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From Critical Theory To Action Research Or Why This Feels Empowering, Randall Wright, Carolyn Marquez May 2006

From Critical Theory To Action Research Or Why This Feels Empowering, Randall Wright, Carolyn Marquez

Journal of Critical Issues in Educational Practice

This essay reflects the attempts of the first author of this paper to teach the sociological foundations of education from a critical theory perspective and discusses a surprising outcome—some students feel disempowered by the approach. It suggests that action research offers teachers the opportunity to consider their roles as social agents. One teacher’s story is shared to illustrate how her local efforts play a significant role in transforming the classroom into a more inviting, less alienating locale—addressing the “homelessness” that characterizes the modern school. Her story illustrates how action research, grounded as it is in specific, local concerns and personalities, …


Developing High School Multiple Intelligence Learning Centers: An Action Research Project In History., Jessica Cannaday May 2006

Developing High School Multiple Intelligence Learning Centers: An Action Research Project In History., Jessica Cannaday

Journal of Critical Issues in Educational Practice

Research that provides results which can be almost instantaneously put into use is looked on by some teachers as a path to better student learning. Accordingly, action research is a form of critical reflection that some experts believe can achieve instant change. Although, action research is sometimes denigrated as lacking in precision, the critical reflection necessary in any well done action research project demonstrates that such research while, not quantitatively rigorous can still be qualitatively useful. As such, the author discusses her own implementation of MI learning centers as a form of action research in the classroom.


What Teachers Want To Know: A Systematic Review Of Action Research Theses Related To K-8 Mathematics And Science, Bridget Steele Jan 2006

What Teachers Want To Know: A Systematic Review Of Action Research Theses Related To K-8 Mathematics And Science, Bridget Steele

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The research conducted was a systemic review of 88 action research masters theses from a teacher enhancement program for K-8 mathematics and science at the University of Central Florida and the teachers that performed the studies. The purpose of this study is to synthesize existing research results of a collection of master's theses from a teacher enhancement program for K-8 mathematics and science teachers in order to arrive at meaningful conclusions regarding teachers' research interests and classroom practices. Also, the study will help teacher educators who deliver the teacher enhancement program to improve the effectiveness of the program. A summary …


Inquiry Into The Writing Pedagogy For Middle School Language Arts, William Love Moore Jan 2006

Inquiry Into The Writing Pedagogy For Middle School Language Arts, William Love Moore

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This is a narrative inquiry into writing pedagogies of middle school language arts teachers and an administrator. Six teacher participants were interviewed and observed, their lesson plans were analyzed, and their instructional practices and writing philosophies were examined. Overarching research questions were (1) What role does writing pedagogy play in a language arts program? (2) What strategies were used to teach writing? and (3) What types of assessments were utilized? The theoretical framework of my research was based on Dewey's (1897) philosophy of education with roots in hermeneutic phenomenology by van Manen (1990). Methods of inquiry were based on narrative …


Community Partner Indicators Of Engagement: An Action Research Study On Campus-Community Partnership, Sean J. Creighton Jan 2006

Community Partner Indicators Of Engagement: An Action Research Study On Campus-Community Partnership, Sean J. Creighton

Antioch University Full-Text Dissertations & Theses

The central purpose of this research study was to develop common indicators of engagement for civic initiatives between institutions of higher education and their community organization partners. The unique aspect of this study was that the indicators were generated by the community organizations participating as stakeholders in campus-community partnerships. Using an action research methodology that involved eleven community organization participants from the health and wellness sector, the study advocated for research that provided a deeper understanding of the perspectives of community organizations. Findings suggested that significant divides existed in core civic areas dealing with service-learning, relevance of academic research, and …


A Day In The Parc: An Interactive Qualitative Analysis Of School Climate And Teacher Effectiveness Through Professional Action Research Collaboratives, Shannon Lasserre-Cortez Jan 2006

A Day In The Parc: An Interactive Qualitative Analysis Of School Climate And Teacher Effectiveness Through Professional Action Research Collaboratives, Shannon Lasserre-Cortez

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This study examines the effects Professional Action Research Collaboratives (PARCs) have on several variables including teacher effectiveness, school effectiveness, and school climate. Mixed methods including Interactive Qualitative Analysis and non-parametric Mann Whitney U statistics were used to explore these effects. PARC participation was found to have no significant effect on school climate or teacher effectiveness; however, PARC Schools demonstrated higher school effectiveness scores than Comparison Schools. This project also generated a systems relationship diagram of school climate in PARC schools using Interactive Qualitative Analysis, and this paper offers a criticism of this fledgling method of data collection and analysis. There …