Formal educational research and action research

Post your assignment here by Sunday midnight.

Review and reflect on two other students’ assignments by Wednesday midnight.

19 Responses to "Formal educational research and action research"

Carmen Frayser says:

September 8, 2018 at 5:06 pm

Educational research is an overarching title for all research conducted in the field of education. This includes qualitative, quantitative, and mixed method approaches, all of which apply the scientific method to educational problems and questions. Formal educational research and action research have similarities and differences. Both types of research involve systematic inquiry, but it is approached in a different way. In action research, the goal is to solve local-level problems, little training is required, it is conducted by educators for educators, is subjective, less generalizable, and is less rigorous. Formal educational research’s goal is to develop and test theories in order to produce generalizable knowledge, training is required, research is conducted by researchers (often not connected to the local setting), research is objective, and is more rigorous.
The purpose of action research is to gather information about how your particular schools works, how you teach, or how your students learn. Often times, formal educational research is not relevant or applicable to a teacher’s specific population or setting, so action research becomes the best option. Action research includes 4 phases: planning, acting, developing, and reflecting. This process is a cyclical process, and to gain the most knowledge out of the process it is recommended that you go through the process more than once. It is also important to note that action research does not have to be an individual endeavor. There are several different levels of action plans including: individual, team, and school/district.
With all research come ethical concerns, especially when working with children. Formal educational research and action research should always ensure the subjects with protection from harm, the right to voluntary and informed participation, and the right to privacy. I think that with formal research it would be easier to be objective because as the researcher you do not have a direct personal connection to the subjects. In action research, you are directly connected and invested in the subjects and the outcome of the study.
In theory, the more scientific your study can be, the better the results, because you can then generalize your results and hopefully impact a larger population. Practically I feel as though action research is more beneficial for local problems. While there are several different types of educational research, the one I am most familiar and comfortable with conducting is action research. Action research is more plausible for me to use in my field, because in my current position in my career journey, I am more concerned with improving and reflecting upon my practice, than researching theories. I agree that both formal educational research and action research have their benefits, but for myself action research is something I will engage in more often. Formal Educational Research is a more “big picture” approach, and I feel as though I may be interested in conducting formal research as I continue in pursuit of my PhD later in life.
I have conducted action research in my classroom previously, and I plan on continuing that in the future. In my opinion, in order to be an effective teacher you must reflect on your own practice, and action research is a great way to do that. Teachers often use a practice, for example assigning homework or conducting morning meetings, without really knowing why, or if that practice is actually effective. Action research is a great way to investigate the effectiveness of a practice, and to then modify or adjust the practice if necessary. Not only does action research help teachers to reflect on their own practice, it is an ongoing personalized professional development opportunity, and therefore leads to school improvement.
1. Barbara Tait says:
  
  September 11, 2018 at 7:05 pm
  
  Hi Carmen,
  
  I think what you said about action research being more beneficial for local problems is very accurate and it caused me to think about formal research a little more. I realized (thanks to you) that the reason I feel strongly about action research is because it has a direct effect and you usually can see the results. Formal educational research is on such a larger scale that it might not seem like something that affects teacher and students immediately.
  
  I also agree that teacher should be reflecting and changing as they go through their career, which is why action research can be so beneficial for teachers. It’s a way of starting small and making changes for the better, a little at a time.
2. Jeanne Walker says:
  
  September 11, 2018 at 11:22 pm
  
  Carmen,
  I certainly agree with your opinion that “Teachers often use a practice, for example assigning homework or conducting morning meetings, without really knowing why, or if that practice is actually effective.” All too often we, as educators, do implement a process or protocol simply because it has been mandated by administration. Action research allows us to step back and assess effectiveness in the classroom and thus to adapt a process to our situation in order to provide more positive outcomes in the classroom. Action research can be conducted in the same way with formal research theories. I am very interested in the latest research on flexible seating in the classroom and would appreciate a chance to review other educators’ action research on this topic.
3. Erik Laursen says:
  
  September 14, 2018 at 11:45 am
  
  I reviewed posts from all class participants before making any of my follow-up questions. I posted my replies to the Alpha group first but they also apply to the Beta group. Therefore, please see my comments to the Alpha group and my comments below.
Barbara Tait says:

September 9, 2018 at 3:33 pm

Educational research is a scientific and methodical way of trying to answer or solve problems in the education field. Formal educational research and action research are two methods to try and find answers. Formal educational research directly follows the scientific method including identifying a problem, developing research questions, data collection, data analysis, and results. Formal education research is used to develop and test theories that can be used for large populations, where as action research is usually much more small scale and individualized. Action research is similar because the researcher is still collecting data and analyzing it. Action research however is much more cyclical. Once data has been collected and analyzed, the researcher reflects on the endeavor and may develop a new action research plan based on the previous.

