What I Have Learned About Action Reasearch Thus Far, Summer II: Research

This is the first week of my graduate class entitled, Research. The name of the class, I will admit, is a little intimidating. However, after my readings from this week, I have learned a lot about what action research or inquiry really is, and I am interested. Action research is a type of research that involves personal questioning and reflection in order to make changes and improvements. This can be done on a personal level by a teacher or administrator, or on a larger level by examining the school as a whole. Action research is different that the traditional research that we are all accustomed to, because it is done by the actual participants. For example, action research at a school would be performed by the teachers and administrators on the campus, rather than academic scholars and experts. I like this idea; to me, the real experts are the ones involved in the action everyday! I feel that I will be able to use action research based on my experiences teaching on a 9th grade campus. I want to understand what we, as teachers, administrators and parents, can do more effectively to help students make the difficult transition from middle school to 9th grade more successfully. The work load and rigor, along with the social and academic aspects of high school are vastly different that the prior 8 years of a students educational career, and the first year of high school often catches many students (and parents) by surprise. By researching what can be done to minimize the shock of the transition process, I think I could see a positive change in the amount of 9th grade students that receive credits for their 9th grade year, and therefore stay on track for high school graduation.