Table Of Content

What Every PDS Partner Should Know About Action Research Eva Garin, Bowie State University ABSTRACT: ThisarticleexplorestheprocessofanactionresearchprojectundertakenbyaPDSpartnership. Participants in a one day professional development seminar shared their perspectives on action research within a PDS network, and findings indicate that participants valued the collaborative effort and opportunities to share their research efforts. Findings from this study also reflect the importance of sustained professional development and support for mentor teachers and teacher candidates NAPDS Essentials Addressed: #1/A comprehensive mission that is broader in its outreach and scope than the mission of any partner and that furthers the education profession and its responsibility to advance equity within schoolsand,bypotentialextension,thebroadercommunity;#4/Asharedcommitmenttoinnovativeandreflective practice by all participants #9/Dedicated and shared resources and formal rewards and recognition structures. IntheBowieStateUniversityProfessionalDevelopmentSchools ment venues. In the past, a student teaching seminar and (PDS) Network, action research is an integral aspect of our discussions in methods courses were utilized to support teacher educational partnership and one of the network’s ‘‘Signature candidatesconductingaction research.Itbecameapparentthat a Programs.’’ In order to support teacher candidates and PDS disconnectexistedbetweentheteachercandidatesandthementor teachersastheyconducttheiractionresearch,wehavedeveloped teachers in their understanding of action research and their a one-day action research seminar. This article reviews the formulation of viable action research questions. Furthermore, if aspects of action research that are emphasized during the one- teachercandidatesweregoingtoconductactionresearchintheir day PDS Network action research seminar, as well as the mentor teachers’ classrooms, collaboration between them was perspectives of some its participants. vital. Mya, a site-based PDS Coordinator and mentor teacher, recently expressed the importance of this collaboration: Organizational Context As the PDS coordinator at my school, I wanted to Within the Bowie State University PDS Network, both PDS better support and help our phase two interns. I teachers and teacher candidates participate in action research. wanted to be better informed. Mentor teachers didn’t Internsuseactionresearchduringtheirstudentteachingsemester always feel comfortable with their teacher candidates to support a school improvement goal or their mentor teacher’s conducting action research in their classrooms. StudentLearningOutcomes(SLOs),andworkwithasmallgroup of students to offer additional support. Teacher candidates To improve action research in the PDS Network, a one-day present their action research to a panel of PDS stakeholders professional development seminar was developed for mentor consisting of university and PDS faculty members who use a teachers and teacher candidates to attend together (see the rubrictoscoreandgivefeedbacktoeach teachercandidate.This agenda for this meeting in Appendix B). This opportunity was presentation occurs towards the end of the student teaching offered on two separate dates in order to make classroom semester and is one of the graduation requirements and part of coveragemoremanageable.Duringthissession,mentorteachers ourassessmentsystem.Inaddition,eachyearPDSsitesareinvited andteachercandidatesdevelopanactionresearchquestion,data to apply for action research mini-grants, which are open to all sources, and a plan for the semester. Due to the success of this teachers within the PDS, whether or not they serve as mentor collaborative format, it will be employed again during the next teachers.Toapplyforanactionresearchmini-grant,PDSteachers academic year. In the following, we present the topics that are are invited to an information meeting on campus where the included in the action research seminar. Request for Proposals (RFP) is presented and questions are answered (see Appendix A for a copy of the RFP). Action Research Seminar Topics History The Past is Prologue: Extending the History of Action Research To ensure that all teacher candidates and PDS teachers have a solid understanding of the action research process, our PDS As educators and consumers of research, it is possible that we Network has experimented with different professional develop- view our classroom research as less important than the research School—University Partnerships Vol.9,No.2 9 10 EVAGARIN in large-scale, nation-widestudies,forexample,orstudiesin the We Live in Our Language: Selecting an Action hard sciences or medicine. Nonetheless, action research has a Research Definition and Cycle long-standing and well-established place in the world of Lewin saw action research as a cyclical process with each cycle of compellingresearch(Zeichner&Noffke,2001).Actionresearch research affecting subsequent cycles (Adelman, 1993; Bradbury, uniquely values the impact of the research on the researcher, Mirvis, Nielsen, & Pasmore, 2008; Elliott, 1993), as did Corey which ultimately influences the self-efficacy of its authors and (1953).BowieStateUniversityeducatorsuseadefinitionandcycle empowers them to become key players in educational reform developed by Kemmis and McTaggert (1988a,1988b, 2000) that (Garin,1996, 2005, 2013). aligns with this conception. The cycle includes planning, acting, What makes action research especially