Glossary of Terms

Action research is a specific research perspective that can be applied to many fields and disciplines including the field of education.

These are various types of work and products created by participants that can be considered and gathered as research data. (Ex. student-generated artifacts such as assignments, reflections, or other visual or submitted work, archived sources, etc.).

Classroom action research is undertaken by teachers, individually or collectively, in their classrooms to improve their practice using the interpretations that teachers make based on data collected from their students.

Collaboration action research involves multiple researchers working together in an educational setting to study problems related to education.

Conceptualization involves refining a construct by providing it with a theoretical definition. It requires careful thought, direct observation, consultations with others, reviewing existing literature, and experimenting with possible definitions.

Data collection is the process of gathering and measuring information on variables of interest, in an established systematic way that enables one to answer stated research questions.

A data management plan, or DMP, is a formal document that outlines how data will be handled during and after a research project

Source: Longwood, Research Data Management

Reliability refers to the consistency of a measure of whether the results can be reproduced under the same conditions. Validity refers to the accuracy of a measure and whether the results represent what they are supposed to measure

Source: Scribbr

A dual role refers to the dual relationship between the researcher and the participant. When people in a position of status “power-over” or undue influence undertake research in addition to their already established roles and responsibilities. The type of research will involve individuals of lesser power or status.

Source: University of Victoria, Office of Research Services

Educational action research is a system of inquiry that teachers, administrators, and other educational personnel can use to examine, change, and improve their work with students, educational institutions, and communities.

Formative assessment is a method of ongoing assessment used to determine whether progress is being made toward goals.

Informed Consent is an agreement from a person included in the data sample, who agrees to participate in a study with the understanding of what the study entails, including the duration, risks, and benefits

Source: University of Oxford, Research Support

Data that is collected to understand participants' knowledge, values, beliefs, experiences, feelings, opinions, attitudes, or perceptions and that can provide insights into the effectiveness of a strategy, offering feedback and improvement suggestions.

The collection and analysis of data during the research process is considered interim analysis (Huberman and Miles, 1998).

Also commonly called search terms, keywords are the words that you enter into the database search boxes. They represent the main concepts of your research topic and are the words used in everyday life to describe the topic. Using the right keywords, you can source relevant articles you need.

A literature review is a survey of scholarly sources on a specific topic to provide an overview of current knowledge, allowing you to identify relevant theories, methods, and gaps in the existing research.

The process of collecting qualitative data that involves carefully watching and systematically recording what you see and hear going on in a particular setting.

OCAP stands for Ownership, Control, Access, and Possession. The concept was coined by First Nations Principals which assert that First Nations have control over data collection processes and that they own and control how this information can be used.

Source: First Nations Information Governance Center, The First Nations Principles of OCAP

Operationalization is the process of moving from the conceptual definition of a construct to a set of specific activities or measures that allow a researcher to observe it empirically. This process translates the theoretical, conceptual variable of interest into a set of specific operations or procedures that define the variable’s meaning in a specific study.

Information and results obtained from studying one’s own practice are made public through research reports, presentations (e.g. showing data/results), etc. The release of results could compromise the privacy or status of participants. The potential harm to the participants cannot outweigh the potential benefits to them.

Participatory action research is a social and collaborative process. The goal is to bring about social change in an organization, institution, or community.

Recognizing the structure of imbalanced relationships in the research context. Even when a practitioner-researcher perceives that his/her workplace, school or classroom has a “warm and friendly” atmosphere of trust and openness between teachers-students, the quality of these relationships does not address the underlying differences in status and influence that structure the nature of the relationships.

Puts educators in control of their development, promotes collaboration and shared insights, and provides a platform for their voice.

The type of research that explores and provides deeper insights into real-world problems through lived experiences, values, opinions and beliefs. Qualitative data can help generate hypotheses as well as further investigate and understand quantitative data.

QI involves implementing previously proven/tested, planned and systematic activities, done to improve or satisfy quality requirements.

The process of collecting and analyzing numerical data. It can be used to find patterns and averages, make predictions, test causal relationships, and generalize results to wider populations.

A rating scale requires respondents to place the item being rated in any one of an ordered series of categories or at some point along a continuum.

The expectation from researchers to share their project and findings. Reciprocity is an essential part of action research and is an important reflective time for researchers.

The ability to reflect on one's actions so as to take a critical stance or attitude towards one's own practice and that of one's peers, engaging in a process of continuous adaptation and learning. It encourages critical reflection in institutional and professional contexts, fostering lifelong learning.

Reflexive practice is a process of introspection that examines how your personal history and experiences shape your thoughts, beliefs, and values. This approach allows researchers to recognize and understand their underlying assumptions and biases.

The research design refers to the overall strategy that is chosen to integrate the different components of the study coherently and logically. It constitutes the blueprint for the collection, measurement, and analysis of data.

A research ethics board (REB) is an independent committee that reviews the ethical acceptability of research projects, reflecting on, potential risks and benefits; respect for, and protection of, research participants; and relevance and rigour of the research.

Source:  Canada's Research Ethics Board

Research methodology is the specific procedure or techniques used to identify, select, process, and analyze information about a topic.

Research methods are the strategies, processes or techniques utilized in the collection of data or evidence for analysis in order to uncover new information or create better understanding of a topic.

A research question is a problem, an intervention/action to be taken to address the problem, and the outcome that you would like to see from the intervention. The research question cannot be answered with a yes/no.

Sampling is the act, process, or technique of selecting a suitable sample from whom data is collected for research.

Source: Merriam-Webster Dictionary

The development of scholarly knowledge about teaching through reflection, conducting research, and sharing expertise; not only to improve practice within one’s classroom but also beyond, the institution and the field.

Scholarship of teaching and learning Involves developing scholarly knowledge about teaching through reflection, research, and expertise sharing.

Summative assessments are used to measure instructional outcomes and acquisition of skills after an action/strategy.

Survey research is defined as "the collection of information from a sample of individuals through their responses to questions" (Check & Schutt, 2012, p. 160).

Integrates theory into practice, rethinks evaluation methods, and enhances awareness and knowledge of teaching methods.

Analyze to search for categories and themes in the data which involves building general themes from specific examples in the data (Shank, 2002).

The awareness for researchers that there are patterns of order that seem to cut across various aspects of the data, and when these patterns become organized, that they characterize different segments of data, they can be called ‘themes’ (Hendricks 2013).

Triangulation is a process in which multiple forms of data are collected and analyzed. The multiple forms of data facilitate the researcher to fill gaps that would be present if only one source of data was used.

A variable in research refers to a person, place, thing, or phenomenon that you are trying to measure in some way.

Source: University of Southern California (USC)

Knowing when you “got it right” i.e. reaching valid conclusions in your study so as to conclude reasonably in light of the results obtained.