Action Research: Planning Process for a Practical Classroom Problem

Identifying a Practical Problem and Planning

an Action Research Process to Solve It

1. Introduction
Action research is a systematic, cyclical process through which practitioners — particularly teachers
— investigate problems within their own professional practice with the aim of bringing about practical
improvement. Unlike traditional academic research, which is often conducted by external researchers
and aims primarily at generating generalizable theoretical knowledge, action research is conducted by
practitioners themselves, is grounded in the specific context of their own classroom or institution, and
is explicitly oriented toward solving a real, immediate, and locally significant problem (Kemmis &
McTaggart, 1988).
Action research holds particular value for teachers because it transforms them from passive consumers
of educational research into active producers of practical professional knowledge. Rather than waiting
for external experts to identify solutions to classroom challenges, teachers who engage in action
research systematically investigate their own practice, test interventions, gather evidence, and
iteratively refine their approach based on what the evidence reveals. This essay identifies a practical,
commonly encountered classroom problem — low student engagement and poor performance in
mathematics among middle-school students — and outlines a detailed action research process
designed to address it.
The discussion that follows draws on the widely used action research cycle developed by Kemmis and
McTaggart (1988), which structures the process into four interconnected stages: planning, action,
observation, and reflection. This essay applies this cyclical framework concretely to the identified
problem, demonstrating how action research moves systematically from problem identification
through to evidence-based improvement of practice.

2. Main Body
2.1 Identifying the Practical Problem
The practical problem selected for this action research study is the persistently low student
engagement and weak conceptual understanding observed among Grade 8 students in mathematics,
particularly in the topic of algebraic expressions and equations. Classroom observation over the course
of a term revealed that a significant proportion of students were able to mechanically apply memorized
procedures to solve routine textbook exercises, yet struggled profoundly when presented with word
problems or novel applications requiring genuine conceptual understanding. Student engagement
during mathematics lessons was visibly lower than in other subjects, characterized by minimal

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 Action Research: Planning Process for a Practical Classroom Problem

voluntary participation, frequent off-task behavior, and consistently below-average performance on

formative assessments of algebraic reasoning.
This problem is significant not only because mathematics achievement is a recognized predictor of
broader academic and career outcomes, but also because mathematics anxiety and disengagement,
once established, tend to compound over subsequent years of schooling, creating long-term barriers to
students' educational and professional opportunities. The problem was selected because it is genuinely
practical — rooted in direct classroom observation rather than abstract theoretical interest — and
because it is within the teacher's sphere of influence to investigate and address through changes in
instructional practice.

Problem Statement: Grade 8 students demonstrate procedural competence but weak

conceptual understanding and low engagement in algebra, suggesting that current
instructional methods may not be developing genuine mathematical reasoning.

2.2 Stage One: Planning

The planning stage of action research involves clearly defining the problem, formulating a focused
research question, reviewing relevant literature, and designing a specific intervention to be tested. For
this study, the guiding research question was formulated as follows: 'To what extent does the use of
activity-based, manipulative-supported instruction improve Grade 8 students' conceptual
understanding of and engagement with algebraic expressions, compared with conventional lecture-
based instruction?'
Drawing on constructivist learning theory (Piaget, 1970; Vygotsky, 1978) and research on activity-
based mathematics pedagogy, the planned intervention involved replacing several weeks of
conventional, lecture-based algebra instruction with a sequence of hands-on lessons using physical
algebra tiles, collaborative problem-solving tasks, and real-world contextual problems designed to
make abstract algebraic concepts concrete and personally meaningful. The planning stage also
involved designing the specific data collection instruments to be used — including pre- and post-
intervention conceptual tests, a structured classroom observation checklist for measuring engagement,
and a brief student questionnaire on attitudes toward mathematics.
Key planning decisions made at this stage included:
• Defining clear, measurable indicators of both engagement (participation rate, on-task behavior,
voluntary questions asked) and understanding (test scores, quality of problem-solving
explanations).
• Selecting a four-week intervention period, allowing sufficient time for the new instructional
approach to take effect while remaining manageable within the term's timetable.
• Securing necessary resources, including algebra tiles, printed activity worksheets, and access to a
classroom layout suitable for group work.

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 Action Research: Planning Process for a Practical Classroom Problem

• Establishing ethical safeguards, including informing students and parents about the nature of the
classroom-based study and ensuring no student would be academically disadvantaged.

2.3 Stage Two: Action (Implementation)

The action stage involves implementing the planned intervention in the actual classroom setting while
carefully documenting the process. Over the four-week intervention period, mathematics lessons on
algebraic expressions and equations were redesigned around hands-on, activity-based methods.
Students used physical algebra tiles to model and solve equations, worked in small collaborative
groups on real-world algebra problems (such as budgeting scenarios and measurement tasks), and
engaged in regular peer-teaching activities in which students explained their problem-solving
reasoning to classmates.
Throughout implementation, the teacher-researcher maintained a detailed reflective journal
documenting daily observations of student engagement, instructional challenges encountered,
unexpected student responses, and adjustments made to the planned lessons in response to emerging
classroom dynamics. This documentation is essential to action research, as it provides the rich,
contextualized evidence base from which subsequent analysis and theorizing will draw.

Implementation Note: Maintaining a detailed reflective journal during the action stage is
critical — it captures the contextual nuance and unexpected developments that structured
data collection instruments alone cannot reveal.

