1. Action Research
Yasmin Stefanov-King

2. Housekeeping
Introduction
Aims for today – build confidence around action research
ethics around research

3. Class discussion What is your understanding of ethics?
Watch the videos
What are the ethical considerations with these experiments? Would a University approve such an experiment nowadays?

4. Ethics: 10 questionable practices
Involving persons without their consent
Coercing participants
Withholding information
Deceiving
Inducing them to acts that diminish their self-esteem
Exposing them to mental or physical stress
Invading privacy
Discrimination
Withholding benefits (with control groups) Do any of these practices apply to the experiments we watched?

5. Ethics: children as participants
Researchers should not learn about ethics in practice but well beforehand
Children are vulnerable and can be easily exposed to risks
ACTIVITY
from 28:53 min where the children experiment starts

6. Ethics: children as participants
INFORMED CONSENT:
Participants give their consent signed. Can children give their consent on their own?
The Informed Consent should include:
-research purpose
-why they have been asked to participate
-what is their involvement
-what they will do and for how long
-that they will be informed about the research before, during and after
-that all names and places will not be revealed
-that they can withdraw at any time
from 28:53 min where the children experiment starts

7. Ethics: children as participants
INFORMED CONSENT:
-How the data will be recorded
-Where they will be stored
-Who will see the data
from 28:53 min where the children experiment starts

8. Research ethics
“Research ethics exist to ensure that the principles of justice, respect and avoiding doing harm are upheld, by using agreed standards”. (Morrow, 2009, p.1)

9. Ethics
What other things do you need to consider? – trainer questioning trainee / sharing / if parent / child gives consent / is action research ethical?
Validity / Reliability / Trinagulation

10. Pilot Study Research questions – think about the language used
Small scale, short term, action research with the possibility of longitudinal study
Be aware of positionality & blind spots
Conferences
Anonymity / Confidentiality / Maintaining Boundaries
What are your areas of interest?

11. How to write your literature review…

12. Your literature review is a journey that you are taking the reader on, and looks like an upside down pyramid…
This is your broad area of interest – whatever that may be, let’s say mental health…
This is getting closer to your specific topic of research – let’s say mental health support for those with depression…
This is where you hold my hand and I am thinking to myself “Wow, but my question is – what about mental health support for those with depression in a small coastal region?…” and then BAM you hit me with exactly the same question that I was thinking of as your research question!

13. Introduction - Aims & Objectives of the proposal Review of Literature
Contents
Introduction - Aims & Objectives of the proposal
Review of Literature
Introduction
Review of existing literature
Conclusion – research question
Research Methodology
Sub Research Question box
Quantitative Research
Qualitative Research
Mixed Methods Research
Sample
Method – evaluation of why methodological approach has been chosen
Ethics
Limitations
Expected Outcomes 
List of References
Appendices

14. Contents
3.7 Data Collection Procedures
Chapter One: Introduction
3.8 Limitations of this piece of research
Statement of Purpose
3.9 Conclusion
Key Terms
This Study
Chapter Four: Presentation and Analysis of Research Findings
Main Research Question:
4.1 Introduction
Sub Research Questions:
Summary
4.2 Research Findings and Analysis
Chapter Two: Review of Literature
4.3 Conclusion
Introduction
Chapter Five: Discussion
Review of existing literature
Conclusion
5.1 Introduction
Chapter Three: Research Methodology
5.2 Discussion of Findings
3.1 Introduction
5.2.1 Research Question 1: Research Question 2:
3.2 Research Approaches
3.2.1 Quantitative Research
5.2.3 Research Question 3:
3.2.2 Qualitative Research
5.2.4 Research Question 4:
3.2.3 Mixed Methods Research
3.3 Evaluating Data Collection Methods
5.2.5 Research Question 5:
3.3.1 Content Analysis
5.3 Main Research Question:
3.3.2 Questionnaire
5.4 Recommendations and Conclusions
3.3.3 Observation
3.3.4 Storyboards
List of References
3.4 Rationale for Method chosen
Appendices
3.5 Reliability and Validity
3.6 Research Ethics