What I Have Learned About Action Research

Principals can easily become isolated from their school’s environment by being ensnared in the nuances of their daily “managerial” duties.  The ticket to freedom lies in the power of action research and administrative inquiry.  This is a necessary and essential tool that enables leaders to extricate themselves from the complex and grinding demands placed upon them from many facets.  It allows principals to connect with their school’s stakeholders by interacting with them on an intricate level.

Action research is a continuous cyclical process that promotes and supports self-reflection to gain deeper insight into one’s own practice.  It is an intentional and purposeful inquiry instigated by questioning oneself and others; then making changes based on new findings, thus becoming “a powerful vehicle for learning and school improvement.” (Dana, 2009, p.3)  It is an interactive collaborative approach for stimulating professional growth.  By cultivating action research, it fosters a learning entity where all stakeholders become active participants.

While traditional research has its benefits, the most powerful research comes from the stakeholders within an organization. The inquiry is personal, meaningful and focuses on the concerns and challenges that affect the practitioner and the stakeholders.  One important aspect of practitioner inquiry is that it does not force the implementation of the latest fad upon a school.  Instead, it is a continuous internal spiraling process that never ends.  Dynamics and dilemmas within each individual school are considered because the stakeholders are in the best position to ascertain the needs within the school.

A great way to promote action research is to create leadership teams.  This enables the principal to build a forum for action research to live and breathe within their school; it becomes immersed in the school’s culture.  “The leadership team shares problems, responsibilities, and decision making with administrators.” (Dana, 2009, p.21)  This fosters a sense of ownership and stakeholders are more likely to facilitate change because they have a vested interest in improvement. 

In conclusion, a principal is faced with enormous demands that can be immensely overwhelming.  A principal must not and will not just survive and weather the storm.  Each day brings new challenges and unexpected events.  Administrative inquiry is a powerful tool that promotes being proactive and heads off fires before they spark.  One main benefit to consistently devoting time for reflection and inquiry is that it allows an educator a mental break from the controlled chaos. “Engagement in inquiry enables you to take charge of something you can own and control in the midst of all the responding and reacting a principal does each school day.” (Dana, 2009, p.14)

On a personal note, I feel that the administrators at my school consistently use action research as a part of our school culture.  For instance, all students are given an anonymous end of the year survey in which they are asked numerous questions.  The questions range from how they feel about Trinity, do they feel like their teachers care about them, do they feel like they belong, and a plethora of questions along those lines.  As teachers, we are given multiple surveys throughout the year.  For example, we get one from the administrative building asking how we feel our human resources department, benefits department, and other departments respond to our needs.  There are so many committees on our campus devoted to student and teacher improvement that you could not possibly feel that you do not have a voice in change.  As teachers, it seems as if we are always involved in action inquiry within our department.  There are very few times that our curriculum directors give a directive on how we should do something.  It is usually a collaborative effort within each department and subject that decides the planning and implementation of the curriculum.  I have been on the absolute other end of the spectrum when it comes to administrators and I can say without a doubt this is the most stable and productive learning environment I have been a part of.

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