Deck 18: Action Research

Question 1

A key aspect which differentiates action research from other forms of research in education is its focus on

A) helping students achieve intended learning objectives.
B) promoting collaboration among researchers.
C) developing practitioner's research skills.
D) collecting and analyzing local data to improve practice.

Answer 1

collecting and analyzing local data to improve practice.

Question 2

Action research is most often reported

A) through informal sharing with colleagues.
B) in academic journals.
C) on the websites of action research networks.
D) in dissertations and theses.

Answer 2

through informal sharing with colleagues.

Question 3

The development of networks of practitioners engaged in action research primarily serves the_______ _ purpose of action research.

A) personal
B) professional
C) practical
D) political

Answer 3

professional

Question 4

Action research done for personal purposes is primarily intended to

A) provide full participation for all individuals who are affected by the research.
B) produce more variety in practitioner's work styles.
C) promote practitioners' self-knowledge and fulfillment.
D) promote increased collaboration among practitioners.

Question 5

Action research is cyclical primarily in the sense that in action research it is

A) usually desirable to collect more data to determine the effects of one's actions.
B) usually desirable to repeat certain research stages after others' review of one's research.
C) common for the researcher to conclude the research by initiating a new action.
D) common for the researcher to return to an earlier stage as the research progresses.

Question 6

The stage of action research that involvestypically initiates a new cycle ofaction research.

A) selecting a focus
B) analyzing and interpreting data
C) reflecting
D) continuing or modifying one's actions

Question 7

Action research perhaps differs most from other forms of research in its emphasis on______ as an important part of the research cycle.

A) data collection
B) reflection
C) collaboration
D) improvement of practice.

Question 8

Action research contributes uniquely to professional practice in its use ofas abasis for action.

A) trial and error
B) ideas from colleagues
C) collection and analysis of data
D) strategies from the research literature

Question 9

Action research, unlike typical professional practice, seeks to improve practice primarily by

A) systematically collecting and analyzing data about practice.
B) focusing on qualitative rather than quantitative indicators of best practice.
C) embracing an overt agenda of social change.
D) trying out strategies practitioners learn through professional development experiences.

Question 10

An action researcher's autobiographical narrative contributes primarily to the _____________stage of the research.

A) focus-selection
B) data-collection
C) action-taking
D) reflection

Question 11

Reflection as a part of action research is best carried out

A) after the action stage.
B) before the action stage.
C) during the action stage.
D) all of the above.

Question 12

The emergent nature of action research is probably most prevalent during the ____________stage of the research.

A) selecting a focus
B) taking action
C) reflection
D) continuing/modifying action

Question 13

Sonata-form case writing with sidenotes is designed to _______________in thereporting of action research.

A) give practitioners a stronger voice
B) give research collaborators a stronger voice
C) give practitioners and research collaborators an equal yet distinct voice
D) give clients a stronger voice

Question 14

Action research is most likely to have a definite beginning and end when it

A) is carried out for a dissertation or course assignment.
B) is conducted for practical purposes.
C) involves collaboration with the research participants.
D) is carried out by practitioners as a part of their everyday work.

Question 15

The concept of validity when applied to action research corresponds to the extent to which

A) other practitioners adopt the actions that were tested through action research.
B) one's research participants respond positively to the actions that were implemented.
C) the research promotes more humane and just educational practice.
D) the researcher provides evidence to demonstrate the credibility and trustworthiness of the study's findings.

Question 16

When the action researcher engages in reflective dialogue with other practitioner researchers in the formation and review of his research findings and interpretations, this provides evidence of an action research project'svalidity.

A) democratic
B) catalytic
C) dialogic
D) process

Question 17

Probably the most accurate determination of what a practitioner actually does in practice is based on

A) observations made by colleagues.
B) the practitioner's own reflections.
C) observations made by academic research experts.
D) data collected from the practitioner's clients.

Question 18

In Argyris and Schön's theoretical framework, an individual's theory-in-action corresponds to

A) his beliefs about how he deals with problems of practice.
B) his actual behavior in practice.
C) the impact of his reflections on his actions.
D) the process by which he reduces discrepancies between his beliefs and his actions.

Question 19

Action researchers face ethical issues beyond those faced by other researchers primarily because

A) action research is cyclical in nature.
B) action researchers must reconcile their role of researcher with their traditional role of serving clients.
C) action research has an explicitly personal purpose.
D) action researchers engage in personal reflection.

Question 20

According to Zeni, the unique ethical issues in action research tend to involve

A) the presentation or publication of the research findings.
B) the relationships between practitioners and academics.
C) the determination of the action researcher's espoused theory.
D) efforts to establish the outcome validity of the research.

Question 21

Describe the main difference between the approach of action research and typical professional practice to improvement of practice.

Question 22

The text lists 10 differences between formal research and action research. Describe three of these differences.

Question 23

Describe briefly the central focus of action research with a primarily (a) personal purpose, (b) professional purpose, and (c) political purpose.

Question 24

Name the three main purposes for which action research is usually carried out, and give an example of a typical action that reflects each purpose.

Question 25

Explain one reason that action research is often cyclical in nature.

