Craig A. Mertler - Action Research: Improving Schools and Empowering Educators

Improving Schools and Empowering Educators

Fifth Edition

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Printed in the United States of America

Names: Mertler, Craig A., author.

Title: Action research : improving schools and empowering educators/ Craig A. Mertler.

Description: Fifth edition. | Thousand Oaks, California : SAGEPublications, [2016] | Includes bibliographical references andindex.

Identifiers: LCCN 2016007234 | ISBN 978-1-4833-8905-9 (pbk. : alk.paper)

Subjects: LCSH: Action research in education.

Classification: LCC LB1028.24 .M47 2016 | DDC 370.72dc23 LC recordavailable at http://lccn.loc.gov/2016007234

This book is printed on acid-free paper.

Most, if not all, graduate students in educationand, inparticular, in-service teachers seeking graduate degreesarerequired to complete a course in educational research methods. Themajority of these methods courses provide a broad overview ofeducational research methods, designs, and techniques. However, Iwould argue that graduate-level research methods courses taught toin-service teachers could be more suitable provided the appropriateinstructional materials were available to instructors and students,such that they focus on a classroom-based approach to research. Mostresearch methods coursesand, therefore, their appropriatetextbooksfollow the description that I offer above, in that theyare survey courses (i.e., those that provide an overview of avariety of research methods). There are numerous texts on the marketthat meet this description.

In contrast, there are relatively few books that focus specificallyon action research as a methodology, and there are even fewer thatdo so with the target audience of practicing educators in mind. Thepurpose of this book is to introduce educators to the process ofconducting their own classroom-based or school-based actionresearch. Detailed but practical information describing each step ofthe cyclical, iterative process is presented in a sequential manner.Educators are provided with an overview of traditional educationalresearch prior to examining action research as a mechanism fordesigning and conducting their own applied research projects. Thefocus is not on the theoretical aspects of educational research butrather on the practical facets of conducting applied classroomand/or school research. As presented in this textbook, actionresearch is not simply a means of conducting applied research. It isalso a mechanism for engaging educators in reflective practice andcustomizing professional development opportunities in order tocapitalize on the unique interests of individual educators or teamsof educators.

The reason behind my desire to write a textbook on this topic isfairly straightforward. I have taught educational research methodsfor more than 20 years. The vast majority of the students enrolledin this course are in-service teachers seeking masters degrees invarious fields, including curriculum, teaching, administration, andcounseling. This course is intended to serve as an overview ofresearch methods used to conduct research in the broad field ofeducation, focusing primarily on quantitative methods. The focus ison very formal methodological approaches, such as descriptive,correlational, causal-comparative, experimental, andquasiexperimental research methods. The educators enrolled in aresearch methods courseespecially those who intend on remaining inthe K12 settingtypically experience substantial difficulty inbeing able to see the application of these formal methodologicalapproaches in their educational settings. The bottom line is thatthey do not really need to understand the application of theseapproaches to conducting research, since the majority will likelynever design or conduct such formal methodological procedures. It is my belief that thisis the case for many graduate programs in education across thecountry.

On the other hand, when we reach the topic of actionresearch, the discussion typically piques student interest.The students can actually see how this methodologicalapproach could be used in their schools, in their classrooms, withtheir students, and so on. Since action research is conducted bypractitionersyet still incorporates a good degree of rigorstudentsbegin to see themselves designing and carrying out action researchstudies. By focusing our attention on a broad overview of researchmethods, I feel that we are doing an injustice to these practicingeducators. We are not providing them with the tools necessary todesign and conduct research studies that provide meaningful andimmediate solutions to local-level problems. In other words, we arenot adequately preparing them to investigate problems and seeksolutions in their local settings and in a professional manner.

The practical nature of the book stems from the fact that itfocuses on research methods and procedures that teachers,administrators, counselors, intervention specialists, and so forth,can use in conjunction with their everyday instructional practicesand activities in schools and classrooms. Educators are shown how todesign and conduct school-based research in order to make theirinstructional practices more effective. The numerous examplesmanyof which are supplied by me, while others come from published actionresearch studiesof the principles, procedures, and techniquesdiscussed in the narrative make it easy for students to understandthe material in this book. Theoretical aspects of research as wellas highly technical concepts and procedures, which are unlikely tobe used by practicing educators, are de-emphasizedproducing atextbook that provides comprehensive coverage of action researchmethods for practicing educational professionals without beingunnecessarily technical; that is, it is a practical book foreducators. This book provides them with the knowledge and skillsnecessary to design research studies that seek solutions tolocal-level problems, conduct those studies, and communicate theresults to local stakeholders and other interested parties. Althoughit is based on the research literature, the book takes a verypractical approach, never losing sight of its intended audiencethepracticing educator.