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Arhar, Joanne M., Holly,
Mary L. & Kasten, Wendy C. (2001). Action research for
teachers: traveling the yellow brick road. Upper Saddle
River, NJ: Merrill Prentice Hall.
346 pp.
ISBN 0-13-769225-0
Reviewed by Terence A.
Beck
University of Puget
Sound
April 23,
2002
Action Research for
Teachers results from a
collaboration among three Kent State University teacher-educators
with extensive experience in professional development and action
research. The authors were unable to find the right book to
introduce action research to their pre-service and graduate
students. They began writing and this text is the result.
Designed as "a book that would enable and support teachers to
become experts in their own practice as well as articulate
spokespersons, critics, and colleagues able to communicate to
others their appreciations and understandings" (p. 1), Action
Research for Teachers' most important contribution is the
wealth of practical advice it contains. Instructors of courses
that include an action research component, and people who engage
in action research themselves, would do well to examine this book
carefully. In this review, I begin with an overview of the book
before considering its strengths and weaknesses.
Action research, as
conceptualized in this text, falls clearly in the tradition of
Lawrence Stenhouse. That is, the authors present action research
as a means for reforming practice that is systemic, empirical,
self-critical, and naturalistic in its roots (Fishman &
McCarthy, 2000). Action research is based in the questions of
teachers. It offers potential for cultural change, educational
improvement, and for enabling "our work to be more efficient and
targeted so that we actually save time" (p. 8, emphasis in
original).
The authors use seven
sections to address both the theoretical and practical issues of
action research. The first three sections approach the
theoretical side of action research—its history, meanings, and
purposes. The final four sections directly address the practical
issues an action researcher encounters, such as designing a
study, collecting and analyzing data, and sharing results. From
cover to cover a "Wizard of Oz" motif permeates and is used to
raise issues and questions in an interactive manner. The authors
write that, "journey is a good metaphor for the processes
involved in doing action research. If you recall, Dorothy and
her friends use courage, mind, and heart to meet and overcome the
many challenges and obstacles on the road to Oz" (p.
3).
The theoretical sections
are organized as follows. Section one provides a rationale for
action research and argues for the place of action research in
the professional lives of teachers. Action research is presented
here as a means for teachers to "continue to develop
professionally in the face of rapid and needed change" (p. 10).
Section two tackles the concept of action research itself,
addressing questions of the nature of action research and how
action research fits with other research paradigms.
Experimental, naturalistic, and critical approaches to research
are introduced and compared with action research. Section three
considers action research as an exploration of the self, arguing
that a link exists between professional and personal growth and
development—that the self must be considered at every step of
the journey.
Section four begins the
examination of "doing" action research. In section four the
authors consider how research questions are formulated and how
practice might be explored and problematized. Teachers are
provided with questions to guide their generation of research
questions and with examples of the kinds of questions action
researchers typically pursue. Section five addresses the design
and planning of action research studies, providing rich examples
and abundant possibilities at an impressive level of detail.
Section six considers how data can be analyzed and interpreted in
ways that are specific to the different kinds of questions
different action researchers might ask. Finally, section seven
advises the reader on the writing up and sharing of action
research.
The book is designed as
a textbook to aide both novice and practicing action
researchers. Like many textbooks, Action Research for
Teachers addresses an enormous array of topics. This feature
makes the book alternately brilliant and boring, helpful and
confusing. The book brilliantly addresses the complexity of
selecting a good question, compiles helpful resource material,
uses tables and charts, and confronts the often neglected issue
of sharing research results. The book struggles with issues of
purpose, consistency, and audience. I tackle first the four
areas of brilliance before registering my complaints.
First, selecting a good
question is fundamental to the success of an action research
project. Section four deals with this critical issue in a way
that acknowledges the difficulty and importance of the process.
The authors highlight a "lenses for inquiry" format that
illustrates how a similar issue can be examined in the context of
a single student, a small group, a class or curricular area, or
system wide. For example, teachers may be troubled by the
increased pressure to retain students who do not meet a
particular standard. This concern might be researched in a
variety of ways. The teachers might explore the impact of
retention on a single student who attends their classes. The
teachers might also consider a small group of students, either in
a single class or across their classes. The same issue might be
explored from a curricular, or class perspective. That is, how
does the threat or reality of retention impact the design of
classroom curriculum or the attitudes of students in our classes?
