The Action Research Guidebook
Purchase
Description
Think of yourself as an educational architect
Action research is your essential tool for designing and building a better classroom or school. You know your students best, and by digging deeper into a challenge or research question and then taking informed action, you can achieve far more than any cookie-cutter curriculum or canned program. This empowering introduction to action research is ideal for new and veteran teachers, as well as principals, counselors, and other educators who are committed to school improvement. In the third edition of this bestselling guidebook, you’ll find:
- New insights on how to use reflective practice, qualitative and quantitative methods, and culturally responsive teaching to improve the success of all students
- A field-tested, four-stage action research process to lead you from brainstorming to breakthrough, with step-by-step instructions in plain English
- More illustrative examples, charts, handouts, worksheets, and sample action research reports to demystify and simplify the action research process
By tapping into the power of action research, you can improve overall student performance, eliminate achievement gaps, and enhance your own efficacy and morale.
"The most successful educators are those that purposefully reflect on their practices, with a focus on how and to what degree these practices impact student learning. This book provides a four-stage structured approach for teachers and administrators to engage in action research, with the ultimate goal being to move our schools and classrooms closer to universal student success.”
Eric Carbaugh, Associate Professor of Education
James Madison University
"I love the four-step model and how it is emphasized throughout the text. This approach clearly makes the text unique and a 'must read' for all teachers wanting to enhance their teaching through action research."
Christopher J. Maglio, Professor of Education, Research Methods, and Design
Truman State University
Contents
Preface to the Third Edition
Preface to the Third Edition
Publisher’s Acknowledgments
Publisher’s Acknowledgments
About the Authors
- 1. Introduction to Action Research
- Why Conduct Action Research?
- The Complexity of Routine Instructional Decisions
- Key Terms and Concepts
- Universal Student Success
- 2. Finding a Focus
- Zeroing in on Your Priorities
- Using Reflective Writing to Find a Focus
- Performance, Process, and Program Targets and Action Research by School Leaders
- Using a Journal to Identify Action Research Foci
- Reflective Interviews
- Reflective Interviewing and the Problem of Isolation
- Analytic Discourse
- Team Reflection
- 3. Refining the Focus
- Visualizing Success
- Conducting an Instructional Postmortem
- Taking Stock of One’s Recent Leadership Experience
- Comparing Your Experience With the Experience of Others
- Developing Criteria to Measure Changes With Priority Achievement Targets
- Creating Performance Rating Scales
- Rating Scales and Program Action Research
- The Special Problem of Long-Range Goals
- Assessing Rate of Growth
- Determining Adequate Yearly Progress in Real Time
- Producing Your Own Rate-of-Growth Charts
- Ascertaining Rate of Growth in Leadership Projects
- 4. Articulating a Theory of Action
- If Not Us, Who?
- An Adequate Knowledge Base Already Exists
- Going Beyond Proven Practices: Building a Theory of Action
- Two Kinds of Variables
- Creating Mileposts on the Route to Mastery
- Inferring Independent Variables
- Using the Priority Pie to Identify, Clarify, and Weigh Independent Variables
- Using the Priority Pie With Descriptive Research
- 5. Drawing a Theory of Action
- Why a Map?
- European Explorers as Action Researchers
- Building a Graphic Reconstruction
- Graphic Reconstructions for Quasi-Experimental Research
- Graphic Reconstructions With Descriptive Research
- Proofing a Theory of Action for Leadership Projects
- 6. Determining the Research Questions
- Three Generic Action Research Questions
- Developing Your Own Research Questions
- Two-Step Walk-Through
- Drafting the Questions
- Surfacing Research Questions for Leadership Projects
- 7. Building a Data Collection Plan
- Data Collection and the Competing Demands for Your Time
- What Qualifies as Teaching?
- What Things Qualify as Data?
- Data in Descriptive Research
- Data in Quasi-Experimental Research
- Data Collection and Concerns About Precision
- Fishing in a Sea of Data
- Securing Research Assistants
- Building a Triangulated Data Collection Plan
- Data Collection Planning for Leadership Projects
- Integrating Efficiencies Into Your Data Collection Work
- Using Technology to Compile and Assemble Action Research Data
- Keeping a Researcher’s Journal
- 8. Analyzing the Data
- Trend Analysis
- Organizing Data to Help Answer the Three Generic Questions
- ACR Question 1: What Did We Do?
- ACR Question 2: What Changes Occurred Regarding the Achievement Targets?
