Action Research eBook
A Guide for the Teacher Researcher
1st Edition
Published on 19. February 2014
232 pages
978-0-273-78139-4 (ISBN)
Description
Action Researchprovides support for teachers, lecturers and trainees going through the action research process. It is written in a clear and accessible style and is suitable for those studying for academic qualifications or researching for professional development, offering practical and academically sound guidance.
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03/2014
Pearson Education Limited
€77.98
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Content
- Cover
- Contents
- List of case studies
- Preface
- Acknowledgements
- Phase 1 Finding a focus
- 1 What is action research?
- Professional practice
- Defining action research
- How action research is different from traditional educational research
- When action research is most effective
- Developing understanding of action research
- Action research's historical and theoretical foundations
- Why educators engage in action research
- More perspectives on action research
- Further reading
- 2 Ethics
- Professional practice
- Ethical action at the heart of action research
- BERA ethical guidelines
- Action research and the law
- The Criminal Records Bureau: working with young children and vulnerable adults
- Practical ethical considerations
- Developing understanding of the ethics of action research
- Further exploration of ethics for the action researcher
- The significance of values
- When teaching becomes action research
- Some of the ethical policies and procedures to be found in higher education
- Further reading
- 3 Collaboration
- Professional practice
- The nature of collaboration
- Collaboration with learners
- Collaboration with colleagues
- Collaboration with individuals in other institutions
- Developing understanding of collaboration
- Teacher culture and the critical friend
- Collaboration and contrived collegiality
- Can true collaboration be initiated?
- Collaborative networks
- Further reading
- 4 Finding a focus
- Professional practice
- Identifying an area of focus through observation, questioning and reconnaissance
- Developing aims
- Finding literature
- Developing an action research plan
- Developing understanding of the focus
- Positionality
- Reviewing literature
- Critically evaluating sources
- Further reading
- Phase 2 Clarifying the focus
- 5 Data collection techniques
- Professional practice
- Triangulation
- Qualitative data generated by teaching and opportunities provided by our institutions
- Quantitative data generated by teaching and opportunities provided by our institutions
- Developing understanding of data collection techniques
- How collecting data for action research can enhance our teaching
- More qualitative data collection techniques
- Electronic data collection methods
- Key informants
- Further reading
- 6 Data collection considerations: reliability, validity and generalisability
- Professional practice
- Reliability
- Validity
- Trustworthiness and understanding
- Guba's criteria
- Generalisability: an uncomfortable concept
- Developing understanding of data collection considerations
- Challenges at the heart of action research
- What can we learn from this case study?
- Critical perspectives on data collection concepts
- Further reading
- 7 Data analysis and interpretation
- Professional practice
- Ongoing analysis and reflection
- The role of analysis and interpretation
- Qualitative data organisation
- Qualitative data analysis techniques
- Analysing and interpreting quantitative data
- Developing understanding of data analysis and interpretation
- Data analysis in mixed-methods design
- Qualitative data interpretation techniques
- Questions to ask of this case study
- Analysing thin data
- Relating findings to literature
- Provisional and tentative reporting
- Further reading
- Phase 3 Implementation
- 8 Action planning and implementation
- Professional practice
- Developing action plans for implementation
- A case study example
- Levels of action planning
- Characteristics of action planning
- Developing understanding of action planning and implementation
- Resistance to change
- Reluctance to interfere with others' professional practices
- Difficult truths
- Finding a forum to share what we have learned
- Time and action research
- Power and authority relationships
- Top-down and bottom-up strategies
- The potential to be a change agent
- Hidden agendas
- Optimism as a critical resource
- Further reading
- Phase 4 Evaluation and dissemination
- 9 Evaluating action research
- Professional practice
- Who evaluates?
- What purposes?
- Before we begin
- Evaluating the action research cycle
- Developing understanding of evaluation
- Purposes of evaluation
- What now?
- Further reading
- 10 Disseminating action research
- Professional practice
- Why we disseminate
- Strategies for oral dissemination
- Benefits of oral dissemination
- Strategies for writing for a wider audience
- Developing understanding of dissemination
- Dissemination and diffusion
- Understanding our stories
- Seeking feedback
- Further reading
- Appendix 1 Elizabeth McPolin
- Appendix 2 Ross Oxby
- Glossary
- A
- B
- C
- D
- E
- F
- H
- I
- K
- M
- N
- O
- P
- Q
- R
- S
- T
- V
- References
- Index
- A
- B
- C
- D
- E
- F
- G
- H
- I
- J
- K
- L
- M
- N
- O
- P
- Q
- R
- S
- T
- V
- W
