1. Solving Problems Through Action Research
R. Jack Hansen
(OLLI at Furman)
E. Michael Brady
(OLLI National Resource Center
University of Southern Maine)

2. What is Action Research?

3. Basic Characteristics (and Strengths) of Action Research
Practical and directly relevant
Focus is on solving problems and/or advancing practice
Empirical
Participatory
Welcomes “mixed methods”
Is often iterative (reflection-action cycle)

4. Limitations of Action Research
While still “systematic” it is often less rigorous than other types of research
Can sometimes get “messy” (product of democratic and participative processes)
Findings are not generalizable to other contexts and therefore may not be deemed worthy of publication

5. Survey Question: Age Range

6. Survey Question: Commute Time

7. Survey Question: Summer Term

8. Course Evaluation Survey
How do you rate the course “Introduction to Shakespeare?”
1 Poor
2 Fair
3 Good
4 Very Good
5 Excellent

9. Course Survey Results Typical: average of all responses
But, same result can have very different meanings
One possibility: every respondent rates the course as a 3
Other extreme: half rate it as 1 and other half as 5
Same average, very different interpretations

10. Characterizing the Average Sample Standard Deviation (SD) “STDEV” in Excel Formula Builder
SD=Square Root{Sum[X-M]2/(N-1)}
for all values of X in the survey
X is the value for a given response
M is the average of all responses
N is the number of responses
SD for all responses of 3 = 0
SD for half responses 1 and other half 5 is 2.19
Bottom line: look more fully at results if SD is large

11. Standard Deviation Using Excel

12. Identifying Relationships in Survey Results
Action research often benefits from understanding how two quantities are related, e.g.,
Relationship between number of courses taken and distance driven
Relationship between number of courses taken and years since retirement
Relationship between number of courses taken and price per course
Requires cross correlation coefficient to quantify

13. Notional Example Question 1: How many courses did you take last term?
Question 2: How far do you drive one way to get to class? Respond 1 if 0-5 miles, 2 if 5-10 miles, 3 if miles, 4 if over 15 miles
Question 3: How long have you been retired? Respond 1 for 2 years or less, 2 if 3-5 years, 3 if 6-10 years, and 4 if over 10 years.

14. Table of Responses Courses Distance Yrs. Retired Student 1 1 42
Student 3 3
Student 4
Student 5

15. Correlation Coefficient
Two common definitions in use (R and R2)
_________
R= (SXY)/√(SXX)(SYY)
SXY= SUM[(X-XAVE)(Y-YAVE)]
SXX=SUM[(X-XAVE)2]
SYY=SUM[(Y-YAVE)2]

16. Correlation Coefficient R Possibilities

17. Back to Our Example
Correlation Coefficient, R, between courses taken and distance driven is (very high and negative)
Correlation Coefficient between number of courses taken and years retired is (very low)
So what?

18. EXCEL CALCULATION OF CROSS CORELATION COEFFICIENT (PEARSON PRODUCT MOMENT)

19. Focus Groups Usually involve 6 – 10 people
Often multiple groups are used
This is a data collection procedure
While not exclusively the data are primarily qualitative (open-ended questions)
The goal is a focused discussion (not a “free-for-all” or “anything goes” conversation)

20. Some Key Issues Recruitment Moderator (facilitator)
The Questioning Route
Recording data
Analyzing data
Communicating results

21. Example of Questioning Route: Study of Peer Teaching in LLI’s
Round Robin Introductions (including brief statement of background; which course(s) do you teach?)
What is your preferred method of teaching?
When you volunteered to teach at OLLI what did you expect? How did your expectation match up with your actual experience?

22. Questioning Route (cont.)
How is teaching older learners similar to and different from other teaching experiences you may have had?
What are the greatest challenges you face teaching your peers?
In what ways might the university provide greater support for OLLI faculty?
Is there anything else you’d like to share about your experiences teaching older learners?

23. Interviews

24. Intensive Interview Purpose
In-depth exploration of a particular topic, experience, or feeling
Concentration on intense interactions with a smaller number of people than survey
Allows identification of key themes or attitudes, but not quantitative assessments (e.g., a certain percentage of people hold a certain attitude or have had certain experience)

25. Intensive Interview Characteristics
Focus on thoughts or feelings at depth seldom experienced in everyday conversation
Few open-ended questions
Explore subjects statements in depth (“that’s interesting, tell me more”)
Return to earlier statements or ask for clarification if helpful to the participant in expressing feelings, events, views

26. Intensive Interview Challenges
Formulating helpful questions
Selecting participants
Deciding when enough interviews have been conducted
Identifying from all interviews together what the key themes and subthemes are

27. Intensive Interview Questions (Hansen and Haas)
Retirement, e.g., how did you feel as the time approached?
Retirement and relationships, e.g., how has retirement impacted family relationships?
Retirement and feelings of self worth, e.g., now that you are retired what are some things that make you feel good about yourself?
Retirement and spirituality, e.g., what are some spiritual or emotional challenges you face now?

28. Intensive Interview Categories and Subcategories
Impact of retirement on friendships (a theme we thought might be important and turned out to be so)
Subthemes
Dynamics altering friendship network drives need for making new friends
Challenges of relocation
Value of long-term friendships
Challenges for individuals in certain vocations (e.g., clergy)

29. Intensive Interview Categories and Subcategories
Giving care to a loved one in retirement (theme that emerged in response to question of how time is being spent)
Subthemes
Aging parent
Spouse
Sibling
Adult child
Young grandchild or grandchildren

30. Potential Research Topics
Popularity of various types of course offerings and other programs: kinds of courses or programs that are growing in popularity among OLLI participants.
Emerging retirement trends: How retirees of the baby-boomer generation might approach this phase of life differently than their predecessors
Personal dimensions of retirement: impact of retirement on such personal matters as family relationships, friendships, personal growth, and feelings of self worth

31. Potential Research Topics (2)
Variability in retirement attitudes among different ethnic and other groups of retirees and pre-retires very little understood about this topic
The potential for electronic course delivery and community building among retirees may well be of growing importance as OLLI participants become more computer literate

32. References Standard deviation and correlation Intensive interviews
Wikipedia
Wolfram MathWorld
Intensive interviews
Constructing Grounded Theory, Kathy Charmaz, Sage Publications, London (2006)
Interview-based study
Shaping a Life of Significance for Retirement, R. Jack Hansen and Jerry P. Haas, Upper Room Books (2010)

33. References (cont.) Overview of Action Research Primer on Focus Groups
- Action Research (3rd Edition) by Ernest T. Stringer (Sage Publications, )
Primer on Focus Groups
- Focus Groups by Richard Krueger and Mary Anne Casey (Sage Publications, 2009)