Although action research in education offers researchers and practitioners a clear and philosophically appealing way of making improvements, fostering learning, and developing the individual and the organization, adherents sometimes find themselves defending this type of research because it has been practiced without appropriate rigor. This book takes a pragmatic approach in describing the theory and practice of developmental action research, carried out by or for educational practitioners within their own organization in response to some aspect of professional work that needs to be developed, either within the classroom, across the school, or in the administration of the organization. Following introductory remarks, the book is organized in four sections. Section 1 explains the concept of developmental action research; presents examples at the classroom, school, and management levels; and summarizes key features of other types of action research. Section 2 focuses on characteristics of developmental action research, including the nature of the research project, the researchers, the aims of the approach, guiding values, research processes, data collection methods, evaluation tools, and project reports. Section 3 presents the framework for conducting a cycle of action research, planning a collaborative project, and developing an action research proposal. Section 4 discusses challenges for action researchers, focusing on validity in action research and ethical considerations. (Contains 56 references.) (KB)