Action Research

Before taking this class I never heard of the term "action research." After reading through various text, assigned by the class, I discovered that this process is used in my current position just in a different form. While their are many different ways to carry out the process, the key is that it begins and begins with reflection that will lead to an unanswered questions or as I refer to as the "unknown." By going through this process, any leader will be able to better understand the inquires that they are researching because it is more interactive and internal. I am not a principal nor do I aspire to become one, however I do work in higher education in an environment that has high traffic with lots of problems that arise daily. It is really hard to stop my world to begin researching new ways of dealing with issues so it usually either written down on scratch paper somewhere on my desk or forgotten about until in occurs again. I feel that I could benefit from action research in my current

because so often we jump into new projects or ideas without putting all the pieces together. Part of this is my fault. By this I mean that I admit that I am an impulsive person. However, using the steps outlined in this course, I can begin to make my own diagnosis of problems in a more systematic way. Eventually by taking these steps at my own pace instead rushing into the results, I can be more confident in my findings that will lead to more successful implementation.

I really liked the idea of professional learning communities (PLC) used in the Dana text. Sometimes I feel the isolation factor because although no one else holds the same role as I do its hard to get everyone on the same page . With using action research I can involve other staff members and gain more insight that I would not have thought of on my own.