Action Research in Education: A Practical Guide - Softcover

Efron, Sara Efrat; Ravid, Ruth

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1462509614 ISBN 13: 9781462509614

Publisher: The Guilford Press, 2013

Synopsis

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
*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.

About this title

About the Author

Sara Efrat Efron, EdD, is Professor of Education at National Louis University, where she teaches courses in qualitative research, curriculum studies, and foundations of education to preservice, inservice, and doctoral students. Dr. Efron's areas of interest include teacher research, the role of the teacher's personal voice, and moral democratic education.

Ruth Ravid, PhD, is Professor Emerita of Education at National Louis University. Her areas of interest include educational research, action research, assessment, and school-university collaboration. Dr. Ravid is the author of several books, including Practical Statistics for Educators.

Review

"Just as the subtitle claims, this book is a practical guide to a powerful form of research. Filled with examples and helpful templates and checklists, the book is especially suited to the novice researcher. Teacher educators can use this book to help both preservice and inservice teachers make research an integral part of their practice, whether by conducting their own studies, learning how to review research conducted by others, or learning ways to use assessment to inform instruction."--Frances O'Connell Rust, EdD, Graduate School of Education, University of Pennsylvania

"I recommend this text without hesitation! The book meets the needs of beginning researchers by providing solid explanations of the 'why' and 'how' of action research in a practitioner-friendly way. The authors offer an evenhanded account of qualitative, quantitative, and mixed-methods approaches. They do a very fine job of illustrating how the research question--rather than the researcher's preference for a particular method or technique--should drive how a study is designed and the data collected."--Cheryl A. Kreutter, PhD, School of Education, State University of New York at Geneseo
"A wonderful synopsis of action research that provides supporting evidence, illustrative examples, and practical applications. The chapters on collecting and analyzing data are among the many highlights of the text. Students really need a significant amount of guidance on data collection, as many of them have never conducted their own research. The explicit detail of the authors' discussion is essential for student success. I will definitely consider using this text for my course."--Lauren Birney, EdD, School of Education, Pace University

"As educators increase their familiarity with data to measure student progress, techniques for assessing their own effectiveness are key in improving practices in schools. Efron and Ravid provide educators with clear and rigorous steps for conducting action research. With this book, school administrators and teachers will be able to develop self-studies that can inform classroom improvement, schoolwide strategic planning, and professional development initiatives."--Elizabeth T. Murakami, PhD, Department of Educator and Leadership Preparation, Texas A&M University–San Antonio
 

“The text is organized into eight chapters, which should make it easy to adapt to a variety of class scheduling designs....If you are teaching a research class to novice researchers, especially those in education, I would highly recommend this book for its practical approach, and the emphasis on writing and the use of assessment data. Teachers are often overwhelmed with available data in their classrooms and schools understanding as well as the data. This text provides much needed practical instructions for both issues.”, Inquiry in Education Published On: 2013-11-18

Edition details

• Publisher: The Guilford Press
• Publication date: 2013
• ISBN 10: 1462509614
• ISBN 13: 9781462509614
• Binding: Paperback
• Language: English
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 268