See full work attached Your written response to this discussion prompt assesses your ability to both describe the action research proposal process and formulate evidence-based recommendations for sele
Week 2 Discussion 1 Action Research Selection
Your written response to this discussion prompt assesses your ability to both describe the action research proposal process and formulate evidence-based recommendation for selecting an appropriate action research topic. This discussion also supports your achievement of Course Learning Outcome 5.
According to the North Central Regional Educational Laboratory (NCREL), “Action research is inquiry or research in the context of focused efforts to improve the quality of an organization and its performance. It typically is designed and conducted by practitioners who analyze the data to improve their own practice,” (as cited in Action Research, n.d., para. 1), As you read this week in the Instructor Guidance and Chapter 3 of the your text, keep in mind the NCREL definition of action research as you select your study to peer review for the Week Six assignment.
Initial Post: Post an initial response that addresses the following areas:
First, select one action research study from your list of peer-reviewed sources from the Week One assignment.
Next, post the full 6th edition APA reference entry for this selected source.
Finally, in two to three paragraphs, discuss why you chose this topic and in particular this action research proposal. How does this topic support your current professional role or future professional goals?
Guided Response: Review the posts of your classmates and the responses of the instructor. Substantively reply to at least two peers with your reaction to the initial posts. Discuss how their justifications may be similar to or different than your own. Also, skim the action research proposal they have provided, discuss interesting items you found in the proposal and how it is similar to or different than the one you posted.
Though two replies are the basic expectation, for deeper engagement and application of the material, you are encouraged to provide responses to any comments or questions others have given to you (including your instructor) before Day 7. This ongoing engagement in the discussion will deepen the conversation while providing opportunities to demonstrate your content expertise, critical thinking, and real-world experiences with this topic.
Your Inner Sleuth
Learning Outcomes
This week students will:
Analyze the goals, origins, rationale, and value of the educational research profession.
Evaluate action research for application within the education profession.
Introduction
Welcome to the second week of EDU694. This week you will be further identifying the topic for your peer-reviewed action research proposal due in Week Six. It is suggested that the resources shared in this week be saved in your “link library” to be used for reference later in the class, future course work, and professional practice.
In preparation for this week’s activities, review the course textbook and the weekly assignments so that you have a global understanding of the expectations and pacing.
Please be sure to take about an hour to review this week’s Instructor Guidance. There you will find a wealth of useful information that will supplement your understanding as you progress through the week’s discussions and assignments. This document can also be used as a scholarly reference in this week’s assignments. If additional guidance is needed, please access the Ask Your Instructor section of your course.
It is important to note that the Instructor Guidance has been developed to directly compliment the learning outcomes in each week of this course. As in any course, the Instructor Guidance supports the required texts and other readings but does not replace it. For your continued success in this program, it is highly recommended that you are prepared for each week’s instruction by accessing all of the available resources.
WEEK TWO INSTRUCTOR GUIDANCE
Welcome to Week Two of EDU 694:Capstone 1: Educational Research. Please be sure to review the Week Two homepage for this course to see:
The specific learning outcomes for the week
The schedule overview
The required and recommended resources
The introduction to the week
A listing of the assessments
Next, be sure to read this entire Instructor Guidance page.
Overview
Recall that in Week One you discussed the overarching understanding of Action Research in relationship to the education profession. Week Two is designed to ensure expansion upon your early understandings of Action Research
As part of the Week One Discussion One, you were encouraged to review the weekly homepages for the course and take note of the assessments each week. Now is an appropriate time to revisit the Week Six Final Project instructions and Grading Rubric to be sure you understand the scope of what you will do in that assessment and how your participation in Week Two supports your success.
Intellectual Elaboration
Why Bother with Research?
It would be so much easier, in our post-modern world, to self-appoint ourselves as experts based on our experiences, our intuitions, our “gut feelings.” After all, who knows better than we do about the things we have experienced, thought, and felt? Further, and more to the point, there are many people who would be just fine with this. The presence of the internet, as it is with many things, is in part is responsible for this. (Visit this website for a lengthy explanation of post-modernism (Links to an external site.). Go to this website for a much shorter explanation of post-modernism (Links to an external site.)). In the post-modern world, everyone can be their own “expert.” Long held notions of expertise and scholarship have been called into question, and thus must be defended.
Research relies on following a well-worn path, developed over several centuries by scholars, scientists, and others, to find answers to questions. In essence, the researcher seeks, through following this path, to satisfy curiosity, to advance thinking, to devise and invent solutions, and to make the world better. Research, then, is vital to human progress, and is equally vital in advancing professional practice in education.
