Self-Study Teacher Research
Improving Your Practice Through Collaborative Inquiry
1st Edition
Published on 3. August 2010
Book
Paperback/Softback
344 pages
978-1-4129-7207-9 (ISBN)
Description
Offer novice and experienced teachers guidelines for the "how" and "why" to do self-study teacher research
Designed to help teachers plan, implement, and assess a manageable self-study research project, this unique textbook covers the foundation, history, theoretical underpinnings, and methods of self-study research. Written in a reader-friendly style and filled with interactive activities and examples, this book helps teachers every step of the way as they plan and conduct their studies. Author Anastasia Samaras encourages readers to think deeply about both the "how" and the "why" of this essential professional development tool as they pose questions and formulate personal theories to improve professional practice.
Key Features
A Self-Study Project Planner assists teachers in understanding both the details and process of conducting self-study research.
A Critical Friends Portfolio includes innovative critical collaborative inquiries to support the completion of a high quality final research project.
Advice from the most senior self-study academics working in the U.S. and internationally is included, along with descriptions of the self-study methodology that has been refined over time.
Examples demonstrate the connections between self-study research, teachers' professional growth, and their students' learning.
Tables, charts, and visuals help readers see the big picture and stay organized.
Accompanied by High-Quality Ancillaries!
A Student Study Site offers a wealth of resources, including additional examples and activities, web-based resources, study questions, and key terms.
Intended Audience
Self-Study Teacher Research: Improving Your Practice Through Collaborative Inquiry is intended as a core textbook for a wide variety of courses in the education curriculum, including Action Research, Qualitative Research Methods, Research Methods in Education, and the capstone/teacher researcher course required of all early childhood, elementary, and secondary education majors.
Designed to help teachers plan, implement, and assess a manageable self-study research project, this unique textbook covers the foundation, history, theoretical underpinnings, and methods of self-study research. Written in a reader-friendly style and filled with interactive activities and examples, this book helps teachers every step of the way as they plan and conduct their studies. Author Anastasia Samaras encourages readers to think deeply about both the "how" and the "why" of this essential professional development tool as they pose questions and formulate personal theories to improve professional practice.
Key Features
A Self-Study Project Planner assists teachers in understanding both the details and process of conducting self-study research.
A Critical Friends Portfolio includes innovative critical collaborative inquiries to support the completion of a high quality final research project.
Advice from the most senior self-study academics working in the U.S. and internationally is included, along with descriptions of the self-study methodology that has been refined over time.
Examples demonstrate the connections between self-study research, teachers' professional growth, and their students' learning.
Tables, charts, and visuals help readers see the big picture and stay organized.
Accompanied by High-Quality Ancillaries!
A Student Study Site offers a wealth of resources, including additional examples and activities, web-based resources, study questions, and key terms.
Intended Audience
Self-Study Teacher Research: Improving Your Practice Through Collaborative Inquiry is intended as a core textbook for a wide variety of courses in the education curriculum, including Action Research, Qualitative Research Methods, Research Methods in Education, and the capstone/teacher researcher course required of all early childhood, elementary, and secondary education majors.
Reviews / Votes
"It's a very practical, helpful book for those learning to do self-study research." -- Karl Wheatley "The author of this book has done a stunning job of pulling together a mass of material, peppering it with sage advice, and presenting it in a comprehensible and engaging way that is sure to attract the attention of would-be researchers in the self-study and teacher research veins." -- Cheryl Craig "Among the pedagogical volumes I have perused, Self-Study Teacher Research is the sanest. Within religion, I commend it mainly to fledgling instructors or mid-career professors seeking a fresh start." -- Suzanne Morrison * Teaching Theology & Religion *More details
Language
English
Place of publication
Thousand Oaks
United States
Target group
Professional and scholarly
College/higher education
Dimensions
Height: 235 mm
Width: 191 mm
Thickness: 19 mm
Weight
643 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-4129-7207-9 (9781412972079)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Person
Anastasia P. Samaras, Ph.D. is Professor at the Graduate School of Education at George Mason University. She is a pedagogical scholar with an extensive repertoire of teaching, administrative, and research activity directly related to her signature work in the self-study research methodology which include books on Learning Communities in Practice (2008) and Self-Study Teacher Research (2011). A former school teacher and director of teacher education programs at The Catholic University of America and George Mason University, she brings a repertoire of practical applications grounded in sociocultural theory directly to her teaching. She is recipient of the Dissertation Research Award, Curry School of Education, University of Virginia, the Outstanding Scholar Award, University of Maryland, a Fulbright Scholar, and a visiting scholar at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, University of Iceland, Vrije University, and Victoria University. Her expertise in early childhood and teacher education has also led to appointments as a consultant for numerous program reviews with various Federal agencies, departments, Head Start, and universities. She currently serves as Chair-Elect of the Self-Study of Teacher Education Special Interest Group of the American Educational Research Association and project leader of two university cross-disciplinary faculty self-study groups. Her research centers on designing and studying Neo-Vygotskian-based curriculum applications in teachers' professional practices, including her own.
