Working with young children is a relentless and hectic occupation. Our days are filled with interactions and demands on our time and thinking. Paperwork is named, shamed and blamed for making the job impossible. By the end of the day we feel washed out and exhausted, then the pressures of our home life fill our thoughts. So why would we even consider trying to fit in ‘action research’?
As their reasons for working with young children, practitioners most often cite: making a positive difference to each child’s life, improving the quality of the setting, and developing their own skills and abilities. I believe that using action research in our day-to-day practice will enhance these experiences, as well as provide evidence for ourselves and others, including Ofsted, of the difference that we are making and how much we are improving.
Over the past few years, we have moved out from under the microscope of political and local authority gaze to an increasingly independent but sometimes isolated position. The better our quality of provision, the more we have to find our own training, interpretation of reports, guidance and so on.
Through action research, we can be sure, and demonstrate to others, that we are a setting that reflects on our practice, cares about the individual and group progress of our children, takes professional development seriously and has a positive approach to problem-solving. It is a useful tool in feeling justifiably confident in the improving quality of our own practice.
WHAT IS ACTION RESEARCH?
Although there are earlier similar approaches, Kurt Lewin, an American social psychologist in the early 20th century, is generally credited with having a major influence on the evolution of the ‘action research’ process. His main area of interest was change management in organisations. He saw this as research leading to social action and improvement in the quality of systems and practice in the organisation, rather than just adding to theoretical understanding.
He proposed a cyclical process consisting of three key elements:
- Considering what was to be done.
- Taking action.
- Reflecting on and fact-finding about the result.
This original idea has stood the test of time and has evolved to suit many contexts. The advantages are many, including enabling us to:
- focus on a particular aspect of our practice
- look at that aspect of practice in different ways
- put effort into addressing issues of local concern
- work collaboratively, share thinking and encourage creative approaches and ideas among participants
- use a solution-based rather than problem-focused perspective
- provide data and evidence of action as well as impact
- create a context for professional learning and improving practice within an organisation.
As with all new processes and procedures, the cycle of action research will feel strange at first. Inevitably, though, the more we do it, the more familiar and achievable it will become – ideally, with it becoming part of our everyday practice and learning.
EXAMPLES
An action research approach can be used to explore any aspect of practice, and the following examples give a flavour of how colleagues have used it. They also show its flexibility, as it can be applied to an aspect of practice or organisation, an individual child or a specific skill.
Early Years Pupil Premium
In this instance, the setting wanted to improve its use of Early Years Pupil Premium (EYPP) funding. Some of the staff team were unclear about the EYPP and which children were eligible and/or receiving the funding. This, it was felt, was reducing the effective use of the funding through well-targeted resourcing and activities.
Having identified the individual children involved, the staff team reviewed their observations and knowledge to gain an insight into where, how and in what context the children were currently learning most effectively.
Looking at the routines of the day from the child’s perspective suggested that adult expectations of the children were unrealistic, as they were failing to understand clearly what they needed to do. Specifically, this related to language development and levels of involvement in tasks.
Next, the team used flexible small-group time to increase adult engagement with the children and so enhance their understanding of each child’s needs. By working collaboratively with the SENCO, the practitioners gained a deeper knowledge of each child’s current level of language, comprehension, social connections and self-esteem. They were then able to use this knowledge to develop more realistic expectations of the children as well as differentiate activities to increase levels of involvement.
Communicating with parents
Our engagement with parents is a perennial cause for concern, so one setting used the action research cycle to improve its connections with its current group of parents. It focused particularly on those whose children were eligible for the EYPP.
First, the practitioners investigated the current quantity and quality of their communication with parents. Through sharing their own experiences and being creative, they were then able to tailor their responses to individual parents, helping both parties feel more confident and at ease. By focusing their discussions on a child’s current interests and relating these to the child’s development, they were able to foster a shared view of a child’s progress.
Individual child’s progress
The action research cycle can also be used to think constructively about the progress that an individual child is making.
One staff team was concerned about a child who found it difficult to settle into morning activities. After sharing their collective understanding of the child, the practitioners began using his interests to ease the transition into the session. In addition, through discussions with the boy’s parent, they were able to uncover behavioural issues, which would have escalated had they not been recognised.
Routines
The routines in early years settings can easily become rigid and unresponsive to changes in children’s needs, while also creating challenging times for adults. In one setting, snack time was a particular problem.
The way it was organised had worked with previous groups of children, but not the current one. Gathering evidence about the existing system gave the practitioners a clear starting point for change. They began involving the children in preparing and serving the snacks and drinks and focused on the children’s language development and social connections, so transforming the experience for all.
While all of these changes could be made without using the action research cycle, practitioners report that having the structure as a guide was helpful. It offered a more systematic approach to improving practice and led to more effective change, with clear evidence of the actions and impact available to be shared.
STEP BY STEP
While the benefits of action research are clear to see, it can still be daunting to embark on a project. Many practitioners have shared with me their anxieties about the word ‘research’, saying it sounds academic or reminds them of essay writing and Level 3 assignments – not always happy memories!
Although I understand and identify with these feelings, I don’t see action research in this light (see box). I also don’t see the need to ‘reinvent the wheel’. In fact, we already use an action research approach in our settings when we have concerns about the emerging special educational needs of a child. The ‘assess, plan, do, review’ cycle from the SEND Code of Practice (2014) is a perfect example of an action research cycle.
