1 Why action research?; 2 Selecting and developing a topic; 3 Collecting the data; 4 Field-notes, logs, journals, diaries and personal accounts; 5 Verbal reports; 6 Observation techniques: recording and analysing classroom skills; 7 Interviews and questionnaires; 8 The case study approach; 9 Training and evaluation: teaching materials; 10 No teacher is an island: some approaches to sharing ideas; Concluding remarks; Glossary of research terms; Suggestions for further reading; Bibliography; Index

This practical guide can be used by teachers who wish to develop their professional expertise by investigating their own teaching in a systematic and organised way. It is also invaluable for teachers or trainee teachers who have to produce a professional project or dissertation as part of a training programme. This will help teachers to design and implement a research project which is derived from their normal practice, with results which should be of direct relevance to them. It is user-friendly and includes: - exemplar articles and extracts which show how the research techniques can be implemented - 'Personal review' sections which help readers to think about the ideas being discussed and relate them to their own situation - commentaries which follow up issues raised in the 'Personal review' sections - chapter summaries - a glossary of all technical terms.