Finally, the teachers might look system-wide at the practical
effects of the policy. Such a conceptualization is beneficial on
at least two counts: 1) it can assist teachers in taking an area
of interest that seems fuzzy and ill-formed, and by considering
the issue through different "lenses," craft a clear and specific
question; and 2) it helps teachers see how the formulation of a
question has implications for sample size and
selection.
Second, the later
sections of the book contain some impressive and clear
compilations of resource material. Chapter 11, for example,
contains a complete treatment of various kinds of field notes and
extended information on interviewing techniques. Included in the
treatment of interviewing techniques are informal interviews,
questionnaires, critical-incident interviews, sociograms, focus
groups, projective techniques, creative visualizations, and
others. The use of examples in this chapter support the reader's
understanding of the techniques illustrated and their successful
implementation in teachers' action research projects.
Such clarity is evident
in other places as well. For example, an informative section
discusses analytic memos as documents that allow the researcher
to see "patterns of behavior, words, key ideas, events" or to
record "methodological dilemmas" (p. 187). Analytic memos are
illustrated with an example that makes the thinking of the writer
explicit; modeling the kind of thought that good action research
requires. In another section, the often difficult to understand
concept of coding is explained and illustrated in language that
is brief, clear, and absent technicalities that might confuse the
novice action researcher. The variety of the tools examined in
this text make it one practicing action researchers will return
to repeatedly.
A third area of
brilliance is closely related to the variety and clarity of the
resource. That is, the charts and tables used throughout the
practical section of the text are invaluable. One example may
serve to communicate the power of the many figures sprinkled
freely throughout the text. In my work with teachers doing
action research, one of the great challenges is helping them
establish a coherence between what they want to know and the kind
of evidence that might give them good information. It is not
unusual for both the novice and experienced teachers I mentor to
have a question in mind and gather mounds of evidence, only to
discover that their data does not address the question. While
such a tendency cannot be eliminated by a single figure, the
authors attack the problem directly in a table entitled, "What do
I want to know? How do I get at my question?" (Figure 11.17).
On a single page, the authors illustrate the kinds of information
action researchers tend to seek, coupled with the kind of
classroom evidence likely to provide that information. For
example, "If I want to compare more than one intervention," is
paired with, "then I need to document each intervention through
student work and/or student opinions and/or observation" (p.
165). Such a comment is not a complete antidote to the messy
world of action research and the gathering of unnecessary or
insufficient data. However, taken as a whole, the table allows
the reader to see the need for data to directly address the
question at hand. It is an important beginning for novice
researchers and a handy resource for their mentors.
A fourth quality that
sets this book apart from other books on practitioner research is
found in Chapter 17, "Report Formats." Action researchers often
lack the time and expertise to complete the cycle by sharing
their findings with the larger research community. This chapter
takes seriously the challenges of helping teachers write up their
research. The authors resist the temptation to provide a simple
format for everyone to follow. They provide guidance on writing
a "traditional report," an "issues-oriented report," and a report
based on the initial research design. Included with this
guidance are suggestions about length and, in one case, criterion
for success. Key questions are used to help action researchers
get started. For example, under "How can I introduce the
report?" the authors ask the reader to consider these questions:
"What are the issues, concerns, problems, and curiosities? What
is my question? … Why am I interested? What do I already
know (through my own experience)? What do others know (other
scholars, colleagues, parents, students)? What do I expect to
find (hunches, hypotheses)? What do I hope to learn?" (p. 254).
Complete with examples, these questions give the writer a place
to start—a way to get over that incredibly difficult initial
hurdle of writing the first sentence.
There is, however,
another side to this text. In places it reads like it was
written by committee, with all the inconsistencies and confusion
such a charge connotes. Three examples illustrate this point.
First, the authors provide an inconsistent message about the
purpose of action research. The introductory chapter describes
action research largely in terms of classroom improvement with
only a nod toward social justice and equity. The authors'
initial emphasis is on professional development, reflective
practice, learning from experience, staff development, and as
noted above, saving time. Later however, the reader is
introduced to the idea that, "[a]ction research involves an
ethical commitment to improving society (to make it more just),
improving ourselves (that we may become more conscious of our
responsibility as members of a democratic society), and
ultimately improving our lives together (building community)" (p.
