Defines Participatory Action Research (PAR) as involving practitioners in the research process and building objectives into the research design. Discusses the history of organizational behavior research, listing the lessons learned from the Hawthorne study. Views current research as following either the course of "normal social science"…

Student teaching programs should be geared to prepare future teachers in ways which will foster collaborative research skills. Recent educational proposals call upon teachers to engage in collaborative research, and it is logical to prepare student teachers to meet such expectations. (JD)

Anita Woolfolk, author of a best-selling educational psychology textbook, discusses format and important concepts in her text; application of educational psychology to teacher education; role of research in teacher education; her research in school climate and teacher efficacy; and her personal lifestyle. (KS)

Presents examples of instructional episodes showing changing patterns of communication between teacher and students. Gives action research ideas designed to help teachers listen to children describe how they think. (MKR)

An action research approach was used to evaluate a nontraditional gifted identification technique for disadvantaged students. Fourth-grade students selected by a whole classroom "tryout" technique participated in the Future Problem Solving component of the talented and gifted curriculum with students selected by traditional means. Analysis showed…

A high school mathematics teacher designed an action research project to help students learn effective notetaking for studying and for organizing and remembering information. Fifty students completed questionnaires about their notetaking habits and ways to improve them. After discussing survey findings, students designed their own formats and…

Disillusionment with professional/scientific knowledge and trust in practitioner knowledge have led to renewed interest in action technologies. Action research, action learning, participatory research, popular education, and collaborative inquiry can bridge the gap between theory and practice. (SK)

Offers insights gathered while supervising two school-based, action-research investigations. Conceptualizes reflective teaching and practitioner research. Analyzes why a loosely conceived investigation generated developments in staff expertise and curriculum innovation, while a more rigorous project attracted academic praise and dust. Debates…

Describes a unique program that combines research of traditional Dene knowledge with school curricula in an effort to preserve knowledge of traditional Dene medicine. Using participatory action research methodology, researchers documented a wealth of medical knowledge from Dogrib community elders and cross-referenced the database with school…

Customer satisfaction as applied to schools assumes that no single change or reform will fix the schools forever; school districts must embrace a process of continuous improvement to respond to changing customer demands. This article describes one suburban California district's new strategic planning process: inviting customers to shape the…

Discusses the need for those involved in the education of young children to adopt a reflective stance toward their work. Considers the value, in research done by practitioners, of making observations and keeping records, studying unfamiliar topics, doing background reading, and interpreting and communicating research results. Applies these…

Two classroom studies assessed the introduction of innovative instructional techniques, based on adult learning principles, in optometric education. The first involved group projects and related student presentations, and the second introduced active learning methods in place of lectures. (Author/MSE)

Describes a continuously evolving, successful Wisconsin model of action research that relies on the collaborative work of schools and universities to improve K-12 programs. The entire collaborative action research model is possible without any reassignment of responsibilities for teachers or faculty. (SM)

Discusses teaching and the social reconstructionist view of reflection that underlies the University of Wisconsin-Madison elementary teacher education program. The paper examines action research in the student teaching curriculum and the way it is facilitated by one supervisor, and analyzes written reports of research projects by 18 student…

Discussed is the Action Research and Community Problem-Solving model as an approach to environmental education. The basic steps to this approach are described. Bridges to the community and between the sciences are proposed. (CW)