The central purpose of this book is to enable practitioners to undertake and to offer an account of an action research project. The volume is divided... into seven sections, the first six of which are headed by commonly asked questions. Having examined the nature of action research, Costello focuses on developing an appropriate project, data collection and analysis, and producing a research report. The final selection offers suggestions for further reading.

Action Research Essentials is a practical guide born of the author's own experience working with students in the social sciences and education,... providing a step-by-step outline of how to "do" action research--backed by the most extensive theory and research coverage on the market today. The author guides future researcher/practitioners through the action research process via numerous concrete illustrations and a wealth of on-line resources; positioning it as a fundamental component of practice,A key and unique strength of the book is its outreach to a much larger breadth of students than usually found in action research books. This book will illustrate all the steps in action research using examples from education, social work, psychology, sociology, nursing, medicine, and counseling.The structure of the book is intended as the sole textbook for a course devoted to naturalistic inquiry, practitioner research, or beginning qualitative methods, or can complement a general research course.

Action Research for Business, Nonprofit, and Public Administration covers the background, process, and tools needed to introduce and guide you through... to a successful action research (AR) project. Included are how to successfully initiate, plan, and complete AR within all types of organizations while focused on business, nonprofit, and public administration. Graphic organizers and a modular sequence of topics help you manage the steps involved in AR practice. A protocol for weekly report writing, informed consent documentation, and clear guidelines for final analyses and report writing give graduate students the efficient format they need. This book teaches theory by interweaving discussion of the major content areas and stories of student success with the concepts that impact practice.

Whether you are a busy teacher doing research in your classroom, an undergraduate starting your research project, or a graduate student writing up your... dissertation, this step-by-step guide takes you through every stage involved in carrying out action research. This book draws on Valsa Koshy’s extensive experience of supervising researchers at all levels, and includes examples of action research carried out by practitioners across a range of topics and age groups. Case studies include UK and international examples, allowing you to reflect on multiple perspectives of action research in education.

This practical guide can be used by teachers who wish to develop their professional expertise by investigating their own teaching in a systematic and... organised way. It is also invaluable for teachers or trainee teachers who have to produce a professional project or dissertation as part of a training programme. This will help teachers to design and implement a research project which is derived from their normal practice, with results which should be of direct relevance to them. It is user-friendly and includes: - exemplar articles and extracts which show how the research techniques can be implemented - 'Personal review' sections which help readers to think about the ideas being discussed and relate them to their own situation - commentaries which follow up issues raised in the 'Personal review' sections - chapter summaries - a glossary of all technical terms.

In this authoritative, action-oriented guide, current and future school leaders, building administrators, and action research team members get the... research skills they need to improve schools by increasing student achievement. With its focus on building-level action research, Action Research for School Leaders provides readers with technical background and skills for reading and critiquing educational research, methods for applying current research and research methods, and a framework for conducting their own building-level action research for ongoing building improvement.

Teachers are the single most important element in helping every child succeed in school. Action Research for Teacher Candidates has been written in the... hopes of equipping teachers-in-training with the skills needed for action research: a process that leads to focused, effective, and responsive strategies that help students succeed. Robert P. Pelton is also the author of Making Classroom Inquiry Work: Techniques for Effective Action Research, which is designed to serve those who wish to delve deeper into their action research or as leaders in teacher research and reflective practice. These two books serve as both a perfect training curriculum for pre-service teachers at the undergraduate or graduate level and as an excellent vehicle for professional development for in-service teachers.

Conducting action research in the classroom is a significant way for teachers to assess their own teaching with regard to student learning.  ... Designed for teachers, especially reading teachers, Action Research for Teachers: Traveling the Yellow Brick Road uses the analogy of action research as a journey for self-discovery in evaluating how effective they are as classroom teachers.  The text provides a clear and thorough set of exercises and directives for determining a research plan, organizing the research, developing evaluation tools, collecting, displayng and evaluating data.   

Written for pre-and in-service educators, this Third Edition of Craig A. Mertler’s Action Research: Improving Schools and Empowering Educators... introduces the process of conducting one’s own classroom- or school-based action research in conjunction with everyday instructional practices and activities. The text provides educators with the knowledge and skills necessary to design research studies, conduct research, and communicate findings to relevant stakeholders and interested parties.

Action research, applied systematically to the issue of poor academic performance, provides a high likelihood of improving student outcomes. The action... research processes described in this book are honed by many years of successful application, and provide teachers, educational leaders, families and community members with a set of tools for engaging with significant problems in classrooms and schools.  This book is designed to provide the reader with an understanding of the nature of action research and the procedures and applications of action research.  In addition, it provides practical resources that add to the fundamentals of knowledge available to action researchers.  The text is detailed, providing specific guidance for many of the skills that may be required for the different contexts and problems to which action research can be applied.  Conceptual frameworks provide a "compass" or "roadmap" that will enable practitioners to keep track of action research processes applied to their work.  

