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The Qualitative Report

Action Research

Quantitative, Qualitative, Comparative, and Historical Methodologies

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Full-Text Articles in Social and Behavioral Sciences

Redesigning A Course Using Action Research To Renovate An Undergraduate Curriculum In Architecture, Jennifer L. Barker, Mitsunori Misawa Apr 2020

Redesigning A Course Using Action Research To Renovate An Undergraduate Curriculum In Architecture, Jennifer L. Barker, Mitsunori Misawa

The Qualitative Report

Architectural education is a time-intensive endeavor, typically resulting in a high number of student dropouts. In an effort to address better matriculation, faculty in an architecture and interior design program instituted course redesigns for an introductory lecture course within the undergraduate curriculum over the course of two academic years. This resulted in significant changes to the course structure and the course content, as well as to adjacent courses within the first-year curriculum. Through the implementation of the course redesigns, researchers realized that the process of redesign resembles the process of action research. The purpose of this article is to demonstrate …


The Impact Of Longitudinal Action Research On Doctoral Student Retention And Degree Completion, James Olive Mar 2019

The Impact Of Longitudinal Action Research On Doctoral Student Retention And Degree Completion, James Olive

The Qualitative Report

The impact of a longitudinal action research (LAR) project on the retention and success of students enrolled in a leadership studies doctoral program was the focus of this study. The purpose was to understand how the experiences obtained through an action research project, conducted over 12-15 months, affected students’ development while they completed the first two years of their doctoral coursework. Ten doctoral students, who were at various stages in their educational journey, were interviewed and asked to reflect upon their experiences while completing their LAR project. Findings indicated that the LAR project provided an opportunity to apply theoretical concepts …


Connecting Theory, Knowledge, And Practice: A Review Of Action Research For Nurses, Gary Yu Hin Lam Sep 2017

Connecting Theory, Knowledge, And Practice: A Review Of Action Research For Nurses, Gary Yu Hin Lam

The Qualitative Report

Nurses are faced with everyday demands to improve practices, yet using research to develop and apply theory, knowledge, and practices is a task fraught with challenges to the nursing profession. McDonnell and McNiff (2016) offer a practical guide for novice nursing practitioners and researchers to understand and conduct action research.


Using A Non-Judgmental Stance To Promote Trustworthiness In Action Research, Serge Gabarre, Cécile Gabarre, Rosseni Din Jun 2016

Using A Non-Judgmental Stance To Promote Trustworthiness In Action Research, Serge Gabarre, Cécile Gabarre, Rosseni Din

The Qualitative Report

This article describes the use of action research to increase trustworthiness through a non-judgmental approach. Two foreign language lecturers implemented an action research to improve their teaching with the use of Facebook and mobile devices. In order to remain open to all possible interpretation of the events and to incite their students to provide them with honest feedback, they openly adopted a non-judgmental stance. As a result, students freely revealed how they used funds which were given to them to access mobile Internet. Findings showed that not all students used the money as was anticipated by the lecturers, and that …


Applying Constant Comparative Method With Multiple Investigators And Inter-Coder Reliability, Joel D. Olson, Chad Mcallister, Lynn D. Grinnell, Kimberly Gehrke Walters, Frank Appunn Jan 2016

Applying Constant Comparative Method With Multiple Investigators And Inter-Coder Reliability, Joel D. Olson, Chad Mcallister, Lynn D. Grinnell, Kimberly Gehrke Walters, Frank Appunn

The Qualitative Report

Building on practice, action research, and theory, the purpose of this paper is to present a 10-step method for applying the Constant Comparative Method (CCM) of grounded theory when multiple researchers perform data analysis and meaning making. CCM is a core qualitative analysis approach for grounded theory research. Literature suggests approaches for increasing the credibility of CCM using multiple researchers and inter-coder reliability (ICR), but documentation of methods for collaboration on CCM data analysis is sparse. The context for developing the10-step CCM approach was a qualitative study conducted to understand the impact of webcams on a virtual team. To develop …


Converting Research Findings Intoaction-Able Pattern-Languages, Greg Paine Jul 2015

