Action research is a useful tool that can be used in many different situations and at many different levels. I believe that it is always wise to do a “triage” survey of the campus or district to see what is the most pressing need or the target to focus on first prior to developing an action research plan.
Action research concentrates on areas where you as the educator, or team of educators, look at areas that you have some direct influence over- not abstract concepts but more of the areas that affect the day to day processes and culture/climate of a campus. It is best done in a collaborative manner with many of the stakeholders participating in the process. By involving the stakeholders of a school in the process, everyone can take ownership of the plan that is developed thereby insuring a greater level of success.
In his article, “When teachers are researchers, teaching improves”, Watts stated that action research is based on the following assumptions that teachers and principal work best on problems that they have identified for themselves and are more effective when encouraged to examine and assess their own work and then consider ways of working on the problem.(Journal of Staff Development, 1985, p.118) It is important when developing an action research plan that needs are assessed and proper collection and analysis of data are conducted in order to make an informed decision. A decision that is made today should not be laying the groundwork of the problems of tomorrow.
Action research can be a useful tool when looking at policies, procedures and practices on your campus. You can address a declining climate, attendance issues, procedures that do not seem to be serving your campus as well as they could be, just to name a few.
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