What is Action Research?
It is the study of classroom actions rather than correlating and addressing the social issues related with language teaching.
The Action Research Process
Principles of Action Research
Reflexive critique
It ensures that people reflect on the issues and make explicit the interpretations, prejudices, assumptions and concerns on which judgments are made.
Dialectical critique
It is shared through language to understand the set of relationships both between the phenomenon and its context.
Collaborative Resource
Distortion of the credibility of the idea holder must be avoided.
Risk
Change threatens all established ways of doing things, thus creating psychic fears among practitioners.
Plural Structure
It requires a pluralistic text for reporting, there will be many explicit stories with comments on their contradictions and options for action presented, it also acts as a support for ongoing discussion among collaborators.
Theory, Practice, Transformation
The practical applications that follow undergo further analysis, in a transformative cycle that continuously alternates the emphasis between theory and practice.
When is Action Research used?
It is used in real situations, rather than in artificial experimental studies.
Evolution of Action Research
Kurt Lewin focused on participatory group processes to address conflict, crisis and change, usually within organizations.
Eric Trist was involved in applied social research, initially for the civilian repatriation of German prisoners of war.
Current Types of Action Research
Traditional action research: encompasses the concepts and practices of field theory, group dynamics, led to the application of action research in the areas of Organizational Development, Quality of Work Life
Contextural Action Research (Action Learning): involves rebuilding relationships between actors in a social environment; based on ownership and seeks to involve all affected parties and stakeholders.
Radical Action Research: has a strong focus on emancipation and overcoming power imbalances, is in liberationist movements, in feminist action research for social transformation and strengthening the peripheral groups of society.
Educational Action Research: it was believed that professional educators should be involved in solving community problems.
Action Research Tools
Is more of a problem-solving approach, rather than a method of collecting and analyzing data.
The Search Conference: has been developed exclusively to meet the needs of the action research approach, this is done with the aim of making decisions for the future of some organization.
Role of the Action Researcher
The role of the researcher is to implement the Action Research method and to produce an acceptable outcome for all participants, and to achieve this goal the following should be considered:
Planner leader
Catalyzer
Facilitator
Teacher
Designer
Listener
Observer
Synthesizer
Reporter
Ethical Considerations
The research is done in the real world, so it is necessary that communication is close and open between the people involved.Richard Winter (1996) lists a number of principles:
Permission should be obtained before making observations or reviewing documents.
The description of the work and the views of others should be negotiated with stakeholders before being published.
It should allow all participants to influence the work.
The researcher should accept responsibility for maintaining confidentiality.
The development of the work should remain visible and open to suggestions from others.
The external researcher and the initial design team should create a process that maximizes opportunities for participation by all participants.
Ensure that relevant persons, committees and authorities have been consulted.
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 LEANING: Identifying general findings.