Teachers in the Southeast are using action research to address problems
specific to their own schools and classrooms and to develop solutions that
use the resources they have available.
In this context, action research refers to "research conducted to solve
a
specific problem within an organization." In particular, it includes
projects that teachers undertake in their classrooms to inform their own
knowledge of their profession and, in the process, improve their teaching.
"The action research becomes part of the solution by engaging the people
in
the organization in studying their own problems within the context of their
own organization," summarized Samuel A. Spiegel and Angelo Collins
who,
along with James Lappert, edited a collection of action research project
papers published by the SouthEastern Regional Vision for Education (SERVE).
The nine papers included in the publication resulted from Science FEAT,
a
teacher enhancement program for middle school science teachers in Georgia
and Florida. The program concentrated on helping science teachers find ways
to solve some problems they may have in common, such as an over-reliance
on
textbooks and limited access to resources; the action research projects
provided a way to individualize the solutions.
In one paper, teacher Jane L. Hollis investigates what impact multimedia
and
technology can have on students' enthusiasm for science. "The design
of this
study provides an example for other classroom teachers by balancing the
constraints encountered by a classroom teacher with the impetus for
substantive research," the editors write.
Another teacher, Michael H. DuBois, researched the use of cooperative
learning to foster creative problem solving with his middle school science
students. DuBois' study addressed particular obstacles that he faced, such
as personality conflicts among certain students, while also applying more
generally to questions of planning and classroom time that all teachers
face
when implementing group learning.
How to access:
"Action Research: Perspectives from Teachers' Classrooms" is
available on the Web at:
http://www.serve.org/Eisenhower/FEAT.html