Action research involves studies conducted in the course of an occupation or activity, especially in education. It is used to improve the approach and methods used in education. It helps educators and teachers to discover strategies to enhance their teaching careers. It enables them to design a specific study in an area they would like to deal with in the classroom.
The point of action research is to help educators or teachers to assess or test new instructional strategies, evaluate an existing method, or examine a new curriculum. It helps generate practical knowledge that is beneficial to individuals in their everyday lives. It allows people to work towards functional outcomes that create new learning and forms of understanding.
Action research promises to create an impetus for positive change manifested in self-reflection, teacher improvement, and learning in general, which fosters classroom practices (Atkins, 2018). It is a practical way of learning while performing a specific activity and helps them learn to have a functional and well-informed view of the situation at hand.
The paradigm helps me think about research-informed practice because it involves all participants in an active form of learning. It engages me and gives me a feeling of ownership of the whole process, which helps in practice. I can understand the intricacies involved in these activities because they provide a hands-on experience with the activity at hand. Therefore, they develop the know-how to perform their activities through learning by practice.
A recognized model associated with action research is the technical action research model. In this model, the practitioner is not considered the principal researcher because they work under a collaborator. The leading researcher is the one who determines the research problem and offers an intervention (CEI, 2021). However, the practitioner is involved in implementing the interventions prescribed by the researcher.
References
Atkins, J. (2018). The impact of self-assessment on student engagement during independent reading. [Doctoral dissertation]. University of South Carolina. Web.
Center for Education Innovation (2021). Models and examples. Web.