Action Research in Educational Practice

Putting Research Into Action
Action research provides the process by which educators can resolve issues and problems specific to their classrooms, schools, and organizations. Action research is defined as a formative research of progress that is commonly practiced by teachers in schools (Lesha, 2014). This formative study of progress is carried out by teachers to help enhance their effectiveness in teaching and promoting development of their students. Given its significance and benefits, action research would play a critical role in my professional development as an educator. Action research can be used to study and reflect on professional practice by conducting consistent and collaborative inquiry on teaching practices and their impact on student development and outcomes. In this regard, student learning and outcomes would be examined in relation to the teaching strategies and process. This implies that student learning data would be the premise for studying and reflecting on professional practice as part of action research.
As an important tool in enhancing the effectiveness of educators, action research also plays a critical role in evidence-based educational practice. The role of action research in evidence-based educational practice is to provide insights regarding the situation of the learning environment and the quality of the educative process (Hine, 2013). Action research helps in the development of evidence-based educational practice by providing educators with new understanding and knowledge on how to resolve major issues in the classroom/school. In addition, educators obtain knowledge regarding how to improve educational practices. Some of the major strengths of action research in education include supporting reflexive critique and assessment, collaborative inquiry, consistency in analysis, and providing insights regarding the situation under evaluation. However, its challenges including difficulties in translating evidence into practice, obtaining required volumes of data, and apparent lack of formality.
References
Hine, G.S.C. (2013). The Importance of Action Research in Teacher Education Programs. Issues in Educational Research, 23(2), 151-163.
Lesha, J. (2014, May). Action Research in Education. European Scientific Journal, 10(13), 379-386.