Action Research: Home

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Cultural diversity in professional fields, including science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM), leads to greater innovation due to the improved range of ideas, perspectives, and talents that a diverse workforce encompasses. However, despite increased efforts to recruit and retain traditionally underrepresented minority students through collegiate-level STEM equity initiatives, the lack of action research-based program evaluation leaves unanswered questions about the effectiveness of many STEM equity programs. The current article uses an example of a grant-funded collaboration between two Hispanic-serving institutions to explore how action research can enhance the planning, implementation, and evaluation of programs to address STEM inequity. A narrative of researcher-participants’ reflections illustrates the successes and shortcomings of the project and suggests four guidelines for enhancing STEM equity programs with action research.

This article describes the goals, assumptions, and underlying logic of selected change strategies with potential relevance to STEM higher education settings for a target audience of change agents, leaders, and researchers.

As teacher-educators we need to embrace practitioner (action) research of our own classroom practice. Such research serves to improve our practice, inform the teaching profession, and serve as modeling for future teachers to become practitioner researchers in support of their efforts to meet the
learning needs of the students with whom they work as well as have a voice in policy decisions that impact their professional lives.

Scientific inquiry helps students develop critical thinking abilities and enables students to think and construct knowledge like a scientist. The study describes a method course implementation at a major public teachers college in Turkey. The main goal of the course was to improve research and teaching abilities of prospective physics teachers (N=48) by developing scientific inquiry skills. The impact of the course was measured in two-folds: (a) The results obtained from pre- and post-course scientific inquiry self-evaluations of student teachers, which showed a statistically significant improvement, (b) independently measured scientific inquiry levels, which were found highly correlated with student grades from practical courses. Qualitative data indicated that the student teachers were having difficulties in applying mathematical formula into physics applications. (Contains 3 figures and 4 tables.)

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This narrative study describes the experiences of a group of teacher educators as they worked together in a collaborative research activity investigating theories of literacy and the preparation of secondary teachers. The collaboration was organized around the precepts associated with participatory action research (PAR). After four years of collaboration, the narratives of the members of the group revealed (a) changes to the practices and identities of the participants, (b) how the group formed a community, and (c) the ways in which the institution supported the work of the group. Organizing collaborative activities around PAR holds promise to not only produce quality research, but to support the improvement of teacher preparation programs and the development of teacher educators. However, this work requires institutional support that fosters collaborative work without mandating either collaborations or outcomes.

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Inasmuch as educational research is concerned with individual student assessment and development, it is surprising that single-subject designs are not more readily utilized in classroom-based action research. The purpose of this article is to emphasize benefits of single-subject research in the K-12 setting, given that teachers teach and assess individual students, the availability of individual student data, the uniqueness of all students' needs, and the ease with which data can be summarized and analyzed. A basic framework for conducting single-subject research is provided with the use of examples and discussion.

This paper discusses the ongoing processes and challenges for designing an introductory undergraduate STEM Education course, as informed by the perspectives of two administrators and eleven instructors who have taught the course repeatedly, including its revisions and modifications. After four years of multiple iterations, we consider our course to be an innovative cornerstone of the undergraduate education program for several reasons including: 1) an intentional course design focus on deepening student's engagement in science, mathematics, engineering and technology content through innovations in pedagogy and inquiry approaches and, 2) a course planning process that engages instructors in continuous conversations about how to rethink and reshape current models of STEM education within authentic ecologies of research, design and connections with real-world sociotechnical contexts beyond the acquisition of technical skills. The course invites a rethinking of how STEM education can be envisioned as transdisciplinary inquiry approaches for understanding issues and problems in the inhabited world. Judging by the positive experiences of most students in the program and the increasing quality of student's final assignments and projects each year, our appraisal of the course, is very positive. Collectively, the instructional team's capacity as STEM educators has strengthened and deepened over time. We have successfully created a team of joint inquirers and developed an atmosphere of mutual support while still encouraging deep and critical engagement with the STEM Education course work. Now, we are beginning to turn our attention to the observed differences in attitudes between elementary and secondary student teachers towards STEM Education, as reported in this paper. In particular, we noticed how positive the student teachers for the early years and elementary cohorts were compared to the resistance encountered in the student teachers for the secondary cohorts

This article presents an independent evaluation of the Action Research for Physics (ARP) programme, a nationwide professional development programme which trains teachers to use action research to increase student interest in physics and encourage them to take post-compulsory physics. The impact of the programme was explored from the perspective of the teacher participants, the programme tutors and the teachers’ senior managers who authorise attendance on professional development training courses. Although teachers and senior managers viewed ARP as an unmitigated success in improving classroom practice, the evaluation raises some other important implications for teaching physics and the professional development of physics teachers. Relatively few teachers have experience of action research, and there is a need for further training in this area. The study also highlights the key role of senior managers in giving physics teachers access to appropriate professional development and opportunities to carry out suitable activities in the classroom.

