Once you have your action research questions formulated, you can start to determine how you will be able to answer them. For each question, you should be able to collect data from one or more sources to help answer it. Collecting data from multiple sources to answer a particular question is most desirable because that allows us to triangulate (or validate) the data.

This table demonstrates how you might break an action research question into sub-questions and determine the potential data sources.

Action Research Questions and Sub Questions

Question	Sub Questions	Data Sources
How can I increase participation in class discussion?	What is the current participation level? Desired participation level? Why do students participate at their current level? Do students feel their current level of participation is sufficient? Does participation level vary by type of activity? Timing of activity? What would encourage students to participate more? (grades, more feedback, different types of activities, etc.)	Teacher reflection about class experiences Observation of class sessions (count instances of participation) Students (interview or survey about their participation habits)

Note that the sample question can be answered by three sources. No one source can provide the full answer, but together the sources will paint a fuller picture of the situation. The observation will provide a good sense of what the current participation levels and patterns are.