What Kinds of Research Had the Greatest Impact on Change?

This chapter provides partnering researchers and teachers with the identification and definition of specific types of research (e.g., descriptive-analytic, observational, and collaborative action research/inquiry) and research approaches and designs (e.g., longitudinal, survey-questionnaires, and focus groups) that were successful in instituting change and improvement in partnership settings. Exemplar studies of each type from two long-running partnerships are summarized, along with findings and their use to institute change. The research approaches are adaptable to current circumstances faced in American education. Special attention is given to collaborative video-based action research studies and the development of a video data bank as a proven partnership strategy for providing evidence of change and teaching effectiveness. Also, a brief history of research on the study of teaching is given, and the tools used to investigate teaching are placed in an Appendix. What worked and why it worked is the central theme of the chapter.