Myexperienceperformingactionresearch Whentheprocessofactionresearchwasfirstintroducedtome,IfeltlikeIunderstoodthepremise,but didntquitegraspthesignificance.Progresswasaccomplishedthroughacontinuouscycleofplanning anaction,executingthataction,andcollectingdataorfeedback.Thisdidntseemlikeanearth shatteringconcepttomebecauseIfeltlikeIalreadydidthistoacertainextent.Howcouldthisbe consideredresearch?Thiswasjustafancierwayofsayingyoureareflectivepractioner,right?How wouldtheworknotbebiasedifIamanactiveparticipantthatcaninfluenceoutcomesanddetermine whatinformationisrelevant? Whatpreventedmefromappreciatingthevalueofengaginginactionresearchwasmychallengeto identifyaparticularareaofmypracticethatIwantedtocriticallyanalyzeorexplore.Iwasso committedtocreatingsomethinguniqueandsignificanttoothersthatIfailedtoadequatelyreflecton myownpracticetodeterminewheretobegin.Havingascientificbackground,Iwantedtoanticipate,or predict,whatwouldmaterializeoverthecourseoftheyear.Mystruggletoforeseehowmyresearch wouldpanoutinreachingsomeultimategoalpreventedmefromrealizingthatIonlyneededastarting point.

Theprocesswouldplayouthoweveritwould,andtheabsenceofadefinitiveendiswhat preventsmybiasbyremovingtheurgetopursueaneventualoutcome. ItsdifficulttoaccuratelyrecallwhatIwastryingtoaccomplishorfindwhenIbeganmyresearch.My originalquestionwas,ThroughwhatstructurescanIimprovestudentperformance?Ipresumedthat therewasadirectconnectionbetweenclassstructureandstudentperformance,andIwasdetermined toidentifywhattheseperformanceimprovingstructureswere.,presumingthattheyexisted.Agreater failingwasthatIcouldntexplicitlydefinewhatImeantbyperformance.BecauseIhadsomuch difficultydefiningitaccurately,Ieventuallysettledonusingstudentsownlanguageasameasureof theirperformance. Iwasfortunatetodothisbecauseitledmetousestudentselfassessmentsasadatacollectionmethod. IhadcreatedtheinitialstructuresinmyclassthatIfeltwouldbeagoodstartingpoint,andhadplanned tousethestudentcommentsabouttheirclassroomexperiencesasawaytodeterminewhatwasor wasntworkingwiththehopetoprovidedirectionplanningahead.Thisaddressedmyconcernabout beingbiased.IknewthatattimesIwouldberemovedfromthestudyasaninvestigator,making observationsandanalyzingcollecteddatatoguidemynextsteps.AtothertimesIwouldbeanactive participantwiththeabilitytomanipulatethedataIwouldlatercollecttosuitanyinferencesImade. EventhoughIknewIwouldntmakedeliberateattemptstocreatefittingscenariosinmyclass,this couldhaveablindingeffectthatwouldpreventmefromacknowledgingother,lessfittingoccurrences. StudentfeedbackservedtocorrectanymisjudgmentsorthingsIfailedtorecognize.Icorrelatedtheir experiencestomyobservations,andwealsohaddiscussionsaboutanythoughtsIhadrelatedtoour nextsteps.Inaddition,Ioftensharedmylatestfindingswithcolleaguesandmentorsthroughoutthe processtogettheirtake.Thereweresomanyeyesontheworkthatitwasalmostasifitwasbeing peerreviewedasitproceeded.

