Practical Action Research for Change by Richard A. Schmuck, Eleanor Perry, Eleanor Perry (Foreword by)

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Synopsis

Convert frustrations into solvable problems through action research!

Action research provides a process for educators to individually and collectively study their own situations, try new practices, evaluate those innovations, adjust, and try again.

In this revised second edition, Richard Schmuck demonstrates how educators at all levels can use action research to improve their professional practice and change the culture of their schools, districts, or communities. He shows how educators, by reflecting on their past, present, and future practice, can convert frustrations into solvable problems.

This updated workbook covers both the proactive and the responsive models of action research and also includes:

-Easy-to-understand explanations of methods, steps, and phases
-A chapter devoted to questionnaires, interviews, observations, and public documents
-Guidelines for both solo and cooperative projects
-"How-to" worksheets that guide readers through the process
-Journal-writing activities at the end of every chapter
-Case studies of real action research projects


Practical Action Research for Change is the essential tool to help educators tailor action research to their specific situation and improve professional practice.

Annotation

If teachers are looking to challenge themselves as educators and are not afraid of self-reflection and change, they should read this book! Within the pages, Richard Schmuck demonstrates how action research is concrete and practical. He shows how to carry out proactive and responsive research within real classrooms and teaches how to implement cooperative action research at different system levels of a school district.

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Biography

Richard A. Schmuck is professor emeritus at the University of Oregon, where he chaired the dissertations of 132 doctoral students who are from all parts of the world. He taught thousands of other educators worldwide about action research, group dynamics, and organization development. He has served on the faculties of the University of Michigan, Temple University, and Leuven University (Belgium), was the first president of the International Association for the Study of Cooperation in Education. Schmuck is a visiting Professor at Arizona State University-West.

Schmuck is the author of 20 books and 190 articles. His best-known book is Group Processes in the Classroom (with Patricia Schmuck), now in its eighth edition. He received The Stevens Award from the Northwest Women in Educational Administration to honor his support of women in administration and his "commitment to equity, justice, and democracy." He received the Campbell Lifetime Achievement Award from the University Council on Educational Administration for "superior scholarship, distinguished service, and recognized international leadership" and "to celebrate an extraordinary and generous career." Schmuck continues to teach, consult, and write.