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Doing and Writing Action Research
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Doing and Writing Action Research



208 pages | SAGE Publications Ltd

Doing and Writing Action Research provides a clear, comprehensive, and user-friendly guide to the practical aspects of carrying out action research.

Written with practitioners involved in workplace-based professional development programs, as well as those on research training courses, in mind, this book covers all the core issues, with guidance on how to:

  • Present findings
  • Produce a research report that can inform policy
  • Demonstrate the quality of one's research
  • Be critical and write theoretically

The book contains many worked examples of action research projects, to help illustrate the guidance on producing successful written accounts.

Doing and Writing Action Research is an essential text for anyone working with action research, providing vital guidance on how this type of work is assessed, enabling the reader to get the best results from their project work.

 
PART ONE: WHAT IS WRITTEN IN AN ACTION RESEARCH REPORT?
 
What is Special about Action Research Reports?
 
What Goes into an Action Research Report?
 
What Does an Action Research Report Look Like?
 
Producing a Good Quality Text: The Writing Process
 
PART TWO: HOW IS AN ACTION RESEARCH REPORT WRITTEN?
 
Writing an Action Research Proposal
 
Writing Reports for Initial Accreditation
 
Writing a Masters Dissertation
 
Writing a Doctoral Thesis
 
PART THREE: WHY SHOULD YOUR REPORT BE WRITTEN?
 
The Significance of Your Research Report
 
Some Implications of Your Research and Your Research Report

'A highly illuminating and insightful resource...written in simple and accessible language without losing sight of the complexity of its subject...This is a must have text for all those supervising or conducting action research at all levels in higher education. I shall be adding it to my reading lists' -
Education in the North


'McNiff and Whitehead address their book to the practitioner, and in line with other commentators see AR as a form of practitioner research. The crux of McNiff and Whitehead's project seems to be to find a way to 'square the circle' of accepting that AR has the nature that it does, which necessarily makes it different from traditional academic research, yet making it seems suitable as a basis for academic awards at universities without compromising its AR nature. [...]The teacher who wants to improve their practice, and to bring their actions more in line with the espoused values, should certainly consider adopting AR'

Keith S. Taber
Faculty of Eduaction, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK

This book is recommended to supplement other research methods books.

Ms Syeda Dangana
school of architecture, design and environment, Univ. of Plymouth
June 16, 2014

This book does what it says on the tin, it explains in simple but intelligent language about doing and writing Action Research. The book argues that practitioners can and should conduct their own research to 'improve the future by acting on the present'. An excellent book recommended to our year 2 Cert Ed/PGCE students as an essential text.

Mr David Andrews
Education, Grantham College of Further Education
June 13, 2014

The book contains lots of practical useful guidance for students required to undertake action research as part of their studies.

Dr Karen Jones
Plymouth graduate school of management, University of Plymouth
February 18, 2014

Another good book from Jean McNiff

Mrs Susan Ramsdale
Nursing , University of Central Lancashire
December 16, 2013

This is an excellent resource as a "how-to" guide. Practical and user-friendly, it is a great field text to guide in-service practitioners in the process of doing action research. It would make an excellent companion text in Action Research courses but would likely require a supplementary resource that speaks to the more theoretical aspects of AR.

Dr Ellyn Lyle
Faculty of Education, Univ of Prince Edward Island
December 5, 2012

This will be a helpful addition to support students' appreciation of the subtle differences/similarities in research and reflective practice

Mrs Sheena Smart
Education, Brighton University
August 31, 2011

This book will provide a very sound basis for students and staff to carry out their research projects. The authors explain in detail and clearly, the fundamentals of research and lead the reader through the process successfully.

Mr Andy Stopher
School of Education Studies, St Mary's College
August 3, 2011

A useful addition to our current recommeded texts for students, especially those who are also practioners, undertaking active research projects in the workplace.

Ms Amanda French
Dept of Education Studies, Wolverhampton University
May 13, 2011

Sample Materials & Chapters

Introduction

Chapter One


Jean McNiff

Jean McNiff is Professor of Educational Research at York St John University, UK. She is also a Visiting Professor at UiT the Arctic University of Norway, and at the Beijing Normal University and Ningxia Teachers’ University, People’s Republic of China. Jean took early retirement from her position as deputy head teacher of a large secondary school in Dorset, UK. She went into business for herself, and developed her writing. Her textbooks on action research and professional education are now used internationally on workplace-based professional education courses and on higher degree courses. Jean provides interdisciplinary consultancy work... More About Author

A Jack Whitehead