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| A fairly common mode of investigation in educational research, especially among researchers interested in classroom teaching practices and teacher education. |
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| A process that gives credence to the development of powers of reflective through, discussion, decision and action by ordinary people participating in collective research on private troubles that they have in common |
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| Represents a viable practical strategy for social studies requiring systematic, organized and reflective investigation. It is one of the few research approaches that embrace principles of participation, reflections, empowerment and emancipation of people and groups interested in improving their social situation or condition/ |
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| Participatory Action Research |
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Definition
| Is a research framework that evolved from a number of different intellectual traditions. It can be defined as a kind of collective self-reflective enquiry undertaken by participants on social relationship with one another in order to improve some condition or situation with which they are involved. |
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| Action Research Is Collaborative |
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Definition
| These participants include both the researcher and those stakeholders normally referred to in other research as the subjects. Thus it is a highly collaborative, reflective, experiential, and participatory mode of research in which all individuals involved in the study, researcher and subject alike are deliberate and contributing actors in the research enterprise. |
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| A social psychologist who was particularly interested in the concept of social change. Action research may have originated with him. |
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| Applications Of Action Research |
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Definition
| In classrooms, schools hospitals, justice agencies and community contexts. Particularly used in nursing research studies and women’s studies. |
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| Characteristics Suitable For Action Research |
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Definition
| A highly rigorous, yet reflective on interpretive, approach to empirical research. The active engagement of individuals traditionally known as subjects as participants and contributors in the research enterprise. The integration of some practical outcomes related to the actual lives of participants in this research project. A spiraling of steps, each of which is composed of some type of planning, action and evaluation. |
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| Action Research Can Be Understood As: |
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Definition
| A means or a model for enacting local, action oriented approaches of investigation and applying small scale theorizing to specific problems in particular situation. |
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| Team Approach Of Action Research |
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Definition
| Includes a research and member of some organization, community or network (those who may be thought of as a stakeholder in the research effort), who collectively are seeking to improve the organization or situation of participants—in effect, where the goal of the research is not simple research for the sake of research or theory but is an effort at creating a positive social change in the lives of the stakeholders. |
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| Assumptions And Values Of Action Research |
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Definition
| 1. The democratization of knowledge production and sues. 2. Ethical fairness in the benefits of the knowledge generation process. 3. An ecological stance towards society and nature. 4. Appreciation of the capacity of humans to reflect, learn and change. 5. A commitment to positive social change. |
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| Johnson’s Descriptors Of Action Research |
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Definition
| 1. Action Research is Systematic. 2. You Do Not Start with an Answer. 3. An Action Research Study Does Not Have To Be Complicated Or Elaborate To Be Rigorous Or Effective. 4. You Must Plan Your Study adequately Before You Begin to Collect Data. 5. Action Research Projects Vary In Length. 6. Observations Should be Regular, but They do not Necessarily Have to be Long. 7. Action Research Projects Exist on a Continuum from Simple and Informal to Detailed and Formal. 8. Action Research is Sometimes Grounded in Theory. 9. Action Research is Not Necessarily Quantitative. 10. The Results of Quantitative Action Research Projects are Limited |
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| Action Research Is Systematic |
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Definition
| Data can be collected, analyzed and presented in a variety of ways, but the researcher should create a systematic way of looking at data. Thus it should not be understood as an anything goes type of methodology. Nor is it simply a matter of describing what the researcher thinks about some issue or explaining a pedagogical method that works well in a classroom. It is a planned methodical observation related to ones study focus. |
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Term
| You Do Not Start With An Answer |
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Definition
| An assumption underlying any research is that you do not begin a prior knowing what you will find through the research before you start. You must begin as an unbiased observer. |
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| An Action Research Study Does Not Have To Be Complicated Or Elaborate To Be Rigorous Or Effective. |
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Definition
| Many beginning action researchers make the mistake of creating overly thick descriptions of every detail of their study in an attempt to be rigorous. This may be equated with attempting to shoot rabbits with a cannon. If the researcher includes too much detail about the methods, it may become methodologically tip= heavy, compels and confused; this may detract from the research understanding what was actually being sought in the research or what may have been learned. A well organized, cosine description of the study methods is preferable to a confusing complicate description. |
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| You Must Plan Your Study Adequately Before You Begin To Collect Data |
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Definition
| Having a clear plan for conducting your research provides a means for an effective systematic inquiry. The novice researcher should also recognize, however that the best laid plans may need to change and should be flexible enough to accommodate the various changes that may occur during the course of the research. |
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| Action Research Projects Vary In Length |
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Definition
| The length of a data collection in an action research projects, as in any study, is determined based on your questions, the nature of the inquiry, the research setting, and any formal parameters to your study and data collections. |
