Action Research in Education
Learning Through Practitioner Enquiry
- Vivienne Baumfield - Glasgow University, UK
- Elaine Hall - Northumbria University, UK
- Kate Wall - University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, UK
Action Research in Education is an essential guide for any lecturer, teacher or student-teacher interested in doing research.
This exciting new edition of a popular text is an important resource for any education professional interested in investigating learning and teaching. Building on the success of Action Research in the Classroom, the authors have revised, updated and extended this book to include examples from further and higher education.
It maps out easy-to-follow steps for usefully applying an action research approach and is full of practical tips and examples of real-life practitioner research projects from a range of schools, colleges and universities.
This book will help teachers to:
- Understand and apply practitioner inquiry
- Enhance their problem-solving skills
- Locate their own activity in a wider context
- Maximize opportunities to develop practice
- Evaluate the needs of their learners
Clear, pragmatic and timely, this is a must-have text for all teachers and students of education.
Action Research in Education is written with the mastery of those who have a deep appreciation of the lived reality of the teacher as professional, as researcher and as practitioner - Baumfield, Hall and Wall know their subject and their people. Its engaging clarity and lucidity brings to life the real practice of action research at all levels in education. In getting to the very essence of action research, written with the innate respect for the academic and non-academic researcher alike Baumfield, Hall and Wall have produced a timeless classic'
- Helen O'Sullivan, Lecturer in Educational Leadership and Management, Trinity College Dublin
'A well illustrated compendium of 'when', 'why' and 'how' to use action research. A must-have for new researchers engaged in practitioner or action research, with ample examples of real case studies to promote both intraprofessional and interprofessional dialogue, in community and professional contexts'
-Christine O'Hanlon, Honorary Reader in the School of Education and Lifelong Learning, University of East Anglia
Praise for the first edition:
'Is action research easy? No! Is it achievable? Based on the strength of this text, the answer is an unqualified 'yes'. The book is an accessible, thorough and comprehensive guide to both the processes and heavyweight issues involved in action research'
Learning & Teaching Update
`Both the style and the content of this book would seem to make it an excellent core text for PGCE or undergraduate level courses in teacher or student teacher research...It offers an easy-to-follow research approach that allows true reflection on practice'
ESCalate
Text provides strong practitioner research activities which are ideal for teacher training courses
The look and layout of this text is attractive and would encourage students to borrow it from the library. A slight critique is a possible over-emphasis on 'experience' and an under-emphasis on research-based evidence. However, there is a lot of good material present that would certainly help get some students started more confidently in doing research.
This book is very current and offers critical enquiry into the methods of practitioner enquiry, but most importantly, consideration of the various approaches, and engagement with learners, colleagues, and the wider community. This is a key feature which is rarely covered in the topic of action research, but is a paramount consideration for all practitioners.
Clear and easy to read. Will prove useful for students undertaking an action research project in a classroom setting.
In depth guide to research however may be too detailed for those on the level 3/4 PTLLS/CTLLS courses
A highly useful text for those who are nw to the practice and principles of Action Research. It is easy to read and explains concepts well!
An excellent textbook, clearly written for both the novice and established researcher, who are interested to delve deeper into the depths of practitioner research within the education sector.
Thank you very much for your important contributions to the educational community. I also thank you for the academic copies you sent. It was a quick delivery, it was a surprise for me. Greetings from Turkey.
Galip ÖNER - Erciyes University-Faculty of Education
This will be a useful book for my strudents to dip into as they embark on their final year dissertation, which is an action research project.
