Planning for Action Research

•Initial planning for action research includes:

•Identifying and limiting a topic

•Gathering information related to the topic

•Reviewing related literature

•Early stages are crucial in any research project

•Lays the “groundwork” for all that follows

•Nothing shapes the remainder of a study as much as specifying the topic or problem

•Problems with being too broad or vague, or being too narrow

•Possible topic areas:

•A teaching method or instructional materials

•Classroom management

•Identifying a problem

•Examining an area of interest

•Once a topic has been identified, it should be evaluated against several practical considerations:

•Personal interest in the topic

•Importance of the topic

•Time requirements for conducting the study

•Anticipated difficulty of the study

•Potential monetary costs

•Issues related to ethics in conducting research

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