Week 2 Reflection

Week Two was an enlightening week.  I have learned a lot about the use of action research and how it can be very effective to me as an administrator in a school setting.  I learned that although the research must be data driven one can use qualitative data to enhance or explain quantitative data.  This research must also be useful and relevant to some aspect of the school setting.  There must also be a beneficiary of this research for it to be worth the effort.  The research would be best served in an area of interest. This allows for more focused research because the outcome is important.  Doing research on something that is interesting to the researcher also enhances the commitment to the research as a study.  Upon studying the topics for research in school settings I found myself focusing on how I could help my teachers and my students because they should be the focus in the school setting.   At first I was having trouble while selecting my topic from my three choices.  I talked to other administrators and persons involved in the areas of my research.  The choice became very clear when factoring in importance, relevance, and beneficiaries of the topics.