1. Geoffrey E. Mills Action Research: A Guide for the Teacher Researcher, 3eGeoffrey E. Mills Action Research: A Guide for the Teacher Researcher, 3e Copyright ©2007 by Pearson Education, Inc. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458 All rights reserved.zCopyright ©2007 by Pearson Education, Inc. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458 All rights reserved.z Chapter 2: Deciding on an Area of Focus How do you know your AR area of focus is worth studying?

2. Geoffrey E. Mills Action Research: A Guide for the Teacher Researcher, 3eGeoffrey E. Mills Action Research: A Guide for the Teacher Researcher, 3e Copyright ©2007 by Pearson Education, Inc. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458 All rights reserved.zCopyright ©2007 by Pearson Education, Inc. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458 All rights reserved.z Introductions Who are you? What is your quest (to borrow from Monty Python)? How did you do on the “test”? Anyone dabble at ERIC?

3. Geoffrey E. Mills Action Research: A Guide for the Teacher Researcher, 3eGeoffrey E. Mills Action Research: A Guide for the Teacher Researcher, 3e Copyright ©2007 by Pearson Education, Inc. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458 All rights reserved.zCopyright ©2007 by Pearson Education, Inc. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458 All rights reserved.z Deciding on an Area of Focus After today’s session you should be able to: Select an appropriate area of focus Do reconnaissance Review related literature Write an action plan

4. Geoffrey E. Mills Action Research: A Guide for the Teacher Researcher, 3eGeoffrey E. Mills Action Research: A Guide for the Teacher Researcher, 3e Copyright ©2007 by Pearson Education, Inc. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458 All rights reserved.zCopyright ©2007 by Pearson Education, Inc. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458 All rights reserved.z Area of Focus Every teacher and administrator who undertakes an action research project starts at the same place: making explicit a question or problem to investigate, or defining an area of focus

5. Geoffrey E. Mills Action Research: A Guide for the Teacher Researcher, 3eGeoffrey E. Mills Action Research: A Guide for the Teacher Researcher, 3e Copyright ©2007 by Pearson Education, Inc. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458 All rights reserved.zCopyright ©2007 by Pearson Education, Inc. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458 All rights reserved.z Clarifying a General Idea and Area of Focus The “general idea” is a statement which links an idea to action and refers to a state of affairs or situation one wishes to change or improve on. Taking time in the beginning of the action research process to identify what you feel passionate about is a critical step.

6. Geoffrey E. Mills Action Research: A Guide for the Teacher Researcher, 3eGeoffrey E. Mills Action Research: A Guide for the Teacher Researcher, 3e Copyright ©2007 by Pearson Education, Inc. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458 All rights reserved.zCopyright ©2007 by Pearson Education, Inc. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458 All rights reserved.z Criteria for Selecting an Area of Focus The area of focus: Involves teaching and learning. Is within your locus of control. Is something you feel passionate about. Is something you would like to change or improve.

7. Geoffrey E. Mills Action Research: A Guide for the Teacher Researcher, 3eGeoffrey E. Mills Action Research: A Guide for the Teacher Researcher, 3e Copyright ©2007 by Pearson Education, Inc. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458 All rights reserved.zCopyright ©2007 by Pearson Education, Inc. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458 All rights reserved.z Reconnaissance Preliminary information gathering. Time to reflect on your own beliefs and to understand the nature and context of your general idea.

8. Geoffrey E. Mills Action Research: A Guide for the Teacher Researcher, 3eGeoffrey E. Mills Action Research: A Guide for the Teacher Researcher, 3e Copyright ©2007 by Pearson Education, Inc. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458 All rights reserved.zCopyright ©2007 by Pearson Education, Inc. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458 All rights reserved.z Reconnaissance Gaining insight into your area of focus through self-reflection. The theories that impact your practice The educational values you hold How your work in schools fits into the larger context of schooling and society

9. Geoffrey E. Mills Action Research: A Guide for the Teacher Researcher, 3eGeoffrey E. Mills Action Research: A Guide for the Teacher Researcher, 3e Copyright ©2007 by Pearson Education, Inc. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458 All rights reserved.zCopyright ©2007 by Pearson Education, Inc. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458 All rights reserved.z Reconnaissance Activity Work with a partner to gain insight into your area of focus through descriptive activities. What evidence do you have that this is a problem? Which students are affected? How is the content currently taught?

