Choose a suitable topic and devise a schedule or ‘handbook’ on how the method of Action Research could be used.

Action Research is more of a holistic approach to problem-solving, rather than a single method for collecting and analyzing data.  Thus, it allows for several different research tools to be used as the project is conducted.  These various methods, which are generally common to the qualitative research paradigm, include: keeping a research journal, document collection and analysis, participant observation recordings, questionnaire surveys, structured and unstructured interviews, and case studies.

Kemmis and McTaggart (1988) argue that the aim of action research in education is to establish groups of knowing subjects committed to changing themselves and, by so doing changing their educational work. This type of research also helps people to become more conscious and critical of their practices and the processes of change.

"Classroom research provides teachers with an opportunity to look critically at their own classrooms, mainly for the purpose of improving their teaching and quality of education in their schools (Hopkins, 1993)".

Identifying the problem

A problem may be that children are being allocated unfairly into their ability groups.  To successfully identify whether this problem actually exists, the researcher would need to enter the situation themselves in order to gain first-hand experience of goings on within the classroom.  In this case, the researcher needs to speak to the children individually to get an insight into how their schooling has affected them.  For example, it may be that after talking to the children, the conclusion that some of those from the lower group, may show higher intelligence than some of those allocated in the higher group may arise.  With the observation that the majority of those in lower groups, were those of lower class families and the ethnic minority, the problem can be identified, i.e. unfair allocation into groups.

Join now!

Data collection

Results gained need to be valid and in order to achieve this it is of high importance that actions in the classroom are as they are in general.  This means that the researcher’s identity needs to be hidden, simply because if the presence and purpose of the researcher is known, there is always the risk that the people being researched will demand characteristics and not act naturally, which will lead to invalid results, which will lead to irrelevant solutions.  This method of data collection is known as covert observation.

Before going into the situation to ...

This is a preview of the whole essay