Content
Preface
PART I: THE 6Ws OF SELF-STUDY RESEARCH
1. Understanding Self-Study: What and Why
What is Self-Study Teacher Research?
What Self-Study Teacher Research is Not
Why Conduct Self-Study Teacher Research?
Key Ideas
2. Overview of the Self-Study Process: What and How
Self-Study Research Project Planner
Self-Study Research Project Timeline
Self-Study Teacher Research Exemplar Brief
3. The Self-Study Community: When and Where and Who
Culture of the Self-Study Community
Paradigm Shift
Influence, Confluence, and Divergence
Important Events in Outgrowth of Self-Study School
Critique and Sustainability
Key Ideas
4. The Self-Study Research Methodology: Why and How
Characteristics of Self-Study Research
Five Foci Framework: Methodological Components of Self-Study Research
Key Ideas
5. Self-Study Methods: How
Choosing a Self-Study Method
Challenges in Choosing a Method
Key Ideas
PART II: YOUR SELF-STUDY PROJECT
6. Design
Design Matters
Seven Key Design Components
Key Ideas
7. Protect
Questioning the Ethics of Your Study
School Division Review
The Role of Professional Organizations
Standards of Research Ethics
Institutional Review Boards
Key Ideas
8. Organize Data
Alignment of Data with Question
Document
Categorize
Overlapping Research Phases
Key Ideas
9. Collect Data
Data Gathering Techniques
Alternative Data Gathering Techniques
Quantifiable Data
Key Ideas
10. Analyze Data
Research as a Recursive Act
Coding
Coding Families
Categories and Connections
Grounded Theory and the Constant Comparative Method
Concept Maps
Computer Software Tools
Key Ideas
11. Assess Research Quality
Multiple Sources of Data
Transparency, validation, exemplars, and trustworthiness
Reliability
Generalizability
Key Ideas
12. Write
Some Friendly Writing Advice
Writing Your Research Report
Writing Your Abstract
Welcoming Peer Critique
Key Ideas
13. Present and Publish
The Importance of Presenting Your Research
Challenge the Status Quo of Presentations
Pointers for Presenting
Writing Your Self-Study Proposal
Advice for Presenting
The Proposal Review Process
Advice for Getting Published
Key Ideas
Closing Remarks
Appendix A: Sample of a Self-Study Teacher Research Exemplar Brief
Appendix B: Self-Study is Not Just for Classroom Teachers
Glossary
References
Index
About the Author
PART I: THE 6Ws OF SELF-STUDY RESEARCH
1. Understanding Self-Study: What and Why
What is Self-Study Teacher Research?
What Self-Study Teacher Research is Not
Why Conduct Self-Study Teacher Research?
Key Ideas
2. Overview of the Self-Study Process: What and How
Self-Study Research Project Planner
Self-Study Research Project Timeline
Self-Study Teacher Research Exemplar Brief
3. The Self-Study Community: When and Where and Who
Culture of the Self-Study Community
Paradigm Shift
Influence, Confluence, and Divergence
Important Events in Outgrowth of Self-Study School
Critique and Sustainability
Key Ideas
4. The Self-Study Research Methodology: Why and How
Characteristics of Self-Study Research
Five Foci Framework: Methodological Components of Self-Study Research
Key Ideas
5. Self-Study Methods: How
Choosing a Self-Study Method
Challenges in Choosing a Method
Key Ideas
PART II: YOUR SELF-STUDY PROJECT
6. Design
Design Matters
Seven Key Design Components
Key Ideas
7. Protect
Questioning the Ethics of Your Study
School Division Review
The Role of Professional Organizations
Standards of Research Ethics
Institutional Review Boards
Key Ideas
8. Organize Data
Alignment of Data with Question
Document
Categorize
Overlapping Research Phases
Key Ideas
9. Collect Data
Data Gathering Techniques
Alternative Data Gathering Techniques
Quantifiable Data
Key Ideas
10. Analyze Data
Research as a Recursive Act
Coding
Coding Families
Categories and Connections
Grounded Theory and the Constant Comparative Method
Concept Maps
Computer Software Tools
Key Ideas
11. Assess Research Quality
Multiple Sources of Data
Transparency, validation, exemplars, and trustworthiness
Reliability
Generalizability
Key Ideas
12. Write
Some Friendly Writing Advice
Writing Your Research Report
Writing Your Abstract
Welcoming Peer Critique
Key Ideas
13. Present and Publish
The Importance of Presenting Your Research
Challenge the Status Quo of Presentations
Pointers for Presenting
Writing Your Self-Study Proposal
Advice for Presenting
The Proposal Review Process
Advice for Getting Published
Key Ideas
Closing Remarks
Appendix A: Sample of a Self-Study Teacher Research Exemplar Brief
Appendix B: Self-Study is Not Just for Classroom Teachers
Glossary
References
Index
About the Author