This book gives you all you need to know about action research, why you need to know it and how it can help you become a self-reflective practitioner-researcher. It provides the ideas and frameworks to understand action research, combined with a practical workbook to guide you through the practicalities and complexities of doing action research in your own context. Inside you will find: An action plan to help you embark on your project Guidance and advice on learning to ask the right questions as you progress A full resource on writing up and communicating your results Inspiration to explain the significance of what you have achieved, so that other people can learn with and from you. Accessible and insightful, this is the complete start to finish guide to doing influential action research. It is the ideal companion for students and researcher-practitioners in any research setting, from education and health to business.

What is action research? Why do action research? When should you use action research? In the second edition of All You Need to Know about Action Research, expert practitioners Jean McNiff and Jack Whitehead guide you through everything you need to know to plan and carry out a successful action research project. The book provides: - A guide to the history and philosophy underpinning action research - Comprehensive coverage of the main theoretical debates in action research - A unique understanding of how action research can help your learning and your professional practice - Practical help in planning your project - Help with writing about your research and disseminating your findings. The second edition has been thoroughly updated throughout, and now includes new real-life case studies from Education, Health and Business. A new chapter on reviewing the literature has been added and the sections on data gathering and analysis have been updated to take into account the latest technological advances. This easy-to-follow overview of action research is essential reading for students, practitioners and seasoned researchers alike.

This booklet covers some of the basic steps teachers can use in action research. From defining the problem, developing a plan of action, evaluating the plan and sharing it to solving real classroom problems, this handy guide provides students with the basics they need to know.

100 Questions (and Answers) About Action Research by Luke Duesbery and Todd Twyman identifies and answers the essential questions on the process of systematically approaching your practice from an inquiry-oriented perspective, with a focus on improving that practice. This unique text offers progressive instructors an alternative to the research status quo and serves as a reference for readers to improve their practice as advocates for those they serve. The Question and Answer format makes this an ideal supplementary text for traditional research methods courses, and also a helpful guide for practitioners in education, social work, criminal justice, health, business, and other applied disciplines.

In Writing and Doing Action Research, Jean McNiff provides a comprehensive and user-friendly guide to the practical aspects of writing and doing action research. Written for practitioners involved in higher degree courses and professional development programmes, and students undertaking methods courses, this book includes guidance on how to: Carry out an action research project in your setting Present your findings in a dissertation, report or thesis Write up your research with an eye to informing policy Demonstrate the quality of your research and writing Be critical and write theoretically Write for journals and prepare thesis and book proposals The book contains excerpts taken from action research projects in a range of settings and presents exercises to help you develop successful written accounts of your research. Writing and Doing Action Research is an essential text for anyone working with action research, providing vital guidance on the preparation and production of texts, how this type of work is assessed and enabling you to get the best results from your research.

Since the first edition of this established text was published in 1988, action research has gained ground as a popular method amongst educational researchers, and in particular for practising teachers doing higher-level courses. In this new edition Jean McNiff provides updates on methodological discussions and includes new sections of case study material and information on supporting action research. The book raises issues about how action research is theorised, whether it is seen as a spectator discipline or as a real life practice, and how practitioners position themselves within the debate. It discusses the importance for educators of understanding their own work and showing how their educative influence can lead to the development of good orders in formal and informal learning settings and in the wider community. This second edition comes at a time when, after years of debate over what counts as action research, it is now considered an acceptable and useful part of mainstream research practice.

This book gives practical guidance on doing an action research project as part of an award-bearing course. Each section is supported by case study evidence drawn from the work of the authors' colleagues and students.

′The clear intention of the authors is to motivate, persuade and give confidence to those who might otherwise think that research can only be carried out by teams of university staff′ - ESCalate Most Teaching Assistants (TAs) studying for Foundation Degrees need to do Action Research projects. This book acts as an introduction to research methods, and will be especially useful if you are doing such work for the first time. It: " introduces the basic principles and practice of research methods; " provides an overview of the processes involved in Action Research; " shows you how to identify an issue, design and carry out a course of action and evaluate the impact of this action; " uses real case studies from practising TAs. The content of the book relates to both Early Years and Primary settings, and there are case studies from a variety of settings. Anyone studying for a Foundation Degree, or working towards HLTA status, will find this book meets their needs. Claire Taylor is Programme Leader for the Foundation Degree at Bishop Grosseteste College, Lincoln. Min Wilkie is Programme Leader for the Foundation Degree in Educational Studies for Teaching Assistants at the University of Leicester. Judith Baser has worked in a wide range of educational settings, including 5 years as a teaching assistant. More recently, she has run training courses for teaching assistants in ways to support children′s learning and development.

Assuming no prior knowledge of research methods and techniques, this book is the perfect companion for teachers at all levels undergoing professional development who need to enhance their formal reflection skills. Providing a detailed explanation of what action research is and its importance in terms of whole school development, this book invites the teachers to try out educational research for themselves and adopt an investigative attitude that will help improve and evaluate practice. It includes: * Support and guidance that help you tackle key issues * "Real-life" practical case studies that underline what action research is and how it can be effectively used.

Action Research Essentials is a practical guide born of the author's own experience working with students in the social sciences and education, providing a step-by-step outline of how to "do" action research--backed by the most extensive theory and research coverage on the market today. The author guides future researcher/practitioners through the action research process via numerous concrete illustrations and a wealth of on-line resources; positioning it as a fundamental component of practice, A key and unique strength of the book is its outreach to a much larger breadth of students than usually found in action research books. This book will illustrate all the steps in action research using examples from education, social work, psychology, sociology, nursing, medicine, and counseling. The structure of the book is intended as the sole textbook for a course devoted to naturalistic inquiry, practitioner research, or beginning qualitative methods, or can complement a general research course.