Practical Action Research in the Classroom

In partnership with Model Teaching, an industry leader in supporting educators, this course equips you with a plan for implementing action research in your classroom through a six-step process. Model Teaching's mission is to improve student performance by directly supporting teachers with quality content and resources. You will learn to identify classroom problems, craft research questions, conduct literature reviews, and employ qualitative and quantitative research methods for data collection and analysis, concluding with how to share results and future steps.

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3 Months / 18 Course Hrs
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Stephen F. Austin State University

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Practical Action Research in the Classroom

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Course code: T14737

This teacher professional development course will provide you with a plan for implementing action research into your classroom. You will learn about the purpose of action research in education and evaluate the six-step process to utilizing it for your own classroom. You will identify a problem in your classroom and craft a research question. Then, you will learn how to select appropriate sources and conduct a literature review.

As you consider how to implement your action plan, you will learn about evaluating its effectiveness using qualitative and quantitative research methods and explore data collection and analysis techniques. Finally, you will learn how to form a conclusion and identify next steps, which you can share with others on your campus.

The course provides you with all the planning resources you will need to get started and supports you in designing an action research project ready to be implemented in your classroom.

What you will learn

  • Define action research and its purpose and importance for us in the classroom
  • Evaluate how to choose an appropriate action research question
  • Analyze quantitative and qualitative data
  • Build a plan to propose and implement a solution
  • Plan for sharing your research with others and determining next steps

How you will benefit

  • You will continuously grow as an educator as you seek to find ways to constantly improve your classroom
  • Your class environment will improve, and your students will benefit academically from your action research
  • You will better understand how research translates into instructional practice and be able to identify ways to measure the success of ideas being implemented

How the course is taught

  • Self-Guided, online course
  • 3 Months access
  • 18 course hours
  1. Section 1 – An Introduction to Action Research
    1. The definition of action research
    2. The six action research steps
    3. How action research can be applied to any aspect of teaching
  2. Section 2 – Identifying a Problem and Posing a Research Question
    1. Example problems and questions for action research areas of interest
    2. The characteristics of a strong research question
  3. Section 3 – Literature Review
    1. The purpose of a literature review
    2. How to select appropriate resources for a literature review
    3. How to conduct a literature review
  4. Section 4 – Choosing a Solution
    1. How to choose one solution to implement in your action research
    2. How to change your research question if necessary
  5. Section 5- Collecting Data
    1. The difference between qualitative and quantitative research methods
    2. Examples of data that can be collected for each method
    3. Considerations for collecting reliable and valid data
  6. Section 6- Analyzing Data
    1. How to analyze qualitative and quantitative data
    2. The importance of data validity and reliability
    3. Considerations for forming a conclusion from the data you have collected
  7. Section 7- Communicate the Results
    1. Considerations for choosing an audience with whom to share your research
    2. How to create a presentation for sharing your results
    3. Your next steps after completing your first cycle of action research
  8. Putting it All Together
    1. Using the sample provided, build your own action research plan.
  9. Applying What you Have Learned
    1. Get ideas on how to implement the concepts into your classroom, find a list of online resources that teach you about action research and evaluate the research behind its effectiveness.
Self-Study

Prerequisites:

There are no prerequisites to take this course.

Requirements:

Hardware Requirements:

  • This course can be taken on either a PC, Mac, or Chromebook.

Software Requirements:

  • PC: Windows 10 or later.
  • Mac: macOS 12 or later.
  • Browser: The latest version of Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox is preferred. Microsoft Edge and Safari are also compatible.
  • Microsoft Word Online
  • Editing of a Microsoft Word document is required in this course. You may use a free version of Microsoft Word Online, or Google Docs if you do not have Microsoft Office installed on your computer. Model Teaching can provide support for this.
  • Adobe Acrobat Reader
  • Software must be installed and fully operational before the course begins.

Other:

  • Email capabilities and access to a personal email account.

Instructional Material Requirements:

The instructional materials required for this course are included in enrollment and will be available online.

Your course begins immediately after you enroll.​

You have 3 months of access to the course. After enrolling, you can learn and complete the course at your own pace, within the allotted access period. You will have the opportunity to interact with other students in the online discussion area.

There is no time limit to complete each lesson, other than completing all lessons within the allotted access period. Discussion areas for each lesson are open for the entire duration of the course.

Because this course is self-guided, no extensions will be granted after the start of your enrollment.

Assessment Tools to Support Online LearningFundamentalsProductive Methods of Struggle for StudentsFundamentalsRecitation Through Rote Memorization of TextFundamentalsSocial-Emotional Support for Gifted StudentsFundamentalsStudent-Led Classroom ManagementFundamentalsSupporting Reading Instruction for K-5 StudentsFundamentals
Fundamentals
Assessment Tools to Support Online Learning
Fundamentals
Productive Methods of Struggle for Students
Fundamentals
Recitation Through Rote Memorization of Text
Fundamentals
Social-Emotional Support for Gifted Students
Fundamentals
Student-Led Classroom Management
Fundamentals
Supporting Reading Instruction for K-5 Students