EARCOS Teachers’ Conference March 2012 Donna Kalmbach Phillips, Ph.D. Pacific University, OR USA

Trustworthy Teacher Action Research What makes a teacher action research project ‘good’? This interactive workshop is designed to introduce criteria for creating and implementing trustworthy action research projects. Participants will analyze the role of triangulation and self-reflexivity; consider the selection of appropriate data collection strategies; and explore the importance of critical colleagues and collaboration.

Teacher Action Research: Process Workshops Framing the Study Discover an Area of Focus Develop a critical Question Research Design Literature Review Trustworthy Action Research Design Data Analysis, Interpretation Research Design Triangulation Criteria for Trustworthiness Data Analysis Fundamentals Ongoing Analysis: Cycle & Strategies Final Data Interpretation Going Public ………………………………………………………Critical Questions…………………………………………………………… Researcher Dispositions

What is trustworthy action research?

Methodological Rigor

“Since action research starts with everyday experience and is concerned with the development of living knowledge in many ways the process of inquiry is as important as specific outcomes.” Reason & Bradbury, 2001

Criteria of Trustworthy Action Research

ObservationArtifact Interview Researcher’s Journal Researcher’s Journal Multiple Perspectives: Triangulation “Thick Description” ?

Seeking Multiple Perspectives: Data Collection Seeking Multiple Voices: Colleagues, students, parents, specialists, community members.

Criteria of Trustworthy Action Research

What kind of design supports trustworthy AR? Gets to the heart of what you want to study Focused but not too narrow Structured and flexible Deliberately plans for on-going assessment, adjustments Is do-able: enriches & energizes, does not overwhelm

Who is the trustworthy researcher? Curious Tenacious Risk-taker Able to re-frame, re-configure, re-think Collaborative

Critique Research Design for Trustworthiness Find a partner Read through the integrated research design Critique for trustworthiness Act as a critical colleague: What are the strengths? What suggestions would you make?

Focused but not narrow Structured with flexibility Deliberate plans for on-going analysis Is do-able as a teacher

Getting Started What is my area of interest? What is my question? What design gets to the heart of what I want to study? What am I going to try out, evaluate and study? What data will best serve my research? When is it best to conduct this research? What is a possible time line? Who should be involved and in what ways? What are my paradigm, beliefs and biases? What literature do I need to read? How can I find this out?

Ethical Considerations of Action Research: Gaining Permissions

Question 1: Will your research project be made public?

Question 2: Does your research project include participants who may be more vulnerable than others or have protected status under law?

Question 3: Is there any possibility that data collected from your research project would be harmful to participants (emotionally, physically)?

Question 4: Do you plan to collect images of students?

Getting Permission: Informed Consent Topic of Project Objective of project Interventions, strategies, what will be tried out Data to be collected Timeline of project Why & how image-taking will happen; what will happen to images Request to use images How project will be made public How confidentiality will be maintained Any potential risks A returned slip to be signed by parents

Action research is systematic. … It involves a self-reflective spiral of planning, acting, observing, reflecting and re-planning. It requires teachers to be acutely aware of a sense of process, and to refine their perceptions to account for that process…action research raises to a conscious level much of what is already being done by good teachers on an intuitive level. It enables teachers to identify and come to grips with their practice in a human way that is at once supportive and critical. McNiff, 2008

Teacher Action Research: Process Workshops Framing the Study Discover an Area of Focus Develop a critical Question Research Design Literature Review Trustworthy Action Research Design Data Analysis, Interpretation Research Design Triangulation Criteria for Trustworthiness Data Analysis Fundamentals Ongoing Analysis: Cycle & Strategies Final Data Interpretation Going Public ………………………………………………………Critical Questions…………………………………………………………… Researcher Dispositions

Reference List