In terms of ethics, if both types of research are done correctly they can be quite ethical. Ethics is important in any type of educational research because students (often minors) are involved. It is important for both types to inform participants about the research, privacy should be insured, and no harm should come to any involved. I think in some ways Formal Educational Research may appear more ethical because it is done on a larger scale and the researcher has been trained, whereas action research is often done by teachers or educational professionals. I think many teachers do action research in their classroom without even realizing it, so they may not always get permission or tell students about the research.

Action research is something that I think many teachers do on a daily or weekly basis, just because that is what teaching should be. Developing plans, acting on them, and then reflecting on whether they worked or not. I am most comfortable with action research for this reason, and I think it is the type of research I would most use in my professional career. I think it is the most natural because it is more student driven usually and it is smaller scale research. I think I most want to make a difference in my classroom, student by student and class by class. Action research allows me to do that and to also reflect on my own practice and choices.
1. April Junta says:
  
  September 12, 2018 at 6:47 pm
  
  Hi Barbara,
  
  I agree with what you said regarding classroom teachers doing research without even knowing that they’re doing so. I think action research and the cyclical process very much mirrors good planning in education. As teachers we formulate a plan to solve a “problem”, which is usually just the content we want to teach, we develop learning experiences and then assess the progress. I think many teachers, including myself, could improve on the reflection piece of this cycle. Teachers often struggle with time management since we are asked to complete various school tasks that are time consuming. The first thing to go is usually reflection because we move on to the next thing. Hopefully we can all gain more perspective on reflection like you’ve mentioned.
2. Catherine Bell says:
  
  September 12, 2018 at 9:20 pm
  
  Barbara,
  
  Your reflections on ethics in research really resonated with me. I think your point about Formal Educational Research appearing more ethical is a salient one and not something I had previously considered. It does appear more ethical due to the structure and replicability of conducting formal research. I’m now questioning myself on whether or not I have a bias in favor of Formal Educational Research over Action Reseach.
  
  I completely agree with you that teachers conduct action research continuously in their classrooms because that is what effective teaching requires! Does that then make it less valuable, or less ethical, than Formal Educational Research? It’s likely more valuable to the students in that classroom who directly benefit from the insights gained from the teachers’ action research. However, the issue of ethics in conducting continual action research require consideration. I think collaborating with a teacher peer or professional learning community would be a valuable practice.
3. Carmen Frayser says:
  
  September 12, 2018 at 10:14 pm
  
  Barbara,
  
  I really liked how you phrased your comparison, “both are trying to find answers.” I think that this is a very important similarity that both hold.This made me think, I agree that research always should have a goal of coming to an answer or solution, but I also like to think of action research as something that may or may not result in an “answer.” Like you said, action research is cyclical, and often times we end up with more questions and are able to then dive deeper into the original question/problem we are facing. I think the most important part of action research is not only the “answer” but the real value lies in the reflection piece. I like to think of this as the cliche that you should enjoy the journey and not focus solely on the end result. I think this is also a great lesson for students to learn, and for teachers to model. Yes, it make take several tries and redesigns, but the learning that takes place throughout the journey is the most important!
4. Erik Laursen says:
  
  September 14, 2018 at 11:53 am
  
  I agree that researchers who conduct formal research tend to have more training than most people who do action research.
  
  You mention that many questions do action research without being aware. I wonder if you are thinking about reflective teaching and not action research. Please see my comment about the difference between the two posted with Alpha Group. If the teachers you are thinking about are reflective and not action researchers, they are OK by not telling their students and not getting permission to use best practices.
April Junta says:

