Action Research in Education
Exam Materials
Course Introduction
Action Research in Education explores the principles, methods, and applications of action research as a dynamic approach to improving educational practices. This course guides students through the cyclical process of identifying issues, planning interventions, collecting and analyzing data, and implementing change within educational settings. Emphasizing collaboration, reflection, and critical inquiry, students will learn how to design and conduct their own action research projects, interpret findings, and use results to inform and shape effective teaching and learning strategies. The course also addresses ethical considerations, the role of educators as researchers, and the impact of action research on classroom and school-wide improvement.
Recommended Textbook
Introduction to Educational Research Second Edition by Craig A. Mertler
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Chapter 1: What Is Educational Research
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Sample Questions
Q1) A type of variable that is "presumed to cause changes in another variable" is known as which of the following?
A) outcome variable
B) dependent variable
C) independent variable
D) response variable
Answer: C
Q2) Which part of the research process is often the most daunting?
A) the review of existing literature related to the topic or problem.
B) the formulation of a specific plan for conducting the research
C) the collection, analysis, and interpretation of data
D) the explanation of findings
Answer: C
Q3) The purpose of data collection, analysis, and interpretation in educational research is to ______.
A) enhance researchers' skills in research
B) enhance research by improving the competences of the educational researchers
C) aid researchers' quest for knowledge
D) answer the inherent question or problem under investigation
Answer: D
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Chapter 2: Overview of the Educational Research Process
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Q1) How the research study will actually be conducted is known as the ______.
A) executive plan
B) research plan
C) research method
D) executive method
Answer: C
Q2) How many steps are there in the educational research process?
A) six
B) seven
C) eight
D) nine
Answer: C
Q3) Topics for educational research should be of interest to the researcher because ______.
A) he or she has experience in/related to the research topic area
B) conducting a research study is a substantial investment
C) familiar topics are easiest to manage
D) conducting a research study is not a substantial investment
Answer: B
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Page 4
Chapter 3: Identifying a Research Problem
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Sample Questions
Q1) Define research question and discuss its purpose in conducting research. Answer: Answer would ideally include: The research question is the fundamental question inherent in the research topic and, in particular, in the research study at hand. It serves as the main guide to the remainder of the study, since the goal of the study will be to provide an answer to this question. In essence, the research question is typically the reaffirmation of the problem statement simply in the form of a question.
Q2) Having a personal interest in a research topic is unimportant to conducting a study.
A)True
B)False
Answer: False
Q3) If a research topic is too ______, the researcher may become overwhelmed with too many possibilities.
A) broad
B) narrow
C) objective
D) lengthy
Answer: A
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Page 5
Chapter 4: Ethics in Educational Research
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Sample Questions
Q1) Adults provide assent, children provide consent.
A)True
B)False
Q2) A research proposal receives a(n) ______ from IRB if participants will not be exposed to any noticeable risk.
A) partial review
B) exemption from review
C) expedited review
D) full-board review
Q3) Informed consent is typically provided by ______.
A) verbal agreement with the researcher
B) signing a form that describes what participation in the study will entail
C) signing a form that requires notarization
D) e-mail correspondence between the researcher and the participant
Q4) When a study involves human participants, it is generally assumed that the risk associated with participating in the study should not be greater than the normal risks of day-to-day life.
A)True
B)False
Q5) What is informed consent?
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Chapter 5: Reviewing Related Research Literature
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Q1) An indication you have done a reasonably good job of reviewing literature on your topic includes ______.
A) having 5-10 resources
B) when you no longer see the same articles and the same authors cited across all the literature you are reviewing
C) when you begin to recognize the major contributors in the field
D) when you have searched the ERIC database
Q2) Literature reviews should be as objective as possible, presenting ______.
A) all sides of a body of research
B) only certain aspects of a body of research
C) information deemed important by the researcher
D) information not directly related to the body of research
Q3) The two types of sources for review are ______.
A) reports and white papers
B) journal articles and books
C) primary and secondary
D) professional and nonprofessional
Q4) Explain the differences between primary and secondary sources.
Q5) What are three of the additional databases listed in Chapter 5?
Q6) Discuss the pertinence of academic databases to the literature review.
Page 7
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Chapter 6: Qualitative Research Methods
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Q1) A(n) ______ involves the experiences of a person's life but is told by the individual who is the subject of the study.
A) autobiographical study
B) biographical study
C) authentic study
D) generic story
Q2) How is qualitative research descriptive?
Q3) The focus of qualitative research tends to be on the ______ of a particular activity.
A) simplicity
B) efficiency
C) quality
D) background
Q4) A ______ portrays an individual's entire life.
A) personal history
B) biographical history
C) life history
D) oral history
Q5) Explain the differences among the commonly used qualitative research designs.
Q6) Discuss the weaknesses of narrative research.
Page 8
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Chapter 7: Quantitative Research Methods
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Sample Questions
Q1) What do quantitative researchers do?
A) conduct the study in abbreviated ways
B) believe the world is stable and can be measured
C) use holistic description
D) analyze via thick description
Q2) ______ designs involve two or more ______ variables, at least one of which is manipulated.
A) Single-variable; independent
B) Single-variable; dependent
C) Factorial; independent
D) Factorial; dependent
Q3) Explain why the results of correlational research can be used for prediction purposes.
Q4) What is the purpose of conducting quantitative research studies?
