Promise and possibility for aspiring principals: An emerging leadership identity through learning to do action research

Abstract

This case study explored the promise and possibility of doing action research both for aspiring principals engaged in such research and for professors using it as pedagogy for teaching educational leadership. The study of a class of graduate students aspiring to be principals had a constructivist theoretical framework. The research design consisted of three tiers: tier one: a reflective self-study by the professor evaluating the pedagogy of developing action research team projects; tier two: an analysis of the self-evaluations of the aspiring principals on the pedagogy of developing action research team projects and its effect on their learning; and tier three: the perceived deep learning resulting from the action research topics. The study concluded that for aspiring principals, learning to do action research in teams has the potential for powerful impact on emerging leadership identity; on the focus on deep issues and first steps in transformational leadership; and on individual and mutual reflection and the development of professional learning communities. For university professors, action research melds theory and practice and is effective pedagogy for teaching leadership. © 2011: Stella C. Batagiannis and Nova Southeastern University.