Intro to Action Research

I am working on my masters in educational administration so I can obtain my principal's certification. My current class is called Research, and right now, we are primarily focusing on action-based research. Action-based research is very beneficial and can be used to help identify problems and work towards solutions. There are two types of research: action-based research and the more traditional educational research. With educational research, the principal is a not part of the equation because outside experts are used to locate problems and give solutions. On the other hand, action-based research is all about the principals needs and ideas. With this type of research, the principal is the one who decides what topic will be investigated, and throughout the whole process, the principal is in the middle collecting data, analyzing the findings, and implementing the changes. Action-based research definitely keeps the stakeholder involved in all of the steps.

Action-based research can be used to help gain insight on many of the problems that a principal faces. Lets say that a principal notices that his/her school is having difficulty with students cutting class. With an action-based research, the principal will be able to gather data on the students cutting class, the times they are cutting, the subjects or teacher they are skipping, and maybe find some reasons behind the students cutting class. Once the principal gains this data, he/she can analyze it and further evaluate the situation. After these steps have been followed, the principal can decide to do more investigating or he/she can start making changes. During all these steps, the principal should be reflecting on each finding as well as each decision he/she is trying to make. The action-based research will keep the principal focused and engaged throughout the entire process, thus helping solve the problem of class-cuts. Action-based research can be used to help with many of the problems or curiosities that a principal or school faces.