- ACR Question 3: What Was the Relationship Between Actions Taken and Any Changes in Performance on the Targets?
- Drawing Tentative Assertions
- Using Member Checking to Add Credibility to the Tentative Assertions
- Additional Tools for Qualitative Data Analysis
- Qualitative Data Analysis Using Bins and a Matrix
- Low-Tech Strategies for Bins and Matrixes
- Using a Computer for Bins and Matrixes
- 9. Turning Findings Into Action Plans
- Modifying Your Theory of Action
- Data-Based Decision Making
- Turning Your Findings Into Ed Specs
- Solicit and Brainstorm Action Alternatives
- Using Ed Specs to Evaluate Action Alternatives
- Using Ed Specs to Evaluate Action Alternatives for Schoolwide Projects
- Completing the Cycle: Revised Theory of Action 2
- 10. Reporting and Sharing Action Research
- Common Issues
- Formats for Reporting
- Creating a Bank of Abstracts
- Creating a District Archive
- 11. Conclusion: The School as a Learning Organization
- The Two Keys: Coherence and Congruence
- Putting the Pieces Together
Resources
- Resource A: How to Use the Feedback Forms and Summary Reports
- Resource B: Five Characteristics of a Quality Action Research Project
- Resource C: Applications for Leadership Projects
- Resource D: Sample Abbreviated Action Research Reports
Glossary
Glossary
References
References
Index
Index
Additional materials
Description
Think of yourself as an educational architect
Action research is your essential tool for designing and building a better classroom or school. You know your students best, and by digging deeper into a challenge or research question and then taking informed action, you can achieve far more than any cookie-cutter curriculum or canned program. This empowering introduction to action research is ideal for new and veteran teachers, as well as principals, counselors, and other educators who are committed to school improvement. In the third edition of this bestselling guidebook, you’ll find:
- New insights on how to use reflective practice, qualitative and quantitative methods, and culturally responsive teaching to improve the success of all students
- A field-tested, four-stage action research process to lead you from brainstorming to breakthrough, with step-by-step instructions in plain English
- More illustrative examples, charts, handouts, worksheets, and sample action research reports to demystify and simplify the action research process
By tapping into the power of action research, you can improve overall student performance, eliminate achievement gaps, and enhance your own efficacy and morale.
"The most successful educators are those that purposefully reflect on their practices, with a focus on how and to what degree these practices impact student learning. This book provides a four-stage structured approach for teachers and administrators to engage in action research, with the ultimate goal being to move our schools and classrooms closer to universal student success.”
Eric Carbaugh, Associate Professor of Education
James Madison University
"I love the four-step model and how it is emphasized throughout the text. This approach clearly makes the text unique and a 'must read' for all teachers wanting to enhance their teaching through action research."
Christopher J. Maglio, Professor of Education, Research Methods, and Design
Truman State University
Contents
Preface to the Third Edition
Preface to the Third Edition
Publisher’s Acknowledgments
Publisher’s Acknowledgments
About the Authors
- 1. Introduction to Action Research
- Why Conduct Action Research?
- The Complexity of Routine Instructional Decisions
- Key Terms and Concepts
- Universal Student Success
- 2. Finding a Focus
- Zeroing in on Your Priorities
- Using Reflective Writing to Find a Focus
- Performance, Process, and Program Targets and Action Research by School Leaders
- Using a Journal to Identify Action Research Foci
- Reflective Interviews
- Reflective Interviewing and the Problem of Isolation
- Analytic Discourse
- Team Reflection
- 3. Refining the Focus
- Visualizing Success
- Conducting an Instructional Postmortem
- Taking Stock of One’s Recent Leadership Experience
- Comparing Your Experience With the Experience of Others
- Developing Criteria to Measure Changes With Priority Achievement Targets
- Creating Performance Rating Scales
- Rating Scales and Program Action Research
- The Special Problem of Long-Range Goals
- Assessing Rate of Growth
- Determining Adequate Yearly Progress in Real Time
- Producing Your Own Rate-of-Growth Charts
- Ascertaining Rate of Growth in Leadership Projects
- 4. Articulating a Theory of Action
- If Not Us, Who?
- An Adequate Knowledge Base Already Exists
- Going Beyond Proven Practices: Building a Theory of Action
- Two Kinds of Variables
- Creating Mileposts on the Route to Mastery
- Inferring Independent Variables
- Using the Priority Pie to Identify, Clarify, and Weigh Independent Variables
- Using the Priority Pie With Descriptive Research
- 5. Drawing a Theory of Action
- Why a Map?