The study examined the role of action research in promoting critical reflective thinking among twenty preservice teachers engaged in a year-long middle level program. Data from collaborative discussions, final written documents, presentations, and follow-up surveys revealed that conducting action research (a) engaged them in inquiry into their own practice, (b) was a means to reflect upon and determine ways to change their teaching practices, and (c) promoted critical reflection in a collaborative learning environment. Results underscore the importance of preservice teachers critically reflecting to gain insights into teaching and student learning as they are engaged in action research.

This article reviews current scholarship about how to promote change in instructional practices used in undergraduate science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) courses. The review is based on 191 conceptual and empirical journal articles published between 1995 and 2008. Four broad categories of change strategies were developed to capture core differences within this body of literature: disseminating curriculum and pedagogy, developing reflective teachers, enacting policy, and developing shared vision. STEM education researchers largely write about change in terms of disseminating curriculum and pedagogy. Faculty development researchers largely write about change in terms of developing reflective teachers. Higher education researchers largely write about change in terms of enacting policy. New work often does not build on prior empirical or theoretical work. Although most articles claim success of the change strategy studied, evidence presented to support these claims is typically not strong. For example, only 21% of articles that studied implementation of a change strategy were categorized as presenting strong evidence to support claims of success or failure of the strategy. These analyses suggest that the state of change strategies and the study of change strategies are weak, and that research communities that study and enact change are largely isolated from one‐another. In spite of the weak state of the literature, some conclusions related to the design of change strategies can be drawn from this review. Two commonly used change strategies are clearly not effective: developing and testing “best practice” curricular materials and then making these materials available to other faculty and “top‐down” policy‐making meant to influence instructional practices. Effective change strategies: are aligned with or seek to change the beliefs of the individuals involved; involve long‐term interventions, lasting at least one semester; require understanding a college or university as a complex system and designing a strategy that is compatible with this system.

The term scientific literacy is increasingly used by governments and teaching bodies, stemming from a growing international concern by scientists and government, who recognize the economic significance of developing scientific skills (McGregor & Kearton, 2010). However, in a society that requires students to be scientifically literate, students need to be better prepared to face situations that necessitate making a multitude of decisions regarding environmental, personal and social issues. Whilst Australia has scored significantly higher than the OECD average in the PISA 2012 and 2015 scientific literacy assessment (Thomson, De Bortoli & Underwood, 2017), there are immediate concerns and challenges in the future (Office of the Chief Scientist, 2012). With a gradual and persistent decline in student enrolment in senior science subjects (Office of the Chief Scientist), there is a need to develop a national STEM school education strategy. In 2015, the National STEM school education strategy was endorsed. Such a strategy acknowledges the importance of increasing students engagement in STEM education and developing STEM programs within schools, as a means of improving literacy (Education Council, 2015).

This research paper explores the experiences of three teacher-researchers, ‘Simone’, ‘Damian’ and ‘Michael’, who undertook an Action Research project in their respective schools as part of their postgraduate studies. As Head of Professional Learning, Simone conducted a research project designed to investigate how to improve a Peer Observation Program operating at her secondary school. Damian, also a Head of Professional Learning, explored ways to improve the profile of the existing Professional Development program at his secondary school, with a particular emphasis on overhauling the Staff Mentor Program. Michael, a Head of Junior School, investigated ways to reduce the number of playground incidents resulting from primary students not adhering to playground policy rules. The paper initially outlines the construct of Action Research in the light of its applicability to educational research. Particular reference is made to the benefits of Action Research for those in the teaching profession as well as to several challenges associated with Action Research. What then follows is the design of the methodology that was used to examine the experiences of Simone, Damian and Michael. The research used a qualitative paradigm, specifically that of interpretivism, and employed a symbolic interactionist perspective to examine each participant’s project as individual case studies. Data collection took the form of three 40 minute semi-structured interviews. The findings fall under three major themes: Action Research as a valuable methodology, the impact of the Action Research on the school community, and challenges encountered when conducting the Action Research. The findings are then discussed in the light of the literature.

