Once a research focus is selected, the vision and target have been clarified, and research questions have been developed, a researcher begins to plan data collection and research management based on the research questions. Data collection takes on different formats, such as observation, surveys, samples, documents, multimedia materials, assessments, and interviews. This is the fourth step of the action research process. Data provides the researcher with the ability to investigate authentic behaviors, responses, and work samples in an attempt to respond to the research questions.
Having a plan on how you will collect or organize data and manage the research process is an essential component of action research and will help guide future topic assignments in this course.
Review the “TCH-539 Research Management Example” and then complete the “TCH-539 Data Collection and Research Management Plan” template.
Support your work with a minimum of two scholarly resources.
FURTHER INSTRUCTIONS:
For your assignment this week I wanted to make sure that you recognize a few things:
(a) our course is building on prior week’s content. You stared in the first week and identified two broad topics that might be worth some action research. Last week, you chose ONE of those to do some further investigation within scholarly sources. This week you will build a research plan (which is basically a “how to” for your action research study if/when you can carry it out).
(b) Don’t overthink this work. Action research is practical and practice-based. It’s what we do in our everyday teaching lives, so we are simply being a bit more purposeful about the process, the documentation of the process, and the reflection of what we’ve learned. Nothing about action research should scare you or feel out of reach for you. If it does, reach out to me so we can chat.
(c) You have a template AND an exemplar assignment provided in this week’s assignment. Look at the exemplar and imagine the teacher conducting that action research project. It’s a real teacher and a real problem that was identified in their classroom. Then, shift to the blank template and lay out your steps. Think carefully about why this is an important area to study, how you might collect data (this might be observations of student habits, tracking grades, tracking levels of participation on a checklist, etc.). Again, keep it simple. If I am seeking to understand if flexible seating in my classroom will decrease off-task behavior, I might keep a tally and a timer to document off-task times during a particular week or a particular period. I also might chart the type of off-task behaviors that are occurring (distracting others, self-distraction, etc). Again, keep it simple.
