Action Research Is Cyclical: A Study in 9th Grade Conceptual Physics

Introduction

Action research within education is simply the scientific term to describe what educators do every day: teach a lesson, collect and analyze students’ work as data, determine which instructional methods and strategies were most effective, and revise and prepare for the next lesson (Pine, 2009). Teachers continually use assessments to guide instruction (Tomlinson & Moon, 2013) and provide the most accessible and engaging lessons to students. Action research is clarifying the steps that teachers use to complete this process and formalizing it into a report to be shared with others.

More than the daily process of educators, action research is the system by which researchers work directly with participants to engage in change that will benefit all involved (Bhattacharya, 2017; Bradbury-Huang, 2015). It is a paradigm centered around social justice and activism, working to provide immediate relief and lasting change to the participants (Leavy, 2017). Action research, especially in education, can be viewed through a variety of theoretical frameworks, however Critical Theory may be at the forefront. This framework draws attention to the fact that there are racial, social, systemic and institutional inequities across the United States, and they have existed and been solidified repeatedly over the course of this country’s history (Anyon, 2009; Crenshaw, 1994; Ladson-Billings & Tate, 1995; Paris, 2012). These inequities hold by controlling the narrative and keeping the focus on what is considered the norm. However, Critical Theory seeks to take control of that narrative, to share that power with others, and to promote diversity and celebrate differences through engaging and sustainable methods (Ladson-Billings & Tate, 1995; Paris, 2012). Action research allows, and truly encourages, the many voices of participants to come together as one with the researcher (Tuck, 2009), highlighting the vulnerability necessary for research studies to truly be successful (Bhattacharya, 2017; Kuntz, 2016). The power of this narrative is insurmountable and can build upon current literature in nearly every field while also amplifying voices that are often hushed.

With so many voices working together, action research can ultimately take on a life of its own and the primary researcher is responsible for writing the narrative that explains the process: documenting each step taken and the effects of those steps, then sharing that information and the learning process with the educational research community (Bradbury-Huang, 2015). With a strong foundation in the current literature and an awareness of the social barriers affecting participants, the primary researcher can work as a guide or mentor, encouraging the participants to lead the charge and validating their experiences throughout this process (Bhattacharya, 2017; Kuntz, 2016; Slapac & Navarro, 2011). Even when participants do not take an active role, there is a continual awareness of the participants’ explicit influence throughout the research process, allowing for more opportunities for growth and change, but also hindering the predictability of the research (Tuck, 2009). In doing so, this type of research can grow to be so much larger than what was imagined, leading to real and lasting change brought on or inspired by the participants. What may start as a small and simple research project in one classroom may grow to positively impact hundreds more students, families, and communities. Therefore, it is also important to note that action research is not a linear process. In particular, educators have shown the cyclical nature of action research by continually assessing and recalibrating lessons each and every day in accordance with data from students or participants, including informal feedback and formal assessments (Tomlinson & Moon, 2013).