A former classroom teacher studied the role of action research in restructuring schools. The article discusses the background information she collected on reasons for conducting action research (personal/professional growth, improved practice, advancing the profession, contributing to the professional literature, promoting collaboration, and…

A kindergarten teacher tested her theory that her students could progress beyond learning a letter a week by creating a project to introduce students to letter names and sounds. By using interactive writing and key words, she encouraged students to write. In the process, they learned alphabet letters and sounds. (Author/SM)

A high school mathematics teacher designed an action research project to help students learn effective notetaking for studying and for organizing and remembering information. Fifty students completed questionnaires about their notetaking habits and ways to improve them. After discussing survey findings, students designed their own formats and…

Depicts efforts by a second-grade teacher and her students to understand the complex issues of and interact within a community that they conceptualized, built, and lived in. The study examined how students gained civic competence and made informed decisions. The results show how students struggled to understand, cope with, and solve problems that…

A third grade teacher followed the development of a peer tutoring program involving third- and fifth-grade study partners. The cross-age tutors included students representing diverse learning styles and academic achievement. Students were matched by personality. Cross-age tutoring was judged to be good for all the students. (SM)

Describes an intervention developed to help overcome reading apathy and motivate high school students to read. The intervention involved teaching students how to select books to read by practicing the creation of book previews in the computer lab. Evaluation of student surveys, book selections, and book reports indicated that learning to preview…

Explored the journey and progress of elementary teachers conducting action research within science and mathematics, examining their perspectives of teaching, empowerment, research, and professional development through team planning. Data from journals, activities, observations, surveys, and interviews indicated that an initial stumbling block to…

Investigated student responses to the peer revision process. Following three 90-minute peer revision activities over two months, students in a senior English class completed surveys and interviews regarding their attitudes and experiences with peer revision. Results indicated that students were eager to discuss the experience. They tended to…

A high school film teacher studied how students recognized messages in film, examining how film education could help students identify and analyze racial and gender stereotypes. Comparison of students' attitudes before and after the film course found that the course was successful in raising students' consciousness. (SM)

Teachers in a multiage classroom developed a new spelling program that allowed students to select spelling words. Student interviews examined how they chose the words and why they considered words easy, medium, and hard. Three general areas of learning emerged: students' autonomy, real life connections, and the future. (SM)

Reviews 73 reports of classroom action research classified into seven groups: seeking quantifiable answers, determining results of change in classroom practice, exploring effects of program restructuring, discovering whether students can learn to use a process, establishing new professional relationships, developing new understandings of students,…

Collaborating with her chemistry teacher, a high school student examined whether students who took reformed middle school science differed from students in regular science in grades, attitudes, and evaluation of science learning. Surveys indicated that students from the reformed program rated science significantly higher, felt better prepared for…

A high school teacher researched the use of journals with art students. The teacher describes the research, obstacles, and redirection, noting that though students were not enthusiastic about journals in art class, many admitted that writing helped with their art. The research project improved communication between her and her students. (SM)

This middle and high school vocational education teacher examined why his students were not following written directions. He used three styles of instruction and observed students' ability to complete tasks. Student interviews indicated that students had vocabulary deficiencies (both technical and everyday words), and that illustrations helped…

An elementary music teacher worked to interest minority and female students in computers by combining the music subject matter, in which they excelled, with computer technology. The article chronicles the teacher's action research project in which she instilled confidence in female and minority students when using computers. (SM)