Action research is a method of problem solving led by individuals working with one another in a team. The goal of action research is to improve strategies, practices and knowledge in the area of education. Action research is a data-driven collaborative analysis of what the underlying causes of a problem and what solutions can be offered. It can give educators opportunity to explore and test new ideas, methods and materials. It gives the opportunity to assess the effectiveness of the new approaches and to share feedback with fellow team members. Action research has the potential to generate genuine and sustained improvements in schools.
As a professional educator and instructional leader I could use action research to work collaboratively with my colleagues to make improvements in my district that will sustain over time because it is a type of research that specifically refers to a disciplined inquiry done by individuals with the intent the research will inform his or her practices in the future. It is dealing with questions with educational matters that are occurring right now in a classroom, school or district. I can use this method when working on my internship plan because I will be posing questions, gathering data, reflecting on the data and deciding on a course of action for each item in my plan.
