Action Research: Critical Questions How do I become a more effective teacher? What impact does collaborative learning have on elementary school students’ conflict resolution skills? What strategies can I use to become an effective classroom manager? Can student handwriting improve without the use of rote instruction? Are portfolios effective forms of annotated research for building strong positive relationships with students, parents, other teachers and principals for elementary school students? Matching reader text: effects on student comprehension. Does order of birth impact study habits, behavior, and achievement in high school students? Does the Read Naturally program really increase fluency and comprehension? Does grouping students by gender within classes affect their participation in and enjoyment of P.E.? Does music enhance second language acquisition? Why is rhyming so important? How do read alouds motivate students to read independently? Does Writer’s Workshop strengthen students’ writing and will it affect the students’ enjoyment in the writing process? Do students learn classroom material better through student-led teaching? Is Writer’s Workshop an effective tool to use with kindergarten-age children? Will inquiry-based instruction help students make learning gains? Does best-practice teaching improve student outcomes in and attitudes toward science? Could the motivating power of choice and emphasis on a development of deeper meaning provided by literature circles improve attitudes toward reading? The effects of physical education and health on students. How can teachers better develop relationships with English Language Learners? Becoming a Teacher Through Action Research, Second Edition © 2010 Routledge / Taylor & Francis Group, LLC. How do third and fourth graders respond to being taught comprehension strategies during read alouds? Does drawing or sketching prior to writing enhance learning? Can teachers use booktalking to create an atmosphere that encourages pleasure reading among students? Do math manipulatives aid students in mastering concepts? Does storytelling increase creative writing ability? Teaching vocabulary: Strategies that work. Will the Good Student Game, a positive reinforcement strategy, improve on-task behavior in a second grade classroom? Will incorporating multisensory ways (visual, auditory, and kinesthetic approaches) increase the recognition of high-frequency words at the kindergarten level? How do the arts increase reading comprehension? Will students remember math facts better if they draw pictures of the answers and drill with a friend? Will access to a nutritious morning snack reduce behavioral problems in the classroom that are caused by children’s hunger? Will integrating art into a seventh-grade middle school science classroom help students understand their internal body systems more easily? Becoming a Teacher Through Action Research, Second Edition © 2010 Routledge / Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.