Before beginning to prepare and plan my action research study, I made sure I knew what action research was.
“Action research is a research method that aims to simultaneously investigate and solve an issue. In other words, as its name suggests, action research conducts research and acts at the same time. It was first coined as a term in 1944 by MIT professor Kurt Lewin.” (George, 2023)
I learned from the definition and explanation of an action research project that there are two main kinds of action research, and the type I would be doing is known as participatory action research because it would focus on participants, who would be people who work in the industry or community being studied. Consequently, empowering those who will be immediately impacted by the research’s conclusions. As a result, participants may work as productive co-researchers because the research process would be shaped by their lived experiences (George, 2023).
I also discovered that defining an issue is the first step in any action research project, then moved on to a multi-phase research strategy or process to reach a result (Villegas, 2022). This made it possible for me to determine that, to carry out my study, I would need several phases. These phases are:
- Research Question or establishing an issue.
- Research (split into 3 parts) – See action plan flow chart.
- Feedback
- Evaluate
- Conclude
Link to MP Action plan: Original ARP Work plan.xlsx
After deciding on the five (7) steps, I started thinking carefully about the specific findings, that I hoped to extract from my research and this brought me to the theory of change.
“A theory of change is a diagram or written description of the strategies, actions, conditions and resources that facilitate change and achieve outcomes.” (aifs.gov.au, n.d.)
The causal sequence of events from the intervention’s execution to the intended result is explained by a theory of change. Its ‘explanatory power’ is based on its ability to clarify why you expect certain actions or activities will result in outcomes (Reinholz & Andrews, 2020). All evaluations of education interventions should begin with a theory of change, so before designing a research study, I need to understand how my intervention will work, consider who it will affect and identify relevant outcomes (Theory of Change, n.d.).
How may my intervention work?
The five phases of my action plan are a sequence diagram: see Original ARP Work plan to detail the primary research activities, their outcomes and how they informed my ARP activity or intervention: my methodology and raw data/responses from participants. Then my evaluation of the data/my findings or intermediate outcomes and my conclusion or outcomes.
Who may my intervention affect?
My practice: Increasing my workload after consulting with professionals. However, assistance with preparing professionals for industry and student engagement (Edutopia, n.d.).
Students: Shield them from potential industry-wide professional bias and improve a more inclusive employability session (Gray, 2019).
Industry: Inform their content and resources in delivery and prepare them to engage with students with an inclusive approach (Yale University, 2010).
UAL: Sharing values and ethics (best practice) to encourage inclusive approaches in student and industry engagement at LCC/UAL (CIPD, n.d.).
Identify relevant outcomes.
This will be detailed in my conclusion, which I have not yet written, but I anticipate that the relevant outcome should be a positive change in how the industry delivers content in employability sessions.
My action plan enables me to speculate more systematically about how my intervention may affect outcomes and what actions or changes are anticipated because of the intervention.
If my ARP plans had shown that a change would not happen, I would have been obliged to start over as a researcher and develop a strategy that included a shift of some type that could guide my practice (Theory of Change, n.d.). The change that should occur is how industry professionals engage with students, post undertaking the module.
After completing my intended ARP activity, I will assess my findings using the theory of change factors.
References
George, T. (2023). What Is Action Research? | Definition & Examples. [online] Scribbr. Available at: https://www.scribbr.co.uk/research-methods/action-research-cycle/#:~:text=Action%20research%20is%20a%20research .
Villegas, F. (2022). Action Research: What it is, Stages & Examples. [online] QuestionPro. Available at: https://www.questionpro.com/blog/action-research/#stages_of_action_research.
aifs.gov.au. (n.d.). What is theory of change? [online] Available at: https://aifs.gov.au/resources/practice-guides/what-theory-change#:~:text=A%20theory%20of%20change%20is%20a%20diagram%20or%20written%20description
Theory of Change. (n.d.). Available at: https://oese.ed.gov/files/2019/03/02-04-TheoryofChange.pdf
Reinholz, D. L., & Andrews, T. C. (2020). Change theory and theory of change: What’s the difference anyway? International Journal of STEM Education, 7(2).
Gray, A. (2019). The Bias of ‘Professionalism’ Standards (SSIR). [online] ssir.org. Available at: https://ssir.org/articles/entry/the_bias_of_professionalism_standards
Edutopia. (n.d.). Classroom Routines That Support Students’ Voice and Choice. [online] Available at: https://www.edutopia.org/article/classroom-routines-support-students-voice-choice/#:~:text=Routines%20establish%20a%20sense%20of
Yale University (2010). Inclusive Teaching Strategies | Poorvu Center for Teaching and Learning. [online] Yale.edu. Available at: https://poorvucenter.yale.edu/InclusiveTeachingStrategies
CIPD. (n.d.). CIPD | Five actions you can take to foster inclusion. [online] Available at: https://www.cipd.org/uk/knowledge/guides/five-actions-fostering-inclusion/#:~:text=Creating%20an%20inclusive%20climate%20and [Accessed 15 Jan. 2024].