ACTION RESEARCH

Joe Louie A. Lavaro

MAEd Drama Education and Theater Arts
Action Research is an effective tool in improving the

quality of an organization. It is done through

collecting data, diagnosing problems, searching for

solutions, taking action on developed solutions, and

monitoring how well the action worked (Doyle, n.d.).

The relevance of action research to the

participants is guaranteed because the focus of

each study is determined by the researchers, who

are also the primary consumers of the findings

(Sagor, n.d.).
 In education setting, it is used by teachers in an

attempt to solve problems and improve professional

practices in their own classrooms (Parsons and Brown,

2002). It is a natural part of teaching that guides the

teachers toward a better understanding of why, when,

and how students become better learners (Miller, 2007).

Three types of Action Research

according to Glen Doyle:

1) individual teacher research

2) collaborative action research and

3) school wide action research.

 In individual teacher research a single

teacher takes it upon him/herself to go through

the process of a research study.

 Through collaborative action research a

study team of two or more researchers which

may include teachers, principal, university

professors, school board officials and so on.

 The school wide action research process

involves the entire faculty in conjunction with a

school consortium that typically commit to a

three-year program focused on long-term

school renewal in one student academic area.

The Action Research Cycle by Eileen Ferrance (2000)
First, the researcher has to identify a problem
area which will be the focus of the study. This
will be followed by the collection of data
which is an important step in deciding what
action needs to be taken.
Multiple sources of data are used to better
understand the scope of happenings in the
classroom or school such as interviews, portfolios,
diaries, field notes, memos, questionnaires,
anecdotal records, checklists and others. The
teacher will now analyze and interpret the
collected data.
Using the information from the data collection
and review of current literature, act on
evidence and design a plan of action that will
allow you to make a change and to study that
change. Next, evaluate the results and
assess the effects of the intervention to
determine if improvement has occurred.
As a result of the action research
project, identify additional questions
raised by the data and plan for
additional improvements, revisions, and
next steps.
DepEd Order 43 series of 2015
Loren Murcia of Zapote Elementary School wanted to
minimize the problem if not completely eradicate
absenteeism of grade 6 pupils in their school. In her
Action Research on Student and Pupil Absenteeism in
School, she asked all their sixty grade 6 pupils to
complete a questionnaire in which they will rate
various situations, reasons and causes for being
absent from school. The responses were analyzed
using a five-point Likert scale using (1) never, (2)
rarely, (3) sometimes, (4) very often and (5) always.
Based on the responses of the pupils to the
questionnaires, Murcia found out that health is
the primary reason why students are absent
from their classes. This was followed by
classroom atmosphere, personal attitude,
teacher factor and home-related reasons. The
least reason they give is related to physical
environment.
She then suggested six strategies that can minimize or
eradicate absenteeism: (1) educate the students on
how to take care of their overall well-being, (2) ensure
that classroom atmosphere is conducive to learning,
(3) inform parents about the benefit of keeping their
children in school, (4) refrain from scolding
misbehaving pupils, (5) give extra attention to those
who are left behind in the lessons, and (6) emphasize
that academic success is very much dependent on
student attitude towards school.
Mary Joy Olicia, a teacher of Victoria Reyes
Elementary School wanted to determine the
effectiveness of conducting differentiated
instruction to grade 4 English classes. She utilized
experimental design and compared the results of
pretest and posttest of two groups, one control
group which was taught using the single teaching
strategy and experimental group which was taught
using DI.
The results of the study show that
differentiated instruction is effective based on
the higher score of experimental group
compared to control group. She then
recommended the use of DI to heterogenous
classes because it improves classroom
performance.
Rimmon Paren from Kidapawan National High
School wanted to solve the habitual tardiness of
students in grade 10. The researcher used a
samplingmethod with inquiries to selected
students. The result was tallied and scrutinized.
This showed that time management and valuing
the virtue of punctuality are the main reason for
their being late on classes and other school
activities.
After the analyzing the result, Paren listed
actions to be taken to solve the problem on
tardiness of the students. He included the
following strategies in his research: (1)
administration of Multiple Intelligence
Assessment, (2) Time Management lectures
and workshops, (3) Peer counseling, (4)
Reward Psychology, and (5) student journals.
Action research can be a worthwhile pusuit fot
teacher for it focuses on school issue, problem or
area of collected interest. It also helps the
professionla development of teachers and promotes
collaboration across departments, disciplines and
grade levels. It is also a good opportunity for
teachers and administrators to reflect on own
practice and improve communications which will
eventualy lead to postive change (Ferrance,2000).
References:

Doyle, Glen. (n/d). Action Research- The Manual. Retrieved July 31, 2017 from:
http://www.mun.ca/educ/courses/ed4361/virtual_academy/campus_a/aresearcher/chapter5.html

Ferrance, Eileen.(2000).Action Research. LAB Northeast and Islands Regional Education Laboratory at Brown University.USA

Miller, Christine. (2007). Action Research: Making Sense of Data. Retrieved July 31, 2017 from: www.coe.fau.edu/sfcel/sensdata.htm

Murcia, Lore. (2015). The Problem of Student Absenteeism. Retrieved July 31, 2017 from:
https://owlcation.com/academia/action-research-on-student-absenteeism

Olicia, Mary Joy. (n/d). An Action Research on the Effectiveness of Differentiated Instruction in Teaching English for Grade Four Classes.
Dasmarinas City. Retrieved July 31, 2017 from:
https://www.teacherph.com/sample-action-research-about-education/

Paren, Rimmon. (2016). Descriptive Research on Tardiness of Students in Grade X Phoenix Section. Kidapawan City. Retrieved July 31, 2017
from http://rimmon-educationinthephilippines.blogspot.com/2012/04/action-research-on-tardiness.html

Parsons, Rick & Brown, Kimberlee. (2002). Teacher as Reflective Practitioner and Action Researcher. Belmont Calif

Sagor, Richard. (n/d). Guiding School Improvement with Action Research. Retrieved July 31, 2017 from:
http://www.ascd.org/publications/books/100047/chapters/What-Is-Action-Research%C2%A2.aspx