Identifying the Priorities and Practices of Virtual School Educators Using Action Research

This study examined the nature of thirty virtual educators' action research questions during a yearlong action research professional development experience within a large, state-funded virtual school. Virtual educators included instructional personnel (i.e., individuals responsible for teaching...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inThe American journal of distance education Vol. 27; no. 1; pp. 29 - 39
Main Authors Dawson, Kara, Dana, Nancy Fichtman, Wolkenhauer, Rachel, Krell, Desi
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Philadelphia Taylor & Francis Group 01.01.2013
Routledge
Taylor & Francis Ltd
Subjects
Action Research
Computer Simulation
Curriculum Design
Distance Education
Distance learning
Educational Practices
Faculty Development
Online Courses
Online instruction
Professional development
Research Needs
Teachers
Trend Analysis
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Summary:This study examined the nature of thirty virtual educators' action research questions during a yearlong action research professional development experience within a large, state-funded virtual school. Virtual educators included instructional personnel (i.e., individuals responsible for teaching virtual courses) and noninstructional personnel (i.e., individuals responsible for other roles in the virtual school such as administration or course design.) Action research questions emerge from the intersection of educators' professional contexts and their real-world challenges or passions and analyzing the nature of these questions provided a glimpse into the priorities and practices of the participating instructional and noninstructional virtual educators. Studying completion rates and personalizing the curriculum were trends within questions posed by instructional personnel whereas noninstructional personnel primarily focused on macrolevel issues within the virtual schools, such as communication. Future research directions and implications for action research professional development within virtual schools are discussed.
ISSN:0892-3647
1538-9286
DOI:10.1080/08923647.2013.759453