Learning Episode 1

LESSON 1 Understanding Action Research

This lesson will guide you in understanding content knowledge, pedagogical knowledge, and curricular
knowledge. It will help you analyze the importance of content knowledge and its application to teaching
and learning. The objectives of this lesson are the following:

 Discuss the concept of action research;

 Discuss the importance of action research to improve teaching and learning; and
 Analyze action research done in a school.

Education Theory
Action research is a process of systematic inquiry into a self-identified teaching or learning problem to
better understand its complex dynamics and to develop strategies geared towards the problem's
improvement (Hamilton and Zaretsky, 1997). It is a disciplined process of inquiry aimed to develop
solutions to various issues and problems related to teaching and learning. It is a technique that guides
every teacher to systematically and critically reflect on different teaching and learning practices.
Specifically, action research is:

 A process of taking scientific action to improve teaching and learning

 It is typically designed and conducted by teachers who analyze data from their school and
classroom experiences to improve, their own teaching and learning practice.
 A type of applied research in which the teacher-researcher is actively involved in the process of
study
Action research empowers every teacher to meet all challenges in the teaching profession related to the
implementation of the curriculum. It enables teachers to examine their teaching practices and experience
in relation to an educational theory. In action research, the teacher is the doer of the action, which means
it is the teacher who plans, develop, and implement the research and at the end take informed action to
implement the purposes of the study.

Guided Practice
A. Preliminary Activity: Find answers the following questions
1. Does the school has a research agenda?
2. What are included in the school's research agenda?
3. Is there a policy for teachers to conduct action research?
4. What are the focus of their action research?
5. Is there available funding for these action research?

B. Analysis of Action Research

Examine previous action research conducted by the teachers. Supply the information
needed in the table below:

Needed Information Data

 1. How many action research are conducted each
year?
2. How many teachers are doing action research?
3. What are the topics of their action research?
4. How many action research were published or
presented in a conference?
5. How many action research were funded by the
school or outside agency?

C. Conduct an Interview. Ask the following questions:

Are you aware of the action research process?
What prompted you to conduct action research?
What are your action research topics?
Do you have enough time to conduct action research?
Are there incentives for teachers who conduct action research?
How did the action research improve your teaching practices?
How did action research enhance students' learning?
How did you disseminate the results of your action research?

Processing
Examine the data you have gathered. Answer the following questions:
1. Does the school and the teachers have a research culture?
2. Are the teachers aware of the process in.conducting action research?
3. How did action research improve the teaching and learning practices in the school?
4. What are the things that could be done to encourage the teachers to conduct action research?

Reflection
Write your reflection by completing the following statements

 I realized that:
 ‘I believe it is essential to
 From now on, I am determined to:

LESSON 2 Purposes of Action Research

This lesson will guide you in understanding the purposes of conducting action research.
Specifically, the objectives of this lesson are the following:
  Discuss the purposes for conducting action research; and
 Analyze the purposes of action research done in a school.

Education Theory
Action research can be participated by an individual teacher or a group of teachers who has a
common concern in the field of teaching and learning. It provides an opportunity for professional
development and collaboration. There are several purposes of action research that could be read in several
references and could also be observed among teacher researchers.

 It allows teachers to understand the nature of educational issues and problems

 It helps teachers propose solutions to educational issues and problems.
 It develops teachers to become empowered reflective practitioners.
 It creates progress on school priorities
 It develops a research culture among teachers
 It develops professional collaboration among teachers
 It helps teachers to develop curricular and instructional innovations It builds a professional
culture in school
 It provides an opportunity for teachers to improve their teaching skills
 It responds to the learning needs of students

Guided Practice

 Interview some teacher-researchers using the following questions. Summarize their response and
write on the space provided after each question.
a. Who influence you to conduct action research?
b. What prompted you to conduct action research?
c. What is your experience when you conducted your first action research?
d. How do you disseminate the results of your action research to other teachers?
e. How does action research helps you as a teacher?
f. What are the lessons you learned from your action research experiences?
 Interview the principal using these questions. Write his/her answers in the space below.
a. How did action research improve the research culture of the teachers?
b. What are the positive benefits of action research to your school?
c. How did action research develop school performance?
d. How did action research improve the quality of students' learning?
e. What curricular and instructional innovations were developed as a result of action
research?
 Analyze sample action research in school. Read each action research carefully. Select at least five
action research. Identify the purposes of each research.