10. Geoffrey E. Mills Action Research: A Guide for the Teacher Researcher, 3eGeoffrey E. Mills Action Research: A Guide for the Teacher Researcher, 3e Copyright ©2007 by Pearson Education, Inc. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458 All rights reserved.zCopyright ©2007 by Pearson Education, Inc. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458 All rights reserved.z Reconnaissance Gaining insight into your area of focus through explanatory activities. Once you have adequately described the situation you intend to investigate, try to explain it. Focus on the why?

11. Geoffrey E. Mills Action Research: A Guide for the Teacher Researcher, 3eGeoffrey E. Mills Action Research: A Guide for the Teacher Researcher, 3e Copyright ©2007 by Pearson Education, Inc. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458 All rights reserved.zCopyright ©2007 by Pearson Education, Inc. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458 All rights reserved.z Review of Related Literature At this point in the action research process you should make an initial foray into the professional literature in order to better understand the problem on which you are focusing.

12. Geoffrey E. Mills Action Research: A Guide for the Teacher Researcher, 3eGeoffrey E. Mills Action Research: A Guide for the Teacher Researcher, 3e Copyright ©2007 by Pearson Education, Inc. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458 All rights reserved.zCopyright ©2007 by Pearson Education, Inc. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458 All rights reserved.z Review of Related Literature At the end of the review of related literature process you should have a better understanding of your own problem and how it has been tackled by other researchers. You should be able to talk about “promising practices.”

13. Geoffrey E. Mills Action Research: A Guide for the Teacher Researcher, 3eGeoffrey E. Mills Action Research: A Guide for the Teacher Researcher, 3e Copyright ©2007 by Pearson Education, Inc. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458 All rights reserved.zCopyright ©2007 by Pearson Education, Inc. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458 All rights reserved.z Searching Online Resources Educational Resources Information Center (ERIC) Education Index PsycINFO Dissertation Abstracts Readers’ Guide to Periodical Literature ACTFL (www.actfl.org)www.actfl.org Foreign Language Annals

14. Geoffrey E. Mills Action Research: A Guide for the Teacher Researcher, 3eGeoffrey E. Mills Action Research: A Guide for the Teacher Researcher, 3e Copyright ©2007 by Pearson Education, Inc. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458 All rights reserved.zCopyright ©2007 by Pearson Education, Inc. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458 All rights reserved.z Educational Resources Information Center (ERIC) Established in 1966 by the National Library of Education. ERIC is used by more than 500,000 people each year. ERIC provides access to more than 1.1 million bibliographic citations

15. Geoffrey E. Mills Action Research: A Guide for the Teacher Researcher, 3eGeoffrey E. Mills Action Research: A Guide for the Teacher Researcher, 3e Copyright ©2007 by Pearson Education, Inc. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458 All rights reserved.zCopyright ©2007 by Pearson Education, Inc. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458 All rights reserved.z ERIC Best starting point for ERIC is online at: http://www.eric.ed.gov

16. Geoffrey E. Mills Action Research: A Guide for the Teacher Researcher, 3eGeoffrey E. Mills Action Research: A Guide for the Teacher Researcher, 3e Copyright ©2007 by Pearson Education, Inc. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458 All rights reserved.zCopyright ©2007 by Pearson Education, Inc. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458 All rights reserved.z ERIC Searching The basic ERIC search prompts you to search using keywords, author only, title only, or ERIC document number (ED) The advanced ERIC search offers the same features as the basic search with the addition of searching using ISBN number, journal name, source institution, sponsoring agency, publication types, ERIC Thesaurus descriptor, publication date, and full-text availability.

17. Geoffrey E. Mills Action Research: A Guide for the Teacher Researcher, 3eGeoffrey E. Mills Action Research: A Guide for the Teacher Researcher, 3e Copyright ©2007 by Pearson Education, Inc. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458 All rights reserved.zCopyright ©2007 by Pearson Education, Inc. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458 All rights reserved.z Education Index The Education Index is an electronic index of educational periodicals with abstracts dating back to 1983. In addition to article abstracts, the database includes citations for yearbooks and monograph series, videotapes, motion picture and computer program reviews, and law cases.

18. Geoffrey E. Mills Action Research: A Guide for the Teacher Researcher, 3eGeoffrey E. Mills Action Research: A Guide for the Teacher Researcher, 3e Copyright ©2007 by Pearson Education, Inc. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458 All rights reserved.zCopyright ©2007 by Pearson Education, Inc. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458 All rights reserved.z Foreign Language Annals http://www.actfl.org/i4a/pages/Index.cfm ?pageid=3617

19. Geoffrey E. Mills Action Research: A Guide for the Teacher Researcher, 3eGeoffrey E. Mills Action Research: A Guide for the Teacher Researcher, 3e Copyright ©2007 by Pearson Education, Inc. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458 All rights reserved.zCopyright ©2007 by Pearson Education, Inc. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458 All rights reserved.z Dissertation Abstracts Dissertation Abstracts contains bibliographic citations and abstracts from all subject areas for doctoral dissertations and master’s theses completed at more than 1,000 accredited colleges and universities worldwide.

20. Geoffrey E. Mills Action Research: A Guide for the Teacher Researcher, 3eGeoffrey E. Mills Action Research: A Guide for the Teacher Researcher, 3e Copyright ©2007 by Pearson Education, Inc. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458 All rights reserved.zCopyright ©2007 by Pearson Education, Inc. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458 All rights reserved.z Readers’ Guide to Periodical Literature Readers’ Guide to Periodical Literature is an index similar in format to the Education Index. Instead of professional publications, however, it indexes articles in nearly 200 widely read magazines. These articles will generally be nontechnical, opinion-type references.

21. Geoffrey E. Mills Action Research: A Guide for the Teacher Researcher, 3eGeoffrey E. Mills Action Research: A Guide for the Teacher Researcher, 3e Copyright ©2007 by Pearson Education, Inc. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458 All rights reserved.zCopyright ©2007 by Pearson Education, Inc. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458 All rights reserved.z Searching the Internet and the World Wide Web The resources you can find on the web are almost limitless. Be prepared to sift through piles of cyberspace junk to find the diamond in the rough!

22. Geoffrey E. Mills Action Research: A Guide for the Teacher Researcher, 3eGeoffrey E. Mills Action Research: A Guide for the Teacher Researcher, 3e Copyright ©2007 by Pearson Education, Inc. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458 All rights reserved.zCopyright ©2007 by Pearson Education, Inc. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458 All rights reserved.z UnCover Periodical Index http://www.unm.edu/~brosen/uncover.ht m UnCover is a database with brief descriptive information about articles from more than 17,000 multidisciplinary journals

23. Geoffrey E. Mills Action Research: A Guide for the Teacher Researcher, 3eGeoffrey E. Mills Action Research: A Guide for the Teacher Researcher, 3e Copyright ©2007 by Pearson Education, Inc. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458 All rights reserved.zCopyright ©2007 by Pearson Education, Inc. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458 All rights reserved.z NewJour http://gort.ucsd.edu/newjour/ This site provides an up-to-date list of journals and newsletters available on the Internet on any subject. Direct links are provided to available journals.

24. Geoffrey E. Mills Action Research: A Guide for the Teacher Researcher, 3eGeoffrey E. Mills Action Research: A Guide for the Teacher Researcher, 3e Copyright ©2007 by Pearson Education, Inc. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458 All rights reserved.zCopyright ©2007 by Pearson Education, Inc. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458 All rights reserved.z Education Week http://www.edweek.org/ Full text articles from Education Week, a periodical devoted to educational reform, schools, and policy, are available at the site.

25. Geoffrey E. Mills Action Research: A Guide for the Teacher Researcher, 3eGeoffrey E. Mills Action Research: A Guide for the Teacher Researcher, 3e Copyright ©2007 by Pearson Education, Inc. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458 All rights reserved.zCopyright ©2007 by Pearson Education, Inc. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458 All rights reserved.z CSTEEP: The Center for the Study of Testing, Evaluation, and Educational Policy http://www.csteep.bc.edu The web site for this educational research organization contains information on testing, evaluation, and public policy studies on school assessment practices and international comparative research.

26. Geoffrey E. Mills Action Research: A Guide for the Teacher Researcher, 3eGeoffrey E. Mills Action Research: A Guide for the Teacher Researcher, 3e Copyright ©2007 by Pearson Education, Inc. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458 All rights reserved.zCopyright ©2007 by Pearson Education, Inc. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458 All rights reserved.z National Center for Educational Statistics http://www.nces.ed.gov/ This site contains statistical reports and other information on the condition of U.S. education. It also reports on education activities internationally.

27. Geoffrey E. Mills Action Research: A Guide for the Teacher Researcher, 3eGeoffrey E. Mills Action Research: A Guide for the Teacher Researcher, 3e Copyright ©2007 by Pearson Education, Inc. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458 All rights reserved.zCopyright ©2007 by Pearson Education, Inc. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458 All rights reserved.z Developing Educational Standards http://www.edstandards.org/Standards.h tml This site contains a wealth of up-to-date information regarding educational standards and curriculum frameworks from national, state, local, and other sources.

