1. Susan M. Curtis University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign
Action Research to Improve Accounting Education and Accounting Educators
Susan M. Curtis
University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign

2. So, Why is this a Webinar about
Teaching is the
one thing
we all do.
Action Research?
So, Why is this a Webinar about

3. The Scholarship of Teaching
“Scholarly teaching is what every one of us should be engaged in every day that we are in a classroom, in our office with students, tutoring, lecturing, conducting discussions, all the roles we play pedagogically....”
“But it is only when we step back and reflect systematically on the teaching we have done, in a form that can be publicly reviewed and built upon by our peers, that we have moved from scholarly teaching to the scholarship of teaching.”
Lee Schulman, President of
The Carnegie Foundation
for the Advancement
of Teaching

4. Polling Question 1
Pick the statement that best describes your current relationship
with the scholarship (i.e. research) of teaching.
Previously, I never thought about the scholarship of teaching
I consume scholarship of teaching (e.g. read published papers)
I participate in a learning community focused on teaching
I actively research teaching
I would like to learn more about the research of teaching

5. Agenda Why Should You Research Your Teaching? Action Research
Sharing Your Action Research

6. Some reasons why you
may want to research
your teaching

7. Why Should You Research Your Teaching?
Compared to faculty who do not research their teaching, faculty who research their teaching are
More likely to know and understand
their students
the learning environment
Better equipped to
impart non-pedagogic scholarship to their students
promote reflective learning in their students
help weaker students achieve educational goals
Ravenscroft, S., Rebele, J., St. Pierre, K. and R. Wilson. (2008). The Importance of Accounting Education Research Journal of Accounting Education, 26:
St. Pierre, K., Wilson, R., Ravenscroft, S. and J. Rebele. (2009). The Role of Accounting Education Research in our Discipline. Issues in Accounting Education, 24(2):

8. Why Should You Research Your Teaching?
Faculty who research
& improve their own teaching, the teaching practices others—and be better able to enhance its effectiveness
may also influence and
enhance the teaching of others
Ravenscroft, S., Rebele, J., St. Pierre, K. and R. Wilson. (2008). The Importance of Accounting Education Research Journal of Accounting Education, 26:
St. Pierre, K., Wilson, R., Ravenscroft, S. and J. Rebele. (2009). The Role of Accounting Education Research in our Discipline. Issues in Accounting Education, 24(2):

9. Why Should You Research Your Teaching?
Accreditation
“Intellectual Contribution”, “Scholarship”, “Scholarly Activities”
Examples of Accreditation Agencies
(AACSB) Association for the Advancement of Collegiate Schools of Business
(ACBSP) Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs
(ACCJC) Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges)
Excerpts from their accreditation standards…
(AACSB) Definition: “Intellectual contributions are original works intended to advance the theory, practice, and/or teaching of accounting, business and management.
(ACBSP) “It is expected that each faculty member be continuously and actively engaged in scholarship…”
(AACCHC) “Criteria for selecting faculty include knowledge of subject matter… effective teaching, scholarly activities…”

10. Why Should You Research Your Teaching?
The Pathways Commission
Reform accounting education so that teaching is respected and rewarded as a critical component in achieving each institution’s mission
Pathways Commission The Pathways Commission Charting a National Strategy for the Next Generation of Accountants. Sponsoring organizations: The American Accounting Association and the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants.

11. What is Action Research?
A method for improving our teaching practices.
“a systematic investigative research method that educators can use to improve aspects of their educational practice”
(Paisey & Paisey 2005, p. 1)
“an iterative, systematic, analytic way to reflect on what we are doing in class, to evaluate our success at achieving our classroom goals, and to chart the direction of future classroom strategies based on what we have learned.” (Cunningham 2008, p. 2)
Cunningham, B.M Using action research to improve learning and the classroom learning environment. Issues in Accounting Education. 23(1): 1-30.
Paisey, C. and N.J. Paisey Improving accounting education through the use of action research. Journal of Accounting Education, 23: 1-19.

