In all forms of action research, instructors embrace the use of qualitative and quantitative methodologies in interacting with learners and gathering statistics for interpretation and analysis. Action research involves real issues facing practitioners and finds solutions to those problems (Nolen & Putten, 2007, p. 402). It is always flexible and is carried out in informal contexts so as to improve existing situations. The objectives of action research are diagnostic as well remedial. For example, the goal of action research for a teacher could be to identify problems and develop his or her classroom.
Action research methodology is not as difficult as that of pure research. Unlike pure research, action research is “a holistic approach to problem solving” it does not dwell solely on one method when collecting and analysing information (O'Brien, 2001). This makes it possible for different research tools to be employed when conducting a study. Action research can also be carried out by community development workers, practitioners in any field who want to develop their practices, and teachers and researchers who want to find solutions to classroom and local problems.
Action research can be used by social scientists for preliminary or pilot research when conditions are too ambiguous to arrive at exact research questions. It is also used in situations that require flexibility, the participation of others in research, or rapid changes. Action research can be used by practitioners who wish to improve outside understanding of their practices, and those who work for social change and support action campaigns. For example, it can be used in the area of drug prevention to stress the role of community development input (Duke et al, 1996, p. 110), given that “community drugs deterrence requires citizens gaining access to a range of political, social and economic capital” (Henderson, 1995, p. 60). Action research is also used in the fields of international development, organisational learning, and evaluation, and in sectors such as nursing and health care.
Modern health care practice expects practitioners to be patient focused and provide services in different organisational settings. The benefits of action research are that it allows individuals to identify the problems that they think they are of value, rather than taking on issues from outside the system. For example, in schools, action research permits educators to experience problem-solving and model it to their students and colleagues, refreshing the learning community and their expertise.
Forms of Action Research In this paper, I examine four types of action research: individual research, collaborative research, school-wide research, and district-wide research. These types of action research are discussed below in details. Individual Research Individual action research involves an individual working alone to improve his or her talent. Individual action research is the easiest form of research, and involves a single individual as investigator, focusing on problems facing a particular classroom (McNiff, 2002, p. 122). However, principals or supervisors may offer the researcher support, so as to help him or her more easily solve problems.
In individual research, the researcher believes that a problem is evident in his or her line of investigation task and can be solved by him or her alone. He or she carries out research by collecting data or observing student involvement. The investigator then chooses a diverse range of data collection methods, depending on the aim of the research and its complexity. In this kind of research, qualitative data collection methods can be used. Qualitative research focuses on the practises and processes that take place, instead of their results, and emphasises participants’ understandings and experiences (Ferrance, 2002, p. 31). Qualitative researchers enter the field to record individuals’ behaviours and events in natural situations.
The most popular types of qualitative methods that can be used in individual action research are observation and interviews.
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