noteworthy in our observing, and reflecting before spiraling to a revised plan, new PDS Network is that it is not second-hand research;that is, it is action,continuedobservation,andreflectionontherevisedplan notaprocessduringwhichothersenterPDSsitestoevaluatethe (p.6).BowieStateUniversitysubscribestothisdefinitionandcycle efficacy of our practices. Instead, action research in our PDS because it provides the opportunity to revise an action research Network encourages self-reflective practices such as journaling, question and to incorporate reflection throughout the process. and supports NAPDS Essential #4: A shared commitment to Teachers and teacher candidates are encouraged to keep the innovative and reflective practice by all participants. Just as it was definitionandcycleaccessibleandvisiblethroughouttheirstudies initially envisioned by social psychologist Kurt Lewin in 1934, sothattheirworkisconsistentlyguidedbytheseresearchprinciples. action research in our PDS Network includes the active After exploring the historical basis of action research, participation of those who have to carry out the work in a teachers and teacher candidates receive a copy of a definition democratic research process (Adelman,1993). based on the work of Kemmis and McTaggert (1988a, 1988b, Stephen Corey, Dean of Teachers College at Columbia 2000) with a graphic organizer that includes the cycles of action University and head of the Horace Mann-Lincoln Institute for research(seeAppendixC).Thisdefinitionisusedthroughoutthe SchoolExperimentation,andhiscolleagues(1953)broughtthe seminar to ground participants in the process of action research. term action research into educational work. Corey and his associates worked cooperatively with teachers, principals, and Love Conquers All: Support the Teacher/Teacher supervisors in school districts across the United States in the CandidateSelectionofanActionResearchQuestion late 1940s and 1950s on various research efforts in what was and the Love of Their Research Agenda referred to as the cooperative action research movement (Zeichner &Noffke, 2001). Corey (1953) believed passionately Choosingandformulatingtheactionresearchquestionisoneof that teachers should have a seat at the table of educational the most important and most challenging steps in the action research: researchprocess.OurPDSNetworkencouragestheuseofopen- ended questions sothat the research findings can be richer and There is considerable justification for the belief that less anticipated (see Appendix D for sample questions). For research methodology will not begin to have the example, rather than posing the question, ‘‘Does implementing influence that it might have on American education literature circles in my mentor teacher’s classroom impact until thousands of teachers, administrators, and student comprehension?’’ a more open-ended version of the supervisors make more frequent use of the method of same inquiry would read, ‘‘What happens when I implement science in solving theirownpractical problems. (p.18) literature circles in my mentor teacher’s classroom?’’ Other question starters (Hubbard & Power, 1993) for composing a During the action research seminar, we introduce more open-ended action research question include: participants to the history of action research and begin to break down any fears they may have regarding research as (cid:2) What is the role of...? something done to them. We begin this conversation in our (cid:2) How do...? (cid:2) What procedures...? action research seminar and explain to participants that it will continueatthePDSsites,includinggradelevelmeetingsandat Furthermore,teachersandteachercandidatesareencouraged PDS site based meetings. to collaborate in developing research questions to produce Participants reflect on the participatory nature of action questions of mutual interest as well as questions that support research. Dawn, a Bowie State University graduate and current the PDS’s School Improvement Plan. Action research questions mentor teacher explains, ‘‘Action research brings more teachers shouldnotbeselectedfortheteacher,butratherdevelopedoutof to the table. We need to think more about sharing our action the teacher’s own natural curiosity about teaching and learning. research at faculty meetings to expand our influence.’’ Her After reviewing the definition of and process for action colleague, Mya, feels that, ‘‘having the interns present their research, teachers and teacher candidates review the teacher’s action research at faculty meetings not only allows the staff to SLOs to determine potential content areas for action research. becomeawareoftheinterns’researchfoci,butalsoenhancesour SLOsareareasinwhichthestudentsofaparticularteacherneed teaching practices.’’ improvement. They are based on data and serve as part of a What Every PDS Partner Should Know About Action Research 11 teacher’s formal evaluation. At the seminar, we explore the value research,includingwhatitisandisnot;EmilyCalhoun’sAction ofaligningactionresearchquestionstoSLOs,however,attention Research Cycle (Calhoun,1994, 2002), with elaboration of each is paid to how action research differs from other research that phase(selectinganareaoffocus,creatingactionresearchquestions, participants may have conducted in the past, as well as school collecting data, analyzing and interpreting data); a strategic improvement initiatives and SLOs. Action research has unique planning checklist; and suggested resources. Future plans forour qualities and requires a balance between content and process. PDS Network include developing a wiki site to synthesize these Intheafternoonoftheseminar,eachpairisaskedtocreate resources,andcreatingaGooglesitetocentralizecommunications. a graphic organizer that depicts the interface between the contentoftheSLOandtheprocessoftheactionresearch.These The Change Process are displayed on the walls for a gallery walk. Dawn and Mya felt that developing the research questions We also provide a brief introduction to the change process together was vital. Maya claimed, ‘‘Action research can be during the action research seminar, although this topic is more intimidating. We thought of our action research questions fully developed in subsequent meetings. We find ourselves together. Once the intimidation is gone, we can soar.’’ talking about the change process because in many cases the actionresearchwillchangetheinteractionbetweenstakeholders and the teaching approaches they research. As such, we must Not Everything is Numbers: Balancing Quantitative acknowledge and respect one another’s expertise. Our PDS and Qualitative Data Networkguidesteachersthroughthechangeprocessbyusingthe In our PDS Network action research seminar, we discuss both work of Jones and Pfeiffer (1979) on the emotional cycle of qualitative and quantitative sample data sources that support change,includingthephasesofuninformedoptimism,informed action research questions. These data sources include observa- pessimism, hopeful realism, informed optimism, and rewarding tions,interviews,reflectivejournals,focusgroups,andquestion- completion(p.119).Onoccasion, researchteamsaddanaction naires and surveys calling for open-ended qualitative responses, research question that addresses the change process itself, such attendance logs, assessment scores, rubric scores, SLO data, as, ‘‘How does conducting action research in my mentor number of books read, and questionnaires/surveys using Likert teacher’s classroom change our instructional conversations?’’ scales as quantitative data. Each teacher candidate/mentor This type of question guides our discussions at quarterly teacher team writes its action research question on chart paper PDS Network meetings and our summer strategic planning andthenliststhepotentialdatasources;theteamschartthedata sessions, as well as in meetings at the individual PDS sites as sources in two columns—one for quantitative and one for teachers and teacher candidates meet with the site based PDS qualitative. Discussions then include the role of triangulation coordinator throughout the action research process. and the reality that some data sources can be both qualitative and quantitative, such as observations. Discussions are guided Many Roads Lead to Rome furtherbyquestions suchas, ‘‘Howcanweuse these data?’’ and ‘‘What do these data tell us?’’ The work performed through the Exploring avenues for teachers and teacher candidates to share one-day seminar format presents a wonderful opportunity for theirresearchisparamount.AtthePDSNetworkactionresearch sharing between PDS schools (Brown, Garin, & Maher, 2000). seminar, thedissemination ofaction researchresultsisatopic of Mya found that the teacher candidates took the data great importance. We review with participants the many avenues collection phase quite seriously: through which they can disseminate their research. For example, teacher candidates share their action research with a panel that Iwasreluctant,afraidthatinternswouldexpectmentor includes university and PDS faculty members, and feedback is teacherstodoallofthework.Oneinternwassoexcited given via a rubric. Teacher candidates also present their research about her action research. She kept a huge notebook findings at Bowie State University’s annual PDS research online, with her data collection on a behavioral system. conference,andmanyalsoparticipateinthestatePDSconference Her mentor teacher was so excited about it. intern gallery walk. PDS teachers share their action research at their school sites and at our university PDS research conference. Courtney, a teacher candidate, remarked that she left the We are exploring other venues such as undergraduate research day with three data sources to support her action research. journals, e-journals, and teacher education journals. Both Mya and Dawn emphasized the importance of having Gathering Action Research Resources anopportunitytosharetheresultsof theiractionresearch.Mya was a big proponent of the university, state, and national At each PDS Network meeting and action research seminar, opportunities, but felt that we overlooked the opportunity to participants share interesting websites, articles, and books. We share at the school level: begin this sharing process by distributing a four-page pamphlet (Brown et al., 2000) that was developed to summarize action Weneedtodomoresharingattheschoollevel.Ihavehad research and includes such topics as the definition of action theopportunitytosharemyresearchatourBowieState 12 EVAGARIN UniversityPDSConference,atourstatePDSconference, their student teaching seminar. PDS teachers who have been andatourNationalPDSConference.Iwasamazedbythe awarded PDS mini-grants work collaboratively with their site- comments I received during our presentations and the based PDS Coordinator and the University PDS coordinator follow-upemailsIreceivedfromtheaudience. throughout the grant cycle. Indeed, teachers have much to say about their own profession, and that is one of the biggest take-aways