College of Education
Course Code M.Ed. L.Ed. 208
Course Title Action Research in Language Education
Module Number 2
Module Title Action Research Process: Steps and Actions
Week Number & Dates Week 1 – October 2 – 8, 2021
LEARNING OUTCOMES
At the end of this lesson, you should be able to:
A. Define the major terms and concepts related to steps in doing action research;
B. Characterize every step of the action research process;
C. Describe the actions and decisions done in every step of the action research process;
D. Identify the purposes of each part of the action research process;
E. Reflect on the teacher researcher’s responsibility of ensuring the smooth flow of the
action research process.
LEARNING ACTIVITIES AND RESOURCES
Read the Lecture Notes
Watch the following videos:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x8af5k3qRRQ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yplWZs3dqNQ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v-Eq7KkaICE
Also Read:
https://www.deped.gov.ph/2017/03/20/do-16-s-2017-research-management-guidelines/
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INTRODUCTION
“Have a plan, follow the plan, and you’ll be surprised how successful you can be.” –
Bear Bryant
“It is important to get results from an experiment but the most important is the
process in getting those results.” – Nik Ahmad Nizam
A good plan prepared is almost half done as implementation becomes smooth and few
errors are to be corrected. A good plan sets the direction of the action research as you know
what you want and how you want it done. The process is a critical aspect of an action research.
Among computer encoders, they believe on the tenet that “garbage in, garbage out.” In action
research, the same principle also applies. No matter how good the findings are and the
conclusions and recommendations that are derived from a study, if the research method used is
not appropriate or scientific, all are considered garbage. It is for this reason, that you must
understand how an action research is conducted in order for you to come up with valid and
reliable information about what you intended to understand and to resolve related to the
classroom problem being studied. In this lesson, you are going to understand the process (steps
and actions) to be done in conducting your action research. Taking into consideration all these
concerns and decisions will lead you to organize your research methodology well to arrive at
valid and reliable data and information.
BODY
DEVELOPING ACTION RESEARCHES
Conducting an action research follows a process, like the other types of
researches. Generally, the process of doing action researches follows
certain steps, namely:
Step 1 - Identifying and Analyzing a Problem Area
The problem can be identified as critical or felt need by considering your general
observations, test results, readings, and results of previous studies.
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Look into your expertise on the field or area of concern, availability of tools, equipment,
support of administration, and cost.
Limit a meaningful doable question in the confines of their daily work
Choose something of interest and worth the time and effort that will be spent
In analyzing the problem -
Get deeper insights as to its causes
Gather facts and literature on the problem
Study the available data; find the cause of the problem.
Identify the best possible cause of the problem
State the specific research questions or hypotheses of the study
Six Questions to Start your Inquiry
What is your concern?
Why are you concerned?
What do you think you could do about it?
What kind of evidence could you collect to help you make some judgment about what is
happening?
How would you collect such evidence?
How would you check that your judgment about what has happened is reasonable, fair
and accurate?
Starting points might be of the following kinds:
I want to get better at my language teaching…
I’m not sure why my students don’t engage in discussion…
I have to implement the speaking and listening guidelines, but I’m not sure what the best
way is.
How can we make class meetings more productive?
I’ve seen something working well in school X; I wonder if it would work for me?
Is there anything we can do about our poor performance in the NAT?
How can I promote more use of computers in enhancing writing skills of my students?
Criteria to consider in formulating the research question:
* Be a higher-order question – not a yes/no
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* Be stated in common language, avoiding jargon
* Be concise
* Be meaningful
* Not already have an answer
Sample Action Research Questions
AR Title: Enhancing the Composition Writing Skills of Grade VI Pupils through Cooperative
Learning
Research Question: How does cooperative learning strategy enhance the composition writing
skills of Grade VI pupils?
AR Title: Effect of Delayed and Immediate Feedback on Writing Performance of Grade 9
Learners
Research Question: In what ways do types of feedback affect the writing performance of
Grate 9 learners?
AR Title: Boardgame Reinforcers and their Effects on Grade 8 Students’ Speaking Performance
and Attitude
Research Question: What are the effects of boardgames to students’ speaking
performance and attitude?
Step 2 - Research Design: Gathering the Data
AR usually is less rigorous in terms of design and methodology than other educational
researches. It can utilize any methodology, quantitative or qualitative. It is quantitative if the
data gathered are in numbers to explain a phenomenon. It is qualitative if the data collected are
from observations and interviews that describe a phenomenon. When experimentation is
involved, it most likely will be quasi-experimental in nature.
Often, intact groups are used; in some cases, only a single group or an individual is involved in
the study. Seldom have the option of random selection of subjects or assigning subjects
randomly to treatments.