However, even experienced SENCOs will express their anxieties about writing the ‘right’ thing under each of these headings. Maybe if it becomes an extension of using action research to reflect on our practice, it will be demystified and less daunting. Using action research in all aspects of our practice would increase our familiarity with the cycle, build our confidence when documenting potential SEND cases and enable us to adapt the cycle to suit our research needs.
Having worked with several groups of practitioners to explore and refine the process, I currently use this simple four-step approach based on the ‘assess, plan, do, review’ cycle.
Step 1: Assess
To ensure that we are clear about the problem we want to tackle, this step is about gathering current information and views about our concern.
The clearer we are about ‘how things are now’, the easier it is to return to this information at the end of the cycle in order to see what impact we have had.
Prompts
Useful prompts that can help to elicit more factual and detailed descriptions include:
How much?
How often?
How long?
How many?
How does it feel?
Examples of describing how things are now
Seven parents stay for an average of two minutes when dropping off their children in the morning and are unable to stay for feedback at the end of the session. Staff report that they feel rushed in the morning and are frustrated by the lack of continuity in communication with this group of parents.
Activities for small groups feel repetitive while recorded observations are vague, making it very difficult to evidence the progress of individual children.
Six activities are set up ready for the children to arrive, but only two children engage regularly with the activities during the first 20 minutes of the session.
Step 2: Plan
This step involves sharing thinking, ideas and experiences of practitioners, parents and children, as appropriate. The purpose is to listen and reflect on possible ways to improve the situation we want to change. From the range of possibilities, one solution is then selected to try out.
Examples of possible solutions
Gather all parents’ views about their preferred method of daily communication with practitioners. Display suggestions and ideas near the entrance to the setting. Talk to specific parents about their preferences. Keyworkers select a developmental theme per week – for example, physical development – and tell the parents about their child’s experience and progress in this area.
Review recent observations and knowledge of children’s current interests and developmental progress. Clarify what the practitioner needs to look for during small-group activities and explore simple ways to record observations during the session.
Review recent observations and knowledge of activities that have most engaged the children, along with the associated learning and level of challenge. Talk to the children about how they would like the room to be when they arrive for the session.
Step 3: Do
The third step is purely practical: doing what has been decided. Interestingly, this is often a time when, with a heightened awareness, practitioners see more innovative, creative ways to improve their practice. It is important that these ideas are recorded along with any surprises – for example, the children’s reactions might indicate a greater-than-expected impact. Sometimes new information or influences from outside the setting can inform thinking too.
A decision also needs to be made about how long to trial the new way of working before assessing the impact. As a minimum, I would suggest three weeks, but it will depend on the aspect of practice being explored. However, if the timescale is too long, then momentum and enthusiasm can wane and reduce the impact of the change.
Step 4: Review
Revisit the information gathered in step 1 – our memories are not reliable! – and then use the same indicators to describe and assess how things are now.
Examples of changes
Seven parents stay for about two minutes when dropping off their children in the morning. Practitioners now to talk them about their child’s progress within a chosen theme of the week, such as physical development. This group of parents is also now telephoning or visiting the setting more often to discuss their child’s progress. Staff report that they feel less rushed even though the morning time slot is the same, as they are clearer about what they want to say. Parents have been asking more questions and sharing observations of their children that relate to the current theme.
Activities for small groups are more interesting, while recorded observations provide evidence of progress by individual children in language and social development. Children are more involved for longer during activities and choose to spend time with friends from small-group activities.
Six activities are set up ready for the start of session. The children are now involved in deciding the activities to be set up for the next morning. After all the children have arrived, key practitioners observe and consider for ten minutes the progress in children’s learning, their levels of involvement and the degree of challenge within the activities. Twenty children now engage regularly with the activities during the first 20 minutes of the session, and some 15 per cent use the activities as a stimulus for their play throughout the morning.
Impact
Needless to say, we will sometimes find that our ‘solution’ has not delivered the desired improvement, so this review stage also needs to be a time to reflect on alternative ways to tackle the problem, make the impact greater or extend the impact to other groups, individuals or contexts.
Finally, capturing and sharing our learning is essential if we are to embed action research in our practice. Detailing simply what we have done (see example sheet) means the information can be added to the setting’s record-keeping – for example, used as part of the Ofsted Self Evaluation Form and made available to parents, other settings, all staff, visitors and other professional colleagues.
Creating a display with photographs and annotation is a useful way to highlight the setting’s commitment to this approach to reviewing and improving practice. Seeing that their ideas are being used and developed may well encourage parents and children to take part too.
CONCLUSION
The main challenge in using this process lies in the level of detail gathered at the ‘assess’ step – vague and woolly wording makes it hard to establish if, by the Review stage, there really has been any improvement. But the skill of capturing how things are improves with practice. It also makes sense to start small, so that everyone can get used to the process and experience how useful it can be before tackling bigger challenges.
From my experience, the process generally enables practitioners to tune in more effectively to why some children may be struggling with their learning and relationships. Establishing the causes helps them to recognise the importance of their actions and interactions in supporting each child’s progress, and this in turn has led to increased confidence, enthusiasm and motivation for both adults and children.
By using the research approach, practitioners can quantify the impact that they are having and recognise small changes in children’s level of involvement, well-being and progress. This can then become a virtuous circle, as practitioners become more familiar with the process, while a simple recording system provides evidence of reflective practitioners and continuous improvement of provision.
We have been using the ‘Assess, Plan, Do, Review’ approach as a research cycle to support our improving practice in our setting.START DATE: END DATE: Assess: This is how things were at the beginning Plan: This is what we planned to do differently Do: The surprises, delights and concerns that we found during this research cycle Review: This is the impact of the change on our practice Next we want to look at: ]]
