Critical action research is contextualized in a low socioeconomic, multicultural urban school in Auckland, New Zealand. The writers are a university lecturer (mentor) and a school principal (critical action researcher). The research was part of a meta project which aimed to raise the achievement of Maori (indigenous) students. Research processes…

This research project examined how to develop and sustain online, asynchronous learning communities in continuous intake, distance education environments for learners in grades 7 through 10. The study is an action research project that is based upon in-depth, qualitative data. Interviews were conducted with distance education teachers,…

Rural communities such as Stanthorpe on Queensland's Southern Downs, in Australia, are familiar with turbulent environmental, social, technological and economic change and the adversity that frequently accompanies such changes. The capacity of individuals and communities to bounce back from adversity is referred to as resilience. Participation in…

This article discusses six teaching strategies identified by teacher-researchers as supporting their goal to improve learning and teaching for all children in the intercultural setting of a kindergarten in "Aotearoa" New Zealand. As a Centre of Innovation, the kindergarten received government funding for a 3-year action research project…

This paper reports on a study that examines how a group of teachers at a Victorian Islamic College deliberated on how to develop an appropriate sexual health education curriculum for their Muslim students. Teachers found themselves challenged by the current restrictive curriculum structures, policies and practices at their school. They also found…

Background/Context: Research on after-school programs has traditionally focused on those programs serving students in younger grades but found positive correlations between student participation in enriching after-school activities and school engagement. For older students, particularly teenagers, there tends to be lower participation. Research…

Challenges in adapting Japanese Lesson Study for an American context have included teachers' limited prior experience with action research and facilitation as well as a mismatch between American curricula and the time requirements of the traditional Japanese Lesson Study model. Lesson Link[R] adapts Japanese Lesson Study for American contexts and…

"Strategies of Qualitative Inquiry, Third Edition," the second volume in the paperback version of "The SAGE Handbook of Qualitative Research, 3rd Edition," consists of Part III of the handbook ("Strategies of Inquiry"). "Strategies of Qualitative Inquiry, Third Edition" presents the major tactics--historically, the research methods--that…

This paper focuses on the potential of the learning aspects of assessment. The term "learning-oriented assessment" is introduced and three elements of it are elaborated: assessment tasks as learning tasks; student involvement in assessment as peer- or self-evaluators; and feedback as feedforward. I also indicate how learning-oriented assessment…

Action research is a form of enquiry that enables practitioners everywhere to investigate and evaluate their work. This type of research allows the practitioner--whether classroom teacher, principal, or counselor--to take the lead in improving and better understanding the inner-workings of your classroom, school, or students. Conducting action…

The benefits of action research for practicing teachers have been widely documented. This survey study examined the beliefs of preservice teachers at 2 levels of their preparation about the benefits of action research for them. Participants were 2 groups of students in the second and final semesters of a 2-year teacher preparation program.…

Many constituencies of a college or university make contributions to student success and failure. Higher education research has focused on many contributors to college or university student success, including pre-college preparation, transition or orientation programs, academic rigor, and academic and social support systems to name a few. Our…

Although social justice education should be an ongoing process that transcends curriculum, pedagogy, and the institutional establishment of education, it is often neglected. This action research study describes how middle/high school students responded to music and poetry as social justice texts. The study documents the curricular and pedagogical…

This paper provides an overview of the challenges in learning a signed language as a second language, in particular for hearing parents with deaf children, and details an action research process that led to the design of a new curriculum for teaching Australian Sign Language (Auslan) to the families of deaf children. The curriculum was developed…

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to conduct an action-research study of metaphors and metaphoric fragments composed by graduate students in 17 teams in two business (MBA) and three educational administration courses taught by the same instructor and action-researcher. Design/methodology/approach: The methodology of the paper was…