Title of Action Research Purposes

Processing
Examine the data you have gathered. Answer the following questions:

Questions Answers
1. How many action research aimed to improve
the curriculum content?
2. How many research aimed to improve
instruction?
3. How many action research aimed to improve
students' behavior and motivation?
4. How many research aimed to improve teaching
practices?
5. How many action research were done
collaboratively?
6. How many action research were disseminated
in conferences, seminars or publication in
journals?
7. What percentage of teachers are doing action
research?
8. How many teachers think that research are
helpful?

Do you think action research helped develop a culture of excellence among teachers and students?
Explain your answer.

Reflection
Write your reflection by completing the following statements

 I realized that:
 ‘I believe it is essential to
 From now on, I am determined to:

Lesson 3 Selecting Topics and Questions for Action Research

This lesson will guide you selecting good topics and questions for action research, which you can
do when you become a professional teacher. Specifically, the objectives of this lesson are the following:

 Discuss criteria for selecting good topics and questions for action research:
 Identify good topics and questions for action research: and
 Analyze topics of action research done in a school.
Education Theory
Conducting action research becomes more interesting if the topics and research questions are
mentally engaging. Many researches failed because the topics are not relevant and the questions are not
valid. Some research also do not reflect an educational issue that needs immediate response. Thus
teacher-researchers should know how to select good topics and develop good research questions based on
the topics selected. Patterson, Santa_ Short. and Smith (1493) suggested that teacher-researchers should
keep a research journal

 Set aside 10 minutes to write reflection at the end of each day. • At the end of two weeks, read
your journal, looking for significant ideas and themes that could be done for research
 Brainstorm a list of things that you would like to investigate.
 Review the list and write a first draft of your question.
 Write a paragraph of supporting rationale for your question.
 Reflect on your question.
The Alberta Teachers' Association (200) also suggested the used of affinity charting for collaborative
action research:

 Brainstorm issues of concern or interests relating to your educational context. Record each item
on a separate note.
 Group your items using affinity charting. Place the most diverse statements on the table in a row.
Place items that have a common theme or focus in each column.
 Review and reflect on the placement. Do some items fit better in a different column?
 Develop a draft research question that reflects the key issue in each column.
 Choose the question that most interests you and is possible to study.

In selecting the research questions, the following suggestions could be considered by the teacher-
researchers:

 The questions should not be answerable by yes or no

 The questions could provide opportunity for deeper exploration and reflection on educational
issues
 The questions should reflect the variables mentioned in the research title
 The data needed to answer the questions are accessible
 The questions can be studied within the time-frame set for the action research
 The question should focus on understanding issues and providing solutions

Examples of research questions:

 How does the Four-Pronged Approach improve the reading comprehension of Grade II pupils?
 What are the participation of parents and other stakeholders in the implementation of the school
reforms?
 What indigenous knowledge could be integrated in science?
Guided Practice
A. Preliminary Activity. Examine all the available action research conducted within the past two
years. Write the titles and the research questions for each title in the table below.

Title Research Research Questions

B. Interview the teacher-researcher using these questions Summarize and write their answers in the
space below.
a. How did you select your topics for action research?
b. What prompted you to embark on these topics?
c. How did you select the questions for your action research?
d. How long did you conduct your action research?
e. What are the challenges and problems you encountered while conducting your action
research?

Processing
Examine the data you have gathered. Answer the following questions:
1. Does the topics reflect the educational issues and problems encountered in school?
2. Are the research questions aligned with the research topics?
3. What could be done to help teachers improve the way they select topics and develop good
research questions?
Reflection
Write your reflection by completing the following statements

 I realized that:
 ‘I believe it is essential to
 From now on, I am determined to:

LESSON 4 Action Research Process

This lesson will guide you in understanding the process involved in conducting action research..
Specifically, the objectives of this lesson are the following:

 Discuss the process for conducting action research; and

 Evaluate the process of different action research done in a school.

Education Theory
The action research process can be described as a series of five interrelated processes.

