Action Research Teachers as Researchers in the Classroom

When one has never performed an action research project before, the task at hand can be quite daunting. Questions of design, content, and components of the project arise. Being so, it was very helpful to have such a great resource as our course text book by Craig A. Mertler. This book was able to outline what an action research project should look like as far as design and also what content to include in the various components. One chapter in particular that I found helpful was chapter four. Chapter four gave an in depth look at such entities as the kind of design that best fits the type of action research question posed. After reading chapter four I was able to understand the methods I would use in how to implement my plan of action. It is important to understand what you are reading and the concepts involved with action research are advanced in terminology. I felt the text to be difficult at times to read due to the vernacular used. I was grateful to have the extra resources such as outlines and powerpoints to help me break down the main points needed. I found myself often using the powerpoints which helped me deepen my understanding. Had those not been available, I am not confident in my understanding of the text. I would recommend this text to other classes. It gave me a clear picture of what a literature review should look like and it really helped me with the difficult component of theoretical framework. I think future classes will benefit from the use of extra recourses and the book itself.