What I have Learned About Action Research

I have already learned many things about what action research truly is and how it may be useful in my professional career.  Action research can be a very effective tool for someone in a leadership position, such as an administrator.  Most forms of educational research just lean towards identifying or diagnosing a problem, whereas action research is more of an immediate sight and solution.  This is because the act of finding your solution makes you understand your practice better – not only what you are doing, but also the factors that affect what you do. Action research therefore has two aspects: The starting point is to sort out a problem or issue in practice; to this extent an action researcher seeks a solution. But the process can also be used as a deliberate attempt to understand practice better – a traditional research attitude. What is most important in both approaches is that you are open, honest and rigorous. The aim of an action researcher is to bring about development in his or her practice by analyzing existing practice and identifying elements for change. The process is founded on the gathering of evidence on which to make informed rather than intuitive judgments and decisions. Perhaps the most important aspect of action research is that the process enhances teachers’ professional development through the fostering of their capability as professional knowledge makers, rather than simply as professional knowledge users.   Action research can help teachers and administrators feel in control of their own professional situation.  Having a more inside-out point of view can help an administrator take the practices that they are weaker in and immediately change them for the good.