Asking the right question will provide important and useful guidance regarding how you go about identifying and collecting the evidence you’ll need to come to an informed conclusion. Consider these two versions of a similar research question: "Is [new tech tool] effective?" versus "Does [new tech tool] improve students’ comprehension of [X] text?" The first question identifies the tech tool as the intervention, which would be the subject of the inquiry (commonly known as independent or explanatory variables). However, the outcome you are looking for (commonly known as dependent or outcome variables) is vague and undefined.

Consider asking yourself: What does “effective” mean in your teaching context? What are you hoping this tech tool will add to your students’ learning? The second version of the research question, like the first one, identifies the subject of the inquiry but also provides an indication of the outcome you are interested in. That is, it defines “effective” for the purpose of the inquiry as students’ comprehension of a specific text. This is the outcome variable. Having both the explanatory and outcome variables defined puts you on track to identify a method to collect, analyze, interpret, and compare the data.

Once you have identified your variables and articulated your research question, you must determine what data you need to collect to answer your research question. Keep in mind that relevant information to inform your question does not always need to be in the form of numbers (i.e., quantitative). Qualitative evaluations or observations can be facilitated by using rubrics or specific protocols so that your interpretation may be uniform throughout your data set, or across your students. Sometimes it may be worthwhile to leverage multiple data sources—whether quantitative or qualitative—to shed light on your research topic. Learn more about sources of qualitative and quantitative data sources in Step 5!

Once you have identified the variables, planned your approach to collecting relevant information (i.e., your research design), and indicated the specific measurement instrument(s) you intend to use, it is time to also consider logistical procedures related to how you will go about the data collection process. Some questions to consider might be: Can the data collection happen all at once? Should you prepare for phases or intervals of data collection? Are there websites or software that could help facilitate the data collection (e.g., a learning management system, Google Forms, etc.)?

TELL Domain & Criterion

Performance & Feedback [PF2.c]

Asking the right question will provide important and useful guidance regarding how you go about identifying and collecting the evidence you’ll need to come to an informed conclusion. Consider these two versions of a similar research question: "Is [new tech tool] effective?" versus "Does [new tech tool] improve students’ comprehension of [X] text?" The first question identifies the tech tool as the intervention, which would be the subject of the inquiry (commonly known as independent or explanatory variables). However, the outcome you are looking for (commonly known as dependent or outcome variables) is vague and undefined.

My initial research

In the higher learning context, universities have Institutional Review Boards (IRB) that exist to ensure ethical procedures and protect participants from undue harm that could be caused from a given study. If you teach at a college or university, you should consult with your IRB before beginning your study.

Since many K–12 institutions don’t have research review committees and their students are legal minors, teachers conducting action research in the K–12 context must invite oversight and permission. If your school or district does not have a research review committee, one possibility could be to collaborate with a local university to gain the perspective and guidance of an interested faculty member.

Another option would be to simply confer with building and/or district administration to ensure that the action research project is proceeding transparently and with approval within the district’s expectations or protocols. Having district or building permission in writing will help protect you and also your work.

Also make sure to communicate with both students and guardians regarding your intent to collect data and how you plan to use it for your research and teaching. It is important that the participants in your action research project can opt out of the investigation at any time without penalty or bias.

My Administrative Support

Some believe that using data in the form of numbers (i.e., quantitative data) helps take the subjectivity out of their interpretation and may even make the analysis easier. Quantitative data can come in the form of quiz or test scores, rubric evaluations converted to numerical scores, Likert-style survey responses or rating scales, word counts in student writing, and more.

On the other hand, you may be more comfortable interpreting the specific qualities and context of the data set (i.e., qualitative data). This is a completely valid way to conduct research and, depending on your research questions, may be the most relevant source of data to address your topic. A common qualitative data source is in the form of observations. Field notes or journal entries are considered valuable tools used to document what a teacher sees, hears, interprets, or thinks during this data collection procedure. PEARLL offers tools to help structure classroom observations.

Interviews with action research participants are another qualitative data source that may provide the teacher with opportunities to explore specific views, beliefs, and attitudes. If conducting in-person interviews is not logistically feasible, short or long form surveys can collect similar information, as long as they provide opportunities for narrative responses.

Lastly, records that already exist, such as grade books, written assignments, and even your own lesson plans, can provide rich information to support your conclusions. During this implementation stage, establish a protocol to document the experience of data collection and how it aligns with or differs from your expectations. This documentation could take the form of informal notes or journaling, for example. In the following steps when you review, interpret, and respond to the data your plan produces, you may determine that aspects of the implementation plan—expected or unexpected—deserve to be considered as impactful or relevant context for your findings.

My Data Collection

Let’s start with quantitative investigations. These analyses are generally done once the entire data set is collected. Sometimes a general overview of frequencies (or how often something occurs) or averages may provide enough information for you to make valuable conclusions about the results of your investigation. For example, you can associate Likert-style survey responses to numerical values (i.e., Strongly disagree = 1, Disagree = 2; Neutral = 3; Agree = 4; Strongly agree = 5) and from these values generate an average response from a particular group. These averages may also be sufficient to compare group responses (e.g., responses at the beginning of the intervention and the end, or responses from Class 1 and Class 2). If you are interested in determining statistical significance of your quantitative data, it can be trickier but may be worth your time depending on your research question, the implication of the action research inquiry, and/or your interest in the topic. See below for more information.

My Data Analysis

Developing a response is your chance to react to your results and advance your practice based on your own reflection. You’ve identified a topic, you designed a reflective analysis, you reviewed the data, and now you should feel confident to respond accordingly, making a more informed decision about what is in you and your students’ best interest! Of course, if your results are not what you expected, don’t be discouraged. Seeking to understand this discrepancy is a very worthwhile form of reflecting on the topic you decided to explore more closely. You can even consider re-implementing your action research plan after making certain adjustments on the practice or the process.

My Response

So that your results can have the biggest impact, it’s important to share the most relevant findings from your action research. Teachers benefit from hearing what works from other teachers. This is your chance to share what you learned so that others can also explore, experiment, and improve their practice along with you.

Sharing My Findings