Educational Action Research

In this chapter, we focus on action research within the educational realm. After clarifying what we mean by action research, we discuss various forms, possibilities and limitations of action research in classrooms and schools. In particular, we focus on action research that is supported by communities. The chapter provides both, theoretical considerations on these issues and practical examples from Austrian large-scale teacher professional development programs based on action research. Finally, we discuss possible implications for both theory and practice of educational action research.