Preface
Acknowledgments
Part I. Understanding Action Research
1. The Disconnection Between Educational Research and Practice: The Case for Teacher Action Research
Why the Disconnection Between Research and Practice?
Responding to the Gap: Renewing an Old Debate
Limitations of Experimental and Quasi-Experimental Design
School Context and Educational Research
The Search for School Context
Transcending the R&D Model of Knowledge Transfer
Embracing an Epistemology of Practice
Moving Toward a Knowledge Democracy
Teacher Action Research and Knowledge Democracies
2. Teacher Action Research: Collaborative, Participatory, and Democratic Inquiry
What Is Teacher Action Research?
Action Research: Changing Practice
Action Research: Teachers’ Voices
Action Research: Outcomes for Teachers
The Origins of Action Research
Approaches to Action Research
3. A Paradigm of Teacher Action Research
Distinguishing Characteristics of an Action Research Paradigm
Challenges for Action Research
4. The Validity of Action Research
Generalizability in Action Research
5. Teacher Action Research as Professional Development
Action Research/Professional Development
Action Research as Professional Development: Teacher Outcomes
Action Research as Professional Development: Teacher Voices
Part II. Collaborative Action Research: Foundation for Knowledge Democracies
6. Collaborative Action Research
The Collaborative Nature of Action Research
The Interaction of Individual and Collaborative Action Research
7. Conditions for Building a Knowledge Democracy
Developing a "Work With" Posture
Confronting University Versus Classroom Issues
Including Student and Parent Research Partners
Learning How to Collaborate
8. Creating Knowledge Democracies: Professional Development Schools
The Nature and Character of a Professional Development School (PDS)
The Challenges of Building a PDS as a Knowledge Democracy
Part III. Practicing Action Research
9. Fundamental Practices for Teacher Action Research
Focal Points for Observation, Journal Writing, and Reflection
10. Case Study and Teacher Action Research
Retrospective Case Studies of Curriculum
Case Study of the Individual
11. Conducting Teacher Action Research
A Few Principles for Conducting Action Research
Glossary
Appendix A. Examples of Teacher Action Research Projects
From Reading Recovery to Guided Reading, by Marie A. Lennon
Why Do I Have to Know This Stuff? by Maryann Byrne
What Happens to Students' Writing When I Add a Self-Assessment Component to Each Writing Activity? by Jody McQuillan
Appendix B. Annotated Teacher Action Research Web Sites
Appendix C. Curriculum and Instruction Web Sites
References
Index
About the Author