I think that the main characteristic of an engaging action research report is the fact that they relate to real world problems we face in the classroom on a daily basis, not just figures found on a topic (Blichfeldt & Anderson, 2006). Action research reports allow us to read other’s actions and apply them to our own “problem.” There is a personal draw to the report because we have a reason and desire to read the report so we can apply what worked for others in our own classroom (Ferrance, 2000). This allows for automatic engagement in the report because it becomes personal rather than just informational. This then allows for the development of the teacher, rather than the acquisition of general knowledge as we incorporate what we have learned with our students (Ferrance, 2000).
Another characteristic of an engaging action report is that it should allow a person who reads the information to reflect on their own teaching and then act (Harrison & Callan, 2013). The reader can decide “what can be taken from the story” (Blichfeldt & Anderson, 2006) and used in their professional lives, rather than being told what to take away because action research separates action from research (Ferrance, 2000). As a reader of a report, it is more helpful to read situations about what happened, rather than just be given numbers about a particular incident. This allows me to take away useful information about what works in words which can be easily analyzed and applied to my classroom, rather than just numbers which may be of no use at all.
A third characteristic of an engaging action report is that it is cyclical (Ferrance, 2000). It gives the full circle of the topic by showing what worked and what didn’t work, as well as action taken after something didn’t work. Action research is nonlinear because it shows a pattern of planning, acting, observing, and the reflections of these three different aspects (Ferrance, 2000). An engaging action report does not start at point A and get to point B with research gathered from books and articles, it investigates the problem in a real world setting and applies the information gathered (Blichfeldt & Anderson, 2006). This allows the reader to know exactly what worked and what did not so they don’t have to make the same “mistakes” and may be able to have a “positive outcome” sooner.
Engagement is key to keeping a reader’s attention throughout the report. An introduction that briefly explains the topic and catches the reader’s eye from the beginning is essential. Throughout the report, applicability to one’s own situation automatically allows for a reader to want to keep looking through the report. Also having the positive and negative aspects can ultimately make life easier because the reader can make necessary changes based on the given information, which would keep my attention, so I think it has the potential to keep other’s. I think these elements would make any action research report engaging to the reader.
Bibliography
Blichfeldt, B., & Andersen, J. (2006). Creating a wider audience for action research: Learning from case-study research. Journal of Research Practice, 2(1).
Ferrance, E. (2000). Themes in education: Action research. Providence, RI: Brown University.
Harrison, L., & Callan, T. (2013). Key research concepts in politics & international relations. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications.