Action Research: Improving Schools and Empowering Educators

by Craig A. Mertler

Craig Mertler’s Action Improving Schools and Empowering Educators introduces practicing educators to the process of conducting classroom-based action research.  Practical and comprehensive, the book focuses on research methods and procedures that educators can use in their everyday practice.  This Fifth Edition adds enhanced coverage of rigor and ethics in action research, means of establishing quality of both quantitative and qualitative data, as well as strengthened pedagogical features. New material includes discussions of social justice advocacy as an application of action research and the inclusion of abstracts in research reports.

Genres: Education, Nonfiction, Teaching, Research

360 pages, Paperback

First published January 4, 2011

Reviews

[Colleen Crayton · Rating 5 out of 5]

For a college textbook, I thought this was exceptionally done. It's basically a step by step guide to formulating, writing, and sharing an action research project. Specifically while you are a practicing teacher

[zero · Rating 3 out of 5]

love the working-teacher focus, but too dumbed-down and overly explanatory

[Carrie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great for doctoral students in education

This was assigned for my first semester in an EDd program and I wish it had been part of my undergraduate work. Teachers perform action research in their classrooms all the time, and this would help give language to the process. I truly see this as a bridge between theory and practice and hope it becomes more widespread in educational training.

[Elizabeth · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was assigned for a class. It summarizes a lot of information in one place, and it may be one of the best choices out there for its specific topic. But I did not enjoy it (and I am the type of person who can appreciate a well-written textbook!). I rented the Kindle version to save money, and perhaps the physical version is slightly more approachable. The version I read was incredibly difficult to get through, and the writing style did not help. If you have the options to find the information from this book in a different source, I recommend doing so.

[Andrea Bastien · Rating 2 out of 5]

Bought this book for a research class as part of my masters program. Not a fan of this book, really think my teacher could have copied and scanned a few chapters rather than having us read everything. Very repetitive, dry, and graphics used to explain ideas made things more complicated. Overall not a fan and would recommend a different text for this class.

[Karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read for a class I was taking. A good guide about how teachers can do real, valuable research in their classrooms. You don’t have to have a PhD to do research, and this book explains how to do it well.

[Leslie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was an incredible resource (and required text) as I implemented my own action research project while competing my Masters of Science in Science Education. Especially helpful we’re the case studies/examples included for each step of the action research process.

[Jessica Ruiz · Rating 1 out of 5]

Blaaaahhhh! 😩

[Martha Kertz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very informative.

[Isa · Rating 1 out of 5]

One star review is purely reflective of my feelings and attitude during my last semester of my M.Ed. program. The book itself was fairly useful in conducting research for thesis.

[Emma Hofmann]

Riveting

[Chantel E. · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book was a requirement for a class. I wouldn’t recommend for leisurely reading unless you’re into books like this.

[Jamie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This really was a great book for explaining the purpose, process, and importance of teachers taking control of educational research. Things are simply explained, there is an online component with more resources, and as each piece of the process is explained we follow two examples of action research projects as they complete each step.

Some parts are so brief that they leave out any type of specific information. In these places there are references to other books to give you more details. As most of the citations were for a book I'd read for another class, I sometimes felt that this book might not be enough for the teacher who wants to begin action research in the classroom. Fleshing out a few of those ideas might be enough to save teachers the expense and time of purchasing and reading multiple books.

[Matthew · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book as a part of my requirements for my Master's degree in Educational Leadership and Administration.

It's hard to rate a book like this one because it is not intended to be read for fun or for pleasure. Mertler does an excellent job at laying out all of the parts of action research and does a commendable job at making it as straightforward as possible. I do believe that most teachers would not be able to get through this book.

Having said that, I believe this book is and will continue to be a valuable resource for writing my thesis for my program. It is detailed and specific without going overboard. An excellent text for the purpose of understanding and using action research.

[Emily Klein · Rating 3 out of 5]

I appreciated Mertler's focus on action research as whole school reform. But the extensive focus on quantitative measures worried me a bit as it takes away from the importance of holistic measures used in action research. As well, few teachers are going to be able to do many of the statistical analyses necessary. However, a very useful text in other respects and worth reading.

[Brooke · Rating 4 out of 5]

Action research is not something I was familiar with before I took the course and read this book. My action research from this semester focused on increasing motivation and reading achievement for boys. I learned so much that will help other teachers in my school as well. I highly recommend it to educators who want to make positive changes in their classrooms and schools.

[Trease · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this book useful regarding planning and implementing Action Research Plans. I had to create my first ARP this semester and without this book it would have been much more difficult. I recommend it for anyone interested in Action Research.

[Kaitlin · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you're planning on conducting an action research project, this is the book for you. Lots of information, very easy to read through, with great step-by-step directions.

[Sherry · Rating 5 out of 5]

What every classroom teacher needs to do, at least once, in their career.

[Sherri · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is written very clearly. Action research and collecting both qualitative and quantitative data began to make a lot of sense. It was very helpful as I began to work on my thesis.

[Virginia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent text for learning the basic steps and procedures included in action research. Part of my assigned reading for my EdD program.

[Zack · Rating 2 out of 5]

Boring textbook for a boring class.

[Alli · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book does what it is supposed to, but OMG booooooring.