Action Research Project:
(From Syllabus)
Overview:
Your learning team will have two assignments: An Action Research Prospectus and a multimedia
presentation. The purpose of completing an Action Research Prospectus is to investigate a classroom
problem, find out what others have written about the problem, develop a range of solutions to the problem,
recommend one of the solutions and plan its implementation. The multimedia presentation will serve to
present your research prospectus to an audience of your choosing (your school’s faculty, the board,
parents).
Your Prospectus consists of the following sections. Each of these sections will be developed during each
week of the course:
I. Focus and formulation of the problem statements
II. Questions you asked
III. Summary of what has been written about the problem with possible solutions
IV. Recommended solution
V. Solution implementation plan including tasks, dates, costs, and your method for
determining if your solution succeeds.
Week 1
Selection of Focus/Formulation of the Problem Statement: During this initial week, you and your
teammates will work collaboratively to select a focus for your research prospectus and write a problem
statement. This is an important first step. It can also be a more challenging step in the process because it
requires you to engage in reflective practice, participate in analytical discourse and establish priorities for
your action-planning project. The research prospectus your learning team develops must effectively direct
all of the key stakeholders to proceed in the same direction (shared vision). In order to select a focus for
your action-planning project, your learning team should consider the following:
1. Discuss with your learning team your concerns in reference to teaching and learning.
2. Identify issues or concerns that are most significant to your group.
3. Select an issue or concern that needs to be addressed in order to improve instruction.
4. Be sure that the issue or concern that is selected is within the control of a teacher.
5. Draft a written statement that concisely describes the problem or issues that are being addressed
with the action plan.
6. Use the Action Research Prospectus Outline found in Files and Material - Week 1 to help you
conceive this part of your prospectus.
Week 2
Questions and Data To Help Answer Those Questions: Having identified a specific focus and drafted a
focus and problem statement that describes the direction of your research, it will now be essential for your
learning team to carefully consider and agree upon a specific questions that will form the basis of your
action plan. Each question needs to be supported by at least two ways of answering the question, including
the sources of data that you may use to answer the questions. It is important to begin to identify appropriate
data that you can collect to answer the questions
Week 3
Summarizing and Synthesizing: At this time your learning team should have identified and mutually
agreed upon the focus of your action plan. You should have also begun to develop questions and identify
appropriate data sources that can be used to obtain pertinent information. You and the members of your
team must now identify relevant literature that may give you insight into the problem on which you are
focusing. The literature you find can describe the problem, describe causes of the problem, and identify
potential solutions. Your task is to find literature that is sufficiently compelling to convince even the most
skeptical teachers of the value of the solutions that you will propose to the problem that you are
considering. This phase will help you to be able to later identify the types of change you may implement.
Your summary should contain at least ten sources. You can use a variety of sources, but the best to use
research done about your problem. Opinion pieces can be used, but with some caution. You should ensure
that the author of an opinion piece has enough standing to be credible. You should avoid books because
you don’t have the time to read them. You can use websites as long as the website is an authority on your
topic. For example, if you were investigating the use of the Wilson Reading System, you could include the
Wilson Language Training website ( as a reference. You should
summarize the information. You do not need to critique it. This is not a complete look at the literature in
which you have to present all sides and all types – good and bad. It’s just a summary of the literature that
will help you decide on a course of action. You also do not need to formally evaluate your sources. If
something you find is not very good, leave it out. You can make a general statement about how useful the
literature is in helping you decide on a course of action. Make sure that report resources that not only
describe the problem but also propose solutions. At this point, you are simply describing the problem and
potential solutions. In the next week, you will analyze those solutions for their usefulness in your
classroom.
Week 4
Identifying Potential Solutions to Your Problem: Through the literature you have chosen, identify
potential solutions to the problem. In the previous week, you have summarized solutions presented in the
literature. In this part of the course, you will evaluate those solutions for their usefulness in their classroom.
You can choose one solution, a combination of solutions, or synthesize a solution from your readings. You
will recommend this solution for implementation in your classroom.
Week 5
Action Plan: Identifying Target Dates, Costs, and Strategies for Determining whether the Solution You
Have Chosen is Succeeds: At this time, you and the members of your team will identify the tasks,
constraints and methods of data organization to support your action plan. In order to construct the most
relevant, meaningful and effective action plan, your team should now consider the following:
1. Collectively examine the tasks, resources, constraints, etc.
2. Make a determination as to specific target dates for the completion of individual tasks.
3. Identify cost estimates for each of the planned tasks.
4. Carefully consider appropriate methods that you will use to see if your proposed solution
succeeds.
5. Appropriately delegate action plan construction responsibilities across your learning team.
6. Complete and exchange your information and ideas across the members of your team.
Provide necessary feedback.
Week 6
Individual Activity:
Due by the Tuesday after Week 6
Completion of the Executive Summary
Each of you will complete an Executive Summary to be turned in at the end of Week 6. Again, be sure that
you include the following in your executive summary:
I. Purpose and scope of Action Plan
II. Summary of the Problem and Solutions
III. Recommendations
IV. Implementation Plan for the Solution
V. Other supportive documentation
Submit your executive summary through the Assignment Portal.
Learning Team Activity:
Due by the Tuesday after Week 7
Multimedia Presentation of the Action Plan
Develop a multimedia presentation of your action plan that you will present to the Board of Education,
school faculty, parents, or another interested party. Be sure to identify your target audience for your
presentation. Submit our presentation through the assignment portal.
Week 7
Learning Team Activity:
Due by the Tuesday after Week 7
Examination, Evaluation and Promotion of the Action Plan: Now that you have identified a
problem, found solutions, evaluated the solutions and recommended a solution, it is time to put
together your plan of action. During Week Five, you and the members of your learning team will
further examine, evaluate, and refine, as necessary, the action plan prospectus. Refer to the Instructor
Notes, Readings, Action Plan Rubric, Action Research Workbook, and Executive Summary Rubric
to individually and collectively evaluate your products and refine, as necessary. In addition, consider
the following questions:
oDoes the team’s shared vision/philosophy relate well to the action plan?
oAre the components of the action plan presented in a well organized manner?
oAre all tasks to implement the proposed solution assigned? Do they provide appropriate
target dates.
oAre constraints and costs identified for each of the tasks?
Go to the Research Prospectus Wiki for this course and make any necessary revisions.