A Practical Step-by-step Example
A Practical Step-by-step Example
The teacher’s path
- Drafts a vague question. Refines it twice. Lands on a tight one.
- Reads a short literature review on extensive reading.
- Runs a six-week silent reading study with Grade 9.
The finding
Quizzes improved for strong readers, not weak ones. The literature predicted exactly this.
The lesson
A clear question, grounded reading, and honest reporting make a complete action research cycle.
A Practical Step-by-step Example
A teacher of Grade 9 English wants to study comprehension.
Refining the question
Her first attempt at a research question: How can I improve comprehension? Too vague. Scope creep.
Second attempt: Does silent reading improve comprehension in Grade 9? Still vague. Silent reading of what? Improve compared to what?
Third attempt: Does ten minutes of daily silent reading from a novel improve comprehension scores on weekly chapter quizzes for Grade 9 in my section over six weeks? That is researchable.
Doing the reading
She does a short literature review. Stephen Krashen on extensive reading. A couple of small studies on silent sustained reading. Two studies that warn it does not work for students who need decoding support. Useful background.
Running the study
She runs her six-week study. Her quizzes improve, but only for the fluent readers. The students who need decoding support show no change. The literature mentioned exactly this.
Reporting the finding
She does not hide the result. She writes: “Silent reading improved comprehension for fluent readers, consistent with the extensive reading research. The students who needed decoding support showed no change, consistent with research that argues these students cannot benefit from extensive reading until decoding improves. In my context this means future cycles should pair silent reading with decoding support for students who need it.”
That is action research done well. A clear question. A grounded literature review. An honest finding. A specific next step.
The honest finding then points directly to what the next cycle of the study should add.
