Action Research

     Action research is a complete one hundred and eighty degree turn from traditional educational research. Action research is very campus specific.  It is not a shot in the arm and everything will be OK.  It is a planned approach to analyze what is going on and how to fix problems along the way.  Action research is done by someone that is very close to the problem.  Action research is conducted by those that have a personal stake in getting the problem fixed.  I think the appealing factor of action research is there is not a tremendous amount of "going to the library" and seeing what others are doing, of saying about making a change.  It takes research a step further and makes one look at what exactly is going on at your specific school and formulating ideas and plans that might actually work on your specific campus.  It is very "real situation" research.  I agree with the Dana text when it states that when a practitioner actively participates in the research process that they will be more likely to facilitate change.  The hardest thing to do in education is to institute change.  Active research forces one to be involved and if you are involved in the research process you will want to be involved in the change that the research will incur.  Action research is also a reflective process of progressive problem solving led by individuals working with others in teams or as a part of a community to improve a situation or help in solving a problem.  Reflection is the key term used in this process. It is the culminating event.

    Educational leaders can generate explanations of their educational influences in their own learning, in the learning of others and in the learning of social groups.  They can generate explanations from experiencing themselves and answer the question "How do I improve what I am doing?"  They can use reflection to develop action plans, modify concerns, evaluating ideas, and imagining possibilities of gathering data.