This chapter addresses issues of action research from three perspectives. In the first section, what it means to engage in action research as a methodology for investigating teaching and learning in science education is overviewed and various conceptions of action research are explicitly made. The second perspective is that of an individual…

This book aims to support and prepare practitioners to undertake small-scale inquiries and research investigations. The processes of research and inquiry-based learning help teachers come to terms with the complexities and challenges of teaching as their responsibilities widen to include the notion of the teacher as researcher. This major shift in…

Teachers, parents, policymakers, and others interested in researching what is best for teaching children literacy skills will find literally thousands of resources purporting to be "best practices." This book suggests examining real classrooms--teachers and students actively involved in literacy learning--to determine what works in…

This book describes the essential components of any teacher-researcher group. Part I describes an experience, a process, that aids teacher-researchers in completing a study. Part II reexamines the issues and questions surrounding teacher research, as they have both shifted and steadied over the years. Part III consists of research articles written…

Chapters in this book were written by members of the Multicultural Collaborative for Literacy and Secondary Schools (the M-CLASS Project), a national teacher-researcher network of English and social studies teachers and university faculty from four cities. Their essays deal with classroom research on learning, diversity, bias, inequality, and real…

This chapter examines benefits and pitfalls inherent in studying teaching and learning from the inside where the teacher is also the principal investigator of the research. The first section describes a first-person account of a trajectory using inquiry as a means of practice and using practice as a medium for research. Then, three cases of…

The recent pedagogical "boom" in English studies and the seeming omnipresence of the term pedagogy have not been matched by a correspondingly radical shift in how educators prepare professors of English. Instead, Shari J. Stenberg argues, "professing" remains primarily defined by conceptions of research. Stenberg insists that pedagogy will not be…

This book presents ways that preservice and inservice teachers can conduct research in their classrooms, showing how they can carefully and systematically ask and answer their own questions about learning. Seven chapters focus on: (1) "Try to Love the Questions Themselves: Finding and Framing a Research Question"; (2) "Form and Function: The…

This collection of papers examines the hidden risks that teacher researchers may face in action research. There are 12 papers in three parts. Part 1, "School-Based Researchers," includes: (1) "Drafting Ethical Guidelines for Teacher Research in Schools" (Marian M. Mohr); (2) "'Tuesday Night' Revisited: Learning to Survive" (Leslie Turner Minarik);…

Growing out of a 1992 conference that attracted teachers and educators from around the world, this book presents 13 essays which share the insights of 16 leading university scholars and teacher-researchers regarding the re-emergence of teacher education as a central focus in the field of English education. The book explores what teachers of the…

This book presents an overview of reading/writing research, discussing specific reading/writing processes, instructional issues, teacher research, and directions for future research. Chapter titles are: (1) Alternative Research Perspectives (Sarah J. McCarthey and Taffy E. Raphael); (2) Reading, Writing, and Genre Development (Judith A. Langer);…

To address how and why to do research in the classroom as a teacher, this book of essays by teacher researchers prefaces each of its four sections with interviews with Cindy Myers, Ken Jones, Patricia Reed and Betty Bailey respectively. Titles and authors are as follows: "Addressing the Problem of Elsewhereness: A Case for Action Research in…

This book, in its second edition, is intended as a practical guide to conducting action research in schools--it outlines the process of designing and reporting an action research project. Contending that action research can be used as a powerful tool that can contribute to school renewal and instructional improvement, the book defines and presents…

Chapter titles in this book include the following: "Attitude and Access: Building a New Teaching/Learning Community in TESOL" (Julian Edge); "Here It Is, Rough Though It May Be: Basic Computer for ESL" (Alison Perkins); "An 'It's Not Action Research Yet, but I'm Getting There' Approach to Teaching Writing" (Neil Cowie); "Early Reflections:…

Although action research in education offers researchers and practitioners a clear and philosophically appealing way of making improvements, fostering learning, and developing the individual and the organization, adherents sometimes find themselves defending this type of research because it has been practiced without appropriate rigor. This book…