Action Research-Practitioner Inquiry

Action research is a necessary process to improve any entity or organization. In Leading With Passion and Knowledge: The Principal as Action Researcher, Nancy Fichtman Dana (2009) states:

Administrator inquiry refers to the process of a principal engaging in systematic, intentional study of his/her own administrative practice and taking action for change based on what he/she learns as a result of the inquiry. Inquiring professionals seek out change and reflect on their  practice by posing questions or “wonderings,” collecting data to gain insight into their wonderings, analyzing the data along with reading relevant literature, making changes in practice based on new understandings developed during inquiry, and sharing findings with others (pp. 2, 3).

Administrator Inquiry refers to the learning process an administrator must go through in order to increase the level of involvement and knowledge necessary to efficiently run every area of the operation. Also known as "practitioner inquiry", action research differs from traditional educational research in that the latter relies on outside experts to give input on the operation, with possible solutions to operational issues and action guides for school improvement; whereas in the action research model, inside personnel perform the research and recommendations for improvement with accurate and deep understanding of the operations.

Action research fosters collaboration by empowering staff members. Also, leaders have the opportunity to make informed decisions by gaining access to first-hand information which facilitates the job in return. Another benefit of action research is that it serves as a mechanism of staff development for teachers.

Reflection is an important part of the action research process. Informed leaders have better understanding of the operation and the group of individuals they lead. Reflection allows leaders to empower staff members by making informed decisions. It also gives leaders a greater sense of control of the operation; it emphasizes practitioners’ examination of their own practices to determine which strategies to implement in order to improve the learning process. In the reflection phase, practitioners analyze the data gathered in the action research process, and change the focus of the investigation based on the results of the action research. Reflection allows one to see what is unknown so that one can begin to understand, which ultimately informs change (Harris, Edmonson, & Combs, 2010, p.49).

Action research can be used to overcome fundamental issues in the educational realm such as poor parent involvement, lack of student motivation, low staff morale, and low school pride and spirit. One of the major issues we face in our low-income schools is the poor academic achievement. I believe that academic achievement is closely related to student behavior. I trust that if we take care of the discipline factor, the academic factor will consequently improve. An action research study would be beneficial as it would possibly show the types of discipline problems that most contribute to the universe of discipline issues, giving us a lead as to where to start in determining the causes for those major contributors, to be able to determine possible solutions.