Self-evaluation requires teachers to have an ability to systematically reflect on their own pedagogical activities; action research supports and helps teachers in this process. This article explores the use of action research by teachers to improve both their own expertise and their educational environment. The article begins with a discussion of…

Included in this paper is an outline for the book "Multiculturalism in the Mainstream: Teacher Researchers Build Multiethnic Literacy Communities in Urban Multicultural English and Social Studies Classrooms." The paper presents full descriptions of the chapters; a draft of the first chapter; a draft of a completed teachers' chapter; and a sample…

This paper reports on the creation, growth, and continual development of a teacher-researcher community formed in conjunction with the University of Georgia site of the National Reading Research Center (NRRC). The National Reading Research Center School Research Consortium (SRC) is a teacher-researcher community that includes approximately 35…

This paper examines several issues involved in collaborative research between a kindergarten teacher-researcher and a university professor as they developed an early childhood anti-bias curriculum. Literature on collaborative research in early childhood settings is reviewed, and the concept of anti-bias, culturally inclusive education is defined.…

A naturalistic study examined how the structure of a teacher education course in reading diagnosis promoted an active, constructive stance toward teaching. Two professors in education participated in the study; one was the participant/instructor in the class and the other was a participant/observer. The 20 students in the class attended a seminar…

This book presents an overview of reading/writing research, discussing specific reading/writing processes, instructional issues, teacher research, and directions for future research. Chapter titles are: (1) Alternative Research Perspectives (Sarah J. McCarthey and Taffy E. Raphael); (2) Reading, Writing, and Genre Development (Judith A. Langer);…

A case study analyzed the function of language (how language was being used and for what purposes) in a composition classroom from a systemic linguistic perspective. The subject was a young woman of Iranian-Macedonian descent and the researcher was the subject's composition teacher. The study focused on the subject's use of metaphor in relation to…

This booklet was written to help teachers plan their own research. It concentrates on how to translate an issue of general concern to a teacher or group of teachers into a worthwhile and feasible piece of research. The booklet is divided into four sections: section 1 deals with the purpose of doing research. It stresses that research questions can…

The term teacher-researcher refers specifically to public or private school teachers who instigate research in their own classrooms--working either alone, as part of a research team, or in conjunction with a professor. Teachers like these bring benefits to their colleagues and to their students, as well as to themselves. Their colleagues find it…

To understand how children in whole language kindergartens develop as writers and readers, seven kindergarten teacher/researchers and a university teacher/researcher studied 183 children in the Manhattan-Ogden, Kansas, school district over one school year. Each quarter, teachers recorded all the writing behaviors they had observed in their…

This paper sketches the reasons for the tremendous increase in university expenditure on research out of internal funds including changes in federal indirect cost reimbursement policies and the growing cost of start-up funds for new faculty. It presents evidence, based on a survey of department chairs, deans, and vice presidents for research at…

Data based instruction reflects the teachers implementation of a carefully planned system of instruction for a selected learner. The purpose is to provide documentation of the effect of instruction implemented for learner(s) with special needs; evaluate the effect of using specific instructional organization and delivery systems; perform an…

Ethical issues are fundamental in the planning and implementation of classroom research. This paper describes issues that arose as the researcher considered the ethical implications of a classroom research project studying teaching and learning issues in a grade 10 science classroom in Australia. Ethical issues were related to the relationships…

School-based outdoor and experiential programs face an increasing demand from outside interests for research-based accountability. This paper suggests that both research and practice are strengthened by researcher-practitioner partnerships and by practitioners conducting their own research. Three modest qualitative research designs are explored as…

A study investigated the effect Sustained Silent Reading (SSR) has had on literacy at Estancia High School in California which recently implemented an SSR program. It also examined the role SSR has on language development, comprehension, vocabulary, student attitudes, and its corollary consequence on the development of reading habits. A survey of…