Impactful Practitioner Inquiry

How does practitioner inquiry impact education? Examining the experiences of practitioners who have participated in inquiry projects, the authors present ways in which this work has enabled educators to be positive change agents. They reveal the difference that practitioner inquiry has made in their professional practice, their understanding of student learning, their content area knowledge, and their career trajectories. Attesting to long-lasting changes in ways that these educators approach professional challenges, the authors identify the “ripple effect” of these changes through school communities and beyond. Impactful Practitioner Inquiry includes in-depth case studies as well as chapters specifically focused on the design and analysis aspects of inquiry.

Book Features:

• An examination of how practitioner inquiry impacts professional practice, school culture, and career trajectories.
• The use of complexity and network theories to understand how practitioner inquiry is able to create its ripple effect.
• Testimonies from educators with up to 10 years’ experience as inquirers.
• Practices from early childhood and school settings, classroom and leadership roles, general education and specialist settings.

Sue Nichols is senior lecturer at the School of Education, University of South Australia. Phil Cormack is adjunct research associate professor at the Centre for Research in Education, University of South Australia.

"This book is a clarion call to infuse inquiry into schools on all levels. Nichols and Cormack firmly acknowledge that inquiry in academic research and practice can occupy the same space producing vigorous ripples and tremendous possibilities in classrooms and schools."

—Teachers College Record

"The book Impactful Practitioner Inquiry provides more than 10 years of exposure on how inquiry can be used to solve new problems while they are happening. Teachers can use this volume as a resource on how to conduct effective practitioner inquiry in their classrooms."

—Schools: Studies in Education

“This in-depth reflective analysis will be invaluable to action researchers and school–university collaborations in designing inquiries that positively impact student lives and learning.”
—JoBeth Allen, professor emeritus, University of Georgia

“Incorporating extended examples, helpful frameworks, and critical analysis, this will be a must-have book for teacher-researchers and educational professional learning communities internationally.”
—Barbara Comber, research professor, University of South Australia and Queensland University of Technology