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Inquiry, Data, and Understanding is a reflective collection of papers in which Lorin Anderson offers his personal perspective on developments in educational research over thirty years. Following an introductory chapter, in which educational research is defined as disciplined inquiry, the remaining chapters are divided into four sections: time and learning, factors influencing educational effectiveness, international perspectives, and the nature and purpose of educational research. Each section contains an introduction that places the chapters in that section in a historical and personal context. The fourth section, which concludes the book, summarises four lessons that were learned about becoming a researcher. Based on these lessons, the final chapter describes four needs that must be met if school and classroom research is to move forward: * The need for concept-based research * The need to put students back into the equation * The need to stop focusing on correlates of student achievement * The need for research on alterable variables.
List of contents
Chapter 1 Research, Researchers, Data, and Understanding 1 Introduction to Section I: Time and Learning Chapter 2 An Empirical Investigation of Individual Differences in Time to Learn Chapter 3 Instruction and Time-on-Task: A Review Chapter 4 Time and Timing Introduction to Section II: Factors Influencing Educational Effectiveness Chapter 5 The Relationship Among Teaching Methods, Student Characteristics, and Student Involvement in Learning Chapter 6 Understanding Teacher Behavior in the Classroom: A Must for Sound Evaluation Chapter 7 The Stability of School Effectiveness Indices Across Grades and Subject Matters Chapter 8 High School Principals and School Reform: Lessons Learned from a Statewide Study of Project Re:Learning Chapter 9 Toward an Understanding of Unusually Successful Programs for Economically Disadvantaged Students Chapter 10 Why Should Reduced Class Size Lead to Increased Student Achievement? Introduction to Section III: International Perspectives Chapter 11 The Classroom Environment Study: Teaching for Learning Chapter 12 What IEA Studies Say About Teachers and Teaching Chapter 13 Improving Classroom Teaching and Learning: What American Educators Can Learn from International Research Introduction to Section IV: The Nature and Purpose of Educational Research Chapter 14 The Role of Conceptual Frameworks in Understanding and Using Classroom Research Chapter 15 Inquiry, Data, and Understanding: A Search for Meaning in Educational Research Chapter 16 Looking Back, Moving Forward Chapter 17 New Directions for School and Classroom Research
About the author
Lorin W. Anderson University of South Carolina, Columbia, USA
Summary
Inquiry, Data, and Understanding is a reflective collection of papers in which Lorin Anderson offers his personal perspective on developments in educational research over thirty years.
Following an introductory chapter, in which educational research is defined as disciplined inquiry, the remaining chapters are divided into four sections: time and learning, factors influencing educational effectiveness, international perspectives, and the nature and purpose of educational research. Each section contains an introduction that places the chapters in that section in a historical and personal context.
The fourth section, which concludes the book, summarises four lessons that were learned about becoming a researcher. Based on these lessons, the final chapter describes four needs that must be met if school and classroom research is to move forward:
* The need for concept-based research
* The need to put students back into the equation
* The need to stop focusing on correlates of student achievement
* The need for research on alterable variables.
