This document comprises a collection of workshop papers addressing the issues of doing research on the complex social and human problems faced in any community from an Asian American perspective. The following topics are discussed: (1) the nature of community research; (2) the pros and cons of pure basic and applied research; (3) the nature and…

The National Post-School Outcomes Center (NPSO), in conjunction the National Association of State Directors of Special Education (NASDSE) and the Regional Resource Centers (RRCs), held a series of conference calls with states to assess their needs for technical assistance on the new requirements for collecting and reporting post-school outcome…

This book illustrates how teacher education can dispose prospective teachers to be critical and continuing students of teaching. There are 10 chapters in two sections. The book begins with (1) "Getting Oriented." Section 1, "Preservice Teacher Education," includes methodologies for exploring self: (2) "Life Writing"…

Story-telling, an oral tradition of the indigenous peoples of Australia, was recorded on video as a vehicle for conveying health promotion messages in several urban Aboriginal (Koori) communities in Sydney, Australia. The video was made by a group of Koori women Elders and two female Aboriginal academics. The Elders integrated their personal…

A project was conducted to redesign the Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) Bureau of Adult Basic and Literacy Education required student tracking form to provide for better student tracking. The Student Intake and Data form supplied by the PDE from program year 1996-97 was used as a point of comparison, and evaluations of this form by…

This paper describes how the researcher revised an action research class for preservice Masters students within the larger context of school improvement. Analysis of students' action research projects revealed some ironic and unintended consequences of linking action research to school improvement. Analysis of the researcher's own pedagogical…

Describes the author's personal version of the action research cycle, focusing on two research experiences to point out what can be learned from research involving listening to language learners. Suggests that one can learn in two different and equally important ways; one can learn about the research question studied and about how to improve the…

A junior high teacher converted her science and math classroom into a business-like setting where students report to work daily and cooperatively participate in planning, learning, and classroom management. (SM)

Notes that collaborative action research helped Australian adult education teachers refine their classroom skills and reflect critically on their current practice. Discusses research designed to develop teachers' skills in meeting the English language learning needs of disparate groups of learners and to assist these teachers in redirecting their…

In the Even Start program, parents and children attended school together daily. Reflective logs, personal narratives, interviews, and group discussions revealed a dichotomy between mothers' identities as learners and as parents. Self-realization, dialogue, and caring emerged as primary factors in the development of constructive relationships. (SM)

Examines the possible roles and contributions of postmodernist thought to educational research. Models some of these approaches in its consideration of interviews collected during a project reviewing the careers of educational researchers. Provides a number of verbatim transcripts from the interviews and discusses their various narrative and…

Describes an action research project which began by asking how English teachers could improve the writing of their African American students, and gradually came to ask how the teachers' own cultural assumptions might be blocking their teaching relationships. Identifies and discusses eight principles of their approach, and discusses changes in…

Describes a partnership between the School District of Philadelphia and the University of Pennsylvania's Graduate School of Education. The Taking Stock/Making Change collaborative action research project supported schools as they moved toward school-based management and shared decision making. Though participating schools had some problems,…

Recent research has recommended increased use of the target language; the use of cognitive, metacognitive, and prosocial strategies; and cooperative learning to help achieve oral proficiency and communication within the classroom. This paper describes a 21-day research action project involving 2 Spanish 2 honors classes and several cooperative…

Reviews research on the role of reflection subsequent to action research in the professional development of teachers. Discusses the use of reflection as a part of the learning process. Calls for partnerships within collaborative organizations that provide opportunities for interaction and reflection. (CFR)