This is the first book about action research devoted to the complex issues faced by children with disabilities and their teachers. The authors begin by... providing the historical and philosophical underpinnings of action research and then present a framework for conducting action research in special education. In addition, they feature four examples of actual teacher-researcher studies, as well as a "how-to" chapter that outlines the basic principles needed for conducting action research. This book is essential reading for anyone interested in using action research to enhance student achievement and to address issues of social justice faced by children with disabilities. Book features include: Details the origins and practice of action research in special education; Demonstrates how action research is a dedicated component of preservice teacher preparation; Provides exemplars of action research performed by students in the field.

Despite the fact that publishers and policy-makers have had increasing influence over classrooms, it is the teacher who must make decisions on a... minute-by-minute basis about what will help specific students learn. Similarly, local administrators must make key decisions at the school and district level that will best serve particular communities of teachers, students, and parents. Action research offers educators and other stakeholders a systematic way to research and reflect on specific students, classrooms, schools, and communities in order to solve local problems and improve local conditions. This book offers an overview of various definitions and perspectives on action research without prescribing any single approach. Instead, key questions are explored: Who conducts action research? Why? How? Possible answers sketch the many types of possible projects, ranging from an individual teacher trying to improve the experience of a particular student to a group of educators and community members striving to improve local socioeconomic conditions. The Action Research Primer presents an accessible but comprehensive introduction to the field, providing a basic compass and map for the interested practitioner. Chapters include a brief historical overview, an introduction to competing research paradigms, discussion of key issues that inform project design, a serviceable guide to process, and an extensive list of resources pointing to more detail on the many categories, communities, and publication outlets of action research.

When Flash Player 9 released in June 2006, it introduced the new scripting language, ActionScript 3, which has already taken hold in the Adobe Flex... application development community. In its latest release, Flash CS3 incorporates this new and much improved upon language into its development environment, giving Flash authors more flexibility than ever before. Now, they just need to learn how to use it and get started quickly. For the first time, the Flash experts at Lynda.com have poured their training expertise into this exciting book release. ActionScript 3 in Adobe Flash CS3 Professional Hands-On Training teaches readers all they need to know to get up and running with ActionScript 3 in Flash. It covers all the essentials and new features, including the brand new ActionScript debugger that allows users to step through a wide variety of properties in their code at runtime, with greater flexibility and feedback. Readers will also learn modern Web design and workflow techniques for developing their projects successfully with Flash using ActionScript 3. Accompanied by a CD-ROM loaded with classroom-proven exercises and QuickTime training videos, this book ensures readers will master the key features of ActionScript 3 in no time. Now that Flash is an integral part of the Adobe Creative Suite 3 Web Premium, Web Standard, and Design Premium packages, there is an even greater need for the clear, step-by-step approach this book offers.

This project-based guide from Adobe will teach readers all they need to know to create engaging interactive content with ActionScript 3.0 for Flash... Professional CS5. Using step-by-step instructions with projects that build on the knowledge acquired in each lesson, readers will learn the fundamentals of adding interactivity to Flash files using ActionScript, starting with using prewritten Code Snippets, but progressing to customizing and writing their own ActionScript code. The tutorials start with simple navigation and timeline control and progress through controlling animation with ActionScript; using Event Listeners and writing event-handling functions; and controlling loading of and interaction with data, text, video, sound, and images. Readers will also learn to use third-party libraries and create Adobe Air applications. This Classroom in a Book also covers the improved text-handling tools that are new to Flash Professional CS5. The companion CD provides users with all the sample files they need to complete all the projects. Note from the publisher: FREE Adobe Flash Professional CS5.5 updates are available for this title. Simply register your product at www.peachpit.com/register and you will receive the updates when they become available.

Learn ActionScript 3.0 the fun way, by creating 16 great games: real, robust games - not just "web toys"!   Highly-rated ActionScript tutorial,... now with seven new 3D and card games! Code and techniques easily adaptable to training, advertising, and more For Flash artists learning ActionScript, Flash programmers seeking to create games, and upgraders from ActionScript 1.0/2.0. Includes a chapter on developing games in Flash for the iPhone!  Gary Rosenzweig's ActionScript 3.0 Game Programming University, Second Edition is the best hands-on tutorial for learning ActionScript 3.0, the programming language behind Flash Professional CS5. You will master all the basics of ActionScript programming by building 16 robust games. One step at a time, you'll learn techniques (and get tested code) that can be adapted to virtually any project, from games to training and advertising. The first edition earned widespread raves; Rosenzweig has now updated it with seven brand-new games that teach even more valuable ActionScript 3.0 skills and techniques. You will first learn how Flash and ActionScript 3.0 work together, the elements of an ActionScript program, and how to build a basic game framework with ActionScript. Next, Rosenzweig walks you through building the full spectrum of ActionScript games, including brain games, animation-based games, picture puzzles, games based on direction and movement, casual games, word games, Q and A games, action games, game worlds, and more. This edition adds new chapters on card games and 3D games, with High-Low, Video Poker, Blackjack, 3D Paddle Ball, 3D Scavenger Hunt, and two other new projects.