Action Research Misconceptions

This week's lecture on action research was an enlightening one for me, as both a student in this program and as a high school English teacher. I realize that what I call a "research paper" to my students is more accurately named a "term paper." A proper action research paper is not simply a review of literature and prior research concerning a topic. A research paper or project does include literature and prior research review, but the basis of the project lies within the original and relevant research into a topic conducted by the student him or herself. In order to conduct a useful action research project, an educator must examine his or her own teaching or administrative practices and strategies, choose an area in which to conduct the systematic and ongoing research, and then utilize the findings in order to make the necessary changes as evidenced by the resulting data. Whether I choose to continue in the class upon completion of this graduate program, or decide to take on the challenge of an administrative position, I should continue to use action research based projects as the basis for improvement throughout my career.