MALT 651 Dr. Schmitz: Home

This book presents a fresh view of action research as a methodology uniquely suited to researching the processes of innovation and change.

The fourth edition of this bestselling book is a practical guide for teachers that wish to conduct research in their classrooms and for schools that wish to improve their practice.

This book has been written in the hopes of equipping teachers-in-trainingOCothat is, teacher candidatesOCowith the skills needed for action research: a process that leads to focused, effective, and responsive strategies that help students succeed.

Action research, explored in this book, is a seven-step process for improving teaching and learning in classrooms at all levels. Through practical examples, research tools, and easy-to-follow "implementation strategies," Richard Sagor guides readers through the process from start to finish.

This workbook facilitates the completion of action research studies by providing a series of tasks that guide action researchers from the beginning of a project and selecting a topic for study, to completion of the project and editing final reports.

Researchers, historians, and philosophers of science have debated the nature of scientific research in education for more than 100 years. Recent enthusiasm for "evidence-based" policy and practice in education--now codified in the federal law that authorizes the bulk of elementary and secondary education programs--have brought a new sense of urgency to understanding the ways in which the basic tenets of science manifest in the study of teaching, learning, and schooling. Scientific Research in Education describes the similarities and differences between scientific inquiry in education and scientific inquiry in other fields and disciplines and provides a number of examples to illustrate these ideas. Its main argument is that all scientific endeavors share a common set of principles, and that each field--including education research--develops a specialization that accounts for the particulars of what is being studied. The book also provides suggestions for how the federal government can best support high-quality scientific research in education.

This book facilitates the completion of action research studies by providing a series of tasks that guide action researchers from the beginning of a project and selecting a topic for study, to completion of the project and editing final reports. All too often, students and practicing professionals in professional development schools are overwhelmed by the thought of doing an action research project and resort to using quasi-experimental designs. A Toolkit for Action Research puts an end to both, with the result being a life-long learning and reflection tool for teachers. This workbook can be used alone, or in conjunction with traditional action research texts, such as Daniel Tomal's Action Research for Educators.

This accessible, pragmatic text shows educators step by step how to conduct classroom- and school-based studies to improve instructional practices. The book presents methods and strategies for implementing each stage of the action research cycle, providing balanced coverage of qualitative, quantitative, and mixed-methods approaches. Readers learn how to select and define a research topic; develop a literature review; choose a design; formulate data collection strategies; design and/or evaluate assessment tools; and interpret, analyze, and report study results. Helpful examples and vignettes depict a variety of real-world teaching and learning situations, school subjects, and age groups (PreK-12). Pedagogical Features Include Exercises and activities in every chapter. Checklists, guidelines, and templates that enable busy educators to self-assess the progress and quality of their studies. Example boxes illustrating the components of an action research report. Summary tables highlighting key aspects of different research strategies. Chapter summaries and suggestions for further reading.

Learning to inquire together, to generate knowledge and action simultaneously thats action research. This book provides practical guidance for conducting schoolwide action research to improve student learning. Emily Calhoun, a co-author of the ASCD book, The Self-Renewing School, provides detailed instructions for conducting schoolwide action research.

`Practitioner Research in Education should become a millennium "must" for principals and school leaders whose schools are under OfSTED spotlight and for all those practitioners who earnestly aim to undertake higher managment studies whilst "in situ" in their teaching posts.... It is a publication well worth reading by all those who continue to be, justifiably, enthused by school development issues' - Angela Monkman Brushett, OfSTED Inspector `This is a very simple but notable piece of work... They have done a service to education in providing evidence (and there is remarkably little elsewhere) that continuous professional development does pay off in terms of a better education for pupils in schools' - School Leadership and Management Much debate currently concerns the value of education research : how is it perceived by practitioners and students ? How useful and relevant is it ? Who best carries it out ? Can it be free from political influence ? While practitioner research is widely advocated, little is known about its effect on individuals, teams and the institution. In Practitioner Research in Education, the authors explore the effects of teachers' and lecturers' research and its impact on organizational improvement. Whether affecting whole school cultures through teachers' group work, or influencing practice through an individual's research, the accounts in this book show how research can make a difference. They show how improvements in management and leadership arising from practitioner research can contribute to advances in teaching and learning. The book includes material on how to conduct research, the types of research which practitioners can carry out in a school or college, and the implications of research for organizational development. Readers will be able to draw valuable lessons for personal, professional, team or school improvement. Practitioner Research In Education will be useful to students and practitioners of educational management, to those doing research in educational settings, and to school managers who are committed to school improvement.