Action Research in the Elementary School Classroom

¶ … Action Research Study According to Dana and Yendol-Hoppey (2010), action research is a "systematic, intentional study by teachers of their own classroom practice" (p. 6). Because the intention of action research is to effect meaningful change in real-world classroom settings, action research must be focused on practice issues of interest to reading teachers. The seven steps described by Brighton (2009) can help guide the action research process by providing a systematic framework in which the analysis can be conducted.

By first identifying a practice area of interest, for example, the likelihood of a successful outcome is enhanced. Likewise, by connecting the action research project with reading teachers' own problem areas, there is more flexibility in how the action research project should be conducted. Implementing and administering the action research project will also provide a centralized focus for the practice area of interest, and the feedback received from mentors and peers can help identify areas of research that need to be added, deleted or modified (Cooper & White, 2012).

These sources of information and other data gathered during the action research process can also help inform the principal researcher concerning the effectiveness of changes in curricular offerings compared to benchmarks provided by the gathered data (Dana & Yendol-Hoppey, 2010). In addition, an important point made by Brighton (2009) was the need to share the findings and aggregated data with the action research project's key stakeholders, including school administrators, participants and professional learning communities.

Finally, Brighton (2009) emphasizes that the action research process should not be viewed as a static, one-time process but it is rather iterative in nature and subsequent iterations can build on the findings that emerged from previous iterations in ways that contribute to improved classroom practice in real-world settings (Cooper & White, 2012). References Brighton, C. M. (2009). Embarking on action research. Educational Leadership, 66(5), 40-44. Cooper, K. & White, R. E. (2012, October). The recursive process in and of critical literacy: Action research in an urban elementary school. Canadian Journal of Education, 35(2), 41-44.

Data of Action Research for Literacy Achievement Reading teachers are busy people so it is important to determine a mutually convenient time and place for meeting attendees, to provide them with an agenda, to keep minutes and to maintain focus throughout the proceedings. Beyond these basics, an action research for literacy achievement meeting should start by presenting the attendees with an overview of the advantages of using action research to improve literacy achievement levels.

This presentation should highlight the "what's-in-it-for-them" aspects of investing time and effort in conducting action research (Dana & Yendol-Hoppey, 2010). In this regard, Cooper and White (2012) emphasize that, "Research indicates that teacher-generated research offers teachers a strong feeling of ownership of both the process and results, thus increasing their own professional development" (p. 42).

The next step would be to describe what types of data will be collected, which benchmarks are most relevant to the action research study's guiding research questions, and to solicit views from meeting attendees concerning potential alternative or additional data sources. Increasing the number of data sources enhances the validity of the findings that emerge from action research and these findings can then be used to formulate informed views concerning the efficacy of initiatives designed to improve literacy achievement across a broader spectrum.

Meeting attendees will be encouraged to collaborate outside the classroom and formal structure of the action research study and share their views with the group as the research progresses. Finally, meeting attendees should be provided with a question-and-answer segment at the meeting's end, and to offer any suggestions for improving the presentation in the future. An action research project designed to improve literacy in an elementary school by Cooper and White (2012, p. 42) also used the following.