Myexperienceperformingactionresearch Whentheprocessofactionresearchwasfirstintroducedtome,IfeltlikeIunderstoodthepremise,but didntquitegraspthesignificance.Progresswasaccomplishedthroughacontinuouscycleofplanning anaction,executingthataction,andcollectingdataorfeedbacktoinformfurtherplanning.Thisdidnt seemlikeanearthshatteringconcepttomebecauseIfeltlikeIalreadydidthistoacertainextent.I wonderedhowthiscouldbeconsideredresearch.Thiswasjustafancierwayofsayingyourea reflectivepractioner,right?HowcanmyfindingsbeunbiasedifIwastobeanactiveparticipantthat couldinfluenceoutcomesordeterminewhatinformationisrelevant? Whatpreventedmefromappreciatingthevalueofengaginginactionresearchwasmychallengeto identifyaparticularareaofmypracticethatIwantedtocriticallyanalyzeorexplore.Iwasso committedtocreatingsomethinguniqueandsignificantthatIfailedtoadequatelyreflectonmyown practicetodeterminewhereorhowtobegin.Havingascientificbackground,Ifelttheneedto anticipate,orpredict,whatwouldmaterializeoverthecourseoftheyear.Mystruggletoforeseehow myresearchwouldpanoutinreachingsomeultimategoalpreventedmefromrealizingthatIonly neededastartingpoint.

Theprocesswouldplayouthoweveritwould,andtheabsenceofadefinitive endpreventedanybiasbyremovingtheurgetopursuesomeexpectedoutcome. ItsdifficulttoaccuratelyrecallwhatIwastryingtoaccomplishorfindwhenIbeganmyresearch.My originalquestionwas,ThroughwhatstructurescanIimprovestudentperformance?Ipresumedthat therewasadirectconnectionbetweenclassstructureandstudentperformance,andIwasdetermined toidentifywhattheseperformanceimprovingstructureswere.AgreaterfailingwasthatIcouldnt accuratelydefinewhatIbelievedwasstrongstudentperformance.Assuch,Ieventuallysettledon usingstudentsownlanguageasameasureoftheirperformance.Believingthattheirperformancewas connectedtothestructuresintheclass,IdecidedanewquestionwasmoreappropriateHowcanI usestudentselfassessmenttobuildclassroomstructure? Iwasfortunatetodothisbecauseusingstudentselfassessmentsasadatacollectionmethodopened thedoorformetorecognizethebenefitofusingstudentvoice.Ihadcreatedtheinitialstructuresinmy classthatIfeltwouldbeagoodstartingpoint,andhadplannedtousethestudentreflectionsabout theirclassroomexperiencesasawaytodeterminewhatwasorwasntworkingwiththehopeto providedirectionplanningahead. Thisaddressedmyconcernaboutbeingbiased.IknewthatattimesIwouldberemovedfromthestudy asaninvestigator,makingobservationsandanalyzingcollecteddatatoguidemynextsteps.Atother timesIwouldbeanactiveparticipantwiththeabilitytomanipulatethedataIwouldlatercollecttosuit anyinferencesImade.EventhoughIknewIwouldntmakedeliberateattemptstocreatefitting scenariosinmyclass,thiscouldhaveablindingeffectthatwouldpreventmefromacknowledging other,lessfittingoccurrences.StudentfeedbackservedtocorrectanymisjudgmentsorthingsIfailedto recognize.Icorrelatedtheirexperiencestomyobservations,andwealsohaddiscussionsaboutany thoughtsIhadrelatedtoournextsteps.Inaddition,Ioftensharedmylatestfindingswithcolleagues

