Institutions:
Discuss action research approaches to treatment and program evaluation
Action research represents a tension between different forces that contributed to the personal, professional and social change. The processes try to make a profound inquiry into a person practices in the attempt to achieve a particular set objective. Action Research refers to a process that involves participants examining their educational practices in an orderly manner and carefully using accurate research techniques. The main reason for engaging in action research is to enable a person engaging in an action to improve or refine their efforts. It is believed that action research helps in empowering the experience of a practitioner. It is important to engage in an action research because it provides relevant findings that are used by primary consumers who are the researchers. However, action research involves educational practitioners who collect and analyze data to improve their actions.
The process is not only in schools but also in organizations and workplaces where individual’s action and the effects of each action are studied. The inquiry into individual professional practices may also involve the understanding the social context and the work environment (Rowell, Polush, Riel & Bruewer, 2015). The action research, which requires a regular examination of different evidence, has a set of goals that include: improvement of various practices that is achieved through continued learning and problem solving. Action research provides a broad understanding of different ways of life and hence helps develop theories around them to improve the programs that are process embedded.
Various modifiers are used to classify the different families of action research as adopted by the various action researchers (somekh, 2009, Riel & Lepori, 2011). In Action collaborative research, actions researchers test their interactions and the relationships in a social setting to determine a niche that needs improvements. Through collaboration with colleagues, action researchers can provide solutions to different social problems and improve the workplace.
Action researchers differ in the weights they put on a different factor they are researching on. The differences arise from the fact that different actions fit in various unique structures. Some of the approaches adopted include:
Problem-based approaches
A problem is a perceived gap that exists between the possible desired state and the current state. The researchers will initially need to identify an issue that exists in society (Riel and Rowell, 2016). Once the problem is known to the researchers, he or she then explores different problems and their existing solutions. The goal is achieved by iterating on different processes that are geared towards the final solution of the program. Although many problems might seem to have several solutions, there is always the optimal solution that the researcher intends to achieve.
Inquiry-Based approaches
An inquiry is an attempt to collect and examine information about some thin or someone. Inquiry-based approach is made of rigorous methodology that targets to validate the assumption of the researcher. In this approach, the action researcher will explore the effective practices to understand better and perfect the selected solution. The process of selection is repeated through multiple cycles.
Practices based approaches
This method will target to achieve or bring change to the social behaviors of the society through taking purposeful action. The practice approach will begin with values needs and the knowledge of the human interaction to come up with the necessary theories that will govern how a program is treated (McNiff & Whitehead, 2010).
Inside expertise and outside expertise approaches
In the inside expertise approach, the researcher is trained to identify a problem of expertise and provide treatment or possible methods to improve the identified problem. On the other side, in the outside expertise the action researcher enter into a partnership with outside experts to guide the process of research.
Identity Transformation and Social changes Approach.
According to identity transformation approach, the researcher actions target to change the way he or she thinks, acts or feels. The aim in this approach is to impact on how the researcher in question views an individual situation. The social change approach on the other side targets the social effect. In this the outcome of the action research is to impact the society, this is through making the population change the way they think, feel or act (McNiff, 2013).
Shared practices and shared knowledge
In shared practices, the action researcher share whatever they have discovered in their respective site informally. The process of informing the primary consumers of the new knowledge is not defined. The investigator makes the decision on how to share data and information. In shared knowledge, the researcher will have to convert the data obtained to knowledge. The acquired knowledge is shared and distributed in a more formal approach that includes the use of reports, journals, and other formal methods used in research.
Different programs will require different action research; the researcher hence needs to understand his or her problem well to adopt the correct approach. The approach adopted in any given research is will clearly affect the resulting outputs of the research. A wrong output will result from a bad action which will have an adverse effect.
References
Beck, C., (2016) Informal action defining action research: Situating diverse practices within varying fare search: The nature and contributions of everyday classroom inquiryIn L. Rowell, C. Bruce, J. Shosh & M. Riel, (Eds).Palgrave Interactional Handbook of Action Research. Palgrave: (in Press).
McNiff, J. (2013). Action Research: Principals and Practice (3rd Ed). Routledge, New York.
McNiff, J., & Whitehead, J. (2010) " Action research project." (3rd Ed). Abingdon: New York.
Riel, M. & Lepori, K. (2011).Analysis of the Outcomes of Action Research. A .E. R.A. conference, April 2011, New Orleans
Rowell, L., Polush, E., Riel, M., & Bruewer, A. (2015). Action researchers’ perspectives about the distinguishing characteristics of action research: a Delphi and learning circles mixed-methods study. Educational Action Research, 23(2), 243-270.
Rowell, L., Riel, M., Polush, E. (2016). defining action research: Situating diverse practices within varying frames of inquiry, science and action. In L. Rowell, C. Bruce, J. Shosh & M. Riel, (Eds).Palgrave Interactional Handbook of Action Research. Palgrave: (in Press).
