Section+2++Doing+Action+Research


 * Section 2 Doing Action Research**

In this section we will focus on the processes of Action Research. In Chapter 1 of the text Stringer describes a cycle of Look, Think and Act (Box 1.1 on page 8). We will look at four aspects of the processes of Action Research, namely a) describing the problem and its context, b) reviewing relevant literature to understand the problem, its context and possible solutions, c) identifying possible alternative Action Research approaches to dealing with the problem and finally d) data collection, analysis and reporting.

Your major assignment in this course is to create/develop a proposal for your own action research project. You will actually be expected to engage in this project in the Winter of 2011 so we will try to make this assignment as real as possible.

My expectations are that you will do the following parts of this assignment:

1. You will maintain on an ongoing basis a research journal that you began in the previous section. The journal should record your reflections of the material you read, hear and think about in this course.

2. There will also be an additional 4 major sections in the journal corresponding to the four aspects of Action Research discussed above and in class.

3. Each section will be structured according to the Look, Think, Act cycle described by Stringer

In the section regarding context you will describe the context, identify important problems encountered in that context and act by determining which problem(s) you will address.

In the section regarding literature you will identify and synthesize some literature related to your chosen problem and its context, You will act by describing a literature/research based rationale for your action research project.

In the section regarding project design you will identify a variety of potential approaches to entering into the Action Research projects, compare and contrast these approaches and act by deciding and rationalizing the individual design you will use in your personal project.

In the last section regarding data analysis you will look at the specifics of your data collection, analysis and reporting processes.

Done properly this assignment will have you very close to a research proposal for your Action Research project.

In this section of the course we will overview the Action Research process to get a feel for the whole endeavour. The specifics of each of the four aspects will be addressed in subsequent sections.

Readings for this section are:



Assignment for this section is:

After participating in the classes which discuss these topics and reading the required and other reads please address the following questions in your research journal:

A. Describe how you understand this material - how could it contribute to your understanding of your professional activities? B. What have you found to be clear and intuitive in this material? Why? C. What have you found to be confusing and/or needs further exploration?