Action Research 5301- Week 1

Action research, as its name suggests, has the participant actively engage in the learning and sharing of such research. The researcher not only gathers and analyzes, data, but he or she takes on various roles to actively participate in processes that are not normally practiced by the researcher. So seeing different points of view through research enables educational leaders to spear-head endeavors that are more meaningful to teachers. Action research allows professionals to see data, interpret it, and use it to solve problems with solutions found in action research.

The Dana text does an excellent job in comparing action research to traditional research. The text mentions that traditional research is linear. Action research is “cyclical” in that topics of concern or curiosity are interconnected because these topics have been closely studied by teams of professionals in the school community (Dana 7). There are no better assets to schools than the teachers themselves. And allowing them to take leadership roles in Professional Learning Communities or Leadership Teams will certainly make action research a more productive and effective way to dissect, strategize plans to solve problems and support programs that have proved to be successful through supported data.

In such a technology driven time, it’s no wonder that educational leaders use blogs to communicate with stakeholders on specific issues. A blog can be used to inform students of weekly activities and homework help. A blog can be utilized by PLCs or SBDM committees to disseminate information. A blog can certainly be used to share and pose possible questions for action research in the community to include all stakeholders.