Mrs.

Danielle Blackwood

CLASSROOM
ACTION
RESEARCH
LEARNING OUTCOMES

Identify and explain the various elements of a research design or plan.

Differentiate among different types of research design.

Justify the selection of particular research designs.

Explain what a research proposal is and why it is important to write one.

Prepare a basic research proposal.

What is the
message of
the
cartoonist?
 Rescued from ‘tragedy’ - How
ACTION mentorship transformed ‘at risk’
youngsters at Annotto Bay High.
RESEARCH
IN http://jamaica-
JAMAICA gleaner.com/article/lead-
stories/20201010/rescued-tragedy-
how-mentorship-transformed-risk-
youngsters-annotto-bay
 ACTIVITY
•Watch the following video
“How to Write a Successful
Research Proposal | Scribbr
🎓”.

•https://youtu.be/n9h8fG1DKh
A

▪ Share your thoughts.

 •As pointed out by
Congdon and Dunham
(1999) “how well a
research project is planned
PLANNING and how well the steps are
YOUR integrated can make the
RESEARCH difference between
success or failure.”
 PLANNING YOUR RESEARCH
Mertler (2011) describes the action research process as
comprising four stages: planning, acting, developing, and
reflecting.
The planning stage consists of the following four steps:
• Identifying and limiting the topic
• Gathering information
• Reviewing the related literature
• Developing a research plan
 PLANNING YOUR RESEARCH

The acting stage consists of the following two steps:

• Implementing the plan and collecting data
• Analyzing the data

The developing stage consists of the following step:

• Developing an action plan
PLANNING YOUR RESEARCH

The reflecting stage consists of the following

steps:
• Sharing and communicating the results
• Reflecting on the process
 WHAT IS A • A clearly outlined plan that
RESEARCH discusses a problem for research,
examines how the research will
PROPOSAL? be executed and spells out the
resources the researcher has
available for producing the
proposed results.
• Other names for a proposal are
prospectus, plan, outline
statement and draft.
 PURPOSE OF A PROPOSAL
To show that:
• the problem you propose to investigate is
worth investigating
• the method you plan to use is suitable and
feasible
• the results are likely to prove fruitful and will
make an original contribution
 PURPOSE OF A PROPOSAL
The proposal should:
• guide the activities during the execution
of the project
• provide the framework for monitoring
progress
• provide the framework for structuring the
final report
 TITLE
• A good proposal has a good title
• It is the first thing that helps the reader begin to understand the
nature of work
• Should be concise – not too long (2 lines are enough)
• Has 3 main characteristics:
‒ What is the project about?
‒ What are you trying to measure or evaluate?
― Context/Location of study
• Leave out words such as “An investigation into” and “A study of”
etc.
 COMPONENTS OF A RESEARCH PROPOSAL

A proposal has 3 major sections:

