Educative Research: Acting on Power Relations in the Classroom

Action research, in recent years, has become an important part of reform efforts that challenge many of the assumptions embedded in what is often referred to as the excellence reports (e.g., NCEE, 1983). As opposed to fostering change by setting new standards, imposing nation-wide core curricula, or developing more comprehensive supervisory techniques that will help assure that teachers do the right thing, action researchers urge reformers to give teachers the opportunity to utilize inquiry to reflect and act on school practices. ¹ In this sense, action research turns conventional wisdom on its head by assuming that the limits of reform are not due to ineffective control/accountability mechanisms but rather the lack of opportunities teachers have to make considered and informed classroom decisions.