This article elucidates criteria which might be helpful in evaluating praxis-related research. The authors explore both sides of the research and development (R & D) project. They examine different ways of understanding contributions to knowledge through research but more especially exploring ideas about contributions to changing praxis. Changing…

Action Learning is now a well established strategy for reflective inquiry in healthcare. Whilst a great deal is know about action learning there has been inadequate research on the process of learning that takes place, and the impact that this holds for individuals, groups or organisations. This article reports on the findings of 15-month action…

This report describes the participation of St. Paul's School, in Australia's Northern Territory, in a collaborative action research project with Northern Territory University. The project had three goals: (1) increase staff awareness of multicultural issues, particularly as they pertain to Aboriginal people; (2) determine how school practices…

This monograph describes Save The Children's Non-Formal Education (NFE) Program implemented in rural Nepal. Since the formal education of females is not a cultural priority, NFE targets women and girls. Currently, 90-95 percent of participants are female, including adult women and out-of-school girls. Enhancing and increasing literacy is the…

Action research can be an effective strategy to help school-based professionals build a knowledge base that connects classroom practice and classroom theory. Action research does not build theory and is generally not transferable; rather, it examines why something is happening or might happen in a particular setting and circumstances. Action…

This paper describes a study that evaluated a program in which students' reading and writing skills improved with the enhancement of various interventions related to reading and writing. The targeted population consisted of elementary students enrolled in first and third grades in northern Illinois. The lack of reading and writing success was…

This report describes a program that used both critical and creative thinking skills to enhance the educational process in language arts. The targeted population consisted of fourth- and seventh-grade students in two growing, middle-class communities located in northern Illinois. The lack of higher-order thinking skills was documented through…

To examine the effects of implementing standards in classrooms, a study analyzed interviews with teachers and students, student journals, student observations, and student responses on the standards Form. Subjects were 25 sophomore and junior class students participating in an integrated social studies and English curriculum being taught by the…

An action research report described a program for enhancing students' ability to focus on instructional processes and oral directions. The targeted population was comprised of 4th-, 5th-, and 8th-grade students from 3 different metropolitan schools in southwest Cook County, Illinois. The problem of off-task behavior, including distractible…

This handbook shows how the curriculum can be improved through action research and that teachers and other practitioners are best placed to conduct such research. Chapter 1 explores that historical and philosophical foundations of the action research movement. Chapter 2 discusses the teacher as researcher and professional, and offers criteria for…

This report describes a program for building and reinforcing character development in order to increase appropriate student-to-student and student-to-teacher behaviors. The targeted population consists of primary and intermediate elementary students in a growing middle class community in Elk Grove, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago. The problems of…

An action research study described and evaluated a program for improving the reading comprehension of targeted first, second, and third grade students, in a progressive suburban community in northern Illinois. The problem was noted by the researchers, who in recent years had observed a need for improvement in reading comprehension as indicated by…

The Department of Curriculum and Instruction at Central Missouri State University, Warrensburg, Missouri, has designed an experience for student teachers in elementary schools to prepare them for reflective thinking in their own classrooms. Student teachers conduct action research by reflecting on what they do in the classroom, identifying…

Researchers in vocational education (VE) often are not viewed as having made substantial contributions to VE practice. The VE literature and the poor attendance at American Vocational Education Research Association sessions by vocational educators are evidence of the gaps that have developed between VE research and practice, basic and applied…

This volume celebrates teachers as life-long learners of the art of teaching, by presenting 21 action research studies designed and implemented by classroom teachers. A "How To Get Started" section outlines action research steps and offers worksheets. Descriptions of the research studies begin with ethnographic studies, which include "Adopt a…