Identifying low self-esteem as the underlying factor contributing to poor school attitudes, negative self feelings, difficulty making friends, and difficulty in working independently and completing assignments, this action research project evaluated the effectiveness of an intervention incorporating cooperative learning and teaching to the…

This paper examines how a series of action research projects, supported and guided through a university-public elementary school partnership program, began. It also presents the content and impact of the action research projects from the voices of a university professor, classroom teacher, and principal. The partnership promoted study groups which…

This paper seeks to build on the growing body of literature demonstrating the value of a dialogical process in second language learning, especially in work with students who are not part of the dominant cultural or linguistic group. It identifies and describes the ways in which bilingual secondary students engaged in dialogical processes begin to…

Poor social skills among young elementary school students can result in lack of cooperation with others and an inability to resolve conflicts. This action research project examined the impact of a program for improving social competence through improving listening skills, cooperation, respect for others, and respect for authority. Participating in…

An action research project emphasized the centrality of teachers' values in teaching decisions. After identifying grading papers as a source of tension, a teacher opened decisions about grading to democratic decision making, resulting in more positive professor-student relationships, more emphasis on learning, and improved student evaluations of…

One of five articles in the second section, "Deepening Relationships through PDS Brings Change in Practice," this article describes a collaborative research project between a middle school mathematics teacher and a university mathematics professor. (SM)

A participatory action research process was used to support an Aboriginal men's group in Queensland (Australia). Using a reflective approach, the men's group defined principles and values to which they aspired, then identified four strategies to enable them to become constructive members of the community: personal development, employment,…

Maintains that most of the questions that have concerned arts educators have remained basically the same. Contends that issues of cultural pluralism have been added to these questions. Presents and discusses issues of art and music education in New York City and the role of action research. (CFR)

Critiques action research from a feminist theoretical perspective, identifying a duality between mainstream and antisexist action research. Argues mainstream researchers' rational distancing fosters self-deception among researchers about what action research can achieve and how it operates. Posits emotional engagement characteristic to antisexist…

Identifies roles and strategies that district and state agencies can use to support action research at the school level. Districts can pool resources, develop collaborative relationships with other agencies, and improve funding. State governments have similar roles, and can help disseminate best practices across regions. (SLD)

Teaching portfolios, now largely used for evaluation of college teaching, can also be viewed as a form of action research, opening their use to other purposes, including examination of institutional, faculty, and student needs and demands; the dynamics of race, gender, and sexuality in structuring classroom interactions; and the relationship of…

The School Improvement Grants Program is a British Columbia-based action research project to support efforts to raise literacy and math skills in public schools serving low-socioeconomic status neighborhoods. The program--which provides $25,000 in planning and implementation grants for each participating school over 2.5 years--began in 2001 and…

The following case study (Stake, 2000) explores the collective properties of the group of leaders working together to enact instructional change in an urban high school (Spillane, et al., 2001). It documents how an urban public high continues to work toward developing and enacting a model of leadership that is transformational, distributed, and…

In the late 1990s failure rates in a first-year introductory calculus course at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology reached peak levels. This paper reports on findings from an action research project that was set up in 2002/2003 to improve the situation. The study confirms that students approach their tasks differently which…

This study explored the potential for enhancing the effectiveness of young children's early learning experiences as a consequence of a genuine collaboration between researchers and teachers. An 18-month fieldwork period involved a critical analysis and evaluation of the relationship between 4-year-old children and teachers in effective early…