What is AR?
What are the two main approaches to AR?
problem in context
focus on empowerment and social change
Which are the the five types of action research we learned about in this class?
AR
CAR
PAR
YPAR
Community-based AR
Name one tool you can use to understand the system in action research?
Cause and effect diagram
Water of systems change
Equity audit
Schoolwide problem matrix (RIOT/ICEL)
Systems mapping
Others?
What are the two main purposes of the literature review in action research?
Frame the problem
Find solutions (identify actions of interventions
What makes action research different than traditional research?
Action plan/ Aim of improving practice
What are Mertler’s Four Stages of AR?
Planning, Acting, Developing, Reflecting
What is collaborative action research and which approach is it more often aligned with?
Group of people working together to identity issues and intervene in a specific context
Problem in context
How does an organization “feed forward”?
Critical learning practices such as critical inquiry and sharing of cognitive maps
Uses mental/cognitive map and focuses on critical issues
Moves from intuiting to interpreting to integrating
What research design does Ivankova argue makes sense for an action research methodology?
Mixed methods
What is essential in an action research study design (think Kemmis)?
Using action or an invention in a spiral of research cycles to develop, implement, and evaluate plans for improvement
What are three of the five outcomes of AR?
Better understanding of the context, situation, and possibilities
Discovery of a problem
Effective program or intervention
Understanding of how to modify intervention
Ineffective invention + learning
What makes action research participatory and which approach is it most often aligned with?
People directly affected by the research are in involved in all stages of the research
Focus on empowerment and social change
What are two of the five core assumptions of organizational learning?
Multilevel
Requires inquiry
Share understandings
Behavioral and cognitive change
Embed knowledge in theories-of-use or routines
What are the five components of an action research study design (part of planning)?
Purpose statement
Research question
Research methods
Data collection strategy
Data analysis plan
What is a participatory contact zone?
Spaces where differently positioned people come together, with distinct relationships to power and vulnerability, where differences are cultivated as resources; dynamics of power and related tensions are understood as method and not an interruption of the research process
What are four of the common characteristics of action research?
Iterative/cyclical
Gather information/ discipline inquiry
Responsive, empowering. Participatory
Value-oriented
Reflective
Utilizes traditional methods
Generate an action plan
Other?
How do you select a type of action research? Name two key factors.
Paradigm (Epistemology
Ontology/Your beliefs)
Context of your study
What are two of the six conditions that have potential to support organizational learning in schools
Prioritizing learning for all members
Fostering inquiry
Disseminating knowledge
Democratic principles
Human relationships
Individual self-fulfillment
What is a theory of action?
If. . . then . . .
What goes in chapter 5 of an action research dissertation?
Action plan
Reflection
Mertler had nine steps of action research. What are they?
Identity and limit the topic or problem
Gather information
Review the related research
Develop a research plan
Implement the plan/collect data
Analyze the data
Develop an action plan
Share and communicate results
Reflect on the process
What is critical participatory action research?
An approach that reveals the everyday stories of struggle and survival of the persons being studied, combats social injustice, and leverages social science research for action. Critical participatory action research challenges the narrow ways in which research has traditionally been conducted, and elevates the voices and perspectives of formerly marginalized groups.
What is productive organizational learning?
Avoids status quo
Proactive
Detects and corrects errors
Institutionalizes/embeds new knowledge
Balances continuity and change
Renews from within
What should be included in your positionality for action research?
Role
Background
Plan to mitigate bias
(insider-outsider status)
What are the six positionalities (Herr & Anderson)?
Insider
Insider in collaboration with insiders
Insiders in collaboration with outsiders
Reciprocal collaboration
Outsiders in collaboration with insiders
Outsider studies insiders