Action Research??

When I discovered my next class toward my Master’s degree was the “research” class, I prepared myself for five weeks of extensive reading and long hours of writing. As it turns out, my class focuses on “Action Research.” In action research, the researcher “focuses on the concerns of practitioners (not outside researchers) and engages practitioners in the design, data collection, and interpretation around their question” (Dana, 2009, p.5). “Educators study their students’ learning related to their own teaching” (Ringler, 2007, p. 27) with the intent of instructional change toward best practice. This hands-on approach to inquiry makes taking action based on the knowledge generated in the study much easier because you gain expertise in the inquiry that can be applied to the change. Action research is professional development at its best.

My engagement in this spiraling process will give me the opportunity to examine a variety of reading intervention strategies. A benefit of action research is it forces me to take the time to focus on a question, search out a solution, and reflect on the efficacy of that solution. As I do this, my knowledge base of the strategies will deepen, and as a result, I’ll be better equipped to assign the most effective intervention strategies to students based on their needs across subject areas.

Resources:
Ringler, Marjorie C. (2007). Action research an effective instructional leadership skill for future public school leaders. Journal of Scholarship and Practice, volume 4 (no.1), pp. 27-42.

Fichman, Nancy Dana (2009). Leading with passion and knowledge: The principal as action researcher. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.