Every teacher must know that every method invented is only a step, on which he must stand in order to go farther. . . as the business of teaching is an art, completeness and perfection are not obtainable, while development and improvement are endless. - Leo Tolstoy
Not only does action research foster opportunities for teachers to make important evidence-based changes in their practice, but it also serves as validation of practices that work. Having invested a great deal of time and energy into your project, reflect on how action research has impacted your thinking in regards to the importance of action research for teachers.
The case study that I developed for my Masters action research project did create an incredible opportunity for me, as an educator, to change my own practices in a positive way. With all of the time that I work with my student individually on his behavior, this study has really showed me that there are different ways to decide whether a strategy works or not. I am incredibly proud of the way that my study turned out, and I would love to continue my study with self-monitoring for my student! Not only did did the results in data show that my intervention that I implemented did have a positive effect on my student's behavior, but I also believe that the action research process had a positive effect on my own teaching.
I have learned so much from the process of reviewing literature, developing an intervention, implementing it, and then collecting data. It was just so rewarding to see it all come together and find that following my plan proved to be successful, which confirmed that my thought process and understanding of the literature and previous research supported it as well. Research has impacted my thinking in many ways, especially in the sense that I can take the guess work out of implementing specific strategies and interventions by researching them and letting the data tell me whether or not they proved to be successful.
I believe that action research is extremely important process for all teachers to be able to develop and implement. By completing my case study, I feel confident that I could either continue my research, or continue my study with future research. Any teacher can and will benefit from running his or her own study. Not only will an action research project be relevant to their own teaching but can also prove to help colleagues and other teachers as well.
Teaching is a process of becoming that continues throughout life, never completely achieved, never completely denied. This is the challenge and fun of being a teacher - there is no ultimate end to the process. - Frances Mayforth