Myinitialquestionwasaimedatfindingwaystobuildstructurestoincreasestudentperformance, whichbasicallymeantthatIwantedtomakemyclassandteachingmoreeffective.Asstudentfeedback wasguidingmyresearch,andmyresearchwasaboutempoweringstudentstotakeownershipoftheir learning,theconnectionbecameclear.Studentfeedbackisthekeytomakingtheclassmoreeffective andgivingstudentsastakeintheirlearning.Iwasnolongerconcernedaboutenvisioningsomeendto myworkandbuildingmythesisaroundwhatittooktogetthere.Ibecamemorefocusedonthe process,knowingthataslongasIkeptusingstudentfeedbacktohelpmeplanforward,Iwouldmake progresstosomethingthatwasbetter.Isearchedforwaystomaketheprocessmoreefficient,and recognizedthatimprovingthequalityofstudentfeedbackwouldmakememorecapableofdetermining resultsandassuringthatmyfindingswerevalid.Ineededtobuildmorelinesofcommunicationwithmy students.Ineededtokeepbuildingtheirvoice.Myresearchquestionhadevolved,becomingHowcan studentvoiceshapeclassroomstructure? AtfirstIcouldntseewherethisapproachwastakingme,butsoonthedotsstartedtoconnectand themesemerged.Asweworkedtogethertobuildclassroomstructure,everysteprequiredmeto becomeincreasinglytrustingandrespectfulofstudents.AsIofferedthemgreaterchoiceintheirwork,I hadtotrustthattheywouldmakedecisionsinthebestinterestoftheirlearning.AsIinvitedtheminto directdiscussionstocritiqueelementsofthecurriculumoractivitiesweperformed,Idevelopedagreat respectfortheirperspectives.Irememberbeingabitapprehensivetohearanycritique,butsoonI begantoappreciatetheirhonesty.TheywouldfrequentlyidentifylearningopportunitiesthatIwould miss,andsuggestpossiblealterationstocreateamoreeffectivelearningenvironmentforthemand futureclasses.Ourgrowthwasreciprocatedaswell.WhileIworkedtogivethemabettereducational experience,theireffortsservedtomakemeabetterexperiencededucator.Thisrelationshipandthe growththatcamefromitdevelopedbecauseIhadfaithintheprocessofactionresearch.Ididnot preconceiveabetterclassroomandthencreateit.Ithadalwaysbeenthere,andIhadtoletgoofmy presumptionsandexpectationssothatIcouldopenmyeyesandseeit. Thesignificanceofmyexperience Ifeelthatinmyjourneyoverthepasttwoyears,Ivelearnedagreatdealaboutmyselfandhowmy conceptofteachingandlearningshapethewayIapproachstudentsinmyclass.Myphilosophieson teachingandlearningwouldshapemyperspectivesoneducation,andultimatelyconveyintomy practice. Throughouttheresearch,Iwouldthinkcriticallyaboutwhatwasgoingonallofthetime,tryingtomake senseofmyfindingsandwonderinghowitrelatedtomyresearch.ThemoreIthought,themoreItried tounderstandtheconnectionbetweenteachingandlearningonaphilosophical,abstractlevel.Ispent agooddealoftimeattemptingtodefinewhatthosetermsmeanttome,andusedmyexperiencesto helppainaclearerpicture. Ifeelthatlearningisaconstructthatiscultivatedonapersonallevel,andweoftenconvincestudents thatthisisntthecase.Thefurtherremovedfromtheindividualthatlearningisdirected,thegreater potentialforalienatingthatindividualsconceptofwhatlearningentails.Studentsshouldbethe

ownersoftheireducationwiththeabilitytoinfluenceandfostertheirgrowth.Ifateacheror administratordictatestheprocessesthatastudentoughttousetolearnasubjectandcriteriafor evaluatingperformance,thenitislessthattheyarefosteringthestudentslearning,andmorethatthey aredevelopingthestudentsabilitytoappeasethosewhowouldjudgetheirefforts.Thisphenomenon isdemonstratedwhenstudentsaskwhattheyhavetodo,orwhethertheyvedonesufficientworkto receiveadesiredgrade. Ibelievethatstudentvoiceisaparticularlypowerfulmechanismindevelopingadialoguethat communicatestheneedsandpreferencesofstudents.Itcanbeemployedtotranslatelearning requirementsasenvisionedbyanextrinsicsourceintoamorepersonalizedformatthatconnectswith theclassonanindividualbasis.Ineducation,wehavereliedoncommunicatingfromthetopdownto thestudents.Itisfittingtousestudentvoicetoclosethisloopbyestablishingcommunicationfromthe bottomup.Itisthenthatbothteachersandstudentssharetheclassroomexperience.