Using Mark Twain's "Huckleberry Finn," John Knowles'"A Separate Peace," and Maya Angelou's "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings," a study examined the effects of Astute Activities--teaching techniques which increase students' cognitive ability and creativity--on student performance in two senior English classes in a small…

There are many different approaches to educational research. They include the efforts of those who hope to make contributions to educational knowledge and theory through researching their own educational practices as teachers and researchers. In communicating an educational epistemology of practice, it is intended that the document show a…

This research project was conducted to identify the reasons for the low retention rate for adult students enrolled in the prep level of the General Educational Development (GED) programs offered by the Clinton County (Pennsylvania) Development Center for Adults. All adult students who attended class at least once from July 1998 through January…

The instructor of a course focusing on basic academic and job readiness skills for welfare recipients at the Goodwill Employment Help Center in McKeesport, Pennsylvania, conducted an action research project to determine whether developing personal mission statements would increase students' motivation in her course. As new students were accepted…

This narrative analysis presents one teacher educator's self-study of her first year in teacher education. It occurred when she was the junior partner in redesigning and teaching a science discipline subject to preservice elementary educators. The three-part learning and teaching model they developed included cooperative groups, learners'…

This paper examines a university professor's roles in and experiences with teacher action research to promote professional development. The first section discusses the importance of linking preservice teacher action research investigation with inservice action research teams in schools. It explains that this approach begins with a structure and…

This thesis examined the reading comprehension process of three fifth-grade students who demonstrated the ability to read and write fluently but had difficulties remembering and understanding important information about what they read. The aim of this research was to develop and implement an effective teaching strategy for low-achieving students…

Several models of librarian and faculty collaboration are found in the professional librarian literature. The literature on collaborative self-study research in university settings suggests collaborative self-study research can improve interdisciplinary and collaborative approaches to teaching and research and facilitate the transfer of knowledge.…

The main objective of this self-study is to reflect and document the development of our own praxis by using teacher research in our teacher education courses. By praxis we mean an ongoing interdependent process in which reflection, including theoretical analysis, enlightens action, and in turn the transformed action changes our understanding of…

This book shows how teacher research and reform can positively change both teachers and students, making them better readers, writers, and learners. Two elementary schools in Georgia, serving students in a poor area that lacks educational resources, are the focus of the Kings Bridge Road Research Team, a group composed of public school teachers,…

Papers included are: (1) "The Mountain Yet To Be Climbed" (D. Siedentop); (2) "Collaboration between Researchers and Practitioners: Myth, Mirth, or Melody" (L. Lambert); (3) "The Recognition and Reward Structure in Higher Education in the United States--A Major Inhibitor to Collaboration bewteen Researcher and…

Information on current trends and issues in English instruction, compiled by the directors of six National Council of Teachers of English commissions, is presented in this report, the eighth annual report by the commissions. The commissions and their directors represented in the report are: (1) Commission on Reading (Patrick Shannon); (2)…

This issue reports research that addresses the needs and future of business education, work-based initiatives, business educators' use of the Web, and technology skills for entry-level workers. "Editorial Comment: Scholarship of the 21st Century" (Moore) provides an overview of the issue. "Quality Business Teacher Education:…

This paper presents the results of the work of nine teacher researchers who took an in-depth look at instructional practices and beliefs about oral language and its assessment. There are three sets of research questions: (1) How do teachers and students believe oral instruction should be handled in the classroom and to what extent do the beliefs…

This paper describes the journey of a former female electrician turned technical and further education teacher turned professional development officer who is now completing her PhD. It also describes the challenges she overcame to make the transition from tradesperson to researcher. It is a personal account of discovery. It describes the most…