- European Explorers as Action Researchers
- Building a Graphic Reconstruction
- Graphic Reconstructions for Quasi-Experimental Research
- Graphic Reconstructions With Descriptive Research
- Proofing a Theory of Action for Leadership Projects
- 6. Determining the Research Questions
- Three Generic Action Research Questions
- Developing Your Own Research Questions
- Two-Step Walk-Through
- Drafting the Questions
- Surfacing Research Questions for Leadership Projects
- 7. Building a Data Collection Plan
- Data Collection and the Competing Demands for Your Time
- What Qualifies as Teaching?
- What Things Qualify as Data?
- Data in Descriptive Research
- Data in Quasi-Experimental Research
- Data Collection and Concerns About Precision
- Fishing in a Sea of Data
- Securing Research Assistants
- Building a Triangulated Data Collection Plan
- Data Collection Planning for Leadership Projects
- Integrating Efficiencies Into Your Data Collection Work
- Using Technology to Compile and Assemble Action Research Data
- Keeping a Researcher’s Journal
- 8. Analyzing the Data
- Trend Analysis
- Organizing Data to Help Answer the Three Generic Questions
- ACR Question 1: What Did We Do?
- ACR Question 2: What Changes Occurred Regarding the Achievement Targets?
- ACR Question 3: What Was the Relationship Between Actions Taken and Any Changes in Performance on the Targets?
- Drawing Tentative Assertions
- Using Member Checking to Add Credibility to the Tentative Assertions
- Additional Tools for Qualitative Data Analysis
- Qualitative Data Analysis Using Bins and a Matrix
- Low-Tech Strategies for Bins and Matrixes
- Using a Computer for Bins and Matrixes
- 9. Turning Findings Into Action Plans
- Modifying Your Theory of Action
- Data-Based Decision Making
- Turning Your Findings Into Ed Specs
- Solicit and Brainstorm Action Alternatives
- Using Ed Specs to Evaluate Action Alternatives
- Using Ed Specs to Evaluate Action Alternatives for Schoolwide Projects
- Completing the Cycle: Revised Theory of Action 2
- 10. Reporting and Sharing Action Research
- Common Issues
- Formats for Reporting
- Creating a Bank of Abstracts
- Creating a District Archive
- 11. Conclusion: The School as a Learning Organization
- The Two Keys: Coherence and Congruence
- Putting the Pieces Together
Resources
- Resource A: How to Use the Feedback Forms and Summary Reports
- Resource B: Five Characteristics of a Quality Action Research Project
- Resource C: Applications for Leadership Projects
- Resource D: Sample Abbreviated Action Research Reports
Glossary
Glossary
References
References
Index
Index
Additional materials
Reviews
The Action Research Guidebook
A Process for Pursuing Equity and Excellence in Education
October 2016 | 288 pages | Corwin
| Format | Published Date | ISBN | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paperback | 01/01/2025 | 9781506350158 | $45.95 |
| Lifetime | 01/02/2026 | 9781506380612 | $42.00 |
Think of yourself as an educational architect
Action research is your essential tool for designing and building a better classroom or school. You know your students best, and by digging deeper into a challenge or research question and then taking informed action, you can achieve far more than any cookie-cutter curriculum or canned program. This empowering introduction to action research is ideal for new and veteran teachers, as well as principals, counselors, and other educators who are committed to school improvement. In the third edition of this bestselling guidebook, you’ll find:
- New insights on how to use reflective practice, qualitative and quantitative methods, and culturally responsive teaching to improve the success of all students
- A field-tested, four-stage action research process to lead you from brainstorming to breakthrough, with step-by-step instructions in plain English
- More illustrative examples, charts, handouts, worksheets, and sample action research reports to demystify and simplify the action research process
By tapping into the power of action research, you can improve overall student performance, eliminate achievement gaps, and enhance your own efficacy and morale.
"The most successful educators are those that purposefully reflect on their practices, with a focus on how and to what degree these practices impact student learning. This book provides a four-stage structured approach for teachers and administrators to engage in action research, with the ultimate goal being to move our schools and classrooms closer to universal student success.”
Eric Carbaugh, Associate Professor of Education
James Madison University
"I love the four-step model and how it is emphasized throughout the text. This approach clearly makes the text unique and a 'must read' for all teachers wanting to enhance their teaching through action research."
