ABSTRACT
The offering of modules, experiences, courses and full-blown programmes in action research, through institutions of higher education has increased significantly in recent years. This is due mainly to the efforts of practitioners to improve their practices and to solve pressing practical problems through research, while expanding their pedagogical powers. A growing, yet relatively small, number of writers have addressed issues and problems of teaching action research (Altrichter, 1991; Elliott and Sarland, 1995; Shumsky, 1958; Stevenson et al., 1995; Lomax, 1989; McKernan, 1994; Henry and Rodostianos, 1995; Winter, 1989). Their works are concerned with higher education, professional development, and teacher education, and have specifically addressed the perplexing issues of how to teach the process of educational action research through practice-based, inservice courses and programmes. These questions and issues are fundamental to those of us concerned with the relationship between teacher education and positive curriculum change and improvement. The aim of this chapter is to present something of the character and culture of these pro-grammes of action research in higher education.
