The Planning Stage
The Planning Stage
- Six steps: identify the problem, short literature review, write the research question, name the variables, choose data tools, design the intervention.
- The problem must be specific, real, and within the teacher’s reach.
- Three data tools means triangulation.
- Get parent or school consent if the study goes beyond ordinary teaching.
The Planning Stage
The planning stage is where the study is built. Skip it and the rest of the study will fail. Get it right and the work that follows is just execution.
Six things happen in a strong planning stage.
1. Identify the problem
The teacher names a specific, real problem in her classroom. Not “students are weak” or “discipline is bad”. Something concrete. Students in my Grade 8 section do not raise their hands when I ask oral questions. Average hand raises per question last term: about three.
The problem must be:
- Specific. You can point to it.
- Real. You see it every week.
- Within your reach. You can try to fix it.
2. Short literature review
Even a quick search of five to fifteen sources is enough. The teacher reads what others have tried for similar problems. She notes which strategies worked, which failed, and why.
This step matters because it grounds the study in real theory and saves the teacher from making mistakes that someone else already made.
3. Write the research question
The teacher turns the problem into a question with a clear shape. Does pairing students before oral questions increase the number of students who participate? The question names the intervention (pair work before oral questions) and the outcome (participation count).
4. Name the variables
Independent variable. Pairing before oral questions. Dependent variable. Number of students who participate per question.
This sounds bureaucratic, but writing the variables out forces clarity.
5. Choose the data collection tools
The teacher decides how she will collect data. Some examples for the participation study.
- A tally sheet (checklist) for hand raises per question, three times a week.
- A short student questionnaire at the end of week three.
- A brief interview with five quiet students at the end of week six.
Three tools means triangulation.
6. Design the intervention
The teacher writes the exact steps of what she will do. Not a vague intention. A plan.
“For six weeks, every oral question in class will first go to a pair. Pairs will discuss for 30 seconds. Then I will call on one student from any pair. I will count hand raises before pairing and after pairing. I will record the totals in my notebook within five minutes of class ending.”
Consent where needed
Consent is required whenever the study involves anything beyond ordinary teaching (interviews, recording, sharing findings outside the school). The teacher should inform parents and the school administration. Many universities require a consent letter from parents for B.Ed. action research projects, and institutional ethics requirements vary.
A planning checklist you can copy
Run through this list before you start the action stage. If any line is blank, do that step first.
- Problem written in one specific sentence
- Five to fifteen sources read and noted
- Research question written in question form
- Research objective written as a “To…” statement
- Independent variable named
- Dependent variable named with a measurement method
- At least two data tools selected
- Baseline data plan in place
- Intervention written in concrete, repeatable steps
- Timeline drawn for four to six weeks
- Consent obtained where the study goes beyond ordinary teaching
- One critical friend identified to challenge the analysis later
If the six-step list feels long, this short version covers the same ground.