30). Regardless of the intent of the authors, the purposes of
action research seems to change depending on the chapter.
Sometimes I understood that the form of action research described
in this book is interested in mundane practicalities such as
curriculum adoption and saving time. At other times, it seemed
that only those interested in saving society should engage in
action research.
Second, many sections
lack internal consistency. Information is included that seems to
miss the point, or the writing wanders from what was promised.
For example, the authors include a section designed to illustrate
how a teacher designs and documents an action research study.
They introduce the section with the sentence, "Let's look at the
Democratic Classroom Study to see how Rosie described her design
plans" (p. 131). As promised, the first portion deals with
Rosie's design. But after that, the illustration falls apart.
We hear next about Shawn and her ESL study followed by the
replacement of study-specific illustrations with a generalized
discussion of design. I found myself regularly confused by
inconsistencies such as these.
Third, the beginning,
theoretical sections of the book sacrifice depth and
understanding for coverage. The authors discuss teaching
philosophy, research paradigms, theories of learning, and human
development from birth to adulthood. While there is certainly a
place for each of these topics in a discussion of action
research, attempting to include them all results in sections of
text that are difficult to follow with tenuous connections to
action research. Beginning the book with difficult and unfocused
text may cause the reader to give up before encountering the
final four sections that make persistence worthwhile.
One final issue is worth
noting by anyone considering Action Research for
Teachers. The authors have made serious attempts to write in
an inviting and approachable manner. To that end, they employ a
"yellow brick road" motif throughout the book. We are invited on
a journey to explore the forest. The Oz characters appear
regularly to question the authors and express their concerns or
confusions. The yellow brick road and the Emerald City dominate
the front cover with the ruby slippers prominent on the back.
Some users of this text will no doubt find the theme delightful,
engaging, and helpful. That was not the case for me. I
struggled with understanding the Oz metaphor. At times it seemed
like Dorothy and her friends represented the action researcher.
At other times, the researcher is asked to join a "profession of
wizards." The application of the metaphor seemed random and, as
a result, it detracted from the book's readability. Further,
including the characterizations and affectations of the Lion and
other Oz characters (e.g., "sometimes that means standing tall
and not running away when your stomach says EeeYuCK!") left me
embarrassed and questioning the academic integrity of the
text.
Though it appears
well-intended, the Wizard of Oz motif creates in me a serious
hesitation about asking the students and teachers I work with to
purchase this book. Rather than an aide to understanding and a
means for engaging in the text, the motif regularly made me feel
talked down to, uncomfortable, and confused. I worry that the
motif might have the same effect on my students—an unnecessary
barrier to understanding the important ideas the authors are
attempting to communicate.
In summary, Action
Research for Teachers is a wonderful resource for those
teaching and doing action research. However, it is not the final
answer to the problem of finding a text that can successfully
guide new and experienced teachers along the action research
journey. The reader is constantly distracted by Dorothy and her
companions. The theoretical section of the book attempts too
much in too little space—building important concepts on shaky
foundations. Yet, these concerns do not negate the enormous
contribution of the practical sections of the book. These
sections manage to present powerful and diverse methodologies in
ways that makes them accessible to novice action researchers.
This feature makes the book a rich resource for anyone who wishes
to engage in teacher research or to help others do so.
References
Fishman, S. M., &
McCarthy, L. (2000). Unplayed tapes: a personal history of
collaborative teacher research. New York: Teachers College
Press.
About the
Reviewer
Terence Beck is an
Assistant Professor at the University of Puget Sound. He teaches
courses in educational sociology, psychology, multicultural
education, and curriculum and instruction. He supervises
students engaging in practitioner research projects based upon
their student teaching experiences. Terence also works with
teachers researching their practice through a grant from The
Spencer Foundation. His research interests include classroom
discourse (particularly around student questions), democratic
citizenship education, and the impact of practitioner research on
individual teachers, practitioner research groups, and the
schools in which they work.
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