Action Research as Master’s Thesis - 1 © Andrew P. Johnson, Ph.D. ACTION RESEARCH AS MASTER’S THESIS By Andrew P. Johnson, Ph.D. Minnesota State University, Mankato andrew.johnson@mnsu.edu www.OPDT-Johnson.com This is an excerpt from my book: A Short Guide to Action Research (4 th ed) (2012), published by Pearson Education I would encourage those of you who are in graduate programs in education to consider doing an action research project for your master’s thesis. In advising graduate students over the years, I have found that writers tend to find these projects more interesting and enjoyable to do. Action research projects are also more likely to affect their classroom practice. Not coincidentally, these projects usually seem to be more interesting to read and of better quality. BEFORE YOU START The graduate thesis represents the culminating experience of a graduate program. In it you must demonstrate that you are able to utilize academic sources to come to a conclusion in a way that will move the field forward. Following are nine tips and a flexible guide to use in structuring your action research thesis. Note, however, that colleges and universities have varying requirements for the master’s thesis. Nine Tips for Writing Your Master’s Thesis 1. See your advisor before beginning your graduate paper. It is recommended that the first consultation occur at least 1 year and not less than 6 months before the projected completion. It takes a great deal of time to comprehend and synthesize all the ideas necessary for a graduate thesis. Your goal is to create a professional paper that contributes to the field, and this cannot be done in a few weeks. 2. Decide on a topic or area of research first, then put it in the form of a question or questions. A clear focus saves you much time in your research and results in a tighter and more coherent paper. 3. Keep your thesis proposal short and flexible. Most graduate programs ask students to write a thesis proposal. This is a very short description of your research project with 5 to 10 literature sources used to put your research question into a theoretical context. Proposals usually have to be preapproved by a graduate committee and the department of graduate studies at your school before you begin. Your initial proposal is a flexible guideline of your intended research project. It is common for the final product to look somewhat different from the proposal. Figure 14.1 contains an action research proposal form. This form can be downloaded at my website, (www.AR-Johnson.com???).