Here is an assignment that I often use with my classes when the students have a field placement or when I am working with inservice teachers. The assignment comes in two parts. First, students propose their project using this general framework.
Action Research Proposal Format
- Statement of the problem, question, goal, or issue—a paragraph or so.
- Rationale: Why did you select this problem (question, goal, issue)? What is the origin or basis of the problem (where did it come from or what gave you the idea)? Why is this an important problem?
- Context of the project: Describe the students (age, abilities, challenges), classroom, resources, materials, limitations, subject area (if appropriate), students’ previous experiences, and any other relevant contextual information.
- What exactly will you do? Describe plans, procedures, timetable.
- Data: How will you gather relevant information about your project? What are your sources of data and how will you keep records. What information will you need to determine if you have met your goals, solved the problem, answered the question, or addressed the issue in question I above? Will you observe, interview, use traditional or another testing, videotape or audiotape, examine student work, develop portfolios, use journals, note activity patterns, do sociograms, or use other ways to understand the situation and the changes that follow from your project?
- Analyses: How will you use the information you gather? What will you do with it after you collect it? How will you pull it together to address question 1 above?
- Resources and References: List at least four readings, chapters, or sections of chapters, from this and other courses and from outside sources that you will consult as you complete your project and written report. Your final report must have a summary of this Supporting Research and Scholarship that pertains to your problem or question and makes a case for your action plan. Use APA style to list the resources.
Students share these proposals during class or post them to a class bulletin board for feedback. I do not grade this assignment.
Action Research Final Project Format
Students use this format to complete the final written report of their action research project. Together we develop a rubric to assess the project.
- Clear Statement of the problem (question, goal, issue), including a Rationale: Why did you select this problem or question? Why is it important?
- Context of the project: Describe the students (age, abilities, challenges), classroom, resources, materials, limitations, subject area (if appropriate), students’ previous experiences, and any other relevant contextual information.
- Supporting Research and Scholarship: Summarize relevant research and scholarship that pertains to your problem or question. What does the literature suggest about possible solutions or actions? Make a case for your action plan.
- Action/Intervention: What exactly did you do? Describe procedures, interventions timetable, including how you gathered relevant information (your sources of data).
- Results: What happened? What are the actual outcomes or effects of your action?
- Reflections: What are your observations, analyses, new understandings? How would you revise your plan to improve it or to learn more?
- Resources and References: Use APA style to list the resources. Include at least 8.
EVALUATION RUBRIC: Here is an example of a rubric from a recent class.
An adequate paper (B) will be written in APA style, but with some errors. The problem statement and rationale will be clear, but not thoroughly elaborated. The context will paint a brief picture of the situation. The literature review will include several relevant sources and will connect the sources to the problem statement. The action will be clearly described and a minimum of relevant data will be gathered—perhaps only one kind of data will be collected. The results will be briefly described. The reflection will relate readings to the results of the project in order to understand the outcomes and speculate about how the plan could be improved. References will be appropriate to the project, with at least 2 recent journal articles included.
An exceptional paper (A+) will be written in APA style with very few errors. The problem statement and rationale will be clear and thoroughly elaborated such that the reader knows what is being addressed and why. The context will paint a full picture of the situation and include useful information beyond the simple demographics of the class and school. The literature review will include several relevant sources and will connect the sources to the problem statement. This section will be well organized to build toward an argument for the action plan so the reader is educated about a small area of research and convinced that the action plan is solidly grounded. The action will be clearly described and several kinds of relevant data will be gathered in ways that are systematic and carefully documented. The results will be briefly described, using tables, charts, or other visual or graphic presentations as appropriate. The reflection will tie readings to the results of the project in order to understand the outcomes and speculate about how the plan could be improved. The analyses will be thoughtful and will relate the project to readings and discussion in this and other classes. References will be appropriate to the project, with at least 4 recent journal articles included. The references will reflect a targeted but thorough search for pertinent information.
I usually spend part of one class doing peer editing of the first draft of this final report using this guide sheet:
Feedback for ______________________________
By ______________________________
Action Research Final Report Contents: Is there:
___ a statement of the problem including a rationale?
___ a description of the context?
___ a review of the research related to the problem?
___ a clear description of the action taken?
___ a set of data/information sources?
___ an analysis of the information — results?
___ a reflection on the project? ___ a set of appropriate references?
Evaluation Rubric
An adequate paper (B) will be written in APA style, but with some errors. The problem statement and rationale will be clear, but not thoroughly elaborated. The context will paint a brief picture of the situation. The literature review will include several relevant sources and will connect the sources to the problem statement. The action will be clearly described and a minimum of relevant data will be gathered—perhaps only one kind of data will be collected. The results will be briefly described. The reflection will relate readings to the results of the project in order to understand the outcomes and speculate about how the plan could be improved. References will be appropriate to the project, with at least 2 recent journal articles included.
An exceptional paper (A+) will be written in APA style with very few errors. The problem statement and rationale will be clear and thoroughly elaborated such that the reader knows what is being addressed and why. The context will paint a full picture of the situation, and include useful information beyond simple demographics of the class and school. The literature review will include several relevant sources and will connect the sources to the problem statement. This section will be well organized to build toward an argument for the action plan so the reader is educated about a small area of research and convinced that the action plan is solidly grounded. The action will be clearly described and several kinds of relevant data will be gathered in ways that are systematic and carefully documented.
The results will be briefly described, using tables, charts, or other visual or graphic presentations as appropriate. The reflection will tie readings to the results of the project in order to understand the outcomes and speculate about how the plan could be improved. The analyses will be thoughtful and will relate the project to readings and discussion in this and other classes. References will be appropriate to the project, with at least 4 recent journal articles included. The references will reflect a targeted but thorough search for pertinent information.
Coherence, Grammar, APA Style:
___ Check use of headings.
___ Check form of quotes (40 words or more indented on left).
___ Check page number(s) given for quotes.
___ Check organization and coherence—does the paper make sense?
___ Check subject, verb, pronouns agreement —rewrite when possible to use plurals. ___ Check periods and commas inside quotation marks.