andmentorsinthegraduateprogramtogettheirfeedback.Thereweresomanyeyesontheworkthat itwasalmostasifitwasbeingpeerreviewedasitproceeded. Iwasnolongerconcernedaboutenvisioningsomeendtomyworkandbuildingmythesisaroundwhat ittooktogetthere.Ibecamemorefocusedontheprocess,knowingthataslongasIkeptusingstudent feedbacktohelpmeplanforward,Iwouldmakeprogress.Isearchedforwaystomaketheprocess moreefficient,andrecognizedthatimprovingthequalityofstudentfeedbackwouldmakememore capableofdeterminingresultsandassuringthatmyfindingswerevalid.IknewthatIneededtobuild morelinesofcommunicationwithmystudents.IrealizedthatIneededtokeepbuildingtheirvoices. Myresearchquestionhadevolved,becomingHowcanstudentvoiceshapeclassroomstructure? Iquestionedeventhisapproachatfirst,unclearwhereitwastakingme,butsoonthedotsstartedto connectandthemesemerged.Asweworkedtogethertobuildclassroomstructure,everysteprequired metobecomeincreasinglytrustingandrespectfulofstudents.Iofferedthemgreaterchoiceintheir work,andhadtotrustthattheywouldmakedecisionsinthebestinterestoftheirlearning.Iinvited themintodirectdiscussionstocritiqueelementsofthecurriculumoractivitiesweperformed,and developedagreatrespectfortheirperspectives.Irememberinitiallybeingabitapprehensivetohear anycritique,butsoonIbegantoappreciatetheirhonesty.Theywouldfrequentlyidentifylearning opportunitiesthatIwouldmiss,andselfadvocateforsupportsthatwouldcreateamoreeffective learningenvironmentforthemselves. Ourgrowthwasreciprocatedaswell.WhileIworkedtogivethemabettereducationalexperience, theireffortsservedtomakemeabettereducator.Thisrelationshipandthegrowththatcamefromit developedbecauseIhadfaithintheprocessofactionresearch.Ididnotpreconceiveabetter classroomandthencreateit.Ithadalwaysbeenthere,andIhadtoletgoofmypresumptionsand expectationssothatIcouldopenmyeyesandseeit. Thesignificanceofmyexperience Ifeelthatinthesepasttwoyears,Ivelearnedagreatdealaboutmyselfasaneducator.My philosophiesonteachingandlearningwereinaconstant,redefiningstate,augmentingmyperspectives oneducation,andultimatelyconveyingintomypractice. Throughouttheresearch,Iwouldthinkcriticallyaboutmyexperiences,tryingtomakesenseofmy findingsandwonderinghowitrelatedtomyresearch.ThemoreIputmymindtoit,themoreIwanted tounderstandtheconnectionbetweenteachingandlearningonaphilosophical,abstractlevel.Ispent agooddealoftimeattemptingtodefinewhatthosetermsmeanttome,andusedmyexperiencesto helpcreateaclearerpicture. Ifeelthatlearningisaconstructthatiscultivatedonapersonallevel,andweoftenconvincestudents thatthisisntthecase.Thefurtherremovedfromtheindividualthatlearningisdirected,thegreater potentialforalienatingthatindividualsconceptofwhatlearningentails.Studentsshouldbethe ownersoftheireducationwiththeabilitytoinfluenceandfostertheirgrowth.Ifateacheror administratordictatestheprocessesthatastudentoughttouseinthelearningofasubjectandthe

criteriaforevaluatingperformance,thenitislessthattheyarefosteringthestudentslearning,and morethattheyaredevelopingthestudentsabilitytoappeasethosewhowouldjudgetheirefforts.This phenomenonisdemonstratedwhenstudentsaskwhattheyhavetodo,orwhethertheyvedone sufficientworktoreceiveadesiredgrade. Ibelievethatstudentvoiceisaparticularlypowerfulmechanismindevelopingadialoguethat communicatestheneedsandpreferencesofstudents.Ifaneducatorlearnstolisten,he/shemaylearn toeffectivelytranslatetheirexpectationsintoamorepersonalizedformatthatconnectswithstudents onanindividualbasis.Ineducation,wehavereliedoncommunicatingfromthetopdowntothe students.Itisfittingtousestudentvoicetoclosethisloopbyestablishingadialoguewithanexchange ofideas.Itisthenthatbothteachersandstudentssharethelearningexperience.