Sharing my Action Research Plan

Sharing Your Action Research Plan, Progress, Findings, and Recommendations

Read chapter 5 from the Dana text, The Travelogue: Sharing your work with others, pp. 135 – 169, and write a description of how you will share the progress and process of your action research project, as well as discussing ways to disseminate your action research project findings and recommendations. Be sure to include information on the four critical tasks you must include in effectively sharing your action research project, see the Dana text, pp. 163 – 169:
1) Provide background information.
2) Share the design of the inquiry (procedures, data collection, and data analysis).

3) State the learning and supporting statements with data.
4) Provide concluding thoughts.

As you describe your dissemination plan, identify who might be your target audience. Identify any specific persons or groups, and explain why you want to share your research with them.

Use this workspace to tell about the target audience to share your Action Research Project Results.

I will begin to share the results first with the middle school campus where I am currently working on the action research plan. More specifically, the principal, special education diagnostician and all teachers will be given the information as the plan progresses along. From there, I will share all the information with the other campuses in the district as well as the administrators. If new programs need to be adopted for behavior strategies, the school board will also be included to not only share the results, but to hopefully find their support for any additional funding that might be needed to make the plan work. Parents must also be included in the implementation of any behavior plans so that everyone can work together. In addition, the community can also be involved with helping in the implementation of the behavior plans. Several of the behavior strategies require a mentor type program and members of the community can volunteer for these positions to help students succeed in their behavior. I also know principals and administrators in other districts will be very interested in hearing the results and the strategies used to help the plan succeed.

Based on your reading from Chapter 5 of the Dana text, describe how you plan to share your research. Be as creative as possible and remember to think out of the box - be sure to include technology and how that can impact your dissemination plans.

Use this workspace for writing about how you plan to share your Action Research Project Results.

Workspace

On the blog I currently use, I plan to post my findings of my action research project. In addition, I have found various principal blogs that I can also use to share my information. I would be very interested in sharing my findings with teachers at an in service or staff meeting as well as a school board meeting using a power point in conjunction with my oral presentation. The presentation would include key facts to show how the project came about as well as graphs to show how special education referrals have decreased as a result of the Behavior Improvement Program. All parents of special education students would receive a write-up with simple bulleted points to show how the project is helping their child. I would also build a database and post it on the school website where interested outside parties (such as other principals not in the district) could ask for permission to join in order to see the results of the action research study. The information shared with others can be far-reaching throughout the state as well as nationally, as I have seen information on the Internet that verifies many states struggle with an excessive number of special education referrals.

After reviewing the four critical tasks you must include in effectively sharing your action research project, briefly explain why each of these tasks must be covered in your sharing. You will review this in more detail in Week 4 as you draft your action research report format.

Use this workspace to explain the importance of these four critical tasks.

Workspace

Providing background information for the action research plan is essential in sharing the initial need for the project and what led to this particular area of study. Sharing the exact problem can help others experiencing the same thing relate and seek to find out more to eliminate or fix the problem. In sharing the design of the inquiry, it is essential to focus on data collection and analysis. Without data to back up the area of focus, there is no way to prove what action needs to be taken to remedy the problem. In the same way, as the research begins, data collection such as surveys and tracking data in areas like discipline, where my plan if focused, is essential to the success of the program. It is also important to share very specific details so anyone studying the plan can understand the research from start to finish. In addition, stating the learning and supporting the statements with data is the third critical task. Being able to defend the action research plan is necessary in supporting the findings. Of utmost importance is the fact that the case is stronger when evidence is provided from multiple sources. This gives the plan a deeper, more complete foundation and shows its importance to not just my school, but multiple audiences. Finally, the fourth critical task is providing concluding thoughts. While the initial questions from the study may or may not be answered fully,it is important to reflect upon the research process and its success or failure. The “wonderings” mentioned in this task can make way to further inquiry and future projects.