LibGuides: Doctoral Student Guide: Action Research

Action Research

Action research is a change management tool. It is a type of case study that teachers/educators/those involved in the school process use to research their own practices, how students learn, or how their particular school operates.

"Action research involves a systematic process of examining the evidence. The results of this type of research are practical, relevant, and can inform theory. Action research is different than other forms of research as there is less concern for universality of findings, and more value is placed on the relevance of the findings to the researcher and the local collaborators."

Riel, M. (2020). Understanding action research. Center For Collaborative Action Research, Pepperdine University. Retrieved September 14, 2021 from the Center for Collaborative Action Research. https://www.ccarweb.org/what-is-action-research

Action Research (Brown University) A short booklet prepared by Eileen Ferrance from the LAB of Brown University that reviews the topic https://www.brown.edu/academics/education-alliance/sites/brown.edu.academics.education-alliance/files/publications/act_research.pdf

Action Research OER Text A free textbook concerning the subject by J. Spencer Clark, Suzanne Porath, Julie Thiele, and Morgan Jobe.

How do you find action research articles? There are several places to start.

First, you can look in the library catalog Primo. This tutorial from Purdue University walks you through the steps for how to do a Primo search for action research articles on your topic.
When conducting a search use your topic keywords and "action research" or "participatory action research" as a key phrase on a separate line in the advanced search (see example) - can be done in Primo, Databases, etc.
- Which databases you search will depend on your topic
- Remember you may need to put "action research" in quotation marks to ensure the search is looking for the correct term

advanced search image example

image of sample search in nexisuni

Go to Ulrich's Periodicals Dictionary and search "action research" - the search results will show you journals that focus on action research. You can tell which are peer reviewed by looking at the referee jacket.
- You can check the journal name or ISSN of any journal in Ulrich's to check its peer review status

image of Ulrichs journal search

Go to Google Scholar and search: "action research" + topic keywords. For example: "action research" library diversity

image of google scholar search

If searching in a database or Primo, you can use the search filters on the side to select "peer reviewed". If you're unsure if you are reading something that is peer reviewed or not, check the journal in Ulrich's!
Below is a website and education database that may be particularly beneficial as you start your search.

Center for Collaborative Action Research The Center for Collaborative Action Research (CCAR) links together educators, researchers, and community organizers. The Center's aim is to create deep understanding of important social problems in a range of different contexts including, but not limited to schools, and to encourage evidence-based reasoning to solve these problems. The Center shares collaborative action research projects and supports the development of "knowledge-building" communities making use of innovative technology tools. The goal is to share what others are doing to reinvigorate their workplace with the capacity to reflect and adapt to evolving needs.

ERIC (via EBSCOhost) This link opens in a new window Use this to search "action research" and then your topic keywords

These websites will provide more information, tutorials, activities and more about action research so you can broaden your knowledge.

You can also look at these titles from a search in Education journals from DOAJ for Action Research:

Center for Collaborative Action Research The Center for Collaborative Action Research (CCAR) links together educators, researchers, and community organizers. The Center's aim is to create deep understanding of important social problems in a range of different contexts including, but not limited to schools, and to encourage evidence-based reasoning to solve these problems. The Center shares collaborative action research projects and supports the development of "knowledge-building" communities making use of innovative technology tools. The goal is to share what others are doing to reinvigorate their workplace with the capacity to reflect and adapt to evolving needs.
Center for Collaborative Action Research Tutorials These tutorials are provided as a resource to the action research community as a way to share teaching strategies, questions, resources, or ideas around supporting or conducting action research. This resource is provided by The Center for Collaborative Action Research (CCAR). The Center shares a range of resources that includes examples of action research projects that have been conducted at in a range of contexts. Please come visit.
Participatory Methods Participatory methods (PMs) include a range of activities with a common thread: enabling ordinary people to play an active and influential part in decisions which affect their lives. This means that people are not just listened to, but also heard; and that their voices shape outcomes. Researchers, community members, activists and donors all use PMs. Because respect for local knowledge and experience is paramount, the result is interventions that reflect local realities, often leading to better supported and longer lasting social change.
Action Research Activity Templates Open templates that are part of the Center for Collaborative Action Research's tutorials
NHSA Action Research Action research is a method used by teachers to solve everyday issues in the classroom. It is a reflective, democratic, and action-based approach to problem-solving or information-seeking in the classroom. Instead of waiting for a solution, action research empowers teachers to become critical and reflective thinkers and lifelong learners that are dedicated to helping improve student learning and teaching effectiveness. Teachers or program leaders can take on an action research project by framing a question, carrying out an intervention or experiment, and reporting on the results. Below you'll find resources, examples, and simple steps to help you get started!
Action Research in Healthcare (Koshy et al.) Chapter on action research in healthcare.

Participatory Action Research Toolkit http://communitylearningpartnership.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/PARtoolkit.pdf

Doctoral Student Guide

Action Research

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