The Action Research Labs & the IRB

Action-Research Lab/Project Page

Action-Research Lab/Project page--Many, but not all, of WISR's courses require that WISR students do an action-research project (or "lab")--gaining practical experience on how to use action-research methods to study in greater depth a topic of strong personal interest that also relates to the course topic. This is usually the fourth page at the top of the navigation bar for the course website.

About the IRB and about Ethics and Social Responsibility in Doing Action-Research

As part of the process of doing the action-research project, you are to write a proposal outlining you planned methods and activities (realizing still, that subject to faculty approval and guidance, these plans may very likely evolve and change during the course of the project). Quite importantly, in writing the proposal, you are also to reflect on and write about what considerations and steps will be taking to ensure that your research is ethical and socially responsible. Consequently, you will submit an action-research project/lab proposal (on this form), both to your supervising faculty member and to the Chair of WISR's IRB Board, Dr. Steven Pomerantz (steven.pomerantz@wisr.edu ), or alternatively to WISR's Academic Dean, Dr. Brian Gerrard (brian.gerrard@wisr.edu ). Dr. Pomerantz or Dr. Gerrard will evaluate the proposal for its ethical soundness, and if necessary, will make suggestions for refinements and additions to the project plan. For many action-research projects, for example, those where you may be interviewing, you will be expected to provide an "informed consent form" to help your project participants (e.g., interviewees) understand the purposes of your research, the precautions you are taking to protect their confidentiality, and their rights to refuse to participate at any time during the research, among other possible needed disclosures (sample consent form template here). Once the needed revisions have been approved, the IRB review may be what is termed either "exempt" or "expedited," and in these cases, Dr. Pomerantz, as Chair of the IRB, can approve the proposal. In rare cases, it may happen that Dr. Pomerantz may decide that the proposal must be evaluated by the members of WISR's IRB, which currently also includes Dr. Pomerantz and Dr. Gerrard, and two WISR alums who are the "community members" of the IRB.  Once the proposal has been approved, you will receive an approval form--either from either Dr. Pomerantz or Dr. Gerrard that the exempt or expedited review has been completed--at the bottom of the proposal form or on the IRB approval form if it is decided that your proposed research must be reviewed by the entire IRB at WISR. You are to share the signed form with your supervising faculty member, and that form, as well as your approved proposal, must both be submitted along with other completed course assignments (including the term paper which results from the action-research project) with all of your course assignments when you submit everything for final evaluation by the supervising faculty member, and then once approved, when submitting the paperwork to be placed in your permanent academic file at WISR (we make a hard copies for the secure file cabinets, and place the electronic files in our Administrative Google Drive as part of your academic portfolio). 

To better understand, not only WISR's IRB policies and practices, but also the important purposes that are served by these policies and practices, you should read the following document, and discuss the contents of the document with your WISR faculty advisor, and/or with WISR's President or the Chair of the IRB, Dr. Steven Pomerantz, or WISR's Academic Dean (Dr. Gerrard),  WISR's Institutional Research Board Policies and Practices, and WISR Faculty and Student Responsibilities

Purposes and Options in Doing Action-Research Labs/Projects at WISR

Purpose of the Action-Research Lab/Project

The action-research lab for any WISR course is designed to personalize your studies in the course AND to give you an opportunity to do some sort of inquiry and study that is practical and action-oriented, and that addresses some of the course and degree program learning outcomes, especially, but not limited to, the program outcome pertaining to action-inquiry. This should take the form of a coherently designed project, which sometimes may be doing action and research in the context of of your current job, professional practice, or community involvement, or a supervised internship, that involves inquiry and study, as well as either 1) professional practice or community action, or 2) aimed toward formulating recommendations or theory which could be used to guide future action or practice. It could also involve interviewing others about their experiences and insights related to your chosen topic for the course--related to your interests and to course learning outcomes and content.

Learning Outcomes of the Action-Research Lab/Project

• To identify at least one question or issue related to the course, and to discuss your views of its importance.

• To identify at least one new insight about the content of the course that is also related to an area of strong personal interest. 

• To identify at least one new lesson learned about the use of action-research.

Further the following course learning outcomes lead to the achievement of a Degree Program Learning Outcome:

A main purpose of this course’s action research project, as well as for any Master’s thesis or Doctoral dissertation, is for you to engage in conscious and deliberate planning in the pursuit of your goals as a responsible and creatively engaged professional and leader or change agent, as evidenced by the ability to make critical comparisons of alternative courses of action.

 In doing so, you will achieve at least one of the following outcomes:

• Evaluate the relevance and efficacy of their recommended plan(s) of action.

• Evaluate uncertainties and dilemmas faced by leaders in the field, and

• Evaluate directions for inquiry to investigate alternative courses of action growing out of these dilemmas, uncertainties, and complexities.

