Before reading the Dana and Harris texts, I had a very traditional way of viewing research. I actually had just been exposed to researching in the realm of college. I honestly had no idea how school districts and such went about researching. The knowledge gained from this week has been eye-opening and educational to me. Action research, in my humble opinion, is the only type that makes sense in a educational setting. Why would an outside researcher be brought in to a school to tell that school how to improve? As stated in the text, "...many principals and teachers have learned that it is sometimes best not to problematize their lived school experiences or first-hand observations because to do so may mean an admission of failure" (Dana, 4). On that same note, I feel when the pressure is put on the principal solely, it can lead to the same thing. That's why I think, as an administrator, you have to constantly and honestly be evaluating yourself. I think it would also be beneficial to have a leadership team. There is so much accountability within that and the work load can be a little more evenly distributed. I will be able to use it many ways as an administrator. For my action research plan, I would like observe the differences between uniforms and not requiring students to wear uniforms.
Karlee,
ReplyDeleteI agree 100% with your comment that action research makes the best sense for schools. I've worked at a school where the district handed MANY ultimatums that were designed to improve test scores. We were given very little wiggle room to critique their orders to fit our kids. It was very frustrating and not very helpful. I'm also a firm believer that you must allow your participants to have some amount of ownership in whatever is going on. How else does everyone take pride in their accomplishments?