the person in charge
forming an action research group
development of goals for the group whereby, for an action research group to function as a team, it must define some common goals
training of the action research group where group building from the onset is necessary to make the group's research genuinely cooperative and effective
the research agreement where the action research group must obtain access to those who can authorize the research contract and facilitates the research condition
Doing action research - several questions may be posed by an action researcher in the process of gathering data
What are the data that I need to gather?
Why are those data gathered?
When would the data be gathered?
Where would the data be gathered from?
How would the data be gathered?
How could the data be gathered from different perspectives and different sources
Methodology in action research - the techniques of data collection
Data collection includes:
Content analysis
Interviews
Discussion
Tests
Journal and diaries
Narative observation
Group activity observation
Personal field notes
Check list and inventory
Focus group discussion
Portfolio
Documentary analysis (students achievement, structured and unstructured observation, questionnaire)
How are data analyzed
looking at field or group of data
attempt to induce or create order
organized things observed into groups
look for recurring items
look for themes or pattern that emerge
similar things to be coded and moved into categories
categories need flexibility as later data may change category nature and composition
Advantages
reconstruct theory and use more effective practices in their workplace
identify problems and find solution systematically
Limitations
employee autonomy
the time factor
a climate of trust among the employees
Ethical consideration
ensure that the person have been consulted and that the principles guiding the work are accepted in advance by everybody
all participants must be allowed to influence the work
the development of work must remain visible and open to suggestion from others
permission must be obtained before making observations or examining documents
description of others' work and points of view must be negotiated with those concerned before being published
the researcher must accept responsibility for maintaining confidentiality
decisions made about the direction of the research and the probable outcomes are collective
Summary - aim is for continuous improvement; uses inductive methods where researchers make conclusions based on the data gathered