Getting Started

Quick Tips for Planning and Implementation

Step 1: Consider your reasons for being interested in action research.

Do you...

• often think about making changes to the way you teach?
• wonder why students behave as they do at certain times?
• worry about your students' performance?
• discuss your teaching with your colleagues?
• want to find out more about teaching and learning?
• want to change the way you manage your classes?
• want your students to recognize you as a good teacher?

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Step 2: Frame your research question. (download)

Articulate your concerns or observations

• I've noticed that...
• I've always wondered why...
• I'm concerned about...
• I wonder what would happen if ...
• It's funny how my students always...

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Step 3: Review the literature on your problem. (download)

• Other action research projects?
• Other classroom research

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Step 4: Develop and refine your research question.

• What do you already know about this topic?
• What do you believe about this topic?
• What particular questions do you want to address?
• Critique your own questions
  • Is this question important to you?
  • Does it focus on you and your students and your teaching learning relationship?
  • Will there be practical benefits from this research?
  • Will you be able to accept outcomes that go against your expectations?
  • Is the question framed in an objective

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Step 5 : Decide on techniques for observation.

Records

• Diary/journal
• Documents
• Tape/video recording
• Class attendance

Feedback from students

• Questionnaire
• Interview
• Focus groups
• Email correspondence

Diagnostics

• Student assessment
• Student evaluation of teaching
• Learning inventories
• Interaction schedules
• Diagnosis of conceptions of teaching and learning

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Step 6: Review the feasibility of your project. (download)

• Have you simplified the question to the extent that it can be acted on in about two action research cycles?
• Have you narrowed the scope of the project to fit the time and resources available?
• Will the planned data collection place unreasonable demands on you, your students or your colleagues?
• Will you be able to analyze the data you collect in the time available

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Step 7: Draft your action research plan. (download)

• Research question
• Benefits
• The research team
• Outside consultants/critical friend
• Action plan/intervention
• Techniques for observation
• Equipment
• Costs

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Step 8: Schedule your project. (download)

• Start by...
• Schedule for actions/interventions
• Evaluation/monitoring schedul
• Write up first cycle
• Start second cycle

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