Action Research: A Tool for Improving Teacher Quality and Classroom Practice

Background: Action research is a meaningful form of research because it is conducted by the teacher in his or her own classroom. Action research requires a teacher to design a study in an area of interest and conduct it in their own classroom. Action research is a requirement for some masters of education programs in the United States. Purpose: To examine Master degree students' experiences and insights about participating in an action research program. Two guiding research questions were examined (1) What do teachers report as the most difficult parts of the action research process? and (2) How does participation in action research impact teachers' current and future instructional practices? Setting: An Elementary Master's program in the Southeastern United States. Study Sample: 34 graduate students in an elementary MAED degree program. Research Design: Qualitative. Data Collection and Analysis: The study uses content analysis and descriptive statistics. The survey instrument used was a 14-item survey divided into three sections of questions. The first two sections utilized a Likert scale. The final section had four open ended questions. It was given to students at the conclusion of their course requiring planning for the action research project. Findings: After analysis, action research participants explained that analyzing the data was the most difficult part of the action research process. The analysis also demonstrated that teachers felt that action research positively impacted their teaching. Conclusion: Two general conclusions about the action research process emerged: action research is an effective professional process that impacts daily/future teaching, and the action research process elicits change. Citation: O'Connor, K., Greene, H., & Anderson, P. (2006, April). Action research: A tool for improving teacher quality and classroom practice. Paper Discussion Presented at the American Educational Research Association 2006 Annual Meeting, San Francisco, CA. (Contains 2 tables.)