Improving Schools Through Action Research: A Comprehensive Guide for Educators
Improving Schools Through Action Research, 2/e\ Cher Hendricks\ 0205578462\ This brief, user-friendly text provides everything a pre-service or in-service educator needs to know to follow the research cycle and conduct an action research project. It emphasizes the reflective processes used in planning and conducting action research studies, data analysis techniques (quantitative and qualitative), and displaying and explaining results. The text provides specific information needed to complete...
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This text emphasizes the reflective processes used in planning and conducting action research studies, data analysis techniques (quantitative and qualitative), and displaying and explaining results. It provides specific information needed to complete each step of the action research cycle with chapter activities that help the student/reader conduct projects focused on school improvement. Each activity includes a research paper component that helps students create a research paper as they complete the activities.
Preface to the Second Edition vPreface to the First Edition viResearch Methods in Education 1Ways Research Advances Knowledge About Education 1The Origin of Action Research 5The Action Research Process 8Types Of Action Research 9The Importance of Action Research for Improving Schools 10Becoming Familiar with the Language and Process of Action Research 13Summary 14Additional Reading Materials 14Action Research Resources 14Generating Research Ideas Through Reflection 23Reflection: Its History and Definitions 25Types of Reflection 25Reflection in Action Research 29Reflecting to Identify a Research Focus 30Reflective Journals 33Summary 36Connecting Theory and Action: Reviewing the Literature 37Reviewing Literature as a Professional, Intellectual Activity 38Sources of Topic-Specific Literature 39Searching for Literature to Review 41Choosing, Evaluating, and Synthesizing Reviewed Literature for Action Research Studies 49Organizing and Writing the Literature Review 52Summary 59Initial Planning of the Action Research Study 67Articulating Research Questions 67Planning the Intervention 71Summary 78Strategies for Collecting Data 79Collecting Multiple Forms of Data to Establish Credibility and Validity 79Methods of Data Collection: Artifacts, Observational Data, and Inquiry Data 81The Importance of Collecting Baseline Data 106Aligning Data Collection Strategies with Research Questions 107Summary 109Final Planning Before Implementation of the Study 111Definitions of Validity 111Determining Ways to Increase Validity 112Ethical Guidelines for Action Research Studies 117Engaging in Continuous, Ongoing Reflective Planning Throughout the Study 121Creating a Timeline for the Project 122Summary 124Strategies for Data Analysis 127Interim Data Analysis 127Using Software Packages to Analyze Large Amounts of Data 128Analysis of Quantitative Data: Reporting, Comparing, and Displaying 129Analysis of Qualitative Data: Looking for Themes and Patterns 143Triangulating Data Sources and Drawing Conclusions from Data 155Summary 158Writing and Disseminating the Action Research Report 159Guidelines for Writing the Final Action Research Report 159Disseminating Action Research Findings 165Other Ways to Write Up Research 169Concluding Comments 170Action Research Articles 171References 209Index 213