28. Geoffrey E. Mills Action Research: A Guide for the Teacher Researcher, 3eGeoffrey E. Mills Action Research: A Guide for the Teacher Researcher, 3e Copyright ©2007 by Pearson Education, Inc. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458 All rights reserved.zCopyright ©2007 by Pearson Education, Inc. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458 All rights reserved.z U.S. Department of Education http://www.ed.gov This site contains links to the U.S. government’s education databases (including ERIC). It also makes available full text reports on current findings in education.

29. Geoffrey E. Mills Action Research: A Guide for the Teacher Researcher, 3eGeoffrey E. Mills Action Research: A Guide for the Teacher Researcher, 3e Copyright ©2007 by Pearson Education, Inc. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458 All rights reserved.zCopyright ©2007 by Pearson Education, Inc. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458 All rights reserved.z Membership in Professional Organizations Perhaps the best way to access current literature is through membership in a professional organization: ASCD ACTFL IRA

30. Geoffrey E. Mills Action Research: A Guide for the Teacher Researcher, 3eGeoffrey E. Mills Action Research: A Guide for the Teacher Researcher, 3e Copyright ©2007 by Pearson Education, Inc. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458 All rights reserved.zCopyright ©2007 by Pearson Education, Inc. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458 All rights reserved.z Visiting a University Library Perhaps a statement of the obvious! The “education” librarian at a university library is usually very skilled in searching education databases. Don’t be afraid to ask for help

31. Geoffrey E. Mills Action Research: A Guide for the Teacher Researcher, 3eGeoffrey E. Mills Action Research: A Guide for the Teacher Researcher, 3e Copyright ©2007 by Pearson Education, Inc. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458 All rights reserved.zCopyright ©2007 by Pearson Education, Inc. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458 All rights reserved.z Evaluating Your Sources An initial appraisal of a source includes: Date of publication Location of source. For example, did you find your source in a refereed or nonrefereed journal? A refereed journal is one where articles are reviewed by a panel of experts in the field and are seen as more scholarly and trustworthy than articles from nonrefereed or popular journals.

32. Geoffrey E. Mills Action Research: A Guide for the Teacher Researcher, 3eGeoffrey E. Mills Action Research: A Guide for the Teacher Researcher, 3e Copyright ©2007 by Pearson Education, Inc. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458 All rights reserved.zCopyright ©2007 by Pearson Education, Inc. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458 All rights reserved.z Evaluating Your Sources You also need to verify that the information presented in a particular source is objective and impartial. Does the author present evidence to support the interpretations made?

33. Geoffrey E. Mills Action Research: A Guide for the Teacher Researcher, 3eGeoffrey E. Mills Action Research: A Guide for the Teacher Researcher, 3e Copyright ©2007 by Pearson Education, Inc. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458 All rights reserved.zCopyright ©2007 by Pearson Education, Inc. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458 All rights reserved.z Analyzing, Organizing, and Reporting the Literature Make an outline Analyze each reference in terms of your outline Analyze the references under each subheading for similarities and differences Give a meaningful overview of past research Discuss the references least related to your problem first and those most related to your problem just prior to the statement of the hypothesis Conclude the review with a brief summary of the literature an its implications

34. Geoffrey E. Mills Action Research: A Guide for the Teacher Researcher, 3eGeoffrey E. Mills Action Research: A Guide for the Teacher Researcher, 3e Copyright ©2007 by Pearson Education, Inc. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458 All rights reserved.zCopyright ©2007 by Pearson Education, Inc. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458 All rights reserved.z Literature Matrix A helpful way to keep track of the literature you are reading and to provide a visual overview of similarities and differences is to use a literature matrix.

35. Geoffrey E. Mills Action Research: A Guide for the Teacher Researcher, 3eGeoffrey E. Mills Action Research: A Guide for the Teacher Researcher, 3e Copyright ©2007 by Pearson Education, Inc. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458 All rights reserved.zCopyright ©2007 by Pearson Education, Inc. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458 All rights reserved.z The Action Research Plan Write an area of focus statement Define the variables Develop research questions Describe the intervention or innovation Describe membership Describe negotiations

36. Geoffrey E. Mills Action Research: A Guide for the Teacher Researcher, 3eGeoffrey E. Mills Action Research: A Guide for the Teacher Researcher, 3e Copyright ©2007 by Pearson Education, Inc. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458 All rights reserved.zCopyright ©2007 by Pearson Education, Inc. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458 All rights reserved.z The Action Research Plan Develop a timeline Develop a statement of resources Develop data collection ideas

37. Geoffrey E. Mills Action Research: A Guide for the Teacher Researcher, 3eGeoffrey E. Mills Action Research: A Guide for the Teacher Researcher, 3e Copyright ©2007 by Pearson Education, Inc. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458 All rights reserved.zCopyright ©2007 by Pearson Education, Inc. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458 All rights reserved.z Writing an Area of Focus Statement Activity The area of focus statement identifies the purpose of the study. “The purpose of this study is to….”

