Action Research

Administrative inquiry, stated by our prescribed authors, is the process of a principle engaging in systematic, intentional study of his/ her own administrative practice and taking action for a change based on what he/ she learns as a result of the inquiry.  Inquiring professionals seek out change and reflect on their practice by posing questions or “wonderings,” collecting data to gain insight into their wonderings, analyzing the data along with reading relevant literature, making changes in practice based on new understandings developed during inquiry, and sharing findings with others.  (Dana, 2009)

The need for inquiry is the essential component in order to establish a firm foundation for school improvement.  Inquiry is investigating in a systematic way.  It is examining data, asking questions, and requesting more information.  The inquiry process, based on logical reasoning, requires the collection of information in a systematic way. (Harris, 2010)

The steps in an Inquiry are a lot like those of problem solving.  You identify the problem, brainstorm possible solutions and pick the best one.  You apply it and see if the results solve the problem. 

Action research in general is where the practitioner inquiry movement focuses on the concerns of the practitioner (not outside researchers) and engages practitioners in the design, data collection, and interpretation of data around their question. (Dana, 2009)  Teachers and administrators that are involved with the everyday happenings have better insight to what will work or what the problem is.  Outsiders from Universities are not at the school in a day to day setting and their analysis of the situation may sometimes be delusional.

It appears to me that Action Research is an idea, which you can apply to improve your own administrative practice, as well as other areas of academic work.  By being the one that brings up the research subject, you can examine it and modify it to fit your needs a little better.  Traditional education research is trying to fit someone else’s ideas and solutions to your problems when in fact they are not the same thing.  No one knows more about your class than you do and you should be the one to implement new ideas and they should come from your research.