Action Research for the Classroom: A Guide to Values-Based Research in Practice

Cover
Endorsements
Half Title
Title Page
Copyright Page
Contents
Foreword
	Notes
	References
Acknowledgements
Introduction
	An invitation to the reader
	The book, the authors and why researching your practice is important for you
		The book
		The authors
		Why this book is important for you
	What you will find in this book
1. Preparation for a research project: What is educational action research?
	Section 1: Preparation for a classroom research project
		Initial tasks
			Stop, pause and reflect on your work as a teacher
			Developing awareness
			Professional reading
			Invite some people to become critical friends
		Reflection tasks
		Writing tasks
	Section 2: How some teachers engage with educational action research
	Section 3: What is educational action research and why is it important?
		What makes research educational?
			A focus on "I"
			"I" to "we"
			Values
			A sustainable educational research approach
		Some key elements of educational action research
			A personalised process of research
			What kind of action research?
			Research paradigms
		The importance of educational action research
			Theory, practice and praxis
			Teacher voice - teacher as professional developing a researcherly disposition
			Empowerment
	Conclusion
	Additional reading suggestions
		Suggested resources
		Open access journals
2. Getting started: Asking "Why am I concerned or interested?"
	Section 1: Tasks to undertake as you get started on the more formal aspects of your research project
		Ongoing tasks
			Reflective journal
			Values
			Reading
			Talking and sharing ideas
		Reflecting tasks
			Ask yourself "What am I concerned about?" or "What am I interested in?" or "What would I like to find out more about?"
			Ask yourself "Why am I concerned?" or "Why is this aspect of my work important to me?" "What connection can you make between your answers and your values?"
			Think about any assumptions you might have made about teaching and education
			Can you connect your ideas with working for a more equitable democratic society?
			Imagining
		Writing tasks
	Section 2: How teachers and student teachers articulate their values
		Living contradictions
		Playing with ideas
		How some teacher-researchers engaged with critical reflection
	Section 3: What are my concerns and interests? Why am I concerned or interested? How are these questions linked to the educational action research process?
		What are my concerns/areas of interest and why am I concerned or interested?
		Critical reflection - how is this linked to the values that I hold?
		The importance of reflexivity and dialogue
		Dialogue
	Classroom educational action research for transformation
	Conclusion
	Additional reading suggestions
		Suggested resources
3. Planning a research project
	Section 1: Practical tasks to help plan an educational action research project
		Ongoing tasks
			Awareness of values
			Reading
			Reflecting critically and writing in your reflective journal
			Talking and sharing ideas
		Planning tasks
			Engaging with critical friends
			Deciding on a research question
			Thinking about data
			Ethical permission
			Generate some criteria or standards of judgement
			Draw up a timeline
		Writing tasks
	Section 2: A teacher's account of how her professional reading and her values influenced her research plan
	Section 3: Looking at values from a theoretical perspective
		Why are values important in planning your research?
		Types of values
			Ontological values
			Epistemological values
			Professional values
			Personal values
			Educational values
		The process of articulating your values
			Living contradiction
			Imagining
	Conclusion
	Additional reading suggestions
		Suggested resources
4. Collecting and using data
	Section 1: Practical preparation: Looking at and describing the situation as it is right now and during your research
		Initial data collection
		Data collection tools
		Collecting your data
		Triangulation of your data
		Ethical issues
		Attitude towards participants
		Making effective use of your data
	Section 2: A teacher's experience of collecting data
	Section 3: A look at why data is collected in these ways
		Ethical issues in data collection
		Dialogue and conversations as a data collection tool
		Data collection and student teachers
		Identifying the specific purpose for each data collection tool
	Conclusion
	Additional reading suggestions
		Suggested resources
5. Presenting evidence: Values as research standards
	Section 1: Presenting evidence and showing your values as research standards
		Standards of judgement drawn from your values
		Meeting research standards of judgement
		Establishing a validation group
		Knowledge creation and your living educational theory
	Section 2: An example of how one teacher generated theory in an educational action research project
		Starting a validation group
		Developing valid claims to new knowledge
		What Greg learned from his research
	Section 3: The importance of validating your research claim and generating a living theory
		Establishing a robust validation process
			An explanation of the validation of personal learning and personal knowledge
		Why validity is important
		Generating living theory from your research
	Conclusion
	Additional reading suggestions
	Additional resources
6. Generating theory and its significance
	Section 1: Tasks to help you in generating theory from your research and in showing the possible significance of your research
		Ongoing tasks
		Tasks to help generate new theory
		Tasks to help state the significance of your work
		Writing tasks
			Validity
	Section 2: Some examples of how teachers have generated theory from practice and its educational significance
	Section 3: Contributing to educational knowledge and transformation
		The importance of the new practices and perspectives developed from your research
		Your research potentially has an educational influence
		The transformative power of your research for sustainable professional development
		The relevance of developing a professional and academic voice
	Conclusion
	Additional reading suggestions
		Suggested resources
7. Writing up and disseminating: Sharing the story of your learning
	Section 1: How do I write an account of my research and share it?
		Structuring your research report
			Front Matter
			Abstract
			Introduction: What is my concern?
			Chapter One: Background: Why am I concerned?
			Chapter Two: Literature review: Looking through the lens of educational theory
			Chapter Three: Methodology: What did I plan to do, and how?
			Chapter Four: Data analysis: What did I find out?
			Chapter Five: Findings and discussion: My new learning
			Chapter Six: The significance of your research: The "So what" factor
			Conclusion: Where next?
			References/Bibliography
			Appendices
		The importance of using an appropriate writing style
		Having a sense of your readership
		The drafting processes
		Sharing your research with others
	Section 2: Writing and sharing: Stories from practitioner researchers
		The authors' story of writing collaboratively
			Mary's experiences of sharing her work
	Section 3: Why should I write up and disseminate my educational action research?
		The role of writing in the research process
			Appropriateness of your research report
			Why share your research account?
	Conclusion
	Additional reading suggestions
		Suggested sites that may help with academic writing
		Suggested journals for disseminating research
Conclusion
	Where to from here?
	Our learning about key issues for student and teacher education
	Teacher voice
	A note to teacher educators
	A note to all teachers
	Final words
Bibliography
Index