Reflection of Course 5301

When I saw that this course was going to be centered around research, I was extremely apprehensive.  I was a history minor during college so my interpretation of research was just going to the library and looking through books, newspaper articles, the Internet, etc.  It required many hours of just sitting and reading.  This is why I agree so strongly with the quote from the Dana text, “images that the word research conjures up come mostly from the process-product paradigm” (Dana, 2009, p. 6).  However, as I continued reading and watching the videos, I quickly realized that this course was not going to be this way.  While researching through books and articles would be required, the research I would be doing was actually more action based.  I like the use of the word inquiry instead of research because I actually feel like I am not conducting research but looking into a problem and trying to determine how to fix it.

Another thing that really caught my attention during this course were the videos from current superintendents and the information they had to share.  The one that stood out the most was Dr. Johnny Briseno.  The advice he gave was when you have an issue with your school, look to see if there is research that pertains to the same topic.  He says, “Why re-invent the wheel?”  Since watching his video, I have been looking up different areas of interest and have found a wealth of information.  It has really been an eye opening experience to see how much research there really is when it comes to the educational system and what techniques/strategies different schools have tried and been successful with.

Through this course, I also learned how to create an actual research action plan.  This course showed me the steps and tasks that are necessary to create an action research plan and actually put it into action.  I had never heard of an action research plan until I started taking this class so I was extremely overwhelmed when I read that we had to create one.  However, after reading Chapter 3 from the Dana text, I was way more relaxed.  It outlined the four areas that you should focus on when conducting research: Providing Background Information, Sharing the Design of the Inquiry, Supporting the Learning and Supporting the Statements with Data, and Providing Concluding Thoughts.  These steps really help to organize your thoughts and allow you to layout your plans for your research.

I also learned different strategies to use while conducting my research like the Force Field Analysis, Delphi Method, Nominal Group Technique and CARE Model.  I really like the Delphi Method because it is an “important strategy for identifying ways to sustain improvement and looking futuristically at school needs” (Harris, 2010, p. 95).  I really like this method because it allows for input from teachers or administrators who are involved in the day-to-day running of the school system.  It allows those people to state issues they have within the school, but is also allows for them to be the ones to come up with solutions for those same exact problems.

Overall, I learned to have a new outlook on the term research and to understand the positive effect it can have, especially in a school setting.  I really learned that research doesn’t always have to be associated with negative connotations and can be really useful.  I am very excited to get started on my research action plan.