ABSTRACT
When working with innovative approaches in teacher education, scholars often want to share with and learn from others systematically. Thus, scholars want to engage in research projects on applied and authentic interventions in teaching and learning, called action research or Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL). This chapter discusses tools for conducting high-quality SoTL and action research, including crafting interesting and answerable research questions, selecting appropriate research methods, identifying or designing measurements that will be reliable and valid, and conducting appropriate analyses of data. This chapter will discuss the affordances and limitations of a range of methods for scholars to consider when designing their SoTL projects, such as observational, design, and experimental methods. In addition, the same comparisons will be made for qualitative, quantitative, and mixed-methods data collection and analysis. This chapter will explicitly focus on the tradeoffs between authenticity and generalizability that characterize SoTL projects, providing tools to benefit a larger range of practitioners while not compromising the experience of teachers in the scholar’s program.
