I have learned quite a bit about action research. Action research requires the practitioner do develop questions around an area of concern. The practitioner must collect and analyze data, read relevant literature on the topic, and create an action plan to try to resolve the issue or concern. The practitioner must then collect and analyze new data and begin the process again. There are many benefits of action research. It helps the practitioners focus their energies in one area so that they can effectively solve problems rather than being spread too thin. It also helps practitioners work together, make data based decisions, and implement best practices. As a teacher, I currently use action research. I use data from assessments that I give and create action plans to meet the needs of my students. After implementing the action plans, I re-assess my students to monitor their progress. I either create a new action plan to meet their needs or determine a new focus to assess. I don't always document each of these steps in a focused way, but I use a version of the process daily. I could use action research when I implement a new curriculum unit, or program of study. I can take prior student work and compare it to the student work completed at the end of the unit to see if the unit was effective.
Educational leaders could use action research to choose a new program or curricula based on the needs of the school as a whole. It also could be used to analyze the effectiveness of new programs and curricula. Action research could also be used at the administrative level to analyze the needs of the staff for professional development, and to improve the climate of the school.
