List of Tables.........................................................................................
List of Figures.........................................................................................
List of Chapter Activities............................................................................
Preface..................................................................................................
Chapter 1 Research Traditions in Education........................................................
Ways Research Advances Knowledge about Education..........................................
The Origin of Action Research........................................................................
The Action Research Process........................................................................
Types of Action Research......................................................................................................
The Importance of Action Research for Improving Schools.....................................
Becoming Familiar with the Language and Process of Action Research ...........................
Chapter 2 Generating Research Ideas through Reflection....................................
Reflection: Its History and Definitions.............................................................
Types of Reflection....................................................................................
Reflection in Action Research.......................................................................
Reflecting to Identify a Research Focus............................................................
Reflective Journals....................................................................................
Chapter 3 Connecting Theory and Action: Reviewing the Literature.......................
Reviewing the Literature as a Professional, Intellectual Activity..............................
Sources of Topic-specific Literature...............................................................
Searching for Literature to Review..................................................................
Choosing, Evaluating, and Synthesizing Reviewed Literature for
Action Research Studies .......................................................................
Organizing and Writing the Literature Review...................................................
Chapter 4 Initial Planning of the Action Research Study....................................
Articulating Research Questions....................................................................
Planning the Intervention................................................................................
Chapter 5 Strategies for Collecting Data.......................................................
Collecting Multiple Forms of Data to Establish Credibility and Validity....................
Methods of Data Collection: Artifacts, Observational Data, and Inquiry Data............
The Importance of Collecting Baseline Data....................................................
Aligning Data Collection Strategies with Research Questions......................................
Chapter 6 Final Planning before the Implementation of the Study...........................
Definitions of Validity...............................................................................
Determining Ways to Increase Validity...........................................................
Ethical Guidelines for Action Research Studies.................................................
Engaging in Continuous, Ongoing Reflecting Planning throughout the Study.............
Creating a Timeline for the Project...............................................................
Chapter 7 Strategies for Data Analysis............................................................
Interim Data Analysis................................................................................
Using Software Packages to Analyze Large Amounts of Data.................................
Analysis of Quantitative Data: Reporting, Comparing, and Displaying......................
Analysis of Qualitative Data: Looking for Themes and Patterns..............................
Triangulating Data Sources: Drawing Conclusions from Data ...............................
Chapter 8 Supplementary Chapter: Writing and Disseminating the
Action Research Report..................................................................
Guidelines for Writing the Final Action Research Report......................................
Disseminating Action Research Findings.........................................................
Concluding Comments..............................................................................
Appendix 1
Article 1.1 Conceptual Learning and Creative Problem Solving Using
Cooperative Groups in Middle School Science Classes..........................
Appendix 2
Article 1.2 The Influence of a Peer-Tutoring Training Model for Implementing
Cooperative Groupings with Elementary Students ...............................
Index......................................................................................................
