With advances being made in the area of technology and increased emphasis being placed on use of technology in the classroom, teachers and administrators are questioning the effectiveness of technology driven teaching aids. The present issue revolves around whether students' academic performance can be enhanced by using and incorporating…

This collection of papers examines the hidden risks that teacher researchers may face in action research. There are 12 papers in three parts. Part 1, "School-Based Researchers," includes: (1) "Drafting Ethical Guidelines for Teacher Research in Schools" (Marian M. Mohr); (2) "'Tuesday Night' Revisited: Learning to Survive" (Leslie Turner Minarik);…

This report describes a program for motivating primary students to improve their writing skills. The targeted population consists of first and second grade students located in a large urban area. The need for improving writing skills is evidenced by classroom teacher observations, class participation, writing assessments, and student journals.…

This paper describes a philosophy and framework for classroom management and school discipline which represents a citizenship approach, based on the Bill of Rights, that teaches students about their rights and responsibilities for living and learning in a democratic society. The Judicious Discipline framework outlined in the paper could work well…

This study describes a program designed to improve students' writing skills in order to improve academic achievement. The targeted population consists of third and fifth grade elementary students in two separate communities ranging from low to middle class, located in two midwestern suburbs of a large city. Evidence for the existence of the…

This action research is designed to help students improve their writing skills and their confidence in themselves as writers. The targeted population is third graders in a suburban Chicago, Illinois elementary school. Evidence of the need to improve writing skills exists through teacher observation and evaluation of student writing, and scores on…

This report describes a program for advancing student writing skills through the use of systematic and creative phonics instruction. The targeted population consisted of first and fourth grade students in a middle class suburban community located in the suburbs of Chicago. The problems of poor phonics skills and writing abilities were documented…

The quantity and nature of parent-child verbal interactions, reading to and with children, and the availability and use of reading materials at home are factors that influence literacy development. Since many parents of first-grade children are not taking advantage of opportunities at home to engage their children in appropriate activities to…

This paper provides a case study of a school-wide action research project to increase student learning in a rural intermediate school. First, it provides background information on the action research model and notes such challenges as the difficulty in providing teachers with a "coaching" style of professional development and the…

This report describes phonics programs that will increase students' fluency and independent reading skills. The targeted population consisted of second grade students in a growing affluent community and first grade students in a large metropolitan city. The first and second grade students demonstrated a lack of awareness between phonemes and their…

This report describes a plan for using the multiple intelligences to increase student motivation. The target population consisted of a sixth grade reading class in a rural setting, and second, fourth, and fifth grade students in a pullout ESL (English-as-a-Second-Language) program in an urban setting. The lack of motivation became evident as…

This report describes a program for improving reading skills of first graders. The targeted population consisted of a blue-collar community located in western Illinois. Many of the families had a language barrier. The problem of below grade level readers was documented through assessments and teacher observations. An examination of causes revealed…

This paper discusses the value of action research in professional learning, presenting political and practical questions from the work of a primary school teacher who conducted action research on literacy with at-risk students and an intermediate school teacher, now a program officer at the Ontario College of Teachers who is helping create…

This report describes a plan to increase word recognition skills. The targeted population consists of first, second, and fourth grade students in upper middle, middle, and lower socioeconomic communities located in the suburbs outside of a large city. The problem of inadequate word recognition skills was documented through data revealing the…

This manual, prepared by the Distance Education Council (India) presents guidelines for action research in distance education, balancing practical research activities with a sound theoretical research base. Chapter 1, "Scope, Purpose and Design of the Manual," suggests several definitions of research; draws distinctions between academic…