41 | How can I explore? After briefly revisiting Andrea’s story, we will learn
about twelve different kinds of data source that
teachers have found it realistic to use in Exploratory
Action Research. We will then see how Mauro –
another Champion Teacher – gathered data to
answer his research questions, and we will also see
how useful it can be to combine several different
sources of information. On this basis, we provide
some tasks to help you decide how to gather data
to find answers for your own research questions.
5.1 Different sources of information Let’s recall Andrea’s story, which we first came across
in Chapter Three. Her exploratory questions (EQs) were:
1. What is a wrapping up?
2. What are the characteristics of my wrapping up?
3. How do my students react in that part of the class?
Once she had gathered enough information to answer
these questions, she decided to try various new ways of
wrapping up her class. As we saw at the end of Chapter
Three, the basic ‘action research question’ (AQ) is always:
4. What are the effects of the change(s) that I attempt?
Andrea didn’t clearly state this question in her report,
but it’s clear that, after she explored the situation, she
decided to try out different activities at the end of her
lessons, and in each case, tried to see how effective these
activities were. In order to do this she compared what
happened with what she had previously discovered.
Task 5.1 @ What, more precisely, did she do to try to answer her
research questions (1., 2., 3., and 4.) ? Write (a), (b), (c)
and/or (d) next to each question in Box A below…
[Hint: (b) and (d) can be used more than once]
Box A. Andrea’s exploratory and action research questions:
1. What is a wrapping up? 2. What are the characteristics of my wrapping up?
