Chapter 7

 Action Research 

    Chapter 7 of the connected educator goes over how a person can sustain the momentum of building their career. One aspect of this chapter that captured my attention was the idea of action research. According to the book action research, “ is a collaborative activity among committed colleagues looking for answers to every day/real problems related to classroom instruction, systematic change, or a more global issue. Action research is learning by doing“ (Hall 180). Basically, research is like being told how to ride a bike, while action research is being shown to experience how to ride a bike. As a political science major I understand the importance of having first-hand experience with the research I am conducting. Clearly I would be able to conduct many of the first steps in processing research, that is described in the book. Unfortunately, I would not be able to fully comprehend the issues at hand without the collaborative action of active research with colleagues. 

    This reminds me of an action research project done in third world countries in Africa. This specific research group conducted a field study to determine whether or not supply donations were more effective than financial donations. In this study, the research group gave 10 families a check made out of $1000, and gave 10 additional families supply donations of food, clothing and shoes. This study determined that the families giving money were able to use those funds to help build a sustainable lifestyle. After the research was concluded they determined that financial donations helped society more than supply donations. Without active research this would not have been discovered. This is why I know action research is so important for the political science field.

Nussbaum-Beach, Sheryl, and Lani Hall. The Connected Educator: Learning and Leading in a Digital Age. 2011.