Christopher J. Maglio, Professor of Education, Research Methods, and Design
Truman State University
Table Of Contents:
- Preface to the Third Edition
- Publisher’s Acknowledgments
- About the Authors
- 1. Introduction to Action Research
- Why Conduct Action Research?
- The Complexity of Routine Instructional Decisions
- Key Terms and Concepts
- Universal Student Success
- 2. Finding a Focus
- Zeroing in on Your Priorities
- Using Reflective Writing to Find a Focus
- Performance, Process, and Program Targets and Action Research by School Leaders
- Using a Journal to Identify Action Research Foci
- Reflective Interviews
- Reflective Interviewing and the Problem of Isolation
- Analytic Discourse
- Team Reflection
- 3. Refining the Focus
- Visualizing Success
- Conducting an Instructional Postmortem
- Taking Stock of One’s Recent Leadership Experience
- Comparing Your Experience With the Experience of Others
- Developing Criteria to Measure Changes With Priority Achievement Targets
- Creating Performance Rating Scales
- Rating Scales and Program Action Research
- The Special Problem of Long-Range Goals
- Assessing Rate of Growth
- Determining Adequate Yearly Progress in Real Time
- Producing Your Own Rate-of-Growth Charts
- Ascertaining Rate of Growth in Leadership Projects
- 4. Articulating a Theory of Action
- If Not Us, Who?
- An Adequate Knowledge Base Already Exists
- Going Beyond Proven Practices: Building a Theory of Action
- Two Kinds of Variables
- Creating Mileposts on the Route to Mastery
- Inferring Independent Variables
- Using the Priority Pie to Identify, Clarify, and Weigh Independent Variables
- Using the Priority Pie With Descriptive Research
- 5. Drawing a Theory of Action
- Why a Map?
- European Explorers as Action Researchers
- Building a Graphic Reconstruction
- Graphic Reconstructions for Quasi-Experimental Research
- Graphic Reconstructions With Descriptive Research
- Proofing a Theory of Action for Leadership Projects
- 6. Determining the Research Questions
- Three Generic Action Research Questions
- Developing Your Own Research Questions
- Two-Step Walk-Through
- Drafting the Questions
- Surfacing Research Questions for Leadership Projects
- 7. Building a Data Collection Plan
- Data Collection and the Competing Demands for Your Time
- What Qualifies as Teaching?
- What Things Qualify as Data?
- Data in Descriptive Research
- Data in Quasi-Experimental Research
- Data Collection and Concerns About Precision
- Fishing in a Sea of Data
- Securing Research Assistants
- Building a Triangulated Data Collection Plan
- Data Collection Planning for Leadership Projects
- Integrating Efficiencies Into Your Data Collection Work
- Using Technology to Compile and Assemble Action Research Data
- Keeping a Researcher’s Journal
- 8. Analyzing the Data
- Trend Analysis
- Organizing Data to Help Answer the Three Generic Questions
- ACR Question 1: What Did We Do?
- ACR Question 2: What Changes Occurred Regarding the Achievement Targets?
- ACR Question 3: What Was the Relationship Between Actions Taken and Any Changes in Performance on the Targets?
- Drawing Tentative Assertions
- Using Member Checking to Add Credibility to the Tentative Assertions
- Additional Tools for Qualitative Data Analysis
- Qualitative Data Analysis Using Bins and a Matrix
- Low-Tech Strategies for Bins and Matrixes
- Using a Computer for Bins and Matrixes
- 9. Turning Findings Into Action Plans
- Modifying Your Theory of Action
- Data-Based Decision Making
- Turning Your Findings Into Ed Specs
- Solicit and Brainstorm Action Alternatives
- Using Ed Specs to Evaluate Action Alternatives
- Using Ed Specs to Evaluate Action Alternatives for Schoolwide Projects
- Completing the Cycle: Revised Theory of Action 2
- 10. Reporting and Sharing Action Research
- Common Issues
- Formats for Reporting
- Creating a Bank of Abstracts
- Creating a District Archive
- 11. Conclusion: The School as a Learning Organization
- The Two Keys: Coherence and Congruence
- Putting the Pieces Together
- Resources
- Resource A: How to Use the Feedback Forms and Summary Reports
- Resource B: Five Characteristics of a Quality Action Research Project
- Resource C: Applications for Leadership Projects
- Resource D: Sample Abbreviated Action Research Reports
- Glossary
- References
- Index