Action research, what is it, who is doing it and is it effective? Action research is the "new" form of research that is sweeping the world of education. Action research allows the researcher to really become part of the project. Action researchers identify a problem or theory, collect data, interpret the data and then provide suggestions for improvement. Traditional research used "outside" sources and did not take the individual school or teachers and students into consideration. For decades educators have based decisions about their school on some scholars' findings or a reporters' story in a magazine or newspaper. Action research is being performed by principals, teachers, and interns. Action research has several benefits which make it effective. According to the Dana textbook, the theories and knowledge are based on the actual school settings, researchers participate in the research, and since researchers participate throughout the process they are more likely to help implement the suggested changes.
Action research can be used in several ways to benefit a individual school or district. Researchers can compare reading fluency with parents reading to their child at home, does an effective teacher mentoring program help teacher retention rates, do individual mobile devices increase student performance, does smaller class size increase student performance, is there a correlation between perceived job satisfaction of teachers and their years of experience. These are just a few topics that could be used for an action research project. I feel that in the course of my educational career, several action research projects will be performed. We should always strive to improve and make ourselves better. Our students deserve the very best we have to offer.
Hey Lindsay! Just checking out your blog this week. Looks like we are on the same page with action research. I was sort of worried about it at first, but its starting to come together.
ReplyDeleteThis is GREAT! Perhaps you could not only have it focused on the effects mobile devices have on test scores, and you could include the effects it has on student engagement and focus on a daily basis. This might be a little more nitty gritty, but might help your campus in the future. I know many campuses are trying to decide how to handle the use of cellphones on campus, and if you would have some data to provide during that decision making process, this could prove to be doubly beneficial! Good luck! and I'll be checking back!
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