A key aspect of engaging in a large participatory action research (PAR) project is ensuring that novice participant-researchers have a general understanding of the PAR methodology. Lead researchers experienced in action research cannot expect novice participant-researchers to engage fully with the literature on PAR, but rather need a simple way to…

"Practical Research" is an engaging, cross-disciplinary guide to research methodology. This text is your do-it-yourself, how-to manual for planning and conducting research. Suitable for a wide variety of courses in basic research methodology, the book uses a conversational tone, step-by-step instructions, and practical suggestions to…

An engaging, cross-disciplinary guide to research methodology "Practical Research: Planning and Design" is a do-it-yourself, how-to manual for planning and conducting research. Suitable for a wide variety of courses in basic research methodology, the book uses a conversational tone, step-by-step instructions, and practical suggestions to…

This resource has been written specifically for higher education practitioners who are interested in improving students' learning experiences through the process of researching their own practice. We use the term 'higher education practitioners' to describe all who work in universities and who have a stake in students' learning experiences.…

"Educational Research: Planning, Conducting, and Evaluating Quantitative and Qualitative Research" offers a truly balanced, inclusive, and integrated overview of the processes involved in educational research. This text first examines the general steps in the research process and then details the procedures for conducting specific types…

Once you've established a professional learning community (PLC), you need to get this ASCD (Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development) action tool to ensure that your PLC stays focused on addressing teaching methods and student learning problems. This ASCD action tool explains how your PLC can use collaborative action research to…

Action research, explored in this book, is a seven-step process for improving teaching and learning in classrooms at all levels. Through practical examples, research tools, and easy-to-follow implementation strategies, this book guides readers through the action research process. The chapters are: (1) "What Is Action Research?"; (2) "How Is Action…

This book defines an epistemological agenda for action research, one that challenges the conventional academic social sciences on epistemological and ethical grounds. It gives an overview of different approaches so that researchers can find their own perspectives within the field. Methodologies and fieldwork tools are described. The chapters are:…

This guide defines action research and provides historical and theoretical contexts for its use. Specific advice is given for the teacher-researchers engaging in action research, and a case study provides an extended example of the action research process. The chapters are: (1) "Understanding Action Research"; (2) "Deciding on an Area of Focus";…

This book provides a simple but effective model for approaching action research. It also contains a series of tools to assist the researcher in working through the research process. The chapters are: (1) "Research in Professional and Public Life"; (2) "Principles of Community-Based Action Research"; (3) "Setting the Stage"; (4) "Look: Building the…

This article discusses challenges in using participatory action research (PAR) in the evaluation of programs that provide services and supports to people with severe disabilities. Challenges include the need for modification of the model, time constraints, issues around power and position, and inclusion of individuals with severe disabilities.…

Action Research begins by identifying goals as perceived in the community; input is sought in neighborhood hearings or by running a series in the local newspaper and inviting response. Once a research group is organized, Action Research continues as a five-stage flexible study plan for practitioner improvement involving turning goals into…

This guide introduces the skills and dispositions necessary to participate in educational action research. It targets teachers, administrators, college faculty, graduate students, state professional organizations, and state administrators. Chapter 1, "Understanding Action Research as a Tool for Professional Growth and Organizational Development,"…

Schoolwide action research involves the actors in a school continuously and systematically studying their school, analyzing the information gathered, and using it to work toward improvement. Action research can involve collecting data over several years, such as the cumulative effects of schooling, or over shorter periods of time to evaluate…

Describes how to use certain action research methods to increase researchers' access to intergroup relations embedded in organizations. Discusses studies using these methods in two corporations--one on work group relations and the other on race relations among Black and White managers--and notes implications for intergroup relations theory.…