What I have learned so far about Action Research

1. Administrative inquiry and action research refers to the process that administrative leaders, teacher leaders, and business leaders use to systematically study their own practices.  To gather information collaboratively and individually to reflect and implement the necessary changes as a result of the inquiry.  This is a powerful tool for learning and improvement.  It allows leaders to collect data and analyze it. Research using relevant literature and the use of blogs to share insight and findings to come up with better practices and to have a better self understanding and better all approach as a continual learner and leader that not only says the right things but also models them.  Action research is different from traditional educational research.  Dana Fichman points out several differences between the two forms of research.  She talks about traditional educational leadership as two paradigms.  The first paradigm is the concept of process-product research. Where teachers and administrators implement the findings and research of outside of the school experts who do not know the everyday functions or problems relating to the individual schools that have specific needs.  The second paradigm in traditional educational research is referred by Fichman as qualitative or interpretive approaches.  This process limits the roles of researchers and is not tailored to individualize for specific problems or goals. They do not include, “the voices of the people who work in the trenches of the school building on a daily basis and therefore best positioned to understand and better the educational experiences for all members of the school house-administrators and teachers” (p.50).  They are beneficial for educational purposes but they do not individualize like action research.  Action research is done on the campus by the school leaders that know what is the best course of action for the challenges they face by making cooperative inquires. Action Research tailor’s specifically to when, where, and how best practices will be implemented and reflected upon to better understand what works.  Action research insures that continual developmental change and reflection are achieved by the cyclical approach it takes. Inquires will wind up providing new strategies that will be implemented, evaluated for their effectiveness resulting with more inquiries that stimulate more action strategies and on and on we go.  Continual growth and development is achieved through this cyclical action research technique.