The purpose of this article is to report on the system-level findings of a longitudinal study of four mental health consumer-run self-help organizations. Quantitative and qualitative data revealed that staff and members of the four Consumer/Survivor Initiatives (CSIs) participated actively in system-level activities, including community planning,…

Teachers engaged in action research are involved in a process that focuses on how they and their students construct and reconstruct learning experiences, thereby extending professionalism and creating additional learning opportunities for students. This paper describes the evolution of an action research project involving an elementary school…

Community-based research has evolved in the field of HIV/AIDS health promotion as a distinct expression of participatory action research in adult education. The authors of this chapter reflect on more than a decade of local knowledge construction to organize and improve the practice of HIV/AIDS health promotion in a variety of contexts.

The purpose of this study was to systematically reflect upon my teaching practices, and to investigate the benefits of differentiated instruction using action research methods. This paper outlines the action research process, and is a case study examining the academic, social, and emotional progress of an advanced grade three learner involved in…

In this action research project, undertaken in a Grade 2/3 classroom, I posed the question: How can I encourage the readers in my class to become reflective and critical thinkers as they read? My aim was to support students in becoming reflective about what they read as well as about the strategies they used while reading, and to support the…

In the context of a professional-development reform movement in Quebec, the Ministry of Education asked universities to participate in the training of school principals so that they could implement a culture of continuous learning in their own schools. The university researchers used a bottom-up approach to initiate collaborative inquiry with 37…

Researchers and educators acknowledge that early reading instruction is of critical importance, with interventions and remedial programming most effective in the primary grades. Integral to this programming are educators' abilities to assess students' reading strengths and needs, with inconsistent and/or inaccurate practices ultimately threatening…

This document lists abstracts of action research projects in the field of human resource development in Prince Edward Island, performed under the Canada NewStart Program. Subjects studied and reported on include: adult basic education, rural development, educational resources, English for New Canadians, vocational and job training, home economics…

This study explored alternative approaches to young people's concerts aimed at extending musical appreciations and cultural understandings while promoting interest in concert attendance among upper elementary students. The project, an artistic and cross-cultural collaboration grounded in a spirit of mutual respect, consisted of three components:…

An action research project in Canada set up a penpal program between preservice teachers and middle school children. Its purpose was to promote the literacy development of the younger students and to provide the preservice students with an understanding of adolescents. Although the first year was especially successful and rewarding--the highlights…

The principles of action research were used to identify the reasons for substandard patient care in two long-term care facilities in Quebec; then, a 20-hour inservice education course for nurse managers at the facilities was developed, presented, and evaluated. Fifteen nurse managers (1 director of nursing, 12 health care managers, and 2 nurse…

A 3-year action research study was conducted by the Spirit River School Division in northwestern Alberta to develop and validate a set of indicators to assess teacher effectiveness in a formative process. Focusing on professional development and staff inservice, the Educational Quality Indicators Project (EQI) sought to determine if the 26…

How do organizations cope with the increased speed of technological change? How do leaders optimize resources with tightened budgets? How do staff and students acquire the necessary knowledge and skills in the midst of constant change? Electronic learning (e-learning) is one form of learning that utilizes technology to deliver, interact or…

This paper positions action research within the wider field of teacher education, raising problematic issues inherent in the process of institutionalizing this form of teacher research. The paper also offers a self-study of the researcher's own practice. It considers teacher education in its broad sense as a continuum of ongoing professional…

In an action research project involving teacher education faculty and practicum associate teachers (cooperating teachers), associate teachers identified supervisory methods used in their associate role: (1) conferencing with the student teacher; (2) demonstrating teaching methods; (3) observing and coaching the student teacher; and (4) counseling…