Planning

Identfying Acting
Action

Reflecting Observing

Planning

 Identifying the topic

 Write a good introduction or rationale for the study
 Identify the research questions
 Write the review of literatures
 Plan the methodology, data gathering procedure, and data analysis procedure • Identify the
research participants
 Develop the research tools that will be used

Acting

 Implementing the research plan

 Collecting data
 Reflecting on the process and making necessary revisions

Observing

 Analyze results
 Collating findings
 Discussing and providing interpretation of the results

Reflecting
  Evaluating the process
 Reflecting on the findings
 Developing recommendations for improvement

Identifying Action

 Sharing the findings with colleagues

 Planning actions for the recommendations
 Implementing recommendations

Outline for the Action Research Report

This is the format for preparing the manuscript for action research.

Introduction
 What is the background and rationale of the study?
 What was the research question?
 What is the significance of the study?

Review of the Literature

 What other research says about the topic?
 What theories support the proposed action research?

Methodology
 What is the research method used?
 Who are the research participants or samples?
 What are the research tools used?
 Where did you conduct the research?
 What are the data gathering procedures?
 How did you analyze the data?

Results and Conclusions

 What are the answers to the research questions?
 What is the interpretation of the results?
 What conclusions can be made based on the findings?

Implications and Recommendations

 What lessons are learned from doing this study?
 How can this study be useful to other teachers and schools?
 What actions can you recommend based on the results of the action research?

Guided Practice
A. Preliminary activity. Analyze previous action research. Look at the alignment between the
following parts of the research
 Research Topics Research Questions Methodology Data Needed

B. Evaluate a sample action research based on the following criteria:

Parts of the Research Comments

Introduction
 Is the background and rationale clear
and logical?
 Is there enough theoretical background
provided for the action research?
 Do the research questions reflect the
variables based on the topic?
 Is the study significant?
Review of Literatures and Studies
 Is there enough study to support the
research?
 Does the study includes findings of
previous researches?
 Is there a logical presentation of
literatures and studies?
 Are there no plagiarism?
Methodology
 Is the methodology appropriate for the
study?
 Does the study observed ethical
considerations in dealing with the
research participants?
 Are the research tools validated
 Are the data collection procedures
clear?
 Is the data analysis procedure valid?
Results of the Study
 Is the presentation of results logical and
based on the research questions?
 Is the statistical analysis valid?
 Are the results triangulated with the
review of related literatures and
studies?
Conclusions and Recommendations
 Are the conclusions supportive of the
results?
 Are the recommendations made based
 on the results of the study?
 Are the recommendations helpful for
solving educational issues?

Processing
Examine the data you have gathered. Explain your answers the following questions:

 Does the action research done followed the standard format?

 Are the teachers aware of the standards to be followed in conducting action research?
 What could be done to help teachers improve the way they conduct action research?

Reflection
Write your reflection by completing the following statements

 I realized that:
 ‘I believe it is essential to
 From now on, I am determined to:

LESSON 5 Using Action Research to Improve Teaching and Learning Practices

This lesson will guide you in understanding how teachers can use the results from action research
to improve their teaching and learning practices. Specifically, the objectives of this lesson are the
following:

 Analyze different results from action research; and

 Plan how to utilize results from action research to improve teaching and learning practices.

Education Theory
Any action research is useless if it is not used to influence or improve teaching and learning
practices in school. The teacher researchers should also ensure that the results of their action research is
disseminated properly to other teachers and schools. Like in any other research, the results and
recommendations from action research should be translated into positive strategies or actions that will be
utilized to improve curriculum and instruction, enhance school policy, improve teaching practices, and
develop positive school environment.
In the Philippines, it is important to guide teachers in making valid decisions based on research
and data. Action research should empower educators in improving their teaching performance and in
developing a culture of lifelong learning. It is necessary for teachers to know that action research is not
just a bureaucratic requirement for promotion and for getting awards. Action research should significantly
transform the academic culture of the school by allowing more innovations and professional
collaborations
Guided Practice
A. Analyze the results of the previous action research conducted in the school. Identify the
recommendations made and what actions were done in relation to the recommendations.

Title Study Recommendation Action Taken

B. List school programs and policies that were developed as a result of action research

School Programs

School Policies

C. List action research that were disseminated to other teachers and schools

Title of Action Research Type of Dissemination (Presented in a faculty

meeting, presented in a conference or published)

Processing
Examine the data you have gathered. Answer the following questions:
1. Are the results of action research fully utilized for school improvement?
2. Are the results of action research disseminated to teachers and other schools?
3. What could be done to help teachers utilize and disseminate results of their action research?

Reflection
Write your reflection by completing the following statements

 I realized that:
 ‘I believe it is essential to
 From now on, I am determined to: