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Developing a Plan for Action Research

Developing a Plan for Action Research
-Presented to the Department of Educational Leadership
and Postsecondary Education
University of Northern Iowa
-In Partial Fulfillment
of the Requirements for the
Master of Arts in Education
-by
Adam Thomas Duchac
Shanghai Community International School
Shanghai, P.R.C.
September 22, 2015
-Dr. Elana Joram

Developing a Plan for Action Research

Introduction:
1. State your research question
How can restorative justice be used to create a positive school community?
What You Currently Understand About Your Topic:
2. In a paragraph, briefly summarize the literature that you located for your Unit 1 Project 1
topic.
The research articles I found (and updated) in project one were all attempting to address the
social and emotional disconnect of students in schools through using a restorative justice model
in the hopes of creating a more positive school environment. Central themes of restorative justice
implementation based on stakeholder buy-in, creating structures that would allow the program to
be sustainable, and training for staff came up frequently. The qualitative case study by Kristin
(2011) examined the roles of structures and cultural systems needed to sustain the restorative
justice program (p. 1). Kristins analysis of data yielded 15 themes, all of which pointed to the
fact that restorative justice was understood by staff on different levels, and applied inconsistently
throughout the school. These themes appeared throughout the other research articles as well
(Morrison, 2006; Schumacher, 2014). Standing, Fearon, and Dee (2012) came to the conclusion
that while restorative justice did not work in the classroom for the one individual in their case
study, the participant was still able to understand the importance of a school wide restorative
justice charter, and that his self awareness when around adults increased. Their conclusion also
rested on the fact that a solid school wide framework and overall understanding was needed to
implement restorative justice properly. After reviewing the literature associated with restorative
justice, it is apparent that a restorative justice program must be based upon a solid framework
and understood by staff on all levels to affect a truly positive change within a school
environment.

Developing a Plan for Action Research

Research Plan Foundations:

3.

Define the context and variables

In an effort to understand what my colleagues know of restorative justice, and how to apply it to
an educational setting to create a positive school community, I will conduct a series of
interviews. I will use qualitative methods to obtain data on the overall school attitude towards
restorative justice both before and after having participants read positive literature on its use in
schools. Variables would include participants attitudes towards discipline and their own
classroom management strategies. Measuring these responses would allow me to understand if
something as progressive as restorative justice would be possible within our school, and if so, to
what extent. Since the goal of my action research study is to create a positive school atmosphere
by using restorative justice, it will be important to establish stakeholder attitudes towards it.
4.

Describe the proposed intervention or innovation

As the school attitude towards discipline was one of detention and writing lines (both of which
were having a negative impact on students), the innovation would be to make school staff aware
of the benefits of using a restorative justice model and the importance of using a school wide
framework to do so effectively. By having colleagues read positive restorative justice literature
and discussing their thoughts before and after interviews, I hope to gain an understanding on the
feasibility of starting a restorative justice practice within our school.
5.

Describe the membership of the action research group (stakeholders)

Using a restorative justice model to create a more positive school atmosphere would require the
buy-in of all staff and administration. Therefore, the qualitative study would need to include a
wide range of staff, from administration to teachers.

Developing a Plan for Action Research

6.

Provide a timeline

We have a total of 29 teachers and two administrators. Interviewing one staff member per day,
assuming they have the time to do so, will take at least two months.
7.

Describe resources needed

Resources needed would include data gathering instruments (pen, paper, recorder, and
computer), a space to conduct interviews, and time during planning periods or after school.
Data Collection and Analysis:
8. Describe the types and sources of data to be collected or used
Data would come in the form of recorded interviews, which would then be transcribed and
member checked for accuracy.
9.

Describe the kinds of analyses you expect to perform on your data

I plan to analyze the data and divide it into segments of information. After reading through the
data multiple times, I would then, according to our textbook, label the segments with codes, then
group the codes into themes. I would then compare information both before and after reading
the restorative justice literature.
Predicted Outcome:
10. If successful, what outcome do you expect, and what impact do you think your study have?
I expect the majority of staff to realize that our outdated model of detention and line writing is
doing more harm than good to our students after reading the literature. By reading literature that
highlights the positive aspects of restorative justice, my hope is that administration, bolstered by
the newly informed cadre of teachers, will take action and start the process of building a strong
restorative justice model that will encourage a more positive atmosphere within our school.