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Term
| Observations Should Be Regular, But They Do Not Necessarily Have To Be Long. |
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Definition
| The less experienced a researcher is, the shorter the periods of time would be initially when undertaking observations in the field. Thus, five minutes at a time may be sufficient at first, until the researcher becomes more familiar and comfortable with entering the field to gather data. Gradually, more time may be added to the amount of time spent in the field. While observations need not be long, they do need to be undertaken on a consistent, intentionally planned scheduled. |
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Term
| Action Research Projects Exist On A Continuum From Simple And Informal To Detailed And Formal |
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Definition
| As with other methodological frameworks, some studies will be short, deliberate, and simple. Other studies will require lengthier, and perhaps more complicated, types of data-collection schemes. It is advisable for inexperienced researcher to begin with simple projects before attempting to undertake too large and complicated a study |
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| Action Research Is Sometimes Grounded In Theory |
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Definition
| Relating the research question, results, and conclusions to existing theory provides a contexts in which to understand your research and what you may have learned from your study. Linking your research to aspect of the extant literature on the subject is not really an option; it is a requirement of any good study. |
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| Action Research Is Not Necessarily Quantitative |
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Definition
| Some Beginning Action researchers are under the mistaken belief that action research must be undertaken from this perspective. But many action research projects do not simply compare one thing to another or seek to prove anything in particular. They are not usually causal in nature. Action research projects do not require controls or experiments. The goal of most action research projects is to improve understandings about something, uncover problems, and identify possible solutions to problems. |
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| The Results Of Quantitative Action Research Projects Are Limited |
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Definition
| When these techniques are used in action research projects caution should be exercised in coming to conclusion and making generalized forecasts to other settings. Caution is necessary because, like case studies, most action research studies are tailored to a particular group or organization and any other stake holders who may be affected by this group or organization. The changed that may be identified as necessary to improve the conditions of these stakeholders may or may not be applicable to other groups and organisations—regardless of how similar rhea other groups and settings may be. |
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| Primary Tasks Of Action Research |
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Definition
| 1. It is intended to uncover or produce information and knowledge that will be directly useful to a group of people (through research, education, and sociopolictal action). 2. It is meant to enlighten and empower the average person in the group, motivating each individual to take up and use the information gathers in the research. |
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| The Basics Of Action Research |
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Definition
| It is a collaborative approach to research that provides people with the means to take systematic action in an effort to resolve specific problems. This approach endorses consensual, democratise, and participatory strategies to encourage people to examine reflectively their problems or particular issues affecting them or their community. Furthermore it encourages people to formulate accounts and explanations of their situation and to develop plans that may resolve these problems. It focuses on methods and techniques of investigation that take into account the study populations history, culture, interactive activities, and emotional lives. Although it makes use of many traditional data gathering strategies, its orientation and purpose are slightly different. It does not use, for instance, elaborate and complexes routines origination exclusively from the perspective of the researcher; instead, it collaborates with the very people it seeks to study. The language and content of it also differs from other approaches—specifically those that utilize compels, sophisticated, difficult-to-understand statistical techniques. Language and content with this approach are easy to understand by both professional and laypeople alike. |
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| Three Basic Phases Of Action Research |
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Definition
| Looking, Thinking and Action |
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Term
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Definition
| One of the three basic phases of action research. The researcher assesses the situation and creates a picture about what is going on. This involved gathering information, considering who the stakeholders are, and what their interests may be. When evaluating, the researcher defines and describes the problem to be investigated and the context in which it is set. The researcher should also consider what all the stakeholders have been doing. |
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Definition
| The second of the three basic phases of Action Research. Involved making interpretations and offering some explanation about the case at hand. During evaluation, the researcher analyzes the information collected while looking over the situation and interprets the situation as it currently exists. Next the researcher reflects on what participant have been doing. The participants often share in this process of reflection. This provides a means for further assessment of areas of success and any deficiencies, issues, or problems that may confront the organization or the stakeholders. |
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Definition
| The third basic phase of action research. The central purpose is to come to some resolve and use it to take this towards improving the lives of the participants (Stakeholders). In terms of evaluation, the researcher considers what might affect the best positive changes in the organization and lives of the participants. Judgments should fall along the lines of the worthiness of a change, its potential effectiveness and appropriateness, and the outcomes of any activities that may be made toward these changes. Working with the stakeholders, the researcher formulates plans for solutions to any problems that have been mutually identifies. These plans are then brought back to the stakeholders for further discussion and elaboration. Ultimately, it is the stakeholders themselves that are responsible for choosing a new plan. |
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| Four Basic Stages If Action Research |
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Definition
| 1) Identifying the research question(s), 2) Gathering the information to answer the question(s), 3) Analyzing and interpreting the information, and 4) Sharing the results with the participants. Has a spiralling progression. |
