Running Head: DRAFT ACTION RESEARCH

Draft Action Research Plan

Keith C. Quarles
EDU671: Fundamentals of Educational Research (MJI1433A)
Newton Miller
9-1-14

Running Head: DRAFT ACTION RESEARCH

Area of Focus
The purpose of the study is to gain insight on the which Web 2.0 tool will be most
effective/economical/secure/ethical for training business associates. Mills (2014) states, an area of
focus identifies the purpose of your study (p.70). We have current knowledge of Skype, Facebook and
Wiki but have not discovered which is most effective/economical/secure/ethical Web 2.0 tools for
training/instruction over distance.
Case Background
The idea that evolved into this action research proposal began in the Summer of 2012, shortly
before I received a masters degree in Marketing. After deciding to start an online business I contacted
former classmates who all lived in Memphis as I do. We met in July 2012 and I assigned titles for each
of the 4 members. I mentioned to the 4 business associates in August 2012 at our first official meeting
and requested that we do some correspondence by phone, email and text messages in order to stay
current with each others situations/schedules. After obtaining a Masters Degree in Organizational
Management, I sought to pursue a degree in Entrepreneurship to aid me in starting a business.
However, I was unable to enter the program and subsequently enrolled in the Masters of Teaching and
Learning with Technology (MATLT) program at Ashford. After, taking the first class of my new
major, I informed my business associates of the new hardware/software technology which could be
useful in our venture and now I am researching the possibility, feasibility and sensibility of training
business associates online in order to start an online business. After initially corresponding with
business associates through Email, Yahoo, Face book and Skype I began to ponder the aspect of using
Wiki also to train business associates and ultimately organize the online business. Thus, I am at the
point now of researching to find which of the Web 2.0 we have used or can use that best fits our
particular situation.

Running Head: DRAFT ACTION RESEARCH

Problem Interest
My interest in using technology to start and run my business was becoming more of a query
even back then. From our sordid online communication, I gathered that the Internet/social networks
were useful for corresponding business with my associates also. Thus my observations of the
usefulness of internet/ social networks led to my current interest which is the prospect of using specific
Web 2.0 tools to train the people whom I chose as business associates and subsequently teach them to
perform business functions using the technological tools. I am currently in the designing stages of
creating wikis, you tube videos, blogs and setting up my Face Book account to accommodate the
training and business venture as one of my business associates leaves a great distance from Memphis.
The research problem discussed in this paper concerns the value of one Web 2.0 tool over another for
training/learning/teaching activities within business-related environment.
Prior Interventions
After relocation of one of our business associates in December 2012 the idea of using Microsoft
Netmeeting worked until the costs to upgrade to premium services stifled our budgets and in turn we
starting emailing and chatting/corresponding through Yahoo. As Facebbok became popular we began
to use Facebook to correspond by text and Yahoo for audiovisual contact which eventually led to the
use of Skype based on its rising popularity, text messaging, screen sharing and web cam service. Now,
issues of which technology was most efficient and secure arose as our information was spread across
Facebook, Yahoo and Skype. Furthermore, our trial and error with each technology led to the
disorganization of our business efforts.
Participant Description and Justification
There are four members in our group besides myself. with ages ranging from twenty-five to

Running Head: DRAFT ACTION RESEARCH

forty-five. The educational level level of the members range from Bachelor's to Master's education
levels. The group consist of two professional business people and two college instructors. The group
consists of 3 males and one female. The table below provides details of the demographics/geographic
of the experimental group participants.

Participant

Gender

Age

Education/Work

Location

John

Male

26

BBA/Professional Memphis, TN

Martin

Male

35

MBA//e Instructor Memphis, TN

William

Male

30

MBA/Instructor

Lisa

BBA

28

BBA/Professional Destin, FL

Memphis, TN

As business and education professionals all participants have some knowledge of technological
integration into classrooms from collegiate years of study. The four individuals whom I have chosen to
train all want to learn more about Web 2.0 have the aptitude and desire to learn more about using Web
2.0 for business purposes.
My business associates have expressed a desire to put the knowledge/experience from college
and work to use in an online business venture the next phase of their ca; the careers, thus, the
proliferation of technological tools for business purpose is of interest to the /researcher/participants.
The participants have also expressed occurrences at school/work in which technology was introduced
as part of the job/assignment. Landrum (2013) states, technology can enhance the reflective/feedback
processes, allowing students revision opportunities and guided practice, perhaps interacting with
professionals and integrating information from a variety of real-world sources (p.2.6).. Thus, learning
how to take instruction and perform task by use of Web2.0 or other technology is a current issue in the
participants current careers and future prospects. In, turn I feel that the desire to inform and study the

Running Head: DRAFT ACTION RESEARCH

prospect of training the participants is a justifiable research proposal.

The research will enhance the knowledge of Web 2.0 for the teacher/learner simultaneously. The
sample population or control group for the experimentation consists of ten professional business
people, 10 college instructors/administrators ages ranging from twenty-five to forty-five. Race is
optional. Gender segmentation will be ten males-ten females. Fifteen of the sample population
respondents will be located in Memphis; five out of town. These sample subjects were chosen because
of their familiarity with business and educational instruction and their level of expertise is approximate
and comparable to the mean population (business associates).
Control Group Participants
The sample population was chosen by the demographics of occupation/education level, age,
gender and geographical location in order to simulate the characteristics of the mean
population/experimental group/business associates. Thus, the inferences between sample population
and mean population for the purpose of this action research proposal hypothesis testing are further
defined by the following table below:

Population

# Participants

Age Range

Gender

Education/Work Location

Experimental

25-40

3 males/

College/Professi 3 local

1 females

onal

15/males

College/Professi 15 local

group

Sample/

20

25-40

onal

1 distanced

Running Head: DRAFT ACTION RESEARCH

Control group

6
5 females

5 distanced

The ratios of number of participants, gender and geographic location of both sample and mean
population are .75 which will add to the validity/integrity of the comparison of sample population to
mean population. The education/occupation and age levels are congruent between sample and mean
participants which may increase the chances of collecting data consistent with the scope of the
study/area of focus. All participants in the experimental/control groups are consciously agreeable
with participation in the study and will receive full disclosure of findings/results at any expressed time.
Research Questions
In specific, we wonder if through technological integration and collaboration if it is possible to
initially train business associates over distance. According to Landrum (2013),
A coherent and well-formed research question will help guide the rest of the research-gathering
process, and will help determine what information is relevant to the writing assignment and
which information is unnecessary.. (p.1.4)
Thus, we hope to answer queries regarding the opportunity costs both explicit and implicit of
technological integration of specific Web 2.0 technology as an education/training tool. Thus, the
research questions consists of the following queries:
-Is Skype the most effective/economical/secure/ethical Web 2.0 tool for training business associates?
-Is Wiki the most effective/economical/secure Web 2.0 tool for training business associates?
-Is Facebook the most effective/economical/secure Web 2.0 tool for training business associates?
At this juncture of the research proposal creation I feel that the above questions are critical issues I the
area of focus an represent the inspirations that drive the action research in the right direction. The
research questions may change in context before the completion of the action research proposal.

Running Head: DRAFT ACTION RESEARCH

References
Landrum, R. E. (2013). Research design for educators: Real-world connections and
applications. San Diego, CA: Bridgepoint Education, Inc.