Action Research as a Tool for Professional Development

Administrative inquiry, action research, or practitioner inquiry are terms used to describe an organized and deliberate study of the administrator’s practice, then taking action based on the results of that reflection (Dana, 2009). The benefits of self-reflection on the practice of the administrator stems from the success of the same type of practitioner inquiry performed by teachers (Oberg, 1990).

This type of research, as compared to process-product, qualitative or interpretive data, differs because of its focus on the researcher’s insight into his own practice in an effort to make changes and to improve the school. Additionally, this process is cyclical, having the inquirer re-analyze the same portion of his methodology to determine how it can be further improved or modified (Dana, 2009).

I believe that action research can be conducted by communities of learners within the school via blogs and other forms of online communication and collaboration, such as learning management systems, discussion boards, and wikis, in order to provide an environment conducive to the learning of teams, which Senge (1990) defines as the fundamental learning unit in modern organizations.

Dana, N.F. (2009). Leading with passion and knowledge: The principal as action researcher.Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin.

Oberg, A. (1990). Methods and meanings in action research: The action research journal. Theory into practice, 29(3), 214-221.

Senge, P.M. (1990). The fifth discipline: The art and practice of the learning organization. New York, NY: Doubleday/Currency.