A) to be able to construct a narrative case study
B) to investigate by measuring variables
C) to investigate the quality of a given topic
D) to make critical change
Q5) Discuss the strengths and weaknesses of quasi-experimental research.
Q6) Describe a pilot test and explain it's basic purpose.
Page 9
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Chapter 8: Mixed-Methods Research
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Q1) If the phases of data collection are simultaneous, or occur relatively close in time, we refer to the study as a ______; if the phases of data collection are distinctly separated by substantial periods of time, we might refer to the study as a ______.
A) multiphase mixed-methods study; multiproject quantitative study
B) multiphase mixed-methods study; multiproject qualitative study
C) multiproject mixed-methods study; multiphase mixed-methods study
D) multiphase mixed-methods study; multiproject mixed-methods study
Q2) In some research situations, a second method can be added to provide enhanced understanding of some phase of research that has not yet been conducted.
A)True B)False
Q3) Many research studies require multiple research phases, which may or may not be viewed as individual, separate studies.
A)True
B)False
Q4) What does it mean that "a need exists to explain initial results?"
Q5) Discuss the three methods for classifying timing.
Q6) Describe the difference between mixed-methods and mixed-model designs.
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Chapter 9: Action Research
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Sample Questions
Q1) A possible and common topic area for action research studies is ______.
A) identifying a problem
B) analyzing data independently
C) manipulating control conditions
D) replicating previous research
Q2) The focus of ______ research is more on the "how-to" approach to the process of conducting action research.
A) participatory
B) theoretical
C) practical
D) hands-on
Q3) ______ is unique to action research and is the process of gathering preliminary background information.
A) Exploration
B) Reflection
C) Reconnaissance
D) Justification
Q4) What is reflective teaching?
Q5) Describe how action research can improve educational practices.
Q6) What are the four stages of the model of action research?
Page 11
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Chapter 10: Writing a Research Proposal
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Sample Questions
Q1) What are assumptions?
Q2) The main sections found in a quantitative research proposal include ______.
A) a review of related literature
B) publication outlet
C) data sheets
D) participant names
Q3) The justification for the study may also be referred to as the rationale for the study.
A)True
B)False
Q4) The research participants/sample section will clearly identify your participants by name.
A)True
B)False
Q5) What do research proposals include?
A) statistical data
B) information about specific participants
C) research questions
D) potential publication options.
Q6) Describe the instrumentation section in a quantitative research proposal.
Page 12
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Chapter 11: Qualitative Data Collection and Analysis
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Sample Questions
Q1) Describe extreme case sampling.
Q2) Describe the five criteria for establishing the validity of qualitative research through concrete actions to be taken by the researcher.
Q3) Open-ended questions should not depend on the interviewee's interpretation of the question.
A)True
B)False
Q4) According to Creswell (2005), qualitative researchers intentionally ______.
A) provide a detailed, written plan
B) select specific individuals and sights
C) investigate the quality of a given topic
D) investigate many topics from different perspectives
Q5) Before we can collect data in qualitative studies, we must identify and select the participants.
A)True
B)False
Q6) Discuss the benefits of focus groups. Also, discuss why the author cautions researchers to be careful when using focus groups.
Q7) Explain the concept of triangulation.
Page 13
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Chapter 12: Quantitative Data Collection
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Sample Questions
Q1) Which of the following is true of convenience sampling?
A) It improves education, in general, by incorporating change.
B) It is determined by the participants' location.
C) It is practiced by all qualitative researchers.
D) It emphasizes people/sites that are accessible to the researcher.
Q2) Standardized tests exist in a wide variety, ranging in type, purpose, and resulting data (i.e., scores).
A)True
B)False
Q3) Explain how researchers decide what type of sampling to use in quantitative studies.
Q4) Quantitative researchers tend to ______.
A) differ from qualitative methods
B) generalize results to the entire population
C) contain seven key components
D) target specific people
Q5) Explain the quantitative researcher's role in data analysis.
Q6) Give an example of variables that are associated with each type of measurement scale.
Q7) Describe a measurement scale.
14
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Chapter 13: Quantitative Data Analysis
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Q1) A purpose of conducting statistical analysis procedures is not to ______.
A) conduct the study independently
B) show relationships among variables
C) show similarities and differences among groups
D) test for significance of findings
Q2) Describe the cautions in the use of quantitative data analysis.
Q3) One purpose behind statistical procedures is to summarize data and reveal what is typical and atypical within a group.
A)True
B)False
Q4) ______ are much more complex than ______.
A) Statistics; data
B) Data; statistics
C) Inferential statistics; descriptive statistics
D) Descriptive statistics; inferential statistics
Q5) Which of the following is true of alternative hypotheses?
A) They are different from research hypotheses.
B) They are symbolized by H .
C) State that two group means are not equal.
D) State that two group means are equal.
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Chapter 14: Writing a Final Research Report
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Sample Questions
Q1) Researchers should make every effort to be ______ in your write-up.
A) stratified
B) progressive
C) uncorrelated
D) impartial
Q2) Each audience has its own unique criteria, expectations, and standards for written research reports.
A)True
B)False
Q3) Quantitative studies use which type of person?
A) first person
B) third person
C) second person
D) negative person
Q4) Describe conventions and their purpose in academic writing.
Q5) To achieve "economy of expression," keep your message ______.
A) straightforward and simple
B) detailed and long
C) elaborate and flowery
D) clear and expressive
Page 16
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