The pursuit of  at least one of the three learning outcomes above are designed to enable you to  achieve the following Program Learning Outcome:  Apply skills of conscious and deliberate planning in pursuing goals as a professional and a leader and/or change agent.

The Required Term Paper for the Action-Research Lab/Project

Drawing on the insights from, and methods used in, the action-research lab project , you are expected to write a substantial term paper, focusing on one or more of your interests and including insights from your action-research lab/project and a discussion of key issues and ideas of interest to you from the readings! 

There is no precise, required length of the term papers. However, generally, in order to meet expectations for the learning outcomes, Master's students will often write papers that are about 8 to 10 pages, and Doctoral students may need 10 to 12 pages to address adequately the expectations. 

The paper should:

• Be written in your own voice, with discussion of why your topic is important to you.

• Identify and have one, or more, audience (s) in mind--people who might share your concerns, to some extent at least.

• Briefly discuss why this topic might be important to the audience(s).

• Describe and critically reflect on the methods and activities (and their strengths and limitations) used in this project.

• Highlight your main insights in doing the research for this paper, and showing how these insights came from specific observations, experiences, action-research activities, and/or reading.

• Give specific examples, illustrations and/or stories to illustrate your main points.

• Raise questions for future study by yourself or others, and/or recommendations for action and practice.

• If possible, discuss some connections between what you've written about in your paper, and "bigger picture" societal dynamics.

Some Options for the Action-Research Lab/Project

Examples of added, specific action-research lab activities that could be done for this particular course, include, but are not limited to:

• Interviewing others, in order to learn more about the views and practices of experts or community leaders, or about the views, behavior, and/or needs of laypeople.

• Using insights and observations from your current job or professional practice, from some community involvement, or a supervised internship or practicum, along with reflective analysis of the observations and insights growing out of those experiences.

• Critically reflecting on, and systematically analyzing, your previous experiences being actively involved in real world activities and efforts related to the project topic.

• Memoir writing on your own previous experiences and/or taking oral histories and eliciting stories from others—again, with a view to gaining insights for this course, and to delve more deeply into a topic of strong personal interest.

• Gathering observational data by making use of videos of real world events and interactions, and/or  available on the internet in the form of social media and other dialogue among people--again, relevant to your project topic.

• Studying videos, including documentaries and docudramas, that  provide observational opportunities, other information, or informed perspectives on your chosen topic. Of special note is the outstanding collection of documentary and educational videos available through Kanopy.com . Membership in most public libraries in major California cities will provide you with significant access to Kanopy videos. In particular, WISR students are strongly encouraged to get a San Francisco or Los Angeles Public Library card, or a library card from another city that provides you with access to as many as 10 Kanopy videos each month. If you are one of the few WISR students not living in California, contact your faculty advisor for information on how to access these videos. WISR has a limited subscription to Kanopy to address the needs of our several students outside of California.

Creative and Critical Study in the Action-Research Lab/Project

Regardless of the types of real world (experiential and observational) data used, you are expected to engage in critical inquiry about the strengths, limitations and validity of that data, and to discuss how you evaluated and analyzed the data.  

In addition to engaging in action-research activities, students are also encouraged to do some related readings to augment the insights from the action-research. 

Further, all WISR students are expected to take a course in Action-Research methods as one of their first two courses. You will find that the ideas and methods learned in any of the WISR Action-Research courses will be very valuable in helping you to design and implement your action-research lab/project, and of course, you should draw on the suggestions and guidance of your faculty advisor. 

The supervising faculty member must approve of your action-research lab activities, and help you to design and pursue activities that will contribute to your addressing the goals and outcomes of the course, and beyond the course, contribute to your studies throughout the degree program.

As part of the process of doing the action-research project, you are to write a proposal outlining you planned methods and activities (realizing still, that subject to faculty approval and guidance, these plans may very likely evolve and change somewhat during the course of the project). Quite importantly, in writing the proposal, you are also to reflect on and write about what considerations and steps will be taking to ensure that your research is ethical and socially responsible. Consequently, you will submit an action-research project/lab proposal (on this form), both to your supervising faculty member and to the Chair of WISR's IRB (Institutional Research Board), Dr. Steven Pomerantz (steven.pomerantza@wisr.edu ) or Dr. Brian Gerrard (brian.gerrard@wisr.edu ), Member of the IRB Board and Academic Dean. [For details re-read the information at the top of this page!!]

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Additional Details at:  https://docs.google.com/document/d/1QEWLK3Rps4yjeZmzEYeL_BTfUTjRFaEm/edit?usp=drive_link&ouid=103123778365600072062&rtpof=true&sd=true