•Introduction
•Literature Review
•Research Method
 INTRODUCTION
• Provides information on the general area in which the study
is being conducted
• Should provide the foundation for the study and draw the
reader’s attention.
• The following questions at least should be answered:
oWhat exactly do you want to study?
oWhy is it worth studying? (the ‘so what’ question)
oDoes the study have practical significance?
oDoes it contribute to social theory or to the solution of a social
problem?
 ELEMENTS OF THE INTRODUCTION
• Background
• Definition of the Problem
• Research Questions
• Purpose of the Study
• Justification
• Proposed Solution
• *Definition of Terms*
 LITERATURE REVIEW
• This section of the proposal should demonstrate an
understanding of existing research related to the topic
• It analyses what has been written on the topic before and
provides the theoretical framework for the topic.
• What have other researchers written on the topic?
• What theories have been used as the basis for previous
research?
• Are the findings consistent or do past studies disagree?
• Are there gaps in the body of existing research that you feel your
study can address?
 LITERATURE REVIEW
• Is written in essay format.
• Should be organized using appropriate
headings and sub-headings.
• Sources should be acknowledged and properly
cited using APA guidelines.
• Should have an introduction and a conclusion.
• For long reviews, each heading should also be
summarized
 METHODOLOGY
• This section of your proposal describes the procedures and
techniques for carrying out the project.
• It has several components:
• Design
• Sample/Sample size
• Setting
• Protocol
• Analysis Plan
• It should be detailed enough so that the reviewers could
conduct the study.
 METHODOLOGY - DESIGN
• Describe your study design – Action Research
• Other design examples:
• Cross sectional
• Descriptive
• Observation
• Intervention clinical trial
• Surveys, interviews, questionnaires
• Focus groups, field studies
• Others
METHODOLOGY • Who are the study participants?
• Describe inclusion criteria
SAMPLE/ • Who is excluded?
SAMPLE SIZE • How will they be selected? What
sampling method will be used?
• Convenience sampling,
snowball sampling etc.
• How many participants are
needed?
SETTING
• Describe the site where you
plan to conduct the study
• Do you have support from the
administration of the site to
conduct the study?
• Letters of support from site
 • What are you going to do to study participants?
PROTOCOL • Detailed, step by step explanation.
• Include how you will identify participants,
obtain consent, and collect data
• If there is an intervention, describe it in
detail.
• Will you use measurement tools? Describe
the tools, including reliability and validity
and include a copy of the tools with your
proposal.
• Include the time frame for implementing the
study.
 DATA COLLECTION METHODS
• What methods will you use to collect data for your
study?
• Will you conduct an experiment or a survey?
• Will you use field research or are you going to use
secondary data?
• Will you use observation?
• Will you triangulate?
 DATA COLLECTION INSTRUMENTS
Which tools (s) will you use to collect the data?
• Questionnaire
• Interview schedule
• Interview guide
• Observation checklist
• Rating scales
• Other instruments (records etc.)
 DATA ANALYSIS
•Describe your analysis plan
• What kind of analyses will you use?
• Do you intend to use simple descriptive
statistics such as percentages and graphs?
• What statistical tests will you use?
• Be sure your statistics are appropriate for your
study design.
 TIMELINE
• Describe how long it will take to do your study
• Provide timeline benchmarks
Example:
• Months 1 – 3 Prepare study tools
• Months 4-10 Collect data
• Months 11-12 Analyze data
 • The proposal should include the sequence of
tasks to be performed, the anticipated length
of time required for its completion and the
personnel required.
TIME FRAME • It can be presented in tabular or graphic form.
& (Gantt chart)
WORK
• Flow charts and other diagrams are often
SCHEDULE useful to highlight the sequencing and
interrelationship of different activities in the
study .
 BUDGET
Major items usually include:
• Personnel – research assistants, typists, computer operators
• Equipment – computer hardware, cameras, tape recorders, video cameras
etc.
• Supplies – stationery (paper, pens and pencils, photocopying, storage
media etc.)
• Transportation – airfare, road transportation, renting a car etc.
• Accommodation
N.B. - Even for student projects it is good idea to have an idea how much
you will have to spend on stationery, photocopying, telephone calls,
transportation and so on.
 DID YOU KNOW?
Planning your research also entails
identifying ethical issues that might arise in
your study and describing how you are
going to deal with those issues (for example
confidentiality, anonymity, vulnerable
populations etc.)
 ABSTRACT
• The proposal has an abstract (no more than 150 words)
which gives an overview of key points of your proposal:
• Background – establishes importance of issue
• Specific aims – your research question, what you are
trying to explore
• Method – overview of research design – cross sectional,
experimental, sampling plan and data collection and
analysis approach
• Main findings
 The Effects of Daily Visual Attendance Chart and
Reward on Second Graders’ Attendance Rate
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to determine whether the daily use of a visual
attendance chart and reward would reduce the number of student absences
in the second grade. The null hypothesis was that the daily use of a visual
attendance chart and reward in the classroom would not impact the
attendance rate of second-grade students. This study used a quasi-
experimental design with a convenience sample of 20 second-grade
students in a Title I elementary school. The attendance rate of these 20
students was measured before and after the daily use of a visual attendance
chart and reward. Results of the study suggest the attendance intervention
did not have a significant effect on the attendance rate of 20 second-grade
students although 16 of the 20 students increased or maintained attendance
than had worse attendance. Further research in the area of student
attendance should continue
 APPENDICES
Appropriate materials include:
• Copies of instruments that will be used: (interview
schedules, questionnaires, observation checklists etc.)
• Informed consent forms
• Cover letters sent to appropriate stakeholders
• Official letters of request to conduct research
• Research budget
• Schedule of work/timeline
 • Any paper that is longer than 5
TABLE OF pages should have a table of
contents.
CONTENTS • Make sure that the different
AND stages of the proposal are clearly
REFERENCES demarcated.
• List only the sources that were
used in the proposal using APA
conventions.
• These include research methods
sources also – not just those used
for the literature review.
Use the following questions to help you develop a planning guide for
your research project. Focus on questions 1-5 as you begin to think
about your introduction.
1. My preliminary research problem or topic is …
2. The type of research that seems most appropriate is …
3. My research questions and/or hypotheses include…
4. My justification for investigating this problem or topic (i.e. why it is an important topic
to investigate ) …
5. The key terms or descriptors for my study include …
6. The main variables for my study include …
7. My intended sample consists of (who and how many) …
8. The type of sampling (if any) that seems most appropriate is…
9. The type(s) of tool(s) that I plan to use to collect data is/are as follows…
10.The following statistical techniques will be used to analyze my data and ultimately
answer my research questions/hypotheses…
ACTION RESEARCH SAMPLES
Action Research
Made Easier
Handout

Video-Sample of
Action Research
Proposal
 REFERENCES

Dearman, C., Miller, J., Schaeffer, K., & Troxclair, D. (2015, March). Handout: Action

Research Made Easier. Texas Association for the Gifted & Talented.

https://www.txgifted.org/files/Handout_Action-Research-Made-Easier.pdf

Mertler, C. A. (2011). Action research: Improving schools and empowering educators. Sage.

Planning and Research SDO. (2020, August 15). Sample of Action Research Proposal.

YouTube. https://youtu.be/hADyA_uGyv0
ASSIGNMENT #1: INTRODUCTION
 NEXT WEEK -
ASYNCHRONOUS