Action Research

Author(s):  
Eileen S. Johnson

Action research has become a common practice among educational administrators. The term “action research” was first coined by Kurt Lewin in the 1930s, although teachers and school administrators have long engaged in the process described by and formally named by Lewin. Alternatively known as practitioner research, self-study, action science, site-based inquiry, emancipatory praxis, etc., action research is essentially a collaborative, democratic, and participatory approach to systematic inquiry into a problem of practice within a local context. Action research has become prevalent in many fields and disciplines, including education, health sciences, nursing, social work, and anthropology. This prevalence can be understood in the way action research lends itself to action-based inquiry, participation, collaboration, and the development of solutions to problems of everyday practice in local contexts. In particular, action research has become commonplace in educational administration preparation programs due to its alignment and natural fit with the nature of education and the decision making and action planning necessary within local school contexts. Although there is not one prescribed way to engage in action research, and there are multiple approaches to action research, it generally follows a systematic and cyclical pattern of reflection, planning, action, observation, and data collection, evaluation that then repeats in an iterative and ongoing manner. The goal of action research is not to add to a general body of knowledge but, rather, to inform local practice, engage in professional learning, build a community practice, solve a problem or understand a process or phenomenon within a particular context, or empower participants to generate self-knowledge.

2019 ◽  
Vol 12 (6) ◽  
pp. 148
Author(s):  
Kovit Vajarintarangoon ◽  
Phaophongphat Bunkanan ◽  
Sittichai Deelon ◽  
Sripen Poldech ◽  
Kittiwat Thauyngam

The purposes of the research study were to a) study the current situation of school management and administration using professional learning community b) to develop professional learning community for the school administrators and c) follow up collaborative practice among school colleagues and administrators within school using professional learning community in Buriram Province. The researcher utilized focused interview sessions, group interview questionnaires, and Professional Learning observation within school to determine how the school colleagues perceived the implementation of professional learning communities. The results indicated that: 1) A school’s PLC isn’t working, common problems in Buriram Province include: a) Personal practice, b) Insufficient collaborative work, 3) Academics support, and 4) supportive conditions. 2) School administrators' competencies development after implementation of PLC workshop have an influence on process of using PLC in school. School administrators' competencies included supportive conditions for safe environment of PLC, creating environment that support learning collaboratively and respect for individual differences and developing collegial relationships for planning, following up of supervision process through action planning that support collaborative work among school colleagues. 3) Model of school administrators' competencies development in Buriram Province were a) a PDCA model incorporated with contemplative education that driven through small group of PLCs. This model utilized school administrators as coach and mentor to reflect on co-operation of group problem solving in the same group c) a PLC comprised of school teachers, coming together by grade level, content area, or through an interdisciplinary group. The purpose of a PLC was to build a community of teachers to focus on a common goal or objective collaboratively.


2016 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Wuryanto

Issues to be discussed include how to improve science learning achievement of material structureand function of plant parts in the fourth grade students of SDN Babadan Bonang District of Demakusing STAD method with the application of video media. The subjects were fourth grade students ofSDN Babadan Bonang District of Demak district by the number of students 23 students. This studyuses classroom action research design with two cycles. Each cycle consists of action planning,action, observation, and reflection. Results of preliminary tests before (prasiklus) the averagevalue reached 59.57. This value is still less so held the first cycle measures the average valueobtained was 68.70 dnn class has increased very significantly in the second cycle of 80.00


2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Linlin Herlina

This study aim to describe 21st Century skills improvement through the Demand Level Learning Model. The formulation of the problem in this study is: can the Demand Level Learning Model improve 21st century skills? The Classroom Action Research (CAR) was conducted in two cycles. Each learning cycle consists of four sides, namely: (a) action planning; (b) action implementation (c) action observation; and (d) reflection. The subjects of this study were students of class VII C of SMP 7 Banjarsari, Ciamis Regency with a total of 22 students. Data analysis was performed during the study from the beginning to the end of the study. Based on the results of research and discussion, it can be concluded that there is an improvement in 21st century skills, namely critical thinking, communication skills (oral and written), leadership abilities, collaboration, adaptability, productivity and accountability capabilities, and the ability to access, analyze, and synthesize information.Keywords: 21st Century Skills, Inquiry Levels Model, Science Learning


1991 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 49-65 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joseph Murphy

This article reviews the types of revisions that preparation programs in educational leadership have begun to make in response to three related sets of pressures brought on by the reform movement of the 1980s: pressures bearing on school administrators from the larger reform agenda—that is, improving education across the board, general critiques of and calls for improvement in educational leadership, and specific analyses and demands for change in administrator preparation programs. The results are based on questionnaires completed by 74 chairpersons in departments of educational leadership. The emerging picture is mixed. On the one hand, departments of educational administration have begun to respond to the pressures for change. In addition, for better or worse, discernible patterns in these revisions are generally consistent with the implicit demands for improvement that lace the critical reviews of the field and with the more explicit recommendations contained in the reform reports of the National Policy Board for Educational Administration and the National Commission on Excellence in Educational Administration. On the other hand, the response has been moderate (at best) in intensity and mixed in focus.


2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 149-159 ◽  
Author(s):  
Von Christopher Gulpric Chua

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to determine the challenges that Filipino Mathematics teachers face while developing students’ ability to derive the distance formula; allow teachers to collaboratively formulate a lesson designed to address the challenges they have identified from their own practice; and determine how successful the lesson was and how it can be improved so that other teachers dealing with similar difficulties may be able to implement it. The teacher-participants employed Lesson Study (LS) as an approach to improving pedagogical practice. Data were based on the pre- and post-lesson discussions and individual reflection papers of the teacher participants. Design/methodology/approach An action research methodology through LS approach was employed by the teacher participants. Data were based on the pre- and post-lesson discussions and individual reflection papers of the teacher participants. Findings Based on the post-lesson discussion, the teachers agreed that the process of creating a lesson that seeks to develop the students’ ability to derive formulas are crucial to building understanding of the underlying mathematical concept. Also, teachers’ participation in LS was found to have been insightful as it developed in them a greater appreciation towards establishing a professional learning community that is directed towards examining problems that concerns majority of the teachers involved. Originality/value Research in Philippine education has recently seen the increasing interest in LS as a potent pedagogical practice. Nonetheless, papers that report on LS practice in the local context remains to be lacking. This study contributes to the development of this research area and raises the need for Filipino Mathematics teachers to engage in both LS and action research to generate knowledge from their experiences.


2019 ◽  
Vol 34 (3) ◽  
pp. 518-534
Author(s):  
Katina Pollock ◽  
Patricia Briscoe

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore how Ontario principals make sense of difference within student populations and how this sensemaking influences how they do their work. Design/methodology/approach The paper reports on a qualitative study in Ontario, Canada that included 59 semistructured interviews with school principals from English public, secular school districts in Southern Ontario. Findings Four themes emerged in principals’ descriptions of student populations: perceiving everyone as the same, or homogeneous; perceiving visible differences associated with particular religions, race and cultures; perceiving invisible or less visible differences, such as academic differences, socioeconomic status, mental health issues, gender identity and sexual orientation; and perceiving both visible and less visible differences through an inclusive lens. When asked about how their understanding of difference influenced how they did their work, principals’ responses varied from not influencing their work at all to influencing practices and activities. Participants’ context – both personal and local – influenced some of the work they did in their role as school principal. Lastly, multiple sources of disconnect emerged between how principals understood difference and the practices that they engage in at their school site; between their sensemaking about difference and diversity and preparing students for the twenty-first century competencies as global citizens; and between principals’ understanding of difference and diversity and existing provincial policy. Research limitations/implications Study insights not only contribute to an existing body of literature that examines principals’ sensemaking around difference, but also extend this line of inquiry to consider how this sensemaking influences their professional practice. These findings pose additional research questions about how to approach principal professional learning for inclusive and equitable education. For example, even though principals are contractually responsible for students in their care, why is it that their efforts toward equitable and inclusive schooling appear to be limited to the school site and not the wider community? Practical implications Study findings can be used to inform principal preparation programs and professional learning opportunities. Namely, these programs should provide the skill development required as well as the time needed for principals to reflect on their local context and beliefs, and to consider how their local context and beliefs are connected to larger societal efforts to create a more inclusive and equitable society. Social implications School leadership is integral to creating and building more inclusive and equitable public education that improves all students’ success at school. As Ontario’s general population becomes increasingly diverse, it is imperative that principals support success for all students; this can only happen if they understand the complexity of difference within their student populations and beyond, how to address these complexities and how their own understandings and beliefs influence their leadership practices. Originality/value Although other papers have examined how principals make sense of difference and diversity in student bodies, this paper also explores how this sensemaking influences how school leaders do their work.


2019 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 94-102
Author(s):  
A.R Tahalele

This research is a classroom action research, which aims to improve the Learning Achievement of Civics in Class XII Students of SMA Negeri 3 Ambon By Applying the Two Stay-Two Technique. The subjects in this study were students of Class XII of SMA Negeri 3 Ambon with a total of 32 students The procedure of implementing CAR is presented in the form of a cycle (cycle) assessment process which is expressed in a PTK spiral. The PTK spiral actually describes cycle after cycle. One cycle consists of four main components of CAR, namely: action planning, action implementation, action observation, and reflection and revision of actions. an increase in the percentage of student activity during learning and an increase in the percentage of students who have finished learning, ie in cycle I the percentage of student activity is 57.50%, increasing in cycle II to 77.50%, and in cycle III increasing to 87.50%, while the percentage of the total number of students who completed study in the first cycle was 53.13%, increased in the second cycle to 71.88%, and in the third cycle increased to 87.50%.


Author(s):  
Lance Ford ◽  
Courtney Vaughn

School administrators rarely have the opportunity to confer and share their challenges with colleagues. To address this problem in 2005 the Educational Administration Department (EAD) at Central University (a Midwestern PhD granting institution located in a thriving city of about 100,00 people) created a virtual/local doctoral cohort for 14 school leaders living and working in two states. Three years into the course of study we conducted a year long inquiry that asked, "How did students' self-perceptions evolve within a cohort context, and how did these changes advance or retard professional learning community (PLC) growth?" Our interviews had a phenomenological focus but we used symbolic interactionism to analyze them and dramaturgy to present our findings. Themes of faculty and student relationships, work and/or personal problems and dealing with technology indicated that despite some significant hurdles students' identity evolutions moved the group toward becoming a PLC, a collaborative culture of thinkers.


1992 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 7-33 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laurence Parker ◽  
Joan Poliner Shapiro

This paper describes an investigation of the needs of graduate students in educational administration preparation programs. The study raises questions focusing on what learning would be most valuable to school administrators who deal with diverse constituencies and cultures. To obtain appropriate information, the authors conducted in-depth interviews with older graduate students at three different locations in the U.S. In this study, the most salient finding that emerged was that graduate students learned far more through informal peer learning about diversity issues dealing with gender, race, ethnicity, social class and other areas of difference than they did in the formal educational administration classroom. Based on the analysis of interviews, the authors recommend a number of changes for program development under the category of diversity. Through these changes, it is hoped that educational administration faculty will better prepare graduate students to be educational leaders in the 21st century.


2015 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 123
Author(s):  
Maya Indah Wahyuni

The research is aimed to see and give the description whether the using of card as a learning media can increase the students` achievement in learning japanese language this research design uses action research that consists of two cycles. Every cycle consists of plan, action, observation, and reflection. The instrument used to know the students` activity during the teachung and learning process.This research consists of two cycles. Every cycle consits of four meetings. If there is a weakness in the first cycle, it result will be repaired in the second cycle. The result of the research is that 1, 56% students listens teacher`s explanation, 14, 06 % students take note from the tacher`s explanation, 44, 53 % students give opinion, 23, 44 % students ask questions, and 43, 34 % students answer the questions. By using card as media in learning process, it is hoped that the students will be motivated and interested in learning japanese language.Key words : media card, development of the result learning


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