Explores the process of needs assessment within the In-Service Education and Training (INSET) program for unqualified primary teachers in Namibia and presents the various stages of an effective needs assessment model. Summarizes the study from which the model emerged and reviews literature related to needs assessment for INSET. (CMK)

Offers an interpretation of the dynamics of home-school relations in terms of a matrix of "mobilisations" and "demolisations" among parents, teachers, and children based upon data collected in an action research and development project. Aims to establish some bases for practical and theoretical "manoeuvers." (CMK)

Describes an action research study that investigated the changing roles of instructors and learners in a graduate course on technology integration for inservice teachers. Discusses results that showed that the course motivated students, fostered active and constructive learning, enhanced critical thinking skills, and increased student confidence…

Reflecting Ugandan culture, the national curriculum on HIV/AIDS and sex education was authoritarian and conformist, and students considered it irrelevant to their lives. An action research project that allowed student choice of classroom procedures and content concerning AIDS and sexuality not only increased student knowledge but also increased…

Argues for the need to adopt a more participatory and research-based approach to teacher development in India. Describes the democratizing opportunities offered by a research-based collaborative approach to teacher educator development in a 2-year project in three states. Concludes that this approach requires individual development of autonomy and…

A final-year teacher education unit in New South Wales (Australia) uses action research as a learning process for interns. Online communication is the key support mechanism for interns placed in distant rural schools. Students appreciate the move to online work because it forces them to read, and bulletin boards provide support for complex…

Explores how students' concept formation can be promoted and outlines findings from an action research project undertaken with a class of 17-year-old AS Media Studies students as a submission for the British Film Institute's MA Certificate in Media Education in 2001. Argues that academic concepts can neither be allowed to develop spontaneously nor…

Describes a study that examined perceptions and patterns of technology use among graduate students enrolled in an online education course. Results showed specific patterns of technology use, learning preferences, and benefits of an online university environment, including action research and inquiry-based projects. The online course evaluation…

Journal writing in action research can be a tool for uncovering the facts of a situation (an empirical approach), or the expression of a professional life (a phenomenological approach). These two approaches are explored, and a radical redefinition of action research journal writing is presented. (IAH)

The role of the teacher as researcher is related to key themes in the literature on action research. Current issues facing teachers involved in research into their own practice are highlighted. The pressure of accountability placed on teachers is discussed in the context of teacher research. (IAH)

This article chronicles the evolution of the Classroom Research Study Group (a collaborative effort of the University of Louisville and the Jefferson County Public Schools Ghens Professional Development Academy), describes how it functions, discusses teachers' emergent roles as action researchers, and considers related issues concerning the…

This article describes characteristics of current research in education, examines three types of research (theoretical, practical applied, and practical action), and argues for the promotion and development of practical applied research as the type most useful to school teachers, and most qualified to bridge the gap between theory and practice.…

Reflects on one person's efforts to develop a collaborative action research methodology for evaluating professional development. Focuses on the development of an inside methodology for teachers. Sets out a range of issues and identifies some tentative principles of procedure. (CFR)

Reviews key ideas of action research in the past 15 years, particularly those of John Elliott. Describes and comments on the main characteristics of action research. Focuses on methodological and epistemological issues related to its practice. (CFR)

Action research can promote cultural literacy by increasing teachers' awareness of their own values and perspectives and encouraging them to entertain perspectives different from their own. The paper describes how one prospective teacher, through classroom observation in a one-room Amish school, developed positive, culturally sensitive images and…