About Action Research by Educational Leaders

I have learned enough about action research in the last week to fill this blog for days, so I'll try to keep it brief in this first post.  Action research is a lifestyle or a paradigm within which one should operate in almost any set of circumstances.  I mean, I don't want to go overboard (and given my inclinations, I probably won't (too much)), but we should probably look at action research more often in our homes and families than most people are wont to do.  Here, though, we're going to focus on the very necessary practice of action research in educational settings.

As long as this blog exists, I will more than likely have reason to report on, reflect upon, and seek response to action research from the perspectives of both the teacher and the educational administrator.  I have learned that both positions are ripe with topics for action research.  In these two different educator roles, we operate from a vision and a set of goals for the classroom and the campus, respectively.  Each needs to set a foundation for the research by moving from these missions to establishing a specific question or wondering to explore. Each needs to gather data for reflection and study. Each needs to conduct diagnostic assessments of one type or several to develop a deeper understanding of the nature of the problem at hand, and each must take the time to reflect upon the increasing body of knowledge and how it better describes the patterns inherent in the problem and its possible solution(s).  Both the teacher and the administrator must then determine a direction in which to take the study and take the appropriate action toward resolving the problem.  Finally, each must determine the best way to maintain the effective strategies, policies, and practices revealed by the research (Harris, Edmonson, and Combs, 2010, p. xv).

The differences between this framework and traditional research methodologies make it ideal in the education setting.  In action research projects, the researcher has the power and drive to constantly reevaluate his or her actions based upon data collected throughout the steps.  That data might be the product of a period of reflection, a set of diagnostic data issued by a computer-based assessment, or the comments left in a set of surveys completed by students.  Regardless of the source or type of the data, the researcher can act then react then reassess then react again in order to make certain that he or she is moving toward achieving the overall mission described in the project's foundation.

Finally, I have learned that action research is not to be taken lightly.  When we determine a course for our action research, we must also be prepared to give the necessary time and other resources to the project.  This process is how we, as educators, will attain and maintain a state of professional "good health", and only by engaging in it as constantly and with as many supporters, team members, and colleagues as we can will we continue moving toward a more successful education framework for every stakeholder.

Reference

Harris, S., Edmonson, S., & Combs, J. P. (2010). Examining what we do to improve

          our schools: 8 steps from analysis to action. Larchmont, NY: Eye on Education.