Action Research

Throughout this week, we have been actively learning what "action research" is and how it can serve as an enormous benefit in the educational realm. In contrast to the linear, "process-product research" (Dana, 2009, pg. 4) that plagues traditional educational research, action research on the other hand is a dynamic, collaborative and insightful method to researching topics within our schools and classrooms. As action research is conducted by individuals within the school system (i.e. administrators, teachers, etc) and not done by outside researchers (or University Professors), points of inquiry for action research are formed around the concerns of the practitioners. The practitioners then engage in collecting data around their point of inquiry, work with others to interpret and analyze the data and are continually reflecting upon the different findings that the action research reveals along the way. 


In pursuit of my Master's in Education at Lamar in Educational Technology Leadership, I will be able to use action research to complete a portion of my internship in an area of technological interest. As I am not currently a classroom teacher or working for a school district (rather I work for an Education Service Center), currently I cannot directly pinpoint another area that I could use action research in the educational sphere that ties with my day-to-day activities at work.

Reference:

Dana, N.F. (2009). Leading with passion and knowledge: The principal as action researcher.Thousand Oaks,                          CA: Corwin Press.