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This exploratory qualitative study examined faculty responses to a collegiality-building process called Dialogues. The process used a series of discussions and activities to guide faculty members toward a common, mutually beneficially goal, while changing patterns of interaction. The responses revealed how faculty members experienced collegiality-building practices, including individual reflection, small group discussions, idea generation and prioritization, and consensus-building. The study examined faculty responses within STEM departments. We conclude with recommendations for encouraging inclusive and participatory departmental norms and behaviors in order to promote a positive departmental climate, which is crucial to achieving equity in all disciplines of the academia.

One of the growing interests in teacher education lies in how and what teachers learn across time and space in the complex ecologies and technologies of today's society. Teacher research has been implemented in teacher education programs as a powerful, exploratory tool for teacher candidates to inquire about educational problems and to improve their knowledge of teaching practice. This article presents insights gained from review of 18 action research projects completed by classroom teachers enrolled in a graduate reading methods course. To better understand what teachers learned through the action research process and how their self-study impacted teaching and learning in their classrooms, qualitative research methods were used to analyze the teachers' projects. The data revealed action research impacted literacy instruction, teachers struggled with how to make their literacy instruction explicit, projects focused on specific literacy topics, teachers used a range of resources for their selected intervention and shared information with each other and with colleagues in their respective contexts.

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Research questions should be concise, such as: o How do students understand the concept of constraints as it affects engineering design? o To what extent does classroom instruction align with workplace readiness skills? o Will students' understanding of engineering constraints be improved by using a jigsaw method of cooperative learning? o How does a group design activity affect the individual accountability of students? o Is role assignment an effective strategy in the classroom for encouraging female participation in technology-related activities? Qualitative data may be gathered by video recording student activities, conducting in-depth interviews with students or parents, making direct observations of student behavior and taking notes, or conducting a thematic review of student assignments and journals or archival school documents. [...]qualitative data is fundamentally descriptive in nature and is expressed in narratives, visuals, and videos. Qualitative Data Analysis and Interpretation: Since qualitative data is expressed in narratives, images, and videos, the analysis of qualitative data typically requires an extensive analysis process consisting of transcription, iterative thematic review, coding text, data visualization, seeking additional sources of information that confirms emerging conclusions, and external validation from an independent evaluator. An examination of the descriptive statistics for Strategy A (M=38, SD=6.2) and Strategy B (M=38.5, SD=6.5) also suggests the advantage to Strategy B. Yet, only by using more sophisticated statistical procedures, such as a t-Test or Mann-Whitney U, could the teacher-researcher confirm that this difference in average scores did not occur by chance or error and then conclude that Strategy B is better than Strategy A. Even seasoned researchers seek assistance from statisticians and evaluators to help with data analysis, so don't hesitate to seek assistance from colleagues with these analytical tasks.

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This paper presents the experience of a group of teachers who have developed action research (AR) dynamics for 15 years aimed at their professional development and teaching practice improvement. The focus is first on the importance of AR, collaborative dynamics and theory and practice relationships for in‐service teacher training. It also shows the different spiral and cycle stages carried out, as well as the group’s characteristics, its evolution during these 15 years and the annual operation structure currently in use. The results show the five large AR thematic spirals developed and the materials generated and disseminated. There is also an analysis of the main benefits and problems so far encountered. Finally, a series of reflections and conclusions on the implications of keeping such a workgroup for so long is detailed.

The argument of this article is that assessment in higher education in the professions can benefit from quality assessment tasks linked to professional practice. Such an assessment task would need to be authentic requiring considerable intellectual skill as well as attending to the realities of professional demands. The idea of authentic assessment is developed by using five of Boud et al.'s propositions in higher educational assessment. This idea is illustrated by the use of action research in a teaching internship, that is, data driven learning in the workplace which also serves as an assessment task in the final year of a professional Bachelor degree. Some difficulties and some illustrative, positive student reactions are presented.

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In this article, we present a case study of a beginning science teacher’s year-long action research project, during which she developed a meaningful grasp of learning from practice. Wendy was a participant in the middle grade science program designed for career changers from science professions who had moved to teaching middle grade science. An extended action research experience in the second year of induction proved valuable to her in learning how to modify her teaching to reach her goal, using evidence of student learning as her guide. This article closes with reflections on the value of extended action research within science teacher preparation, particularly early in one’s career, and explores the promise for ongoing practice-based professional development throughout a teacher’s career.

For over ten years the teacher education program at a Hispanic-serving liberal arts college offered a traditional Masters program, with a traditional five-chapter thesis based on quantitative or qualitative designs. After much deliberation and feedback from graduating students, it was decided that a Masters program based on an action research model would be more engaging and appropriate for the population of educators served by the college. Given the nascent state of the program, the
terms 'action research,' 'empowerment,' and 'transformation were a quite nebulous and as expected contested terrain. Appropriately enough, they would be defined and shaped in the course of our collective actions over time. As a result of the shift, a distinguishing requirement for participating in the program was that students must be active in a K-12 educational setting whereby they would develop and implement an action plan appropriate for that context.

