This research shows that students often lack the ability to set appropriate goals for their learning. The students in this study did not take ownership in their education, and expected teachers to make decisions for them. The students in the study were fifth grade students in middle class communities in the Midwest. Analysis of probable cause data…

When one high school English teacher became engaged in active research, she reflected on her practice and learned to have faith in her students as learners and in herself as a teacher, and to ground her teaching practice consciously in theory. Her investigation centered on the question of whether teaching literary theory in the high school English…

The research results presented in this paper were part of an action research performed with the aims of improving primary school student teachers (STs)' understanding of, and attitudes to, mathematics. The teaching strategies used to help STs' improve their understanding and attitudes were similar to the ones suggested for their future use in…

Purpose: The purpose of this action research presentation is to discuss how explicit comprehension instruction can take place along with writing, in the kindergarten classroom. Methodology: This action research project took place in a suburban kindergarten with learners of diverse ability levels and ESL students as well. In this classroom small…

An action research project was developed and implemented using student self monitoring of higher order thinking skills and task management to improve the music skills of a fifth grade beginning band (n=30) from a small middle school located in a rural midwest village. Evidence of the problem was documented with a performance test, a written test,…

This report describes a program for improving writing skills and related attitudes towards writing of elementary students. The target population consisted of fourth grade students in stable middle to upper class suburban communities, located northwest of a large midwestern city. The problems of inadequate writing skills and poor writing attitudes…

The ability to read fluently and make use of text is crucial for all learners. The training of secondary teachers, however, takes almost no account of this. Reading skills develop and change as the individual meets new situations and demands throughout life. Reading should be understood as a complex process of making meaning from text, for a…

This book is intended to provide the content and structure for a group study of reading and instructional practices that advance reading achievement. The book includes concise summaries of research that reflect sound practices in reading instruction and the most current understanding of the process of reading. It pulls together much of what has…

Chapter titles in this book include the following: "Attitude and Access: Building a New Teaching/Learning Community in TESOL" (Julian Edge); "Here It Is, Rough Though It May Be: Basic Computer for ESL" (Alison Perkins); "An 'It's Not Action Research Yet, but I'm Getting There' Approach to Teaching Writing" (Neil Cowie); "Early Reflections:…

This paper describes two studies from the Intersegmental Project to Assure Student Success (IPASS), which were conducted to determine whether instructional paradigms can be linked to student outcomes. The research has shown that success in the first English class, at any level, is a clear indicator of the interest and ability of college students…

The paper reports action research on Web-based courses conducted from 1999 to 2001. The expression "hybrid courses" is used in this paper to refer to the courses in which an instructor and students meet half or less than half of the regular scheduled meeting time, and such courses are the courses involved in this research. Participants of the…

This report describes a project for improving students' listening and motivation. The action research took place from September 2001 through January 2002. The targeted first grade reading and eighth grade physical education students live in rural, Midwestern, middle- to high-income communities located in central Illinois. The problem was that…

The supportive role of the research supervisor in an action research study is explored. This critical account of a relationship between a research supervisor and a postgraduate research student was prompted by a sense of disquiet and lack of harmony that developed during a year-long action research study. In the role of a teacher-researcher with a…

Review of recent literature on action research finds that action research has certain overall characteristics. It is a scaled down version of quasi-experimental studies, and it is highly quantitative in its nature of inquiry. Of nine recognized research designs (Isaac and Michael), action research is frequently the most statistically demanding…

A study described and evaluated the Cooperative Communication Project, which was designed to improve communication between inner-city families and schools about young children's literacy development. A total of four pre-kindergarten and kindergarten teachers from two schools in the Baltimore City Public Schools completed an inservice course (a…