38. Geoffrey E. Mills Action Research: A Guide for the Teacher Researcher, 3eGeoffrey E. Mills Action Research: A Guide for the Teacher Researcher, 3e Copyright ©2007 by Pearson Education, Inc. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458 All rights reserved.zCopyright ©2007 by Pearson Education, Inc. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458 All rights reserved.z Define the Variables Write definitions of what you will focus on in the study. A variable is a characteristic of your study that is subject to change. Definitions may come from the literature but it is important that you own your definition.

39. Geoffrey E. Mills Action Research: A Guide for the Teacher Researcher, 3eGeoffrey E. Mills Action Research: A Guide for the Teacher Researcher, 3e Copyright ©2007 by Pearson Education, Inc. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458 All rights reserved.zCopyright ©2007 by Pearson Education, Inc. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458 All rights reserved.z Develop Research Questions Develop research questions that breathe life into the area of focus statement and help provide a focus for your data collection plan. These questions will validate that you have a workable way to proceed with your investigation.

40. Geoffrey E. Mills Action Research: A Guide for the Teacher Researcher, 3eGeoffrey E. Mills Action Research: A Guide for the Teacher Researcher, 3e Copyright ©2007 by Pearson Education, Inc. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458 All rights reserved.zCopyright ©2007 by Pearson Education, Inc. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458 All rights reserved.z Describe the Intervention or Innovation Describe what you are going to do to improve the situation you have described. This is a statement about what you will do in your classroom to address the teaching/learning issue you have identified.

41. Geoffrey E. Mills Action Research: A Guide for the Teacher Researcher, 3eGeoffrey E. Mills Action Research: A Guide for the Teacher Researcher, 3e Copyright ©2007 by Pearson Education, Inc. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458 All rights reserved.zCopyright ©2007 by Pearson Education, Inc. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458 All rights reserved.z Describe the Membership of your Action Research Group Describe the membership of your action research group and discuss why its members are important to the success of the investigation.

42. Geoffrey E. Mills Action Research: A Guide for the Teacher Researcher, 3eGeoffrey E. Mills Action Research: A Guide for the Teacher Researcher, 3e Copyright ©2007 by Pearson Education, Inc. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458 All rights reserved.zCopyright ©2007 by Pearson Education, Inc. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458 All rights reserved.z Describe Negotiations that Need to Be Undertaken Do you need permission from an administrator? Parents? Students? Other teachers? It’s very frustrating to get started with an inquiry only to have it squashed by uncooperative colleagues!

43. Geoffrey E. Mills Action Research: A Guide for the Teacher Researcher, 3eGeoffrey E. Mills Action Research: A Guide for the Teacher Researcher, 3e Copyright ©2007 by Pearson Education, Inc. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458 All rights reserved.zCopyright ©2007 by Pearson Education, Inc. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458 All rights reserved.z Develop a Timeline In developing a timeline you will need to decide who will be doing what, when.

44. Geoffrey E. Mills Action Research: A Guide for the Teacher Researcher, 3eGeoffrey E. Mills Action Research: A Guide for the Teacher Researcher, 3e Copyright ©2007 by Pearson Education, Inc. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458 All rights reserved.zCopyright ©2007 by Pearson Education, Inc. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458 All rights reserved.z Develop a Statement of Resources Describe what resources you will need to enact your plan. This is akin to listing materials that you need for a particular lesson. There is no point undertaking a study that you do not have the resources to complete.

45. Geoffrey E. Mills Action Research: A Guide for the Teacher Researcher, 3eGeoffrey E. Mills Action Research: A Guide for the Teacher Researcher, 3e Copyright ©2007 by Pearson Education, Inc. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458 All rights reserved.zCopyright ©2007 by Pearson Education, Inc. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458 All rights reserved.z Develop Data Collection Ideas Give a preliminary statement of the kinds of data you think will provide evidence for your reflections on the general idea you are investigating.

46. Geoffrey E. Mills Action Research: A Guide for the Teacher Researcher, 3eGeoffrey E. Mills Action Research: A Guide for the Teacher Researcher, 3e Copyright ©2007 by Pearson Education, Inc. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458 All rights reserved.zCopyright ©2007 by Pearson Education, Inc. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458 All rights reserved.z For Further Thought What general ideas do you have for an area of focus? Complete the following statement: “The purpose of this study is to….”