Perspective on Action Research

I have learned that action research is the process an administrator or principal uses to take action and try to make change for the better.  The principal will research different things to try to improve the status of the problem by posing questions or curiosities to the problem.  Action research is where you deeply look into the problem and research ways to improve it.  Action research differs from traditional educational research by the way and how the research is performed.  For instance, action research is research someone does where they are looking into a problem more in depth; maybe they are researching different aspects of the problem.  Basically it is taking the problem and all the information you already know and going out to actually research different areas of the problem and how you can make that problem better to improve it.  This is different from the traditional research we all used to use in school, where you just research information only slightly related to the topic and then siting it and calling it a research paper.

I think I will be able to use action research throughout my educational leadership journey.  It will help me gain insights on campus improvements and other problems that need improvements.  Although, I do not enjoy general research and writing, I am hoping action research enlightens me and I will gain a new appreciation for the word ‘research’!