Administrative inquiry is the process of the principal engaging in systematic study of his or her own administrative practice and taking action for change based on information learned from the inquiry. Action research on the other hand is “learning by doing”. An administrator identifies a problem, develops the process to resolve the problem, measures how successful his or her efforts were, and if not satisfied with the results, starts the process over. Proactive professionals seek out change and reflect on their practice by posing questions, collecting data to gain insight into their response, analyzing the data along with reading relevant literature, making changes in practices based on new understandings developed during inquiry and share findings with others. Dana (2009). Professionals, both novice and veteran, begin each day with a mission to make a difference in the lives of their students. Often administrators become overwhelmed with the demands of the positions and lose sight of their mission without the use of administrative inquiry.
Action research is different from traditional research in that administrators are directly responsible for taking action for change based on what he or she learn as a result of the inquiry. In traditional educational research, administrators implement findings from researchers that were not associated with the school. Traditional educational research, for example, provides valuable insights into the teaching and learning process, but they do not solicit the input from people who work on the ground floor on the campus and are best positioned to understand and better the educational experiences of all stack holders.
