What Is Action Research? How Will I Use It?

Action research is an form of research that asks the administrator to think about what they are doing and what they need to change based on that research. In administrative inquiry the administrator must ask a question that is open ended and has a quantitative component. The administrator would need to look at themselves and reflect on their actions and make the necessary changes to improve the situation and answer the specific question. I believe this form of research will be more successful than traditional research since you must look at what you are doing and how you can correct or change the situation. I plan to use this method of research to help improve the math department on my campus. To accomplish this task I will review Iowa Test of Basic Skills scores for the current underclassmen on my campus. Each student will complete a teacher evaluation and the data will be shared, anonymously, with the teacher. I believe that this additional data will help to teacher see how he or she can better assist the students. I plan to complete the evaluations each six-weeks along with small focus groups for both low and high performing students. Over that past few years the department has continued to decline and I believe that the teachers are innovating to engage the different types of learners in their classes.