12. What is Action Research?
A professional learning tool.
“a means of constructing and elaborating teacher’s
professional knowledge.”
(Nofke & Somekh 2009, p. 26)
“a strategic approach to knowledge production, integrating a broad array of methods, and methodological approaches in specific ways to create new understandings…”
(Levin and Martin 2007, p. 220)
Nofke, S. E. and B. Somekh Introduction to Part I in Sage Handbook of Educational Action Research ed. Nofke, S.E. and B. Somekh. London: Sage Publications.
Levin, M. and A. W. Martin The praxis of educating action researchers. Action Research, 5(3):

13. What is Action Research?
A tool for facilitating change.
Key Characteristics of Successful Change Initiatives
that are Inherent in Action Research
Personnel development
Participation and Empowerment
Evolutionary development
Intensive communication
Monitoring, Evaluation and Problem-solving
Development of Professional Support Networks
Altricher, H and P. Posch Action Research, Professional Development and Systemic Reform in Sage Handbook of Educational Action Research ed. Nofke, S.E. and B. Somekh. London: Sage Publications.

14. Learning by Doing Action Research
Teaching is a practice
Developing a practice requires
Repeated cycles of (teacher) learning
Practice
Reflection
Adjustment of practice
Thompson, M. and L. Goe Models for Effective and Scalable Teacher Professional Development. ETS RR New York: Educational Testing Service. Available at

15. Learning by Doing Action Research
Experiential Learning!
“Action research is learned in action… Experience is an essential part of this learning.”
(Levin and Martin 2007, p. 223)
It may be no more difficult than learning
the cycles of the research itself.
Levin, M. and A. W. Martin The praxis of educating action researchers. Action Research, 5(3):

16. A Model of Action Research
Diagnosing
Identifying or defining a problem
Action Planning
Considering alternative courses of action
Taking Action
Selecting a course of action
Evaluating
Studying the consequences of an action
Specifying Learning
Identifying general findings
The Cycles of Action Research
DIAGNOSING
EVALUATING
SPECIFYING LEARNING
TAKING ACTION
ACTION PLANNING
Susman, G. (1983). Action research: A Sociotechnical system perspective. ed. G. Morgan. London: Sage Publications

17. Reflection guides action, which in turn guides reflection.
DIAGNOSING
EVALUATING
SPECIFYING LEARNING
TAKING ACTION
ACTION PLANNING
Dick, B. Stringer, E and C. Huxham Theory in action research. Action Research, 7(1):  

18. Reflection Recall details of an event/situation
Attend to the emotions associated with that event/situation
Work to understand the event/situation
Chui, L. R., Critical Reflection. Action Research, 4(2):

19. Using Your Feelings in Action Research
Action researchers
use feelings
“as a sense, which, like other senses,
convey information”
(Heene 2005, p. 266)
Heene, H About feelings in action research: an experiment in first-person inquiry. Action Research, 3(3):

20. Values Practices An Example of Reflection:
Diagnosing a Problem/Identifying an Issue
Values
Practices

21. Polling Question 2
Which of the of following have you used to diagnose a problem or issue in your teaching practice?
Reflections on
my feelings about how a lesson/class went
student evaluations of my teaching/course
reactions from students (e.g. during class, in s etc)
student performance (e.g. on tests, assignments etc)
other

22. Reading Published Literature
Read published literature to find theorY…
DIAGNOSING
EVALUATING
SPECIFYING LEARNING
TAKING ACTION
ACTION PLANNING
Levin, M. and A. W. Martin The praxis of educating action researchers. Action Research, 5(3):

23. Participation and Collaboration
Action research is participative, done in collaboration with others.
DIAGNOSING
EVALUATING
SPECIFYING LEARNING
TAKING ACTION
ACTION PLANNING
The Institutional Review Board (IRB)
Keep it manageable. Keep it in context.