2.4 Stage Three: Observation (Data Collection)

The observation stage involves the systematic collection of evidence regarding the effects of the
intervention. For this study, multiple data sources were collected to enable triangulation — the use of
multiple data sources to corroborate findings and strengthen the validity of conclusions. Quantitative
data included scores on a conceptual algebra test administered before and after the intervention,
allowing measurement of learning gains, and a structured classroom observation checklist completed
during randomly selected lessons, recording the frequency of student participation, on-task behavior,
and voluntary questioning.
Qualitative data included a brief end-of-intervention student questionnaire asking students to describe
their experience of the new instructional approach and their confidence in algebra, as well as samples
of student work demonstrating the quality and sophistication of their problem-solving explanations
before and after the intervention. This mixed-methods approach to data collection — combining
numerical test data with observational and self-report data — provides a more complete and
trustworthy picture of the intervention's effects than any single data source could offer alone.

Stage Key Activities Application to This Study

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 Action Research: Planning Process for a Practical Classroom Problem

Planning Define problem; formulate research Identified low algebra engagement;

question; review literature; design designed activity-based instruction using
intervention and data collection tools. algebra tiles and collaborative tasks.
Action Implement the planned intervention in the Delivered four weeks of hands-on,
real classroom setting over a defined activity-based algebra lessons replacing
period. standard lecture format.
Observation Systematically collect quantitative and Administered pre/post tests, conducted
qualitative data on the intervention's structured observations, collected student
effects. questionnaires.
Reflection Analyze data, draw conclusions, and Compared pre/post results; identified
decide whether to refine and repeat the gains and remaining gaps; planned a
cycle. refined second cycle.

2.5 Stage Four: Reflection

The reflection stage involves systematically analyzing the collected data, drawing conclusions about
the effectiveness of the intervention, and deciding how to proceed — whether to adopt the new
approach more broadly, refine it further, or design an entirely new cycle of inquiry. For this study,
comparison of pre- and post-intervention test scores would reveal the magnitude of learning gains
achieved through the activity-based approach, while the observation checklist data would indicate
whether student engagement, as measured by participation and on-task behavior, improved relative to
baseline lessons taught through conventional methods.
Reflection also involves examining the qualitative data for deeper insight into why the intervention
succeeded or fell short in particular respects — for instance, whether certain types of algebra tile
activities were more effective than others, whether some students benefited more than others, and what
specific instructional adjustments might further improve outcomes. Based on this analysis, the action
research cycle would typically continue into a second iteration: refining the intervention based on what
was learned, and testing the refined approach in a subsequent cycle. This iterative, cyclical character
— captured in Kemmis and McTaggart's (1988) spiral model of action research — is what
distinguishes action research from a single, one-off classroom experiment: it is fundamentally a
process of continuous, evidence-based professional learning and improvement.

Reflective Outcome: The reflection stage transforms raw data into professional
knowledge — informing not only whether the intervention worked, but how it should be
refined in a subsequent action research cycle for even greater impact.

3. Conclusion
Action research provides teachers with a powerful, systematic, and practically grounded methodology
for investigating and improving their own classroom practice. By identifying a genuine, locally
significant problem — in this case, low engagement and weak conceptual understanding in algebra

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 Action Research: Planning Process for a Practical Classroom Problem

among Grade 8 students — and following the structured cycle of planning, action, observation, and
reflection, teachers can move beyond intuitive or anecdotal judgments about what works in their
classrooms toward evidence-based professional decision-making.
This essay has demonstrated how the action research process can be concretely applied to a real
classroom problem: from the careful identification and articulation of the problem, through the
deliberate design of an activity-based instructional intervention, to the systematic collection of mixed-
methods evidence, and finally to the reflective analysis that informs both immediate conclusions and
future cycles of inquiry. The cyclical, iterative nature of action research means that the process does
not end with a single conclusion but continues as an ongoing engine of professional growth and
instructional improvement.
For teachers in Pakistan and elsewhere who seek to move beyond the limitations of conventional, rote-
based instruction, action research offers an accessible and empowering methodology — one that
positions the teacher not merely as an implementer of externally developed curricula but as an active,
reflective professional capable of generating genuine improvements to teaching and learning within
their own classroom context. Embedding action research as a regular component of teacher
professional development represents one of the most promising pathways toward sustained educational
improvement at the classroom level.

4. References
Carr, W., & Kemmis, S. (1986). Becoming Critical: Education, Knowledge and Action Research. Falmer Press.
Cohen, L., Manion, L., & Morrison, K. (2018). Research Methods in Education (8th ed.). Routledge.
Kemmis, S., & McTaggart, R. (1988). The Action Research Planner (3rd ed.). Deakin University Press.
Mertler, C. A. (2019). Action Research: Improving Schools and Empowering Educators (6th ed.). Sage
Publications.
Mills, G. E. (2017). Action Research: A Guide for the Teacher Researcher (6th ed.). Pearson.
Piaget, J. (1970). Science of Education and the Psychology of the Child. Orion Press.
Stringer, E. T. (2014). Action Research (4th ed.). Sage Publications.
Vygotsky, L. S. (1978). Mind in Society: The Development of Higher Psychological Processes. Harvard
University Press.
Whitehead, J., & McNiff, J. (2006). Action Research: Living Theory. Sage Publications.
Zeichner, K. M., & Liston, D. P. (1996). Reflective Teaching: An Introduction. Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.

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