Adventures in
Action Research
Do you have a persistent problem of practice that is impacting your classroom? Are you implementing new, home-grown interventions? Do you have a student whose behavior is consistently problematic? Adventures in Action Research is the book for you!
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Action research is a systematic process that allows practitioners to deeply study and understand problems of practice so that they can improve teaching and learning conditions in their schools and classrooms. It is a wonderful continuous improvement framework that allows educators to make better informed decisions for their students.
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I first discovered action research when I was teaching elementary general music. At the time, I was struggling with a classroom management problem created by my nemesis – the pencil sharpener. While this problem may seem trivial, it was having a serious negative impact on my learning environment. I turned to action research to explore the impact of various strategies until I found a solution that resolved my issue and increased my teaching time.
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The problem with most action research methods, books, and courses is that they focus too much on the theory and not enough on the practical steps. This book seeks to fill that gap! As you work through the book, prompting questions at the end of each section will help you choose the next step and direct you to the right page to find step-by-step directions. If you follow the steps, you will finish the book with a detailed analysis of your problem of practice and a deep understanding of the impact of the solution you chose.
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To further help you succeed, this book is supported by online videos and tools that will help you apply the steps to your own project.
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Adventures in Action Research will be available for preorder in December 2022 and will be in print in January 2023!
Adventures in Action Research
Easy, Replicable Steps
Adventures in Action Research presents the material in easy, replicable steps. This book is designed like choose-you-own-adventure book! As you read and work through each section, you will be guided to your next steps in the process. This ensures that you will stay on track as you complete your action research projects. This book includes steps for completing randomized controlled trials, quasi-experimental studies, correlational studies, descriptive studies, single-case studies, and qualitative studies!
Take a Peek Inside!
What You Will Learn
Adventures in Action Research is designed to give you an understanding of the underlying theories of action research. This book is rooted in simple, replicable steps that will guide you as you complete one of six common study designs. By working through this book, you will learn how to apply the scientific method to common problems of practice in your classroom. You will design and test your own solutions, in your own context you’re your own schedule.
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This book will help you learn:
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How to turn problems of practice into thoughtful research questions,
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How to complete a thorough literature review,
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How to design a study that will allow you to test your solutions,
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How to analyze data to understand the impact of your efforts, and
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How to turn your insights into improvement decisions.