Teacher research leads to learning, action
By Joan Richardson
Tools for Schools, February/March 2000
As a teacher in a Madison, Wis., middle school with a changing enrollment, Ginny Kester wondered how a sense of belonging affected the achievement of African-American students.
Instead of having idle conversations with friends and colleagues about this question, Kester embarked on a systematic review of the relationships between teachers, parents, and students in her school. She interviewed teachers, parents, and students individually and in groups. In her year-long project, Kester discovered that "the stronger the bond between a teacher and an African-American student, the greater the impact a teacher would have on a student’s achievement."
In the busyness of a school day, teachers typically have little time to pause and examine the work they do. Increasingly, as Kester did, teachers are turning to action research as a way to create time and space to reflect on their work.
Action research is "a process where participants–who might be teachers, principals, support staff–examine their own practice, systematically and carefully, using the techniques of research,’’ according to Cathy Caro-Bruce who leads the extensive action research efforts in the Madison (Wis.) Metropolitan School District. Caro-Bruce is author of a forthcoming NSDC book, The Action Research Facilitator’s Handbook.
In her experience, action research is an effective way for teachers to learn because teachers explore topics related to their work and in which they already have an interest. But Caro-Bruce also says action research has hidden benefits for teachers. "What teachers learn from the process is as critical as what they learn from the results,’’ she said.
Using the techniques of research, teachers* draft questions, collect data, analyze data, and act on what they learn. Acting on what’s been learned is an essential part of action research, says Caro-Bruce. Merely answering a question is only going part of the way.
Unlike traditional forms of research, action research is more responsive to the discoveries that researchers make along the way. That means action researchers must be flexible and willing to follow their questions wherever the information takes them. "Action research is not a linear process. It’s not something that’s nice and neat and tidy. It’s messy, but our worlds are messy too,’’ said Caro-Bruce.
Action research can be done alone or in a group. The group can be a few individuals, an entire school, or even an entire district. Caro-Bruce believes action research is best done in a group of 8 to 10 persons, each studying a different question. "When you work with a group, you get exponential effects. Groups provide a way to learn about your own question as well as the questions from everyone else in that group. So it becomes a much broader learning experience,’’ she said.
Caro-Bruce outlines five steps for action research projects:
Prepare to begin.
Before teachers write their research questions, they must become familiar with the action research process. Several resources recommended on Page 7 could be used for jigsaw readings to acquaint participants with what to expect from the process.
If others in your district have done action research, ask them to describe for the group what they did and learned.
"Help them understand that this is a flexible, fluid process that they will impact and that will impact them,’’ Caro-Bruce said.
Write the question.
Caro-Bruce recommends that a district–or a school–identify broad priority areas for action research and allow teachers to volunteer to explore topics that most interest them. For example, a district might decide to support action research on experiential education, brain-compatible teaching and learning, special education, and issues of diversity and learning.
Each group assembles and teachers identify areas of greatest concern for them. For example, a teacher who enters the diversity group might want to explore the question posed by Ginny Kester. Another might want to explore relationships with parents who do not speak English.
As participants write their initial questions, other group members should provide feedback to help refine the questions. (The tool on Page 4 is one strategy for doing this.)
In addition, teachers should ask others outside the group questions such as these:
• What do you think about this question?
• Is this a worthwhile question to pursue?
• What suggestions can you offer to improve it?
As teachers reflect on the responses, they should refine their questions accordingly.
Collect data.
Data to answer the question can come from many sources. The sources will vary according to the question. In some situations, for example, the teacher will need "hard" data such as test results, parent-teacher conference participation, attendance, demographics, and financial records. Other teachers will need "soft" data from interviews with students, parents, and teachers; classroom observations; examining student work and lesson plans.
Caro-Bruce offers three general tips about data collection:
• Collect data from at least three sources. That will bolster the credibility of your final conclusion.
• Keep a data log, recording when all information was collected, time and place, and the data itself.
• Raw data is not very useful to anyone except the original researcher. In order to share your work, data must be organized and made presentable and understandable for persons unfamiliar with the project.
Analyze data.
Be systematic and objective as you examine your data. Here’s a rough outline to follow:
• Jot down the themes, patterns, and big ideas in the data you’ve collected.
• Reduce your large list to a smaller one with three to five themes.
• Label information according to relevant themes. Create sub-groups where appropriate.
• Make notes as you go along.
• Review your information. Identify points which occur more frequently and are the most powerful.
• Write up your major points. Match collected data with each major point. (The tool on Page 6 presents a format for this.)
Plan your next step.
What sets action research apart from traditional research is the expectation that researchers will do something with what they have learned. Caro-Bruce suggests several questions to help determine the next step:
• How do your conclusions differ from what you thought you would learn?
• What actions might you take based on your conclusions?
• What new questions emerge for you from the data?
Caro-Bruce warns school leaders not to be discouraged if teachers initially show little interest in action research. When action research was introduced in Madison in the mid-1980s, only two teachers signed up for a course to learn more about it. But teachers became more familiar with the process and the results and now 75 to 80 teachers a year do action research projects in Madison.
Another indicator of its growing acceptance in Madison is the financial support for action research. Initially, it was supported solely by staff development money; this year, the eight action research groups are funded out of seven different budgets.
"It’s taken a long time to get to this point. Now, it’s part of our culture. When we wonder about something, action research surfaces very naturally, very easily, as one way to explore the topic,’’ she said.
* Teachers is used throughout this article as a shorthand for any adult working in a school. Action researchers can include paraprofessionals, principals, custodial staff, librarians, and, when appropriate, students.