Of course, there are many aspects to research, for our purposes in this class, we will focus more on Action Research, a type of research that educators can use well for their professional purposes.
Action Research.
Action Research is a key type of research aimed specifically at what I call “street level practitioners.” O’Brien (1998, paragraphs 23 and 24) notes that Kurt Lewin is generally considered the ‘father’ of Action Research. A German social and experimental psychologist, and one of the founders of the Gestalt school, he was concerned with social problems, and focused on participative group processes for addressing conflict, crises, and change, generally within organizations. Initially, he was associated with the Center for Group Dynamics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in Boston, but soon went on to establish his own National Training Laboratories.
Lewin first coined the term ‘Action Research’ in his 1946 paper “Action Research and Minority Problems”, characterizing Action Research as “a comparative research on the conditions and effects of various forms of social action and research leading to social action”, using a process of “a spiral of steps, each of which is composed of a circle of planning, action, and fact-finding about the result of the action.”
Action Research, when considered from an education viewpoint, is tied with the work of John Dewey (Links to an external site.), as noted in the Week One Instructor Guidance, whose experiential view of education was suited to both students and teachers. As such, it is very versatile. Teachers, while conducting Action Research, seek to find solutions to practical classroom problems. Some examples of Action Research can be found in all curricular subjects, student management issues, improvements of teaching technique(s), etc. Action Research can also be conducted by individuals, teams of teachers, or entire schools. In sum, Action Research works well for educators.
Closing Remarks
Understanding the conduct, potential value, and professional necessity of research in general, and Action Research in particular, arms you with the necessary tools to not only conduct your own research, but to enhance our profession. By offering a substantial alternative to post-modern modes of thinking as applied to education, you can proceed with your professional practice with renewed confidence.
Assessment Guidance
This section includes additional specific assistance for excelling in the discussions for Week Two beyond what is given with the instructions for the discussions. If you have questions about what is expected on any discussion for Week Two, contact your instructor using the Ask Your Instructor discussion before the due date.
Discussion 1: Action Research Selection
For this discussion, you will be choosing the Action Research proposal in which you will review during this course and for your final assignment. It is important that you choose a proposal that is in keeping with your topic you chose during Week One Discussion Two. As well, that the proposal you choose is also one that you identified as a peer-reviewed sources from Week One Assignment One.
Journal: Reflection
This journal assesses your ability to apply collaboration and cooperation as it relates to Action Research proposals. You will be reflecting on the value of Action Research within the education profession. Be sure to support your reflection with information from the Lloyd (2002) article provided in the course and your textbook. It is important with this journal assignment to really reflect on how Action Research can have an impact on and within the education profession.
References
Aylesworth, G. (2005, September 30). Postmodernism (Links to an external site.). Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Retrieved from http://plato.stanford.edu/archives/sum2013/entries/postmodernism/
Encyclopedia Britannica. (n.d.). John Dewey (Links to an external site.). Retrieved from http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/160445/John-Dewey
O'Brien, R. (1998). An overview of the methodological approach of Action Research (Links to an external site.). University of Toronto. Retrieved from http://www.web.ca/robrien/papers/arfinal.html
PBS. (n.d.). Postmodernism (Links to an external site.). Retrieved from http://www.pbs.org/faithandreason/gengloss/postm-body.html
Required Resources
Text
Mertler, C. A. (2017). Action research: Improving schools and empowering educators (5th ed.) [Electronic version]. Retrieved from https://content.ashford.edu/
Chapter 3: Planning for Action Research and Reviewing Related Literature
Article
Argyropoulos, V., Nikolaraizi, M. (2009). Developing inclusive practices through collaborative action research. European Journal of Special Needs Education 24(2):139-153. DOI: 10.1080/08856250902793586
This paper discusses the results of an action research proposal which aimed to promote academic access in two general educational settings. The study focuses on a pupil with blindness and a deaf pupil were educated respectively.
This resource will be used to support your work on the discussion this week (i.e., Action Research Selection) and this week’s assignment (i.e. Reflection).
Recommended Resources
Web Page
What is action research? (Links to an external site.) (n.d.). Retrieved from http://gse.gmu.edu/research/tr/tr-action
This is an action research resource developed for the students at George Mason University. This resource will be used to support your work on the discussion this week (i.e., Action Research Selection) and this week’s assignment (i.e. Reflection).
