Center for Collaborative Action Research

Action Research with Students

At Pepperdine University, the Master of Arts degree in Educational Technology centers around a year-long action research project. In addition to standard coursework, each student individually undertakes action research in their local environments, working collaboratively with co-workers and peers at home. In addition, the students work together to share their action research experience, identifying common issues and contributing to shared understanding. The following are exemplars of the quality and variety of work undertaken in the program over the past four years.

Action Research with Elementary Students
	*Creating an Inclusive Elementary School Tech Club* Action Research Portfolio \| 2007 Josh Burker wanted to understand why girls were not participating in his Tech Club. What he learned helped him to involve not only girls but to open up the Tech club to students who often are left out of these programs.
	*Student Provocateurs: Enhancing Public Debate and Awareness of Local Environmental Issues by Involving Students with Film* Action Research Portfolio \| 2007 Bradford Davey challenged his students to understand their role in society through filmmaking.

Action Research with Secondary Students
	*Integrating Technology as an Effective Tool in Language Education* Action Research Portfolio \| 2005 Xing King changed her teaching practice to give students more ownership in high school Chinese language learning classes.
	Extending Classroom Borders: Maintaining Student Engagement While Fostering Higher Thinking Skills Action Research Portfolio \| 2004 Karen Griffith found ways to engage with her high-school computer programming students in a way that had strong effects on their learning.

Action Research with College Students
	*Partnership for Learning - an Effective Empowerment* Action Research Portfolio \| 2003 Marty DeWindt created a student-teacher two-way mentoring program.
	*Innovation Anchored in Tradition: Action Research @ Glendale Community College* Action Research Portfolio \| 2005 Mike Dulay changed the way he taught and assessed student learning through online courses at the community college.