Action Research
Action research is a strategy for learning more about the teaching and learning process, often in collaboration with other educators. With this learning design, teachers decide what questions are important to examine in order for them to gain insight into what is happening into their classroom. While the inquiry process is structured, it is not as formal as other forms of research and can provide teachers with valuable information in improving their practice. The articles and web sites below describe the value of action research, outline processes to use, and provide examples of action research projects in different classrooms across the U.S.
NSDC Articles
- Teacher research leads to learning, action by Joan Richardson. Winter 2000 Tools for Schools
- Action research by Jeffrey Glanz. Summer 1999 JSD
- Focusing school improvement on student learning: An interview with Emily Calhoun by Dennis Sparks.
Winter 1999 JSD
Enter the NSDC Bookstore to find these titles.
Action Research Facilitator's Handbook
by Cathy Caro-Bruce
Trying to start action research groups in your school or district? Looking for strategies to facilitate the action research process? This binder is filled with resources for staff developers, teachers, and principals. (NSDC, 2000)
Practitioner Resource Guide for Action Research
by Robert Marion & Ken Zeichner
A companion book to the Action Research Facilitator's Handbook. This book is a comprehensive guide to resources on practitioner research in P-12 education with a focus on North America. This guide includes information about practitioner research networks, online sites, collections of practitioner research studies, funding sources, and publications about practitioner research.(NSDC)
Other Web Sites
Action Research [PDF]
http://www.alliance.brown.edu/pubs/themes_ed/act_research.pdf
Eileen Ferrance, Themes in Education, 2000.
The Education Alliance at Brown University
This booklet discusses several types of action research, its history, and a process that may be used to engage educators in action research. Two stories from the field are given as illustrations of action research. This would be appropriate to share with parents and other partners.
Action Research: Three Approaches
http://ascd.org/readingroom/edlead/9310/calhoun.html
Emily Calhoun. Educational Leadership, Vol. 51, No. 2, October 1993.
The Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development
Calhoun's three approaches to action research--individual, collaborative, and schoolwide--are defined and explained in this online article. The benefits, side effects, and support needed are outlined for each approach.
The Cycle of Inquiry and Action: Essential Learning Communities
http://www.essentialschools.org/cs/resources/view/ces_res/74
Horace, Vol. 15, No. 4., April 1999.
Coalition for Essential Schools.
Action research is just one approach used in these communities of inquiry. Online articles discuss the culture of inquiry and how specific tools can be used in schools functioning as learning communities. This article emphasizes the importance of asking good questions and teacher collaboration.
Excerpts from Guiding School Improvement with Action Research
http://www.ascd.org/readingroom/books/sagor00toc.html
Richard Sagor, 2000.
The Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development
Book excerpts cover the rationale for teachers to do action research, how to build an effective data collection plan, and the importance of inducting teachers into a culture of inquiry.
Networks: An Online Journal for Teacher Research
http://www.oise.utoronto.ca/~ctd/networks/
Developing Inquiring Communities in Education Project
Articles in this periodic journal include descriptions of and results of teachers' research projects, book reviews, and teacher reflections. This online journal has been published since 1998.
Teacher as Researcher
http://www.ericfacility.net/ericdigests/ed355205.html
Beverly Johnson. ERIC Digests, 1993.
A concise definition and review of the literature on action research in education.
Teacher Research
http://www.accessexcellence.org/21st/TL/AR/
Sharon Parsons. San Jose State University
Access Excellence, Classrooms of the 21st Century
This overview of teacher research and how it differs from traditional research offers examples, simple guidelines, and links to related resources.
Action Research as a Framework for School Improvement
http://www.coe.fau.edu/sfcel/default.htm
South Florida Center for Educational Leaders
College of Education, Florida Atlantic University
Two models of action research are explained in this web site, which also includes examples of research projects, and sections on how to collect and interpret research data.
Action Research in Schools
http://www-unix.oit.umass.edu/~afeldman/691G.html
Allan Feldman. School of Education.
University of Massachusetts, Amherst
Materials from a graduate course on action research include report rubrics, sample reports from previous classes, a bibliography, and an extensive reading list of online articles on the topic.
Action Research Module
http://www.sitesupport.org/module2/welcome.htm
Teresa Field, Johns Hopkins University, in partnership with Project SITE SUPPORT
From definitions to identifying questions to sharing results, this step-by-step tutorial provides guidance in conducting action research projects. Links to other online articles are included, as are project activities to get teachers started in their own research.
Teacher Research
http://gse.gmu.edu/research/tr/index.shtml
George Mason University, Graduate School of Education
In addition to providing definitions of different types of research and outlining research processes, this web site provides examples of research projects in different subject areas, links to related research, and contact information for topic specialists.
Action Research: Dissecting My Classroom
http://www2.alliance.brown.edu/voices/3qrt1999/actref.shtml
Julie Nora. Voices from the Field.
The Education Alliance at Brown University
A middle school ESL teacher in Rhode Island relates her experiences in using action research, stressing the importance of collaboration in effective teacher research.
Changing Omaha Classrooms: Collaborative Action Research Efforts [PDF]
http://www.mcrel.org/hpc/products/publications_pdfs/COmahaC.pdf
Edited by
Deborah L. Jordan, Martha A. Henry, and John T. Sutton, February 2000.
Omaha Public Schools, MCREL, and the High Plains Consortium at MCREL.
These twelve teacher research studies document first-time teacher researchers' work in using their investigations to improve classroom practice. Research topics include learning styles, block scheduling, and increasing student responsibility.
Collaboration for a Change: Teacher-Directed Inquiry about Student Performance Assessments [PDF]
http://www.mcrel.org/hpc/products/publications_pdfs/Collab.Chng.pdf
Edited by Elizabeth A. Horsch, Audrey M. Kleinsasser, and Elizabeth Traver, University of Wyoming, November 1996.
Wyoming State Department of Education, MCREL, and the High Plains Consortium at MCREL.
Five classroom-based investigations are described in detail in this report. Key ingredients in these research projects include collaboration at several levels, and the involvement of students as well as teachers as experts in improving classroom learning.
Excerpts from Language, Discourse, & Learning in Science: Improving Professional Practice through Action Research
http://www.enc.org/professional/guide/strategies/research/document.shtm?input=BYD-002640-ldls_toc
Aldrin E. Sweeney, Kenneth Tobin, 2000.
The Southeast Eisenhower Regional Consortium
Several specific action research studies by science teachers are published here. The introduction explains the research methodology used in these studies.
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