September 9, 2018 at 7:51 pm

Formal educational research and action research both aim to determine solutions to problems facing education. Formal educational research can be conducted in various settings under different experimental conditions based in the scientific method. Action research refers to the research a teacher conducts in his or her own classroom and is informal in nature. Action research is reflective and closely aligned to what goes on in a classroom.
Formal educational research is designed using the scientific method or a method closely linked to the scientific method. This type of research uses either qualitative or quantitative methods or a combination of both (mixed methods) to answer a specific and carefully constructed research question. Formal educational research typically does not involve the classroom teacher as the researcher. Researchers tend to remain objective in quantitative educational research, but can be more subjective when looking at qualitative data. Ethical considerations arise when determining control groups in experimental research. It would not be ethical to implement an intervention with one group of students and withhold the intervention that is shown to be beneficial from another group.
Action research most often involves teachers striving to make improvements in education. Action research is directly linked to teaching and learning and is conducted by the classroom teacher or a group of classroom teachers. This cyclical process allows for continued reflection and adaptation of methods. Action research is useful for teachers looking to make improvements in their classrooms, teachers involved in professional development and fostering school improvement. It is less prohibitive than formal educational research. Ethically speaking, action research allows for more bias in the research process since researchers typically are conducting research on their own students.
I am interested in both types of educational research. I do think that eventually I will pursue a doctorate in education and therefore will become involved with formal educational research. However, in my current position, I utilize action research frequently and informally. I use data to determine the efficacy of different teaching methods and strategies that I try. I see myself using action research more frequently as I continue teaching, especially after taking Research I and II and becoming more comfortable implementing an action research process in my classroom.
1. Barbara Tait says:
  
  September 11, 2018 at 6:58 pm
  
  April,
  
  I agree with what you said about action research allowing for more bias. As a teacher in the classroom, doing the action research I imagine it is difficult to remain unbiased consciously, but also unconsciously. We all have natural biases and some may be more difficult to isolate or because we know our students we could be biased without really being aware. I’m very impressed that you think that you will pursue a doctorate degree because I have very little interest in it. It would make sense that one day you will be required to do formal educational research. My question for you is, how comfortable do feel about having to do formal research? Currently that truly makes me anxious, so I’m wondering how you feel about it.
  1. April Junta says:
    
    September 12, 2018 at 6:49 pm
    
    I definitely think I would be anxious doing formal educational research, but with more practice and understanding I think we could get more comfortable!
Catherine Bell says:

September 9, 2018 at 9:09 pm

Formal educational research and action research both offer valuable insights to the field of education. Both methods are structured by the scientific process which leads to authentic results. Formal educational research is characterized by a strict protocol followed by a trained researcher or team of researchers. Their goal is to generate objective results that are generalizable.

Action research as conducted by teachers and educators tends to be focused less on generalizable outcomes and more on direct and local results. The goals are reflective and are designed to improve the teaching and learning experience in the immediate vicinity. Action research is something that teachers conduct all day, every day, though it may not be a formally orchestrated plan. Formative and summative assessments conducted with students are a form of action research.

Ethical considerations regarding research in the school setting always need to be considered. As teachers, one of our trusted roles is to protect our students. Any formal educational research needs to be evaluated and approved by an Institutional Review Board prior to the collection of any data.

My career goals involve continuing to work as a gifted resource teacher. My current role as a substitute teacher does not lend itself to conducting action research in the immediate future. However, this role tends to be highly collaborative with fellow gifted resource teachers and with classroom teachers. Gifted resource teachers regularly form professional learning communities to generate new ideas and to refine best practices within their role. The pairing of gifted resource teacher with a classroom teacher provides many opportunities for action research. I foresee using action research to aid in designing my own best practices with my students and teachers. In order to best meet the needs of our students, I anticipate conducting action research throughout my career.
1. Jeanne Walker says:
  
  September 11, 2018 at 11:35 pm
  
  I appreciate that you include both formative and summative assessment as action research. I have never considered our weekly benchmark tests from that perspective. In my school, we are also required to meet weekly as a grade level and review our benchmark tests in a data meeting. Therefore, this is action research since we compare what is working and what isn’t, allowing all the grade level teachers to strive for more knowledge about practices that do work well and changing or removing those that don’t. It is this constant reflection on why and how we teach, what we can or should change that enables us to evolve as professionals.
2. Carmen Frayser says:
  
  September 12, 2018 at 10:22 pm
  
  Catherine,
  
  As I am currently in the program for my masters and the gifted endorsement, I really appreciate your perspective on how collaboration between the gifted resource teacher and the classroom is a perfect situation to conduct and discuss action research. I agree that action research is something more useful for teachers in the classrooms, boots on the ground. I like how you made sure to focus on how action research is for a specific population, and aimed at improving the students. One part that I think is very important in any research, is that after you have found that something works or doesn’t, you DO something about it! If something is really beneficial for your students, maybe it would be beneficial for others as well. I feel like as teachers, it is our job to try to help as many students as possible, so acting upon results is really important.
Jeanne Walker says:

