Action Research for Teacher Librarians

Step 1: Identify Issue/Design research question

Step 2: Review professional literature

Step 3: Analyse current context

Step 4: Collect data using several methods

Step 5: Organise & interpret data

Step 6: Reflect, revise, implement changes

Identify an area of practice you would like to improve or evaluate. Design a rich question to frame research.

Review the professional literature to identify if others have investigated this area. Familiarise yourself with current research.

Develop a baseline by exploring the current situation. Plan for ethical research by seeking permissions where necessary.

Collect data using different methods. Consider questionairres, surveys, interviews, observation. Trianguate for validity and reliability.

Organise and interpret data. Identify themes or common threads of evidence. Seek context in the literature, with colleagues & your own expertise.

Reflect on findings, share as a report or implement changes. Review and evaluate, and iterate as necessary.

ACTION RESEARCH

FOR TEACHER LIBRARIANS

SOURCES

California State University. (2016). Action Research Model - Teacher Grants -. Retrieved May 29, 2017, from http://www.csuchico.edu/teacher-grants/CILS/ar_model.shtml
Howard, J. K., & Eckhardt, S. A. (2005). Why Action Research: The Leadership Role of the Library Media Specialist. Library Media Connection, 24(2), 32.
Laycock,D. & Long, M. (2010) Action Research? Anyone Can! Your guide to action research. International Boys' School Coalition, Retrieved from http://drjj.uitm.edu.my/DRJJ/MATRIC2010/5.%20Anyone_can_Action_Research-DRJJ-02022010.pdf

Mertler, C. A. (2009). Action research: Teachers as researchers in the classroom (2nd ed.). Los Angeles: Sage.

Robins, J. (2015). Action research empowers school librarians. School Library Media Research, 18, 1-38.

CREATED BY

Kay Oddone http://www.linkinglearning.com.au/

What is Action Research?

Why use Action Research?

What could I research?

How do I conduct Action Research?

a collaborative research process, by teachers, for teachers, in order to improve their own practice.

a practical and relevant way for teachers to undertake a planned, systematic approach to investigate change for improvement.

a method of critically reflecting on one's teaching.

a cyclical and iterative process of planning, acting, developing and reflecting.

Mertler, C. (2006)

captures qualitative evidence for library reporting which demonstrates the rich role of the library and the teacher librarian beyond simple statistics.

Action research:

provides a method for teacher librarian reflection to be systematic and evidence-
based.

enhances collaboration between teacher librarian and teaching staff, and informs complex decision-making

creates high quality, context specific evidence to inform and improve practice.

Robins, J. (2015)

Topics relevant to the local context. Laycock and Long (2010) suggest you "Start off with a question, like Why do the boys in my class...? Think about how you could develop
that question into something which includes an intervention, like What happens when I ...?