Action Research: Improving Schools and Empowering Educators, Edition 7

Craig A. Mertler

Jul 2024 · SAGE Publications

About this ebook

Action Research: Improving Schools and Empowering Educators, Seventh Edition serves as a comprehensive guide on action research for both beginning and experienced educators. Instead of focusing on theoretical aspects of research, the book provides detailed yet practical information guiding readers step-by-step through the iterative process of action research in a classroom or school-based context. The text adopts a highly sequential manner, beginning with topic conceptualization, reviewing related research, designing the study, executing the investigation, developing an action plan, and ultimately disseminating and reflecting on the results. A distinguishing feature of this book is the integration of numerous relatable examples, hands-on exercises, case studies, and explorations of published action research entries to ensure material comprehension. Each chapter of this Seventh Edition has been updated with a new Action Research Case Study, featuring the move to virtual instruction for the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond. Throughout, the author has added more on alternative strategies for disseminating research and expanded discussion of research topics, problems, questions, data, and analysis. Additionally, the entire book has also been updated for the Seventh Edition of the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association to be current with the latest best practices in research.

Included with this title:

LMS Cartridge: Import this title’s instructor resources into your school′s learning management system (LMS) and save time. Don′t use an LMS? You can still access all of the same online resources for this title via the password-protected Instructor Resource Site. Select the Resources tab on this page to learn more.

About the author

Craig A. Mertler is currently an Associate Professor of Action Research and Quantitative Methods at Barry University in Miami, Florida. He began his career as a high school biology teacher. He has been an educator for 37 years—27 of those in higher education at Bowling Green State University, the University of West Georgia, Lynn University, Arizona State University, and Barry University, and 12 years as an administrator (department chair, doctoral program director, and education dean). Over his career, he has taught courses focused on the application of action research to promote educator empowerment, school improvement, and job-embedded professional development, as well as classroom assessment, research methods, and statistical analyses. He has served as the research methodology expert and/or chair on more than 120 doctoral dissertations and master’s theses. He is the author of 28 books, 9 invited book chapters, and 25 refereed journal articles. He has also presented more than 40 research papers at professional meetings around the country, as well as internationally. He has also delivered 25 invited presentations, including numerous keynote addresses and international addresses. He conducts workshops for in-service educational professionals (at all levels) on classroom-based action research and on the topics of classroom assessment and assessment literacy, as well as data-driven educational decision making. His primary research and consulting interests include classroom-based action research, data-driven educational decision making, professional learning communities, and classroom teachers’ assessment literacy. In his leisure time, he enjoys playing golf and traveling with his family. Dr. Mertler can be reached at [e-mail] for consulting, professional development, and speaking engagements. Additionally, you can visit his website at www.craigmertler.com.