What have I learned about Action Research and How I might be able to use it

From my understanding, action research is a tool that anyone can use to find out any information they are looking for by using what is around them.  It allows for a sense of unity and allows for members of the research team to "buy in" to the research by allowing them to get their hands dirty to find the answers.  It is also a good way to allow yourself to ask for the help of others who are or have been in the same situtation.  Action research can be molded to fit what you need.  It is not a cookie cut research.  When doing an action research project, you are typically wanting to bring some kind of change to your school.  Therefore, it has to be more personal and more fitting to your school's needs.

I would like to use action research to determine whether or not playing music in the background while students are taking tests have any effect on the scores.  To find out this information, I plan to do a series of tests throughout the course of the year for a specific grade level.  I will have a controlled group that will listen to a preselected set of songs and a non controlled group that will not have any music at all.  By the end of the year, I hope to have enough evidence to determine if there is any effect on the test scores.