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Self-Study Teacher Research

Improving Your Practice Through Collaborative Inquiry

By: Anastasia P. Samaras

The first textbook to offer novice and experienced teachers guidelines for the "how" and "why" of self-study teacher research

Designed to help pre- and in-service teachers plan, implement, and assess a manageable self-study research project, this unique textbook covers the foundation, history, theoretical underpinnings, and methods of self-study research. Author Anastasia Samaras encourages readers to think deeply about both the "how" and the "why" of this essential professional development tool as they pose questions and formulate personal theories to improve professional practice.

Written in a reader-friendly style and filled with interactive activities and examples, the book helps teachers every step of the way as they learn and refine research skills; conduct a literature review; design a research study; work in validation groups; collect and analyze data; interpret findings; develop skills in peer critique and review; and write, present, and publish their studies.

Key Features

A Self-Study Project Planner assists teachers in understanding both the details and process of conducting self-study research.
A Critical Friends Portfolio includes innovative critical collaborative inquiries to support the completion of a high quality final research project.
Advice from the most senior self-study academics working in the U.S. and internationally is included, along with descriptions of the self-study methodology that has been refined over time.
Examples demonstrate the connections between self-study research, teachers' professional growth, and their students' learning.
Tables, charts, and visuals help readers see the big picture and stay organized.

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Product Details

Grade Level: PreK-12
ISBN: 9781412972079
Published By: Sage Publications Inc
Year: 2010
Page Count: 344
Publication date: April 22, 2010

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Review copies may be requested by individuals planning to purchase 10 or more copies for a team or considering a book for adoption in a higher ed course. To request a review copy, contact sales@corwin.com.

Description

Offer novice and experienced teachers guidelines for the "how" and "why" to do self-study teacher research

Designed to help teachers plan, implement, and assess a manageable self-study research project, this unique textbook covers the foundation, history, theoretical underpinnings, and methods of self-study research. Written in a reader-friendly style and filled with interactive activities and examples, this book helps teachers every step of the way as they plan and conduct their studies. Author Anastasia Samaras encourages readers to think deeply about both the "how" and the "why" of this essential professional development tool as they pose questions and formulate personal theories to improve professional practice.

Key Features

A Self-Study Project Planner assists teachers in understanding both the details and process of conducting self-study research.
A Critical Friends Portfolio includes innovative critical collaborative inquiries to support the completion of a high quality final research project.
Advice from the most senior self-study academics working in the U.S. and internationally is included, along with descriptions of the self-study methodology that has been refined over time.
Examples demonstrate the connections between self-study research, teachers' professional growth, and their students' learning.
Tables, charts, and visuals help readers see the big picture and stay organized.

Accompanied by High-Quality Ancillaries!

A Student Study Site at www.sagepub.com/samaras offers a wealth of resources, including additional examples and activities, web-based resources, study questions, and key terms.

Intended Audience

Self-Study Teacher Research: Improving Your Practice Through Collaborative Inquiry is intended as a core textbook for a wide variety of courses in the education curriculum, including Action Research, Qualitative Research Methods, Research Methods in Education, and the capstone/teacher researcher course required of all early childhood, elementary, and secondary education majors.

Author(s)

Anastasia P. Samaras

Anastasia P. Samaras, Ph.D. is Professor at the Graduate School of Education at George Mason University. She is a pedagogical scholar with an extensive repertoire of teaching, administrative, and research activity directly related to her signature work in the self-study research methodology which include books on Learning Communities in Practice (2008) and Self-Study Teacher Research (2011). A former school teacher and director of teacher education programs at The Catholic University of America and George Mason University, she brings a repertoire of practical applications grounded in sociocultural theory directly to her teaching. She is recipient of the Dissertation Research Award, Curry School of Education, University of Virginia, the Outstanding Scholar Award, University of Maryland, a Fulbright Scholar, and a visiting scholar at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, University of Iceland, Vrije University, and Victoria University. Her expertise in early childhood and teacher education has also led to appointments as a consultant for numerous program reviews with various Federal agencies, departments, Head Start, and universities. She currently serves as Chair-Elect of the Self-Study of Teacher Education Special Interest Group of the American Educational Research Association and project leader of two university cross-disciplinary faculty self-study groups. Her research centers on designing and studying Neo-Vygotskian-based curriculum applications in teachers’ professional practices, including her own.

Table of Contents

Preface

PART I: THE 6Ws OF SELF-STUDY RESEARCH

1. Understanding Self-Study: What and Why

What is Self-Study Teacher Research?

What Self-Study Teacher Research is Not

Why Conduct Self-Study Teacher Research?

Key Ideas

2. Overview of the Self-Study Process: What and How

Self-Study Research Project Planner

Self-Study Research Project Timeline

Self-Study Teacher Research Exemplar Brief

3. The Self-Study Community: When and Where and Who

Culture of the Self-Study Community

Paradigm Shift

Influence, Confluence, and Divergence

Important Events in Outgrowth of Self-Study School

Critique and Sustainability

Key Ideas

4. The Self-Study Research Methodology: Why and How

Characteristics of Self-Study Research

Five Foci Framework: Methodological Components of Self-Study Research

Key Ideas

5. Self-Study Methods: How

Choosing a Self-Study Method

Challenges in Choosing a Method

Key Ideas

PART II: YOUR SELF-STUDY PROJECT

6. Design

Design Matters

Seven Key Design Components

Key Ideas

7. Protect

Questioning the Ethics of Your Study

School Division Review

The Role of Professional Organizations

Standards of Research Ethics

Institutional Review Boards

Key Ideas

8. Organize Data

Alignment of Data with Question

Document

Categorize

Overlapping Research Phases

Key Ideas

9. Collect Data

Data Gathering Techniques

Alternative Data Gathering Techniques

Quantifiable Data

Key Ideas

10. Analyze Data

Research as a Recursive Act

Coding

Coding Families

Categories and Connections

Grounded Theory and the Constant Comparative Method

Concept Maps

Computer Software Tools

Key Ideas

11. Assess Research Quality

Multiple Sources of Data

Transparency, validation, exemplars, and trustworthiness

Reliability

Generalizability

Key Ideas

12. Write

Some Friendly Writing Advice

Writing Your Research Report

Writing Your Abstract

Welcoming Peer Critique

Key Ideas

13. Present and Publish

The Importance of Presenting Your Research

Challenge the Status Quo of Presentations

Pointers for Presenting

Writing Your Self-Study Proposal

Advice for Presenting

The Proposal Review Process

Advice for Getting Published

Key Ideas

Closing Remarks

Appendix A: Sample of a Self-Study Teacher Research Exemplar Brief

Appendix B: Self-Study is Not Just for Classroom Teachers

Glossary

References

Index

About the Author

Reviews

"It’s a very practical, helpful book for those learning to do self-study research."

Karl Wheatley
Cleveland State University

"The author of this book has done a stunning job of pulling together a mass of material, peppering it with sage advice, and presenting it in a comprehensible and engaging way that is sure to attract the attention of would-be researchers in the self-study and teacher research veins."

Cheryl Craig
University of Houston

"Among the pedagogical volumes I have perused, Self-Study Teacher Research is the sanest. Within religion, I commend it mainly to fledgling instructors or mid-career professors seeking a fresh start."

Suzanne Morrison
Ohio Northern University

Other Titles in: Educational Research | Action Research/Practitioner Inquiry | Qualitative Research

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Related Resources

Access to companion resources is available with the purchase of this book.