Action Research Overview

Having multiple trepidations about “traditional research”, the concept of action research is a welcome game changer. Often times, I have made suggestions, derived primarily from my experience with current students in my classroom, to curriculum specialists within my district who have shot me down because “research shows” a different view. What they really mean is “I read an article written by one person conducting a study based on ideas by several other individuals, all of whom know nothing about our district’s students or demographics, and they found success by performing this specific action with a group of students completely unrelated to ours that must extrapolate to our student population.” Action research, on the other hand, relies on the experience and expertise of the teachers or individuals involved rather than solely outside “experts”.

Whereas traditional research relies on the citing of articles, texts, or interviews to “prove” something about a general population, action research requires inquiry, collaboration, testing, and reflection to prove something about a specific population. Action research begins with a question, problem the district is experiencing, or suggestion for improvement. A team is then assembled to devise a plan based on their own experiences with the specific population for answering the question, solving the problem, or trying out the suggestion. The plan is then carried out, and the effects are observed, recorded, and continuously reflected upon to modify and improve the plan mid-process. In fact it’s not so much “research” as it is “experimentation”.

All-in-all, action research is nothing if not empowering, allowing the teachers to be the expert researchers on whom the administration can rely. In fact, I can conduct action research of my own to improve the quality of my teaching and the quality of AP classes in general, as well as present my findings to my principal, administration, and school board to better represent myself and my fellow teachers. Furthermore, I can do all of this without relying on outside sources or experts to tell me how my class should be run or how it can improve. From now on, research will show the results of my own experimentation.