Converting Research Findings Intoaction-Able Pattern-Languages, Greg Paine

The Qualitative Report

This paper describes an approach to developing and formatting research findings with the aim of making those findings easily understood within the wider “lay” community to encourage take-up and action. It is of value to researchers seeking to extend their findings beyond the immediate research participants and the academic literature. There are similarities with action research, but with an intended wider potential audience. The approach formats research findings as “instructive advices” able to be used by others beyond the research, drawing on similar work first developed in the field of architecture—wherein they are referred to as “patterns.” This is the …


Naming And Un-Naming A Research Study "Participatory", Sarai Koo, Jessica Nina Lester Jun 2014

Naming And Un-Naming A Research Study "Participatory", Sarai Koo, Jessica Nina Lester

The Qualitative Report

In this article, we explore our own discomfort with naming our research studies participatory action research – at least during the initial stages of our work – and highlight several practices that we believe serve to create greater researcher reflexivity. Drawing upon two different research studies, we share three “lessons from practice” generated from an analysis of our fieldnotes and a series of interactive interviews. The lessons illustrate how we have come to name and un-name our research “participatory.” We offer suggestions for other researchers committed to engaging in participatory action research.


Using I Poems To Hear The Voices And Understand The Actions Of Edd Students Conducting Action Research, Ron Zambo, Debby Zambo Oct 2013

Using I Poems To Hear The Voices And Understand The Actions Of Edd Students Conducting Action Research, Ron Zambo, Debby Zambo

The Qualitative Report

There is a movement to redefine and refocus the Educational Doctorate to improve its effectiveness in producing scholarly practitioners, that is, individuals who have the ability to blend their practical wisdom and professional knowledge to identify, frame , and solve the problems of practice they face. The EdD at Arizona State University has chosen action research as its signature pedagogy to help students develop the habits of the mind, hands and heart they need to be effective leaders. This paper describes the program and provides six I Poems developed from dissertation proposals. I Poems helped us come closer to each …


Self-Regulation Of A Chiropractic Association Through Participatory Action Research, Lorraine A. Sheppard, Anna Maria S. Jorgensen, Michael J. Crowe Oct 2012

Self-Regulation Of A Chiropractic Association Through Participatory Action Research, Lorraine A. Sheppard, Anna Maria S. Jorgensen, Michael J. Crowe

The Qualitative Report

Participatory action research (PAR) can be used in the health professions to redefine their roles. This study investigated a small health professional group, the members of The Chiropractic Association Singapore (TCAS), by using a PAR method; researchers and participants gained insights into the self-regulation of a health profession. A qualitative process using a theory-building approach and an action component was a practical way of developing self-regulation in a small professional group. This approach bridged the gap between practice and research with TCAS members fully engaged in the process of being critically reflective of their future roles in the local health …


Participatory And Action-Oriented Dissertations: The Challenges And Importance Of Community-Engaged Graduate Research, Emily Van Der Meulen Sep 2011

Participatory And Action-Oriented Dissertations: The Challenges And Importance Of Community-Engaged Graduate Research, Emily Van Der Meulen

The Qualitative Report

Graduate students commonly experience isolation and estrangement when conducting their final research projects, which can contribute to difficulties in completion. A creative and socially beneficial way to offset academic isolation is for graduate students to engage in participatory and action-oriented research projects with local communities. Facilitating a research study with a local partner can be a richly rewarding experience. This article argues that students who enjoy working in collaborative environments and want their final research projects to lead to beneficial social change can find fulfillment in action research (AR) methodologies. Critiqued by some for its lack of tangible and practical …


Promise And Possibility For Aspiring Principals: An Emerging Leadership Identity Through Learning To Do Action Research, Stella C. Batagiannis Sep 2011

Promise And Possibility For Aspiring Principals: An Emerging Leadership Identity Through Learning To Do Action Research, Stella C. Batagiannis

The Qualitative Report

This case study explored the promise and possibility of doing action research both for aspiring principals engaged in such research and for professors using it as pedagogy for teaching educational leadership. The study of a class of graduate students aspiring to be principals had a constructivist theoretical framework. The research design consisted of three tiers: tier one: a reflective self-study by the professor evaluating the pedagogy of developing action research team projects; tier two: an analysis of the self-evaluations of the aspiring principals on the pedagogy of developing action research team projects and its effect on their learning; and tier …


Insights Into Attempts At Using Action Research In A Collaborative Work In A Policy Review Exercise In Botswana, Anthony Tsatsing Koosimile Jul 2011

