This article describes action-oriented teacher research in which teachers use information students reveal about the competent aspects of their lives as learners to direct their teaching efforts. The article notes methodological considerations of this approach and applications to the study of special education. (Author/DB)

This article describes a field-based teacher education project that involved specialist teacher candidates and general education classroom teachers in educational partnerships to conduct action research on learning strategies. One such study showing the effectiveness of a writing strategy to help students (ages 12 and 13) with learning…

Describes findings of a study that examined teachers' attitudes toward educational research and their perceptions of themselves as researchers. Survey results indicated that teachers' attitudes toward research improved dramatically as a result of completing action research projects which were found to be an effective means of promoting reflection…

Describes four inquiry projects used to facilitate undergraduate student teachers' development as inquiring practitioners, examining participants' reactions and products they produced. Data from student teachers' field and interview notes, comments and feedback from panel and poster sessions at a conference, student teacher surveys, student…

Examines collaborative research and practice-oriented inquiry groups which facilitate the professional development of educators and the enhancement of student achievement within a middle-school Professional Development School (PDS). Small groups of university and school educators conduct action research and inquiry about school-based educational…

Forms part of a themed issue describing "Parent-Kid-Teacher Investigators," a program in which parents, children, and teachers gather regularly to use language and literacy for action research projects. Explains the philosophy, assumptions, and intentions behind the program, and research that supports it. Offers action examples of how each belief…

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 author of this article contends that the U.S. government, in conjunction with public and private sectors, are failing American society by failing the vast majority of America's urban youth. This failure is seen in America's public inner city schools where the numbers of students graduating from high school vs. the number of students…

Using the framework of cooperative inquiry within action research, the authors engaged in collaborative critical self-reflection on their experiences teaching with Interactive Television (ITV) to accommodate teacher education students in remote rural areas. A discussion of quality distance education and building a community of learners is based…

This paper explores standards and criteria that can be used to judge the validity of qualitative data as evidence of educational improvement. The paper reports on a self study of the educative relationship between two teacher educators: Pam, from a university school of education, and Moyra, director of an inservice education program at a large…

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…

Having completed a study on the causes of stress affecting teacher education students during practice teaching, some members of the team who conducted the project wanted to ensure that the findings made some difference to the lives of students. Therefore, an action research approach was adopted to develop strategies aimed at lessening the stress…

This document provides an overview and description of the Fitchburg State College (Massachusetts) Certificate of Advanced Graduate Study (CAGS) Program in Professional Staff Development and the subsequent establishment of the Professional Development Center. The purpose of the certificate is to enable veteran master teachers, specialists, and…

This paper explores perspectives, issues, and experiences related to initiating collaborative inquiry across multiple levels and sites, based on school-university partnerships developed between Indiana State University (ISU) and 10 professional development schools (five elementary schools, one middle school, and four high schools). Principles…

The idea of the teacher as researcher is presented from several different perspectives--the teacher's, the administrator's, and the university based researcher's--to convey a sense of what it means to be a teacher/researcher. The following chapters are included: (1) The Teacher as Researcher--A Historical Perspective (Mary W. Olson); (2) The Door…