ACTION RESEARCH IN EDUCATION

Johnson (1993) states that action research is an important component of educational inquiry in that it allows teachers, local schools, and school districts to document their efforts to make data-driven decisions. Further, it is said to be a method of inquiry that assists them in identifying the needs, assessing the development processes, and evaluating the outcomes of the changes they define, design, and implement.

The purpose of this paper is to provide a thorough description and delineation of action research by focusing on its various goals and purposes, and delineating the specifics of it as a processes. The paper ends with the formulation of a series of conclusion about action research and its goals and processes. The presented conclusions are derived based on the presented material.

Action Research: Definition and Processes

According to Schmuck (1997) action research is a solution-oriented research methodology

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practice. However, as noted by Schmuck (1997), the goals are really broader than this. Not only is an attempt made to improve a given practice or practices but also to better understand and improve the situation in which the practice is carried. In a more current view of action research, it can be noted that there is a slight modification of the foregoing goals. In this regard, Marzano (2003) informs that the goals of action research are to improve practice, to improve the understanding of a given practice, and to build an understanding and responsiveness in the system (e.g., school, district, classroom, etc.) that supports change of the practice. An excellent example of the use of both the goals and the processes associated with action research can be found in Bujan's (1999) action research project in which the goal was set as that of improving students' taking responsibility for their own learning. A specific population was targeted. It consisted of 120 intermediate and middle school students in five classes, who were drawn from two middle-class communities in northern Illinois. The lack of student responsibility in the learning process was documented through teachers' anecdotal records, interviews of randomly selected stud
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Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 2162
Approximate Pages = 9 (250 words per page)

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