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The purpose of action research is to solve classroom problems through the application of scientific

methods. It is concerned with a local problem and is conducted in a local setting. It is not concerned with

whether the results are generalizable to any other setting and is not characterized by the same kind of
control evidence in other categories of research. The primary goal of action research is the solution of a

given problem, not contribution to science. Whether the research is conducted in one classroom or many

classrooms, the teacher is very much a part of the process. The more research trainings the teacher
involved have had, the more likely it is that the research will produce valid, if not generalizable research.

The value of action research is confined primarily to those who are conducting it.

John Best mentioned that ‘action research’ is focused on immediate applications. Its purposes is
to improve school practices and at the same time, to improve those who try to improve the practices, to

combine the research processes, habits of thinking, ability to work harmoniously with others, and

professional spirit.

ACTIVITY

Read the purpose of research below and decide whether it tends to be qualitative or quantitative.

1. To compare students’ writing competence between those using computers and those using
paper-and-pencil.

2. To explore students’ understanding of the word ‘culture’.

3. To investigate the effects of using music in teaching writing.

4. To understand the ways students use the mother tongue in writing.
5. To see the effectiveness of peer feedback on the students’ revision process.

RESEARCH PROCESS
As the researchers apply to conducting their studies, they need to understand the ten steps of the

research process (Yin, 1988) .