Insights Into Attempts At Using Action Research In A Collaborative Work In A Policy Review Exercise In Botswana, Anthony Tsatsing Koosimile

The Qualitative Report

In this paper I embrace the thinking that writing on one's experiences in the use of qualitative educational research strategies and principles could potentially contribute to furthering knowledge in the field. In adopting an action research framework to guide collaborative work in a policy review exercise in Botswana, I found that collaborative work is itself a challenge. Similarly, given the political nature of policy formulation, significant effort and attention is required to facilitate broader reflection and debate on the adoption and use of qualitative research strategies in policy matters in Botswana. Generally my experience suggests that the strictures of underlying …


Action Research In Practice: Issues And Challenges In A Financial Services Case Study, Peter Marshall, Phyl Wilson, Kristy De Salas, Judy Mckay Jan 2010

Action Research In Practice: Issues And Challenges In A Financial Services Case Study, Peter Marshall, Phyl Wilson, Kristy De Salas, Judy Mckay

The Qualitative Report

In this paper we give a direct and personal account of the issues and challenges that occurred in an action research study. The research team consisted of five researchers from two Australian universities. The action research case was carried out in a small financial services company and concerned the development of an information systems strategy. However, the focus of the paper is not on information systems, but on the general methodological issues and problems of action research. The authors hope that readers will benefit from the direct and transparent account of the practical methodological problems encountered in the study.


A Review Of Action Research In Teaching And Learning: A Practical Guide To Conducting Pedagogical Research In Universities, Johanna Tunon Nov 2009

A Review Of Action Research In Teaching And Learning: A Practical Guide To Conducting Pedagogical Research In Universities, Johanna Tunon

The Qualitative Report

Action Research in Teaching and Learning: A Practical Guide to Conducting Pedagogical Research in Universities by Lynn S. Norton provides a useful resource for those in higher education interested in using action research. Action research takes place when educational practitioners reflect on their approach to education and test pedagogical theories with research that is then presented for consideration within the institution and in the wider academic arena. After making a case for the use of action research as an important part of the scholarship of teaching and learning that should take place in higher education, the author discusses the steps …


The Unexpected Rewards Of Qualitative Research In Assessment: A Case Example, Penny Singh Jun 2008

The Unexpected Rewards Of Qualitative Research In Assessment: A Case Example, Penny Singh

The Qualitative Report

This paper reports on the inclusion of an oral component of assessment in science at two tertiary institutions in South Africa. The purpose of this paper is not to report on the results of the assessments conducted, but to focus on some of the unexpected rewards of conducting qualitative research in assessment. Using focus group discussions within a qualitative framework allowed me insights into the thoughts and experiences of the students and assessors, making the benefits of oral assessment apparent. These benefits included how assessment can be used as a learning opportunity, the advantages of homogeneous versus heterogeneous groups, and …


Implementation Of An Action Research Course Program For Science Teachers: A Case For Turkey, Mehmet Küçük, Salih Çepni Jun 2005

Implementation Of An Action Research Course Program For Science Teachers: A Case For Turkey, Mehmet Küçük, Salih Çepni

The Qualitative Report

The purpose of this study was to introduce an AR approach to a group of science teachers during an in-service AR course program and learn its contributions to their professional development. Data were gathered through an AR project by working with a group of eight science teachers throughout a four-week period. In the content of the course, knowledge on educational research was given to teachers and then the participants were encouraged to conduct small-scale AR projects. During this process, it was found that project teachers willingly participated in all the meetings, embracing the views of doing research based on their …


Studying Human-Centered It Innovation Using A Grounded Action Learning Approach, David J. Pauleen, Pak Yoong Mar 2004

Studying Human-Centered It Innovation Using A Grounded Action Learning Approach, David J. Pauleen, Pak Yoong

The Qualitative Report

This paper describes how two research methodologies, grounded theory and action learning, were combined to produce a rigorous yet creative and flexible method for field study of a recent IT-based innovation, virtual teams. Essentially, an action learning program was used to train facilitators of virtual teams and generate research data while grounded theory techniques were used to analyze and interpret the data. This paper shows how this combined method can be used to develop local and practical theory for complex, human-centered areas of information technology. The implications of this grounded action learning approach for practice and research in IS will …