Action Research in Education: A Practical Guide

by Sara Efrat Efron EdD, Ruth Ravid

Acclaimed as a text and professional development tool, this user-friendly resource has now been revised and updated, and offers expanded coverage of collaborative action research (CAR) and participatory action research (PAR). Preservice and inservice educators get crucial step-by-step guidance for conducting classroom- and school-based studies to improve their instructional practices. Organized to mirror the full cycle of action research, the book provides balanced coverage of qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches. Vivid vignettes and examples illustrate research approaches for a range of teaching and learning situations, school subjects, and age groups (PreK–12). Readers learn how research approaches are driven by the research question, as well as how to develop data collection strategies; design and/or evaluate assessment tools; interpret, analyze, report, and implement study results; and design a new cycle of research that builds on the previous one.   New to This Edition *In-depth descriptions of CAR and PAR--which enable groups of teachers to work together to solve problems in a classroom or school--plus examples of both throughout the book. *Expanded or new discussions (with examples) of such topics as how research approaches and methods are driven by the research question, how to assess different types of reliability and validity, the differences between analysis and interpretation, and how to use sequential cycles of research for continuous improvement and professional development. *Fully updated references and resources.   Pedagogical Features *Both individual and group exercises and activities in every chapter. *New and updated checklists and guidelines that enable busy educators to self-assess the progress and quality of their studies. *Sample templates to assist in development of research instruments. *Example boxes illustrating the components of an action research report. *Summary tables highlighting key aspects of different research strategies. *Chapter summaries (now shorter for ease of use) and suggestions for further reading.

Genres: Education, Grad School, Nonfiction, Teaching

296 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2013

Reviews

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Efron and Ravid delivered a concise, conversational, and organized summary of each component of action research through this book. "Action Research in Education: A Practical Guide" was essential in supporting me through my M.Ed. action research proposal. I intend to keep this as a reference and highly recommend it to all teachers and educators seeking to conduct action research in their own contexts.

[Katelyn Kelsey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Helpful in writing action research. Necessary for my Masters class and was a great resource to refer back to. There were some sections that were missing examples and checklists such as action plans and implications. Overall it was a good resource.

[Rachel Maleski · Rating 3 out of 5]

For the purposes of understanding action research, this text gets the job done. It’s nothing revelatory, but it’s streamlined and clear. I most appreciated the section on interpreting the data.

[Secun · Rating 4 out of 5]

Practical, engaging, and fun to read. Contains practical elements of action research.

[Alicia Weaver · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good for the course I took on action research.

[aaron green · Rating 4 out of 5]

Required reading for grad school work.

[Tricha Borland · Rating 3 out of 5]

Forced reading. If you need to do action research, it'll help you.

[Brittany · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very useful... read while doing Action Research in a Literacy Study program, very helpful!

[Sean Astle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall, this textbook does the job and is very reader & teacher friendly.