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Definition
| It consciously seeks to study something in order to change or improve it. This may be a situation uncovered by the researcher of brought to the attention of the investigator by some interested or involved party. |
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| Identifying The Research Question(S) |
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Definition
| The first stage of the action research process involved the researcher assisting the people in the research population—the stakeholders—to examine their situation to recognize their problems. Alternately the researcher may identify a problem and bring it to the attention of the stakeholders. It is important for the action research investigator or recognize that the issues to be studied are considered important by the stakeholder and are not simple of interest to the researchers. The task of the researcher is to assist the stakeholders into doing this for themselves and ensure it is answerable. |
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Definition
| doesn’t always mean throwing out everything, it can be doing more of worked well and doing less of what didn’t work week, and possibly doing something completely different |
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Definition
| Treat social action and human artifacts as tact. In order words, human action can be seen as a collection of symbols expressing layers of meaning. Interviews and observational data, then, can be transcribed into written text for analysis. How one interprets such a text depends in part on the theoretical orientation taken by the researcher. |
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| Approached To The Analysis Of Qualitative Data |
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Definition
| 1) Interpretive Approaches, 2) Social Anthropological Approaches, 3) Collaborative Social Research Approach—Work with Stakeholders |
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| Social Anthropological Approaches |
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Definition
| Analysis of this sort of data can be accomplished by setting information down in field notes and then applying the interpretive style of treating this information as text. However, frequently this analytic process required the analysis of multiple sources of data such as diaries, observations, interviews, photographs, and artifacts. Determining what material to include or exclude, how to order the presentation of substantiating materials, and what to report first or last are analytic choices that researcher must make. Researchers following this orientation often have conducted carious sorts of field or case study activities to gather data. In order to accomplish data collection, they have necessarily spent considerable time in a given community, or with a given assortment of individuals in the field. They have participated, indirectly or directly, with many of the individuals residing in or interacting with the study population. This provides the researcher with a special perspective on the material collected during the research, as well as a special understanding of the participants and how these individuals interpret their social worlds. |
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| Collaborate Social Research Approaches—Work With Stakeholders |
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Definition
| Researcher operating in this research mode work with their subjects in a given setting in order to accomplish some sort of change or action. The analysis of data gathers in such studies is accomplished with the participation of the subjects who are seen by the research as stakeholders in the situation in need of of change or action. Data are collected and then reflexively considered both as feedback to create action and as information to understand a situation, resolve a problem, or satisfy some sort of field experiment. The action analytic strategies applied in this effort may be similar to the interpretive and social anthropological approaches |
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Term
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Definition
| Content analysis is not inherently either quantitative or qualitative, and may be bother at the same time. Nonetheless, different researchers writing at different times have tended to see the technique exclusively from one or the other perspective. |
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Definition
| Physically present and countable elements. |
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| Manifest Vs. Latent Analyses |
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Definition
| Another long-standing debate concerning the use of content analysis is whether the analysis should be limited to those element that are physically present and countable or extended to more interpretive content. In the latter case the analysis is extended to an interpretive reading of the symbolism underlying the physical data. One analysis describes the content, while the other seeks to discern its meaning. |
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Definition
| Interpretive reading of underlying meaning. Seeks to discern its meaning. It is the deep structural meaning covered by the message. |
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Definition
| Include In Vivo Codes and Sociological Constructs |
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Definition
| Literal terms used by individuals under investigation. They represent the behavioral processes, which will explain to the researcher how the basic problem of the actors is resolved or processes. These descriptions, offered by the speaker, reveal the speakers orientations and situational definitions. In contrast, sociological constructs are formulated by the analyst. |
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Definition
| Are formulated by the analyst. These tend to be based on a combination of things, including the researcher’s scholarly knowledge of the substantive field under study. The results of using these is the addition of certain social scientific meaning that might otherwise be missed in the analysis. They add breadth and depth to observations by reaching beyond local meanings and understanding to broader social scientific ones. |
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Definition
| Words, phrases, sentences, paragraphs and sections or chapters, books, writers, ideological stance and subject topic. |
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| Words, Phrases, Sentences, Paragraphs And Sections |
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Definition
| When using a content analysis strategy to assess written documents, researchers must first decide at what level they plan to sample and what units of analysis will be calculated. |
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| Chapters, Books , Writers, Ideological Stance And Subject Topic |
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Definition
| When examining other forms of messages, researchers may use any of the preceding levels or may sample at other conceptual levels more appropriate to the specific message. |
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Definition
| Distinguishing between and among persons, things, and events. Three major procedures are used to identify and develop them in a standard content analysis and to discuss findings in research that use contented analysis: common classes, special classes and theoretical classes. |
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Definition
