EDLD 5301, Week 2: Redundant Research

Hopefully, the title of this post caught your eye.  For those of you enrolled in EDLD 5301, you may relate to the reasons why I chose "redundant research" to hang above this blog entry.  At the beginning of this week (which for me was Wednesday), I felt the workload was relatively easy because I started with the discussion boards.  Initially it seemed I'd be talking about what I'd discussed the previous week:  my action research topic.  Redundant, right?  I thought to myself, "Hey, self, this week will be a breeze!" Enter Friday and Saturday, when I was tasked with investigating nine different wonderings educational leaders should engage in.  This essay, coupled with the essay on what I'd learned from interviews of educational leaders led me to the second redundancy of the week.  While driving home after five hours of reading and writing, I thought to myself, "Man, self, I just spent five hours researching...research!"  As I sit here on a Sunday night with my assignment submitted, my discussion board duties fulfilled, and my blog post completing itself right before my eyes, I can genuinely say I've learned a ton this week about action research.  Not only have I been able to think more precisely about my research topic, I've learned how action research can lead to positive results in other areas.  I've learned the value of taking the initiative in addressing issues and problems through research.  I've learned sharing your findings from research with others can be very rewarding, and I've learned data is the key to assessing your research's progress and accuracy.  I look forward to what may be another week of redundancy as this one, to me, was very rewarding.  I'll say it again.  This week was very rewarding.

Blogs in Education

To me, blogs are the ultimate tool for collaboration.  Today, educators are encouraged to be collaborative not only in their decision making but also in their inquiry into issues affecting their schools.  As a science teacher, I know the importance of publishing it for peer review.  Blogs provide an atmosphere never before seen for this critiquing process.  By simply sharing your findings and thoughts on a blog, you allow others from different situations to weigh in on your research.  As an educator in the 21^st century, I feel I’d be foolish not to utilize blogs if I were to be doing any type of research, large or small.  

Action Research Overview

As I've entered the second month of my eighteen-month journey to obtain my educational-administration-master’s degree, I've been tasked with becoming an action researcher.  Action research (also called inquiry or classroom research) is aptly named in that one does not simply go along with someone else's research and implement it; action researchers do the inquiring themselves based upon issues specific to their situation.  Traditionally, research is done outside of schools in institutions of higher learning or private research facilities.  Although these traditional studies can yield significant results, these results won’t necessarily transfer to all school settings.  Action research is different in that the very people dealing with certain issues are the ones doing the research.  This is why action research is such a good tool for administrators in education.  By making pertinent observations of local issues and personally inquiring about the subject, administrators can be proactive in the continual improvement of their campus and community.   Action research also allows for collaboration with those around you.  Instead of the top-down approach of, “Just do what I say,” action researchers involve the staff around them, encouraging them to become part of the solution to a problem most, if not all of them, face.  I’m very excited to learn more about this contemporary style of research and look forward to putting it to use this year.