24. Writing in Action Research
Learning how to use
writing in action research
is essential to learning how to
do action research.
DIAGNOSING
EVALUATING
SPECIFYING LEARNING
TAKING ACTION
ACTION PLANNING
Levin, M. and A. W. Martin The praxis of educating action researchers. Action Research, 5(3):

25. Writing in Action Research
Writing is
a flexible 3-phase process
writing down
writing up
constructing an account
DIAGNOSING
EVALUATING
SPECIFYING LEARNING
TAKING ACTION
ACTION PLANNING
Holly, M. L., Writing to Learn: A Process for the Curious in Noftke, S and B. Somekh (eds) The Sage Handbook of Educational Action Research. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications Ltd.

26. Action Research is Data-Driven
Examples
Observations
Questions in class
Scores on quizzes, tests, HW, assignments
Meta-data for computer work
Student Work—unmarked
Student Work—marked and graded
Surveys
Discussion boards s
Teaching journals
Action research journals
Student learning journals
DIAGNOSING
SPECIFYING LEARNING
EVALUATING
ACTION PLANNING
TAKING ACTION

27. Descriptive Data Age Gender Earned credit hours GPA Transfer status
Demographic Data
Descriptive Statistics
Age
Gender
Earned credit hours
GPA
Transfer status
Domestic/International
Sample size
Counts
Means, mode
Standard deviation, variance
Minimum & maximum value, range

28. Characteristics of Qualitative Analysis
Qualitative Analyses Techniques
Focus on meanings rather than quantifiable phenomena
Collection of many data on few cases rather than few data on many cases
A goal of rich descriptions rather than measurement of specific variables
Documentation of data and data collection process
Organization of data into concepts
Connection of data to show how one concept may influence another
Evaluation of alternative explanations, use of disconfirming evidence & search for negative cases
Examples of Qualitative Data Analysis Methods
Ethnography
Netnography
Ethnomethodology
Conversation analysis
Narrative analysis
Grounded theory
Qualitative comparative
Case-oriented understanding

29. Quantitative Data Analysis
Testing Differences
Testing Association
Nominal Data
Chi-quared, 2 samples, independent
McNemar, 2 samples, paired
Ordinal Data
Mann-Whitney, 2 samples, independent
Wilcoxin, 2 samples, paired
Kruskal-Wallis, >than 2 samples, independent
Friedman, >than 2 samples, related
Interval/Ratio Data
Independent t-tests, 2 samples, independent
Paired t-tests, 2 samples, paired
ANOVA, > than 2 samples, independent or related
Nominal Data
Chi-squared
Ordinal Data
Spearman
Interval/Ratio Data
Pearson
Types of Quantitative Data
Nominal Data
often frequencies or counts
e.g. “yes” or “no” responses
Ordinal Data
often frequencies or counts
e.g. grades or grade-points
Interval/Ratio Data
usually measured on a continuous or discrete scale
e.g. test scores

30. Polling Question 3
Have you used any data analyses to evaluate data from your classes? If so, which?
Analysis of demographic data
Descriptive statistics
Inferential statistics
Qualitative analysis
All of the above
None of the above

31. Sharing Your Action Research
Revisiting
the flexible 3-phrase
writing process
Writing down
Writing up
Constructing an account
SPECIFYING LEARNING
DIAGNOSING
EVALUATING
ACTION PLANNING
TAKING ACTION

32. Sharing Your Action Research
Constructing an account
A Research Report
Framing (issue identification and context)
Choices (rooted in theory)
Evaluation
Evidence (qualitative as well as quantitative)
Criteria (think attestation)
Storytelling or ‘Show’ and ‘Tell’
Speak from experience
Evocative illustration

33. Sharing Your Action Research
Regional Meetings The Annual Meeting The Conference on Teaching and Learning (CTLA)
American Accounting Association (AAA)
Round-Tables
Posters
Papers

34. Sharing Your Action Research
Where else can you share your action research?
A teaching portfolio
Department meetings
Teaching retreats
Conferences—non-AAA
Academic journals

35. What We Covered Today Why Should You Research Your Teaching?
Action Research
Sharing Your Action Research

36. Polling Question 4 What is stopping you from doing action research?
Before today, I didn’t know what action research was
I was never trained to do action research
I don’t have anyone with whom to collaborate
I am not sure this will be accepted as research at my institution
Nothing! I can’t wait to get started!