Action Research Essentials

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ISBN: 9780470189290 | 0470189290
Cover: Paperback
Copyright: 3/3/2009

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Action Research Essentials is a practical guide born of the author's own experience working with students in the social sciences and education, providing a step-by-step outline of how to "do" action research--backed by the most extensive theory and research coverage on the market today. The author guides future researcher/practitioners through the action research process via numerous concrete illustrations and a wealth of on-line resources; positioning it as a fundamental component of practice, A key and unique strength of the book is its outreach to a much larger breadth of students than usually found in action research books. This book will illustrate all the steps in action research using examples from education, social work, psychology, sociology, nursing, medicine, and counseling. The structure of the book is intended as the sole textbook for a course devoted to naturalistic inquiry, practitioner research, or beginning qualitative methods, or can complement a general research course.

Figures, Tables, & Exhibits	p. xi
Preface	p. xv
The Author	p. xxi
Introduction to Action Research	p. 1
Introduction	p. 2
What Is Action Research?	p. 2
Action Research: Some Definitions	p. 4
Why Engage in Action Research?	p. 6
Steps in the Process	p. 10
Phases of an Action Research Study	p. 14
What Are Data?	p. 18
When Is Action Research the Appropriate Choice?	p. 21
How Can the Process Effect Change?	p. 24
The Ethical Researcher	p. 25
Summary	p. 26
Key Terms	p. 27
Discussion Questions	p. 27
Suggested Topics	p. 27
Online Activities	p. 28
The Process Begins	p. 29
The Action Research Environment	p. 30
Identifying Problems Suitable for Action Research	p. 31
Sources for Problems or Research Topics	p. 33
Considering the Value of a Problem or Topic	p. 35
Narrowing the Focus	p. 37
The Reflective Journal Revisited	p. 39
Concept Mapping and Focus	p. 40
Reflecting on Relevancy	p. 41
Inquiring, Questioning, Interviewing, and Gathering Information	p. 43
The IRB-Friend or Foe?	p. 45
Informed Consent Forms and Assent Forms	p. 50
A Few More Words on the IRB	p. 52
Summary	p. 52
Key Terms	p. 52
Discussion Questions	p. 53
Suggested Topics	p. 53
Online Activities	p. 53
The Literature Review	p. 55
The Literature Review and Action Research	p. 56
What Is a Literature Review?	p. 56
Rationale for Reviewing Literature	p. 57
Literature Review for Action Research	p. 57
Conducting a General Literature Review: Processes and Steps	p. 59
Identifying and Selecting Appropriate Sources	p. 61
Relevancy, Accuracy, and Value of Online Sources	p. 64
Online Literature Review	p. 65
What Experts Have to Say	p. 70
Organizing Sources and Themes in the Literature Review	p. 71
Writing the Review	p. 73
Key Terms	p. 80
Discussion Questions	p. 80
Suggested Topics	p. 80
Online Activities	p. 81
Designing Research Questions	p. 83
What Drives a Study?	p. 84
Starting Point for Generating Questions	p. 84
Research Considerations	p. 88
Research Design and Research Questions	p. 89
Research Questions as a Blueprint or Framework	p. 89
The Research Statement	p. 93
Characteristics of Good Research Questions	p. 93
Questions, Questions, Questions: Examples and Practice	p. 96
Research Umbrella as a Source for Research Questions	p. 96
Broad Themes, Subthemes, and Research Questions	p. 99
Returning to the Literature Review	p. 101
Blending Ideas to Achieve Refined Overarching Questions	p. 101
Research Questions, Chronology, and Writing	p. 103
Summary	p. 104
Key Terms	p. 104
Discussion Questions	p. 104
Suggested Topics	p. 105
Online Activities	p. 105
Identifying Data Sets to Inform Inquiry	p. 107
Revisiting Questions	p. 108
Quantitative, Qualitative, and Mixed Methods	p. 108
Data Versus Data Sets	p. 114
Data Sets That Inform	p. 116
Aligning Multiple Forms of Data with Overarching Questions	p. 117
Triangulation and the Triangulation Matrix	p. 121
Qualitative Data Instruments and Schedules	p. 123
Research and Data Collection Schedules	p. 130
Summary	p. 132
Key Terms	p. 135
Discussion Questions	p. 135
Suggested Topics	p. 135
Online Activities	p. 136
The Action Researcher's Tools	p. 137
Tools for Conducting Research	p. 138
Reflective Practice	p. 145
Identifying and Collecting Artifacts	p. 154
Making Use of Electronic Sources and Technology	p. 154
Summary	p. 157
Key Terms	p. 158
Discussion Questions	p. 158
Suggested Topics	p. 159
Online Activities	p. 159
Organizing, Coding, and Analyzing Qualitative Data	p. 163
Getting Started	p. 164
Collecting and Analyzing Data	p. 165
Organizing Data	p. 169
Revisiting the Triangulation Matrix	p. 171
Examining the Pieces	p. 171
Examining Individual Data Sets and Subsets	p. 173
Coding and Analyzing	p. 189
Identifying Categories and Defining Attributes	p. 191
The Big Picture	p. 196
Summary	p. 197
Key Terms	p. 197
Discussion Questions	p. 197
Suggested Topics	p. 198
Online Activities	p. 198
The Action Research Report	p. 201
Writing the Action Research Report	p. 202
Rationale for Writing the Report	p. 203
Components	p. 203
Tips for Writing	p. 204
Reporting and Presenting Findings	p. 206
The Action Research Report Assignment	p. 213
Summary	p. 216
Key Term	p. 216
Discussion Questions	p. 216
Suggested Topics	p. 217
Online Activities	p. 217
Designing and Implementing the Action Plan	p. 219
The Action Plan	p. 220
Rationale	p. 221
Purpose	p. 221
When Is an Action Plan Appropriate?	p. 222
Informed Decision Making	p. 223
Designing the Plan	p. 224
Components	p. 225
Using Findings to Inform Design	p. 230
Continuous Improvement	p. 230
Summary	p. 231
Key Terms	p. 231
Discussion Questions	p. 231
Suggested Topics	p. 232
Online Activities	p. 232
Online Resources for Human Subjects Training and Institutional Review Board Information	p. 235
Glossary	p. 237
References	p. 243
Index	p. 245
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Action Research Essentials

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