Action Research in Education

Like the world around us, the field of education is constantly changing and evolving.  In order to stay relevant in this field, all educators and administrators must adapt with that change.  As the guiding force within schools, principals and administrators especially need to stay current with the ebb and flow of change. Administrative inquiry, or action research, is the tool by which this is done.   In short, it is the continued study of effective administrative practice and educational leadership, resulting in a dynamic action plan for educational evolution. The process of action research includes a cycle involving planning, action, monitoring, and reflection.  This includes creating a question, collecting data on the question, analyzing that data, and finally, reporting the results. The key to this process is that it is being done by practitioners in the teaching field.  In other words, teachers are engaged in the design of the research plan, data collection, and interpretation of data.   This dynamic and ongoing spiral of reflection and action creates a much more authentic problem-solving model than previous educational research.  In addition, the results of action research usually approach solutions that could be applied to society as a whole, rather than just the educational world.  For example, a current field for administrative inquiry is the study and research of 21st century skills in the classroom and how teachers/administrators can help the educational realm grow with (as opposed to against) the evolving technological world around us. This research really does apply to how our society is changing in regards to technology and communication.  While the results of this study might be used to address issues in the classroom, they could also be used to address issues within all facets of our society.  Action research is an authentic process of metacognition and self-realization within the educational world.  It produces a framework for professional growth of teachers, but the implications of such do not stop in the schools. Thus the outcome of the research can produce a truly dynamic and interactive result rather than just information to add to the notch of the teaching belt.  


As stated above, a problem that I think is critical to look at as an administrator is how to effectively lead teachers as 21st Century educators.  I truly believe that the educational world is on the cusp of a major revolution.  We live in a world that is becoming increasingly connected through technology, yet in many ways we continue to teach in a 20^th century model.  I know there is a lot of talk in the educational world about introducing 21^st century skills… we need to be creating a learning environment where students can learn and grow into the type of citizens who can truly contribute to our future world.  We need to give them skills that can help them succeed in the “real world” so to speak.  Our students will not only need to be academically prepared, they will also have to be creative innovators, effective communicators, respectful collaborators and globally competent.  I think if we are truly honest with ourselves, our current educational model that revolves around standardized testing does not prepare students for this type of world.  I truly believe that more in depth action research needs to be done on integrating 21^st century skills into the education.  I would be interested in researching schools that focus entirely on Project-Based Learning (PBL) or reading about the Buck Institute that supports this type of educational structure.  From the research I’ve done so far, it seems like schools that follow the PBL model have both a high level of student engagement as well as sustained performance in creating future leaders.  It would be interesting to see how their scores compare to more traditional models.  Perhaps this type of 21^st century skill overhaul is what our educational world needs? As educator I would have to research and answer this question with my district before I could make a decision on whether or not this type of structural overhaul is actually needed.