ACTION RESEARCH

LAST UPDATED: 05.14.15
In schools, action research refers to a wide variety of evaluative, investigative, and analytical
research methods designed to diagnose problems or weaknesses—whether organizational,
academic, or instructional—and help educators develop practical solutions to address them
quickly and efficiently. Action research may also be applied to programs or educational
techniques that are not necessarily experiencing any problems, but that educators simply want to
learn more about and improve. The general goal is to create a simple, practical, repeatable
process of iterative learning, evaluation, and improvement that leads to increasingly better results
for schools, teachers, or programs.
Action research may also be called a cycle of action or cycle of inquiry, since it typically follows
a predefined process that is repeated over time. A simple illustrative example:
 Identify a problem to be studied
 Collect data on the problem
 Organize, analyze, and interpret the data
 Develop a plan to address the problem
 Implement the plan
 Evaluate the results of the actions taken
 Identify a new problem
 Repeat the process

Unlike more formal research studies, such as those conducted by universities and published in
peer-reviewed scholarly journals, action research is typically conducted by the educators
working in the district or school being studied—the participants—rather than by independent,
impartial observers from outside organizations. Less formal, prescriptive, or theory-driven
research methods are typically used when conducting action research, since the goal is to address
practical problems in a specific school or classroom, rather than produce independently validated
and reproducible findings that others, outside of the context being studied, can use to guide their
future actions or inform the design of their academic programs. That said, while action research
is typically focused on solving a specific problem (high rates of student absenteeism, for
example) or answer a specific question (Why are so many of our ninth graders failing math?),
action research can also make meaningful contributions to the larger body of knowledge and
understanding in the field of education, particularly within a relatively closed system such as
school, district, or network of connected organizations.
The term “action research” was coined in the 1940s by Kurt Lewin, a German-American social
psychologist who is widely considered to be the founder of his field. The basic principles of
action research that were described by Lewin are still in use to this day.

Reform
Educators typically conduct action research as an extension of a particular school-improvement
plan, project, or goal—i.e., action research is nearly always a school-reform strategy. The object
of action research could be almost anything related to educational performance or improvement,
from the effectiveness of certain teaching strategies and lesson designs to the influence that
family background has on student performance to the results achieved by a particular academic
support strategy or learning program—to list just a small sampling.
For related discussions, see action plan, capacity, continuous improvement, evidence-based,
and professional development.

Overview
Action Research is a method of systematic enquiry that teachers undertake as
researchers of their own practice. The enquiry involved in Action Research is often
visualised as a cyclical process, two examples of which are shown below.
The start of the process is usually an issue or situation that, as a teacher, you want to
change. You will be supported in turning this 'interesting problem' into a 'researchable
question' and then developing actions to try out. You will draw on the findings of other
researchers to help develop actions and interpret the consequences.

As an action researcher, or teacher-researcher, you will generate research. Enquiring

into your practice will inevitably lead you to question the assumptions and values that
are often overlooked during the course of normal school life. Assuming the habit of
inquiry can become an ongoing commitment to learning and developing as a
practitioner. As a teacher-researcher you assume the responsibility for being the agent
and source of change.