Action Research in my own words

Action research is the type of research that most of us are more familiar with. We use research to write papers, study data, and to find our more information on a topic, but in contrast to traditional research, action research is more introspective and local. It is introspective because the leader looks into his/her own circumstances or problems using the the advice or wisdom from those closest to them. A principal might poll the teaching staff asking what are the current critical issues at the school and develop his focus from there. This introspective process of action research is beneficial because it allows for a more accurate and personal assessment of needs or improvements. Its also introspective because the leader will look into his/her own data and see where things to need to change, maybe in regard to their leadership style or every day interactions. From that point, the leader can take action and implement solutions unlike traditional research where studies are for more academic purposes and the audience cannot easily implement the solutions.

Action research is also local, and I highlight this for two reasons. The first is that assessment of the problem will come from those who are being affected by it. For a simple illustration, a teacher might realize that their 7^th period class is performing poorly on their benchmarks or CBAs. When looking into the problem, the teacher discovered that most of the students had the same teacher the year before and it was a teacher who had been out often because of health issues. There were crucial lessons the students had never been exposed to and were behind because they couldn't build on a foundation that wasn't there. The problem was discovered by the teacher and the students- those who were being effected by it, not by a distant researcher. Another reason that action research is local is because the solution to the problem is determined by those who are being affected. By including the students in the research and explaining that they can help discover the problem, the students and the teacher have the responsibility to be reflective and determine where teaching and learning is falling short and why. They will have ownership over the problem, and because they helped determine the solution, they will be motivated to see it through.