ACTION RESEARCH

Utilizing Action Research in Education

According to Nancy Fichtman Dana, in her book “Leading with Passion and Knowledge,” action research is a research tradition referred to as “practitioner inquiry” which “focuses on the concerns of practitioners (not outside researchers) and engages practitioners in the design, data collection, and interpretation of data around their question.” (2009, p.5)

Currently I sit on the Intervention Committee.  This committee was created to fix our current academic intervention program, which is embedded into our bell schedule.  To hone in on those students that need the extra help and attention, but do not take the time to ask for help after school, the district mandated that every school incorporate an intervention period into the bell schedule to reach every single student possible.  The bell schedule we currently have has a period of intervention that has not worked in the last 2 years.  It started as a pilot program, but at this point teachers and students are frustrated and want change.  

Using reflection and action, I think we can come up with a plan that will suit everyone.  As we speak, we are gathering data from the last 2 years, asking teachers what they think, creating lists of what has worked and not worked, and looking into other schools’ bell schedule with similar demographic schools that are using the same approach on intervention.  We have come up with a few solutions, but are still working on more.   As soon as we decide on some solutions, we are bringing it back to the teachers as a whole and gathering more data from their thoughts.  As the process roles, we will eventually implement the new schedule and evaluate the effectiveness as the year goes on and if changes need to be made, so be it, the action research will continue until we meet our schools need. 

Dana, Nancy Fichtman (2009).  Leading with Passion and Knowledge.  Thousand Oaks, CA:  Corwin