Action Research

I have found the information on Action Research very interesting.  I dreaded the idea of research, but the idea of being a researcher for problems or challenges of my own, and then doing the research necessary to address it is so appealing.  Action Research, or Action Inquiry, as it is also known, is the process of a leader engaging in systematic, intentional study of a challenge through the context of his/her own administrative practices and then taking action for a solution or change based on what was learned then. Action Research encourages reflection, ownership, and local control.  It engages the researcher to live the research and thus leads to solutions that are relevant and can be fully understood and implemented.  It is important to note that conducting action research in learning communities, whether campus based, or with other leaders within an organization may well be the most effective way to conduct research.  Traditional research, conducted by outsiders, such as Process-Product research and the Quatitative Paradigm have the problem that it is transmissive and the users of the research don't have any ownership.  It the research is faulty, it is unlikely the users will say so, for fear of being seen as a failure.