Question 26

Describe one strategy that an action researcher might use to increase the applicability of her action research findings to other educational settings, and how that strategy could help increase the applicability of the findings to other settings.

Question 27

Chapter 1 of the textbook describes four types of knowledge that research contributes to education: (1) description, (2) prediction, (3) improvement, and (4) explanation. Using the examplesof action research in Chapter 18 or obtained from your own reading or experience, identify a claim that an action researcher made involving one of these types of knowledge based on having collected and analyzed data to support his findings that would otherwise have been difficult to make.

Question 28

Summarize three suggestions for keeping an action research journal as a basis for reflection.

Question 29

Describe one key component of the action research cycle that is rarely emphasized in reports of formal research.

Question 30

Describe the six steps of action research in Glanz's model.

Question 31

(a) Describe a final step of action research that is not included in Glanz's model but is of great importance to foster the impact and growth of action research.

Question 32

Describe one form in which action research might be reported.

Question 33

Match each of the following criteria for determining the validity of action research with the example of the evidence that best demonstrates that validity criterion.

-Catalytic validity

A) Actions occur that lead to a resolution of the problem under study or to the completion of a research cycle that results in action.
B) The processes used in different phases of the research are adequate to confirm the findings.
C) All parties with a stake in the problem being investigated participate actively in the action research process.
D) Participants are energized and open to transforming their view of reality in relation to practice.
E) The action researcher shares her findings and interpretations with peers to consider alternative explanations.

Question 34

Match each of the following criteria for determining the validity of action research with the example of the evidence that best demonstrates that validity criterion.

-Process validity

A) Actions occur that lead to a resolution of the problem under study or to the completion of a research cycle that results in action.
B) The processes used in different phases of the research are adequate to confirm the findings.
C) All parties with a stake in the problem being investigated participate actively in the action research process.
D) Participants are energized and open to transforming their view of reality in relation to practice.
E) The action researcher shares her findings and interpretations with peers to consider alternative explanations.

Question 35

Match each of the following criteria for determining the validity of action research with the example of the evidence that best demonstrates that validity criterion.

-Outcome validity

A) Actions occur that lead to a resolution of the problem under study or to the completion of a research cycle that results in action.
B) The processes used in different phases of the research are adequate to confirm the findings.
C) All parties with a stake in the problem being investigated participate actively in the action research process.
D) Participants are energized and open to transforming their view of reality in relation to practice.
E) The action researcher shares her findings and interpretations with peers to consider alternative explanations.

Question 36

Match each of the following criteria for determining the validity of action research with the example of the evidence that best demonstrates that validity criterion.

-Democratic validity

A) Actions occur that lead to a resolution of the problem under study or to the completion of a research cycle that results in action.
B) The processes used in different phases of the research are adequate to confirm the findings.
C) All parties with a stake in the problem being investigated participate actively in the action research process.
D) Participants are energized and open to transforming their view of reality in relation to practice.
E) The action researcher shares her findings and interpretations with peers to consider alternative explanations.

Question 37

Match each of the following criteria for determining the validity of action research with the example of the evidence that best demonstrates that validity criterion.

-Dialogic validity

A) Actions occur that lead to a resolution of the problem under study or to the completion of a research cycle that results in action.
B) The processes used in different phases of the research are adequate to confirm the findings.
C) All parties with a stake in the problem being investigated participate actively in the action research process.
D) Participants are energized and open to transforming their view of reality in relation to practice.
E) The action researcher shares her findings and interpretations with peers to consider alternative explanations.

Question 38

Explain the meaning of and give an example of (a) espoused theory and (b) theory-in-action; and (c) explain the relevance of these theories to practitioners' attempts to improve their practice.

Question 39

Name one of the ways in which practitioners can use action research to reduce the discrepancy between their espoused theories and their theories-in-action.

Question 40

Describe the approach that Zeni recommends for action researchers to build a "covenant of trust"to address the ethnical issues that may arise in such research.

Question 41

Name the two aspects of action research that typically raise unique ethical issues, and give an example of a question that the researcher could ask about each aspect to address such issues.

Question 42

Suppose that you are a school principal. You want to do an action research project to improve your effectiveness at getting teachers involved in defining benchmarks to help students meet state standards. Name three people in your institution who could help you in the design of your project, and one way each of them might be able to help.

Question 43

Suppose that you are a school teacher who wants to carry out an action research project in order to try out some new procedures for assigning and grading your students' homework. Briefly describe three ways in which you might have some of your students' parents participate in the action research, and a benefit of each.

Question 44

Suppose that you have taught basic English classes at a community college for several years. The high proportion of students who drop out before the end of each term is, in your view, an important problem that you need to address. You have two weeks before your next class begins, and you can spend about one hour a day (for a total of ten hours) deciding on a strategy to reduce the dropout rate. You are considering two options for how to spend the bulk of your time: (1) carrying out a literature review to identify previous studies related to the problem, or (2) designing and initiating your own action research. Name three factors you would consider in deciding which option to choose.

Question 45

(This application problem builds upon Teaching Activity 2 for Chapter 18.) Identify an existing or anticipated problem in your education practice that would be worth addressing through action research. Briefly outline how you might carry out each stage of action research to address the problem.