Single-subject designs can be used as teachers work with individual students on remedial
instruction or enrichment instruction
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When one or more teachers implement experimental procedures with one or more classes, the
most likely design will be some type of post-test only or pre-test-post-test quasi-experimental
design
On the selection of methods, ask the following:
Does the method give a form of data which relates to my question?
Is it feasible in the available time?
Have I made myself aware of its strengths and limitations?
Will it be an acceptable method for the other people involved?
Will it disrupt normal routines? (If the data gathering method presents as much change as
the planned action, then how will I know what is having an effect?!)
Some questions to ask about carrying out the inquiry
Can anyone help provide the relevant information / data for your inquiry?
To whom or what do you need access?
Is it feasible to get this access?
How much time do you have?
How will you divide up the time that you have?
Triangulate the gathering of data – get data from multiple sources (pupils, parents, other
teachers, peers, etc.) and multiple means (tests, questionnaire, interview, observations,
etc.)
Vehicles for collection of data
Test/quiz Journals checklists portfolios
diaries Individual files questionnaires Anecdotal records
case studies interviews self-assessment samples of projects
performance Other unobtrusive/non-reactive measures
Step 3 - Analyzing and Interpreting the Research Data
Organize the data for the analysis
Use the statistical tool specified in your design.
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To describe the data, compute for the descriptive statistics (frequency counts,
percentages, means, standard deviations, and ranks.
If the research design involves two groups (experimental and control group) tested, use t-
test for independent or uncorrelated groups to compare their pre-test or post-test
scores. To compare the differences in the pre-test and post-test scores of either group,
use the t-test for dependent or correlated groups.
If three or more groups are tested on one dependent variable, use one-way analysis of
variance if the dependent variable is measured either interval or ratio scale.
Use non-parametric tests as the number of samples and type of variables dictate.
Interpret the results of the analysis by examining whether the proposed solution of the
problem or the method proposed to solve the problem brought improvement or
change, or whether the actions taken resulted in improved conditions or practices.
Analyze and identify major themes with the qualitative data. In your reflections identify
the emerging themes.
Step 4 - Acting on Evidence
Using the information from the data collection and review of current literature, design a
plan of action
Step 5 – Evaluating Results
Assess the effects of the intervention to determine if improvement has occurred.
If there is improvement, do the data clearly provide the supporting evidence?
If no, what changes can be made to the actions to elicit better results.
Step 6- Next Steps
As a result of the action research project, identify additional questions raised by the data
and plan for additional improvements, revisions, and next steps.
Just like formal researches, action researches are helical and cyclical. They are helical
because they involve skills and experience critical to a successful research: creative thinking,
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collaboration, attention to detail, executional excellence, responsiveness, and well-articulated
findings and insights. Likewise, they are cyclical because they start with a problem and ends
with a problem that remain unresolved. The steps in doing research involves recurring cycles or
periods of time in which certain events or phenomena repeat themselves in the same order.
Reflect on your experience in this lesson by answering the
following:
1. “Poor planning results to poor performance.” How is this true in
doing an action research?
2. As a teacher-researcher, how important for you in knowing the
REFLECT action research process?
3. Based on your self-assessment, what are your strengths and
weaknesses as a teacher-researcher in terms of the action research
process?
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Demonstrate your understanding of the lesson by answering the
following:
Activity 1. In 30 words, differentiate quantitative and qualitative action
researches.
.
Activity 2. Just like formal researches, action researches need to be
RESPOND scientific. Based on your learning in this lesson, explain how.
ND
Activity 3. What part of the action research process reflects the end goal
of doing an action research? Explain why it is the meat of
doing the research.
SUMMARY/CONCLUSION
In this lesson, you learned about:
Action research follows a process for its smooth implementation.
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Each step of the action research process needs to be adequately considered to
ensure the collection of valid and reliable information.
The results of an action research leads to the identification of another intervention
to adequately understand a problem encountered in the classroom.
REFERENCES
Burns, A. (2010). Doing action research in English language teaching: A guide to
practitioners. New York: Routledge Inc.
Carr, W. & Kemmis, S. (1986). Becoming critical: Education, knowledge and action
Philadelphia, Falmer Press.
Johnson, A. P. (2012). A short guide to action research. New Jersey: Pearson Education
Mills, G. E. (2011). Action research: A guide for the teacher researcher. NJ: Pearson Education.
Norton, L. (2009). Action research in teaching and learning. New York: Routledge Inc.
Wiersma, W. (1995). Research methods in education: An introduction. Boston: Allyn & Bacon
Prepared by: MARCELO R. RAQUEPO
Course Facilitator
Checked by: EMMELINE T. AREL
Chairperson
Approved by: JOHN MARK F. BONDOC
Dean, College of Education
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