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Many secondary teacher educators are challenged by failure to rekindle interest in science
content with future teachers who often express a lifetime of negative associations with
school science. This study involved science teachers in a participatory action research
project to investigate the fear of STEM science as a field of study for African students. One
way to enhance interest is through informal science experiences immersed in teaching
through integration

Inquiry-based science education (IBSE) seems to be the appropriate method to encourage interest in science and technology education. The core principles of IBSE are involvement of students in discovering natural laws, linking information into a meaningful context, developing critical thinking and promoting positive attitudes towards science. IBSE is suitable in the education of all students, including gifted ones. For gifted students some components of IBSE must be selected and modified. The use of IBSE also allows teachers to discover hidden giftedness, because it enables an individual approach to students. IBSE matches the special educational needs of gifted students, because it corresponds with their behaviour. Gifted students have many questions, are curious, have unusual ideas etc. The objective of our research is to find which components of IBSE are suitable for gifted students. The main research method used in this study is design-based research. IBSE components for gifted students are a very important part of teachers' continuous professional development (CPD). Teachers and parents also need teaching/learning materials for gifted students. Our research outcomes have been created within the European project PROFILES, which supports science teachers in their use of IBSE.

An action research study was conducted to determine how to increase student interest in learning science and pursuing a STEM career. The study began by exploring 10th-grade student and teacher perceptions of student interest in science in order to design an instructional strategy for stimulating student interest in learning and pursuing science. Data for this study included responses from 270 students to an on-line science survey and interviews with 11 students and eight science teachers. The action research intervention included two iterations of the STEM Career Project. The first iteration introduced four chemistry classes to the intervention. The researcher used student reflections and a post-project survey to determine if the intervention had influence on the students’ interest in pursuing science. The second iteration was completed by three science teachers who had implemented the intervention with their chemistry classes, using student reflections and post-project surveys, as a way to make further procedural refinements and improvements to the intervention and measures. Findings from the exploratory phase of the study suggested students generally had interest in learning science but increasing that interest required including personally relevant applications and laboratory experiences. The intervention included a student-directed learning module in which students investigated three STEM careers and presented information on one of their chosen careers. The STEM Career Project enabled students to explore career possibilities in order to increase their awareness of STEM careers. Findings from the first iteration of the intervention suggested a positive influence on student interest in learning and pursuing science. The second iteration included modifications to the intervention resulting in support for the findings of the first iteration. Results of the second iteration provided modifications that would allow the project to be used for different academic levels. Insights from conducting the action research study provided the researcher with effective ways to make positive changes in her own teaching praxis and the tools used to improve student awareness of STEM career options.

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The purpose of this study was to investigate the influence of an integrated experiential learning and action research project on preservice science teachers’ developing ideas about science teaching, learning, and action research itself. The qualitative, interpretive study examined the action research of 10 master’s degree students who were involved in service learning with children in informal education settings. Results indicated that all of the participants enhanced their knowledge of children as diverse learners and the importance of prior knowledge in science learning. In-depth case studies for three of the participants indicated that two developed deeper understandings of science learners and learning. However, one participant was resistant to learning and gained more limited understandings.

Undergraduate research experiences (UREs) that include interdisciplinary, engagement‐oriented, and collaborative experiences have the potential to benefit students in unique ways. Through these innovative experiences, students are able to see the social impact and importance of their work—a factor known to strengthen the academic and career persistence of students traditionally underrepresented in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields. In the present study, students assumed simultaneous roles as students, interdisciplinary researchers, and community liaisons as they facilitated a community‐engaged participatory research project. Using interpretive phenomenological analysis, we explore students’ evolving perspectives of knowledge generation and social change processes before, during, and after the URE. Findings emphasize participants’ altered views of the respective roles of academic researchers and community members in generating knowledge, the value of interdisciplinary research, and the potential of innovative UREs to foster positive change—in academic and community contexts.

Reflective teachers are always searching for ways to improve their teaching. When this reflection becomes intentional and systematic, they are engaging in teacher research. This type of
research, sometimes called action research, can help bridge the gap between theory and practice
by addressing topics that are relevant to practicing teachers. This article synthesizes literature
within music education and general education to address (a) the conceptual underpinnings of
action research, (b) characteristics of action research and teacher research, (c) action research
critiques, and (d) implications for teacher research as a form of professional development.