The Merits of Action Research

I have learned that action research is an essential component in establishing a firm foundation for school improvement. When a school leader engages in administrative inquiry, the process of studying one’s own administrative practice becomes a tool for learning. The new understanding gained in the inquiry then becomes the basis for initiating action in implementing changes toward school improvement. When research is undertaken in a school setting, the researcher looks for solutions to real concerns experienced in the school.

When I begin an action research, I must reflect on my practice, identify a problem or concern and collect data in order to gain insight into the causes and possible solutions to the identified concern. I will then analyze and interpret the data I have collected with the help of literature written by other educators that would help me glean more information about the problem. Based on my new understanding gained during my research, I can take action and implement changes for the purpose of school improvement. Reflecting upon my findings would help me as a principal to grow professionally. Taking the final step of sharing my findings with other principals and researchers will contribute new ideas to the learning community about successful practices that result in school improvement.

Dana (2009) points out that there are two paradigms of traditional research: process-product research and research drawn from qualitative or interpretive studies. Process-product research is a linear activity in which the practitioner is portrayed as a technician and the researcher as an outsider who poses a question that is focused on control, prediction or impact. Qualitative and interpretive studies are discursive activities in which the practitioner is portrayed as a story character and the researcher as an outsider who poses a question that is focused on explaining a process or phenomenon. Action research differs from traditional educational research in that it is a cyclical activity in which the practitioner is the storyteller and the researcher is the school principal who is an insider who focuses the research on providing insight into his or her own practice in order to make changes for the purpose of school improvement. Conducting action research provides numerous benefits for principals and their schools. It helps principals grow professionally, and engaging in the process of inquiry draws out the principal from isolation and helps him or her become a role model to the teachers and students. Action research results in school improvement by encouraging effective practices. It also helps a principal to slow down from a harried pace when compelled to focus attention on a problem or issue he or she faces.

Through blogging I can share my thoughts, school concerns and experiences with other educational leaders. It is a tool for collaboration and provides a venue where educational leaders can post, read and comment on each other’s ideas and reflections.