| Assessment whether certain demographic characteristics are related to patterns that may arise during a given data analysis. These classes are used by virtually anyone in society to distinguish between and among person, things, and events. Provide for laypersons a means of designation in the course of everyday thinking and communicating and to engender meaning in their social interaction. Are essential in assessing whether certain demographic characteristics are related to patterns that may arise during a given data analysis |
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Definition
| Used by members of certain areas to distinguish among the things, person and events within their limited province. Maye be likened to jargon. May be described as out group versus in group classification. |
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Definition
| Provides and overarching pattern. Those classes that emerge when analyzing data. In most content analysis they provide an overarching pattern. Nomenclature that identifies these classes generally borrows from special classes and accounts for novelty. It is necessary to retain special classes throughout much of the analysis because they emerge at the end. |
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| Four Basic Guidelines For Open Coding |
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Definition
| 1) Ask the data a specific and consistent set of questions, 2) analyze the data minutely, 3) frequently interrupt the coding to write a theoretical notes, and 4) never assume the analytic relevance of any traditional variable until the data shows it to be relent. |
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| Ask The Data A Specific And Consistent Set Of Questions |
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Definition
| The first of the basic guidelines for open coding. What study are these data pertinent to? The original purpose of the study may not be accomplished and an alternative or unanticipated goal may be identifies. |
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| Analyze The Data Minutely |
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Definition
| Researcher should remember that they are conducting an intimal coding preclude. In the beginning more is better. Inclosing of many categories, incidents, interactions and the like should eventually be narrowed down to present a refined tightly stated conclusion |
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| Never Assume The Analytic Relevance Of Any Traditional Variable |
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Definition
| Even mundane variables must earn their way into the grounded theory. |
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Definition
| Are used to organizer the data and identify findings after open coding has been completed. At first is often a multilevel process that requires several successive sorting. Can include: situation codes, process codes, activity codes, event codes, strategy codes, relationship and social structural codes, narrative codes, and methods codes. |
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Definition
| Occurs after open coding is completed and consisted of intensive coding around one category. Similar to the first coding frame. |
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Definition
| The more organized coding frames are the easier it is to allow the data to talk to you and inform your research question/ |
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| Steps Of Using Coding Frames |
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Definition
| Identify findings, sort cases into the indicated subdivisions, interpret patterns from the organization scheme & details from interview questions, at this juncture relevant theoretical perspective can be introduced to those the enables to established theory and to its own emerging grounded theory |
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| Interrogative Hypothesis Testing |
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Definition
| Make a rough hypothesis 1. Based on an observation from the data, 2. Conduct a thorough search of all cases to located negative cases. 3. If a negative case is located either discard or reformulate the hypothesis to account for the negative case, 4. Examine all relevant cases from the sample before determining whether practical certainty is attaining. |
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Definition
| Only accepting the validity of a hypothesis if you are unable to disprove it |
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Definition
| Involved the investigator intentionally seeking negative or unique cases until the data are saturated and built into an emerging patter. At that point the investigator looks for confirmation of a developing the our or a specific hypothesis |
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| Strengths Of Content Analysis |
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Definition
| Although useful when analyzing in-depth interview data Maye also be sued none reactively for archival data. Virtually unobtrusive, cost effective, trend identification over time |
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| Weaknesses Of Content Analysis |
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Definition
| Limited to examining recorded messages. Often limited to record other felt were worth recording. Ineffective for testing causal relationships. |
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| Computer Assisted Qualitative Data Analysis |
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Definition
| Can use: Word Processors, text receivers, text base managers, code and retrieve programs, code based theory builders, conceptual network builders, |
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Term
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Definition
| Create and transcribe text. Allow you to create tax-based filed and to effectively find, move, reproduce, and retrieve sections of the text in each file. This provide means for transcribing interviews or audio portions of video, writing up or editing field notes, coding text for indexing and retrieval purposes and even writing up findings in reports |
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Definition
| Locate text in several files. There programs specialize in locating every instance of a specified word, phrase or character string as well hose programs are able to locate combination of these items in on or several files. |
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Definition
| Organize, sort and subset. Although similar in function to text retrievers, they provide a great capacity for organizing and sorting, and makes subsets of textual data. |
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| Code And Retrieve Programs |
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Definition
| Code and display coded sections. Are intended to assist the researcher in dividing text into segments or chunks, attach codes, and find and display these coded section. |
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| Code-Based Theory Builders |
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Definition
| Code, retrieve and develop theoretical connections. Can help develop higher order classification and connections. |
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| Conceptual Network Buildings |
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Definition
| Building and testing theory, creating graphic networks. |
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