our Conclusion participants have after engaging in action research. For many The one-day action research seminar has become an important teachers, becoming a teacher researcher fosters considerable part of our PDS Network offerings. Support for teacher change in their educational roles. Our PDS Network supports candidate action research does not stop at the end of that day. bothteachers and teachercandidates in theircollaborativeroles Teachercandidatesreceiveongoingsupportonadailybasisfrom as teacher educators as they conduct action research and theirmentor teachers,site-basedPDSCoordinators,andduring contribute to the profession. What Every PDS Partner Should Know About Action Research 13 Appendix A – Action Research Request for Proposal Bowie State University College of Education Professional Development School Action Research Mini-Grants Fax Application and Letter from your Principal by the stated deadline. Notethattheletterisneededonlyiffundswillbesenttoyourschool.Mostofyouhaveindicatedthatyouwant the funds to remain at BSU and for the university to order the items that you need. 14 EVAGARIN Appendix B – Agenda, BSU Action Research Day Bowie State University Action Research Day for Teacher Candidates and Mentor Teachers: What Every PDS Partner Should Know About the Action Research Process Objectives: (cid:2) Review the opportunities for presenting action research on our campus and on the state level By the end of this seminar, mentor teachers and interns will: AGENDA (cid:2) Identifythereasonsforactionresearchbeinganintegral aspect ofour PDS Partnership, state PDS standards and Welcome and Introductions the 9 Essentials What is action research and what are the roots of (cid:2) Understand the history and place of action research in educational action research? Whatisqualitativeresearchandwhataresomeexamplesof education and other social sciences qualitative research? (cid:2) Study the action research definition and cycle provided What is quantitative research and what are some examples by Kemmis and McTaggert of quantitative research? (cid:2) Identify qualitative and quantitative data sources avail- How can we develop an action research agenda and action able to mentor teachers and teacher candidates research questions? (cid:2) Identify action research resources How can we get started? (cid:2) Develop an action research question(s) and data Where can we share our action research with others? sources Closure and Next Steps What Every PDS Partner Should Know About Action Research 15 Appendix C – Action Research Definition and Graphic Organizer 16 EVAGARIN Appendix D – A Sample of PDS Action Research Topics What Every PDS Partner Should Know About Action Research 17 References Garin, E. (1996). A multiple-case study of schools participating in an action research grant. [Unpublished dissertation.] University of Adleman, C. (1993). Kurt Lewin and the origins of action research. Maryland Microform Collection(9637745). Educational Action Research,1(1), 7-24. Hubbard, R. & Power, B. (1993). The art of classroom inquiry. Bradbury, H., Mirvis, P., Nielsen, E. & Pasmore, W. (2008). Action Portsmouth,NH: Heinemann. research at work: Creating the future following the path from Jones, J. & Pfeiffer, J. (1979). The 1979 annual handbook for group Lewin.InP.DeasonandH.Bradbury(Eds.),TheSageHandbookof ActionResearch(2nded.).ThousandOaks,CA:SAGEPublications. facilitators. SanDiego, CA:UniversityAssociates. Kemmis, S. & McTaggart, R. (1988a). The action research planner. Brown, J., Garin, E., & Maher, J. (2000). Action research in the Prince George’s County Public Schools (Unpublished pamphlet). Prince Victoria, Australia: Deakin University. George’s County Public Schools, UpperMarlboro,MD. Kemmis,S.,&McTaggart,R.(Eds.).(1988b).Theactionresearchreader. Calhoun, E. (2002). Action research for school improvement. Geelong, Victoria: Deakin UniversityPress. Educational Leadership, 59(6),18-24. Kemmis, S., & McTaggart, R. (2000). Participatory action research. In Calhoun, E. (1994). How to use action research in the self-renewing school. N. Denzin and Y. Lincoln (Eds.), The Handbook of Qualitative Alexandria, VA: Association of Supervision and Curriculum Research (2nd ed.).London: Sage. Development. Maryland StateDepartmentofEducation (MSDE).(2003).Professional Corey,S.M.(1953).Actionresearchtoimproveschoolpractices.NewYork, development schools: An implementation manual. Baltimore, MD: NY: Teachers College Press. Maryland State Department ofEducation. Elliot,J.(1993).Actionresearchforeducational change.King’sLynn,UK: Zeichner,K.&Noffke,S.(2001).Practitionerresearch.InRichardson, Biddles LTD. V. (Ed.), Handbook of research on teaching, 4th ed. (pp. 298-330). Garin,E.,McBride,S.,&Glass,A.(2013).Promotingequityandsocial Washington, D.C.:American Educational Research Association. justiceinprofessionaldevelopmentschoolsthroughactionresearch andinquirygroups.InK.Zenkov,D.Corrigan,andR.Beebe(Eds.), v v v Professionaldevelopmentschoolsandsocialjustice:Schoolsanduniversities partneringtomakeadifference.Lanham,MD:LexingtonBooks. Eva Garin is a Professor at Bowie State University where she Garin,E.(2005).Usingactionresearchandinquirygroupstoenhancestudent coordinates the PDS Network. Eva is the past chair of the learninginaprofessionaldevelopmentschoolcontext.Paperpresentedat the annual meeting of the American Association of Colleges of American Educational Research Association PDS Research TeacherEducation, Washington,D.C. Special Interest Group.