Action research is a method where practitioners investigate real problems in their own work. A teacher notices students checking out during group work and tests a new structure. A nurse reworks a patient handoff protocol. A manager pilots a new feedback process. In each case, the same person is both the investigator and the one living with the results.
The goal isn’t to produce findings for external researchers but to improve one specific practice in one specific setting. For teachers who want to move from occasional trial-and-error to a more structured approach, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville’s online Master of Science in Education (MSEd) in Curriculum and Instruction (C&I) with Emphasis in Advanced Teaching Strategies program, which includes a dedicated Action Research course, is one place to start.
What Is Action Research?
Action research is a cyclical research method. A practitioner identifies a problem, takes action to address it and studies the results. The cycle repeats as the practitioner refines their approach. This structure makes action research iterative rather than linear.
Kurt Lewin coined the term in the 1940s. He wanted a way to connect inquiry with direct, real-world change. Traditional research produces knowledge for others to apply. Action research puts the researcher and the practitioner in the same role. The person with the problem is also the one who studies it.
Action research differs from traditional research in its scope. Traditional research seeks findings that apply to broad groups. Action research is local. Its findings apply to the setting where they were gathered. A solution that works in one classroom may need adjustment before it works in another.
The method is used across many fields. In each case, the aim is practical change, not a broad finding that others must adapt.
Types of Action Research
Action research takes several forms. The two most common are participatory action research and practical action research.
Participatory action research involves the people affected by the problem as active participants. Community members, students or clients help design the study, gather data and review findings. This model is common in social work, public health and community development. The affected group drives the inquiry and owns the results.
Practical action research centers on one practitioner. They focus on a single, specific challenge in their own work. It is more contained than the participatory model and easier to run within a busy work schedule.
Teams can also engage in collaborative action research, where colleagues work together on a shared problem. This version is common in schools. A department studies a shared issue and tests solutions across multiple classrooms. Over time, this builds a shared base of evidence within the team.
Examples of Action Research
Action research appears across many fields. A few examples show the range.
- Education: A middle school teacher notices that students struggle to revise their written work. She designs a revision checklist, applies it over six weeks and tracks whether quality improves. She adjusts the checklist based on what the data shows.
- Healthcare: Action research is widely used in healthcare settings. A team of nurses finds that patients often leave without understanding their discharge instructions. They test a new verbal summary protocol and collect recall scores before and after the test. The data guides refinements to the handoff process.
- Business: A manager notices that new hires leave the company at high rates within their first year. She tests a 90-day check-in system, surveys participants at each stage and compares retention data against prior cohorts.
The problem is real and specific. The goal is local change, not a journal result.
How the Action Research Process Works
Most action research follows a five-step cycle. It is a form of systematic inquiry that practitioners use to investigate and improve their own work. The steps are sequential, but the process loops back to the start as new questions emerge.
- Define the problem: The practitioner names a specific challenge. A broad concern becomes a focused, testable question.
- Review existing evidence: Before acting, the practitioner looks at what is already known. This step connects the local problem to a wider body of knowledge.
- Plan and implement: The practitioner designs an intervention and implements it. This may mean testing a new tool, method or process.
- Collect and analyze data: Data comes from surveys, notes, test scores or records. The practitioner looks for patterns and measures whether the change had any effect.
- Reflect and repeat: The practitioner reviews findings with colleagues. The cycle begins again with a refined question or a new challenge.
Working through all five steps takes practice, especially when it comes to framing a fair test and reading the data honestly rather than selectively. For most teachers, that skill develops faster with structured guidance than with trial and error alone.
Action Research in Teaching Practice
Many teachers build action research skills through graduate study. Structured coursework helps them design studies, collect data and put findings to use in their own classrooms. SIUE’s online MSEd in C&I – Advanced Teaching Strategies program includes a dedicated Action Research course. It prepares teachers to investigate and address challenges in their schools. Graduates leave with skills for inquiry design, data collection and evidence-based teaching decisions.
SIUE built this program around the realities of a full-time teaching schedule, offering six online start dates a year and a path to completion in as few as 12 months. Field experiences are embedded throughout the coursework, so the action research skills covered here translate directly into a teacher’s own classroom rather than staying theoretical.
Ready to bring action research into your own classroom? Learn more about the SIUE online MSEd in C&I – Advanced Teaching Strategies program.
Frequently Asked Questions
Action research raises practical questions for anyone new to the method. The answers below address some of the most common ones.
What is the difference between action research and traditional research?
Traditional research aims to produce findings that apply broadly, while action research focuses on solving a specific problem in a specific setting, with the practitioner acting as both researcher and subject.
How long does an action research cycle take to complete?
The length varies with the size of the problem and the setting, but most cycles run for several weeks to a full semester before the practitioner reflects and begins the next cycle.
Do teachers need formal training to conduct action research?
Teachers can begin informally, but structured graduate coursework helps them design stronger studies, collect reliable data and apply findings with more confidence.
Can action research findings be shared beyond the original classroom or workplace?
Yes. Though the findings are local by design, many practitioners share their results with colleagues or at conferences to inform similar work elsewhere.
About Southern Illinois University Edwardsville
Southern Illinois University Edwardsville (SIUE) is a public university in Edwardsville, Illinois, in the Metro East region of Greater St. Louis. Established in 1957 as an extension of Southern Illinois University Carbondale, SIUE has grown into one of the two major institutions in the Southern Illinois University system. SIUE’s School of Education, Health and Human Behavior oversees the university’s teacher preparation and advanced education programs.
The P-12 teacher and administrator preparation programs are accredited by the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP) and are approved by the Illinois State Board of Education, alongside the university’s own institutional accreditation from the Higher Learning Commission. For working teachers, SIUE built its online MSEd in C&I – Advanced Teaching Strategies program around the demands of a full-time classroom schedule, giving educators a way to sharpen their practice, including courses such as Action Research, without stepping away from their jobs.
