Chapter 1: Action Research as a Tool of Empowerment for the K–12 Practitioner

Though cliché, the reality is that knowledge is power. In fact, “observation, reflection, and analysis of [one’s] own practice [through action research is an] effective way to [strengthen one’s own] professional development” (Johnson, 2012, p. 227); thereby maximizing the power practitioners possess to promote improvement in their own K–12 contexts.

The mission of this first volume of the Contemporary Perspectives Through Action Research Across Educational Disciplines series is to present action research findings from a wide variety of K–12 disciplinary settings. In other words, the first volume of this series aims to highlight the issues that commonly impact practitioners in K–12 STEM, English, social science, and even art classrooms, and illustrate the solutions proposed in these contexts to improve both educator practice and student achievement. Through the use of action research methodologies to address such issues, Volume 1 of this series offers a resource for improving educational practice across diverse K–12 contexts. It is important to note that the purpose of action research is not to produce generalizable results, but rather to explore unique problems of practice to improve one’s practice. With this in mind, action research findings, such as those presented in this volume, can be useful for practitioners who encounter similar problems of practice, as they can apply the implications of these findings to improve their practice within their own unique contexts.