Grounded in a framework of high-impact educational practices, this article offers a model for incorporating Community Based Participatory Action Research (CBPR) into the social work graduate curriculum. The authors review the history of CBPR in social work and social work education and identify challenges and gaps when CBPR has been used in…

In this article, we study the academisation of the teaching profession in Sweden, which follows contemporary trends in other Nordic and European countries. The specific aim was to analyse 14 reports written by researching teachers enrolled in a master's programme to investigate how they perceive, interpret and value academic and professional…

This paper reports on the first year of an innovative Postgraduate Certificate (PGCert) in Advanced Education Practice, designed to meet the specific staff and development needs of one school in the North West of England. The programme is underpinned by three strands of practice based learning: learning about practice (theory), learning in…

Action research classes are being offered in many universities as part of the education curriculum. The definition and methods for conducting educational action research are as varied as the projects and people engaging in them. This paper seeks to define educational action research as it applies to one graduate program that incorporates action…

This mixed-methods study illustrates the implementation of Malcolm Knowles's 1986 model of learning contracts in a current Italian University context. The study attempted to improve and adapt the tool to a master's degree course at the University of Padua. Three professors conducted the integrated course, making extensive efforts to share the aims…

This qualitative research study examined the experiences of five teacher leaders enrolled in an instructional leadership master's degree cohort who engaged in equity-focused action research. Specifically, the study focused on: "How do teacher leaders describe their development as equity-centered leaders after engaging in action…

The Common Core State Standards (CCSS, 2010) as the latest initiative in the ongoing effort of educational reform in the United States reinforces the need to build the capacity of teachers as leaders and change agents. As such, graduate teacher leadership programs function to support and develop teacher leadership praxis. Although studies of…

Coursework masters degrees in Australia have experienced rapid, decentralised growth since deregulation at the end of the 1980s. The result is an extraordinarily high level of diversity and some confusion as to standards, strategic positioning, purpose and educational approaches. Throughout this period of growth, a sense that large-scale (often…

Action research is an approach to enquiry that forges linkages between research and teaching, with each potentially informing the other in a responsive and creative cycle. This paper provides an overview of a pedagogic action research project which was undertaken in order to respond directly to learning needs expressed by a group of second year…

It is proposed that action research, as distinguished from traditional research, has a role in graduate management education. It is suggested that the former is more appropriate for developing managerial competencies. Differences between master's-level and doctoral-level action research projects are noted, and related issues for curriculum design…

This paper describes how Western Washington University's Woodring College of Education designed an elementary Master in Education program to meet the needs of practicing teachers. Data gathering activities included systemic review of the graduate catalog's programs and enrollment; surveys of administrators and educators who completed Master's…

This report presents a teacher-based action research model for preparing classroom teachers to assume leadership roles in educational reform. A task force, convened in 1995 at one college, identified critical characteristics for integrating professional development and university requirements for a graduate degree. It evolved into a reflective…

Collaborative action research has been a central focus of the Masters in Teaching (MIT) program at Whitworth College, Washington. This paper focuses on two aspects that are essential in any effective teacher education program: collaboration between preservice and inservice teacher education and schools and action research to enhance what K-12…

Instructional immediacy is an established communication strategy that teachers can implement to create engaging learning environments. Yet, little is known about experiences distance education learners in graduate study programs have had with immediacy. This article presents findings from a qualitative research project designed to explore…

Describes one university's Field Based Masters Program. Designed around intact cohorts of experienced teachers who meet weekly over two years, the program involves integrated curriculum and action research projects. The paper describes how group process and collaboration are integral to teachers' learning experiences and ongoing professional…