September 9, 2018 at 10:43 pm

Formal Educational Research and Action Research
Mertler (2015) tells us there are 11 characteristics of educational research. Educational research is scientific, it is systematic and methodical. Educational research begins with a problem, formulates a plan to implement research of that problem, and then collects, analyzes and interprets the data generated. Educational research is seldom conclusive, and most often generates new inquiries for further research, it is cyclical by nature. It is inquisitive and objective in order to be beneficial and significant. The outcomes for educational research are not predetermined. It is not just information gathering or conclusive. Above all, educational research must be ethical. These qualities can be seen in both formal educational research and action research.
Formal educational research is conducted by researchers and addresses a topic or problem from a broad perspective. It begins with a topic choice, refines the topic to pose a research question then develops a plan to study potential variables associated with the topic. While formal educational research includes quantitative methods and deductive reasoning or qualitative methods and inductive reasoning, often educational research includes both for a mixed method research. Mixed methods may conduct quantitative and qualitative in parallel then compare and interpret or one may follow the other. Any mixed method research, however, the findings from both are interpreted to address the original question.
Action research is conducted by educators, administrators and others impacted daily by the teaching and learning process. Action research improves education by connecting theory to the individual classroom – thereby incorporating change. It involves teachers collaborating with each other to improve practice. It is practical, since findings are directly related to your classroom. Most importantly, action research is reflective. Reflection critically assesses what you do, why you do it and the effects of the action. Since action research does take place in the individual classroom, it must be ethical. Potentially positive interventions cannot be withheld from students. Action research may be participatory, to improve the overall quality of a school or the school community, or action research may be practical action research directed at a specific problem in the classroom, school or community.
Similar to formal educational research, action research has a distinct process. It incorporates four steps: the planning stage, the acting stage, the developing stage, and the reflecting stage. The planning stage identifies and limits the topic, includes gathering information and reviewing literature, then developing a research plan. The acting stage is when da is collected and analyzed. During the developing stage an action plan is created. The reflecting stage includes sharing the results and reflecting on the process. As in qualitative research, action research is also cyclical, the reflecting stage leads to a second planning stage and continuing research.
An example of action research would be the new dismissal protocol recently instituted at my school. Student and teacher safety became an issue when parents came into the building at dismissal. The safety committee reviewed what procedures other schools had in place and consulted with the staff. After reviewing available literature for alternate procedures, a plan was developed and implemented. The data collected and subsequent reflection by all staff impacted, led to revisions of the process and further research.
Since action research directly impacts the school or classroom environment, I am more likely to conduct action research. An action research study that my co teacher and I will implement this year in Kindergarten is an intervention method we used for several struggling students last year. In order to reduce the number of students identified for early intervention, we will be teaching whole group phonics using the Enhance Alphabet Method (a letter a day) in addition to the method mandated by the district of one letter per week. At this time last year, 30% of our incoming students were identified for intervention. This year we have a similar class profile of less than 50% having pre-kindergarten experience. By teaching one cycle of the alphabet before assessment, we are hoping to reduce the 30% intervention rate.
Our school also has a very high population of trauma influenced students, and I would like to do actin research on the best classroom practices to reduce behavior management issues in the classroom. Action research studies requires planning and reflection, but offers the satisfaction of experiencing results quickly and directly to my immediate environment.
1. April Junta says:
  
  September 12, 2018 at 6:56 pm
  
  Hi Jeanne,
  
  I really appreciated that you included examples in your response. Examples always help me understand things better. I think all schools and teachers conduct some sort of action research in your classroom. I like that you are starting the year off with an idea of some of your own research you want to conduct. At my school, we are focusing a lot on our subgroup SOL pass rates. Something we have been tasked with is specifically targeting interventions towards students in those subgroups, such as students with disabilities and English language learners. I am wondering what our first batch of assessment results will tell about our efforts with these subgroups. I do think, however, that action research can be difficult to do with fidelity as no one is really checking in on me or what I am doing in my own classroom.
2. Catherine Bell says:
  
  September 12, 2018 at 9:35 pm
  
  Jeanne,
  
  I love what you said about action research needing to be reflective. That has led me to think about the role of reflection in teaching. Though it is something that has been woven through my education courses at the University of Richmond, it is now clicking with me that action research may be the capstone to a cycle of reflection. We reflect, we research, we act, and then reflect again!
  
  April commented on this, and I will as well, that I appreciate how you used examples in your narrative. I found it helpful to hear how your school used action research for a school-wide improvement, and how you and a fellow teacher are using action research to aid in intervention. I personally still feel overwhelmed in understanding the multiplicities of research, and your use of examples helps me to clarify. Thank you!!
3. Erik Laursen says:
  
  September 14, 2018 at 11:57 am
  
  Great example of action research related to dismissal procedures

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