Using Action Research to Create Change

Administrative inquiry, or action research, is the deliberate study and focus on a topic relevant to an administrator, with the intention of creating change. According to Nancy F. Dana, inquiring professionals seek out change and reflect on their practice by posing questions, collecting data, analyzing the data, and making changes based on new understanding.¹

Action research differs from traditional educational research in several ways. It provides a much better means for reflection on current practice, helping administrators or teachers to better understand their own behaviors. Action research also differs from traditional research in that it requires participation, as opposed to more traditional methods referred to as “sit and get” or “spray and pray.”² Also, because the motivation comes from the researcher, rather than from an external source, the researcher is more likely to be actively engaged, and the results are more likely to be relevant.

The goal of this blog is to find and post relevant research to aid in increasing enrollment in high school computer science courses, especially among women. Hopefully, educators can share ideas that show promise in their schools and programs.

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¹ Dana, Nancy F. (2009), Leading with passion and knowledge: The Principal as Action Researcher, Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press, p. 2.

² Dana, p. 10.