All educators desire to positively impact their scholars and support them in becoming life-long learners. Action research is a proven method that is grounded in reflection that can be utilized as a means to create changes in your classroom and evaluate if those changes have produced the anticipated results.
Action research; A general goal to create simple, practical, repeatable process of iterative learning, evaluation, and improvement that leads to increasingly better results for schools, educators, or programs (Education Reform, 2015).
So now that we have a better understanding of what action research is, let's talk about how it is different from other research methods and why we need more of it in our lives. The first thing to understand about this process is that action research is an ongoing process. It is also a complete cycle that starts with asking the why questions and eventually leads to changes in the practice of teaching. Please refer to the diagram for a more detailed breakdown of how action research is different from traditional research.
Adapted from Mc Millan, J. H. & Wergin. J. F. (1998). "Understanding and Evaluating Educational Research."
There are many benefits of conducting action research in your classroom, and I'd like to discuss a few of those with you today. The first and biggest reason to conduct action research is to implement positive changes in your classroom environment that will affect scholar achievement. Sure, we would love for everything to be perfect all the time, but unfortunately this concept is not reality. Just because perfection is a hefty goal, it doesn't mean that improvement is out of reach. In order to strive for improvement, we must always be willing to openly reflect on our pedagogical practices within our classroom environments, and this process allows for an authentic look that gets to the heart of potential issues. Now that we have an understanding, it is also wise to point out that action research also makes change possible. When we are willing to take an unfiltered look into our shortcomings, then we are more invested in changing our futures. With change, naturally comes the need for collaboration with other stakeholders in the field of education. With true collaboration we can start to see issues from an outsiders perspective. This can help us to see things we may have not noticed before and can start the process of improvement. Once we start to see the fruits of our action research, naturally we want to share those results with others. If I can be successful, then so can others right? That is the beauty of leading the path in your school towards a growth mindset. You are setting your school up with a cycle that will enhance positivity and a growth mindset in everyone involved. Lastly, with all of these new revelations, the next step would be to naturally attempt to change the system that was causing the failure to begin with. However, now a more methodical approach can be taken to ensure that the right changes are made to ensure success for a long time to come.
So, what are you waiting on? The power is in your hands, and you are more powerful than you think. What curiosity, issue, or challenge can you change in your classroom that will impact scholar achievement? Get out there and start researching! You got this!
Resources
Action research definition. The Glossary of Education Reform. (2015, May 14). Retrieved June 4, 2022, from https://www.edglossary.org/action-research/
Mc Millan, J. H. & Wergin. J. F. (1998). "Understanding and Evaluating Educational Research."
