Ethnographic Based Action Research for Educators Workshop

This workshop is designed to assist educators to conduct action research from an ethnographic perspective. Through the critical aspect of self-reflection, action research raises awareness of what is occurring in the classroom, helping teachers adjust their instruction. Action research has also been used at a school-wide level to address particular issues that administration and faculty want to study together to facilitate their school improvement plans.

The workshop presenter will guide participants through several ethnographic processes and analytic techniques. We illustrate data collection methods that may be employed and are primarily qualitative in nature. We will discuss using a variety of data collection tools (I.e., session evaluations, artifacts, surveys, teacher / student work samples, videos) that could be used by various stakeholders (i.e., teacher researchers, mentors, School District staff, university professors, graduate student researchers).


Dr. LeAnn G. Putney, professor in educational psychology, joined the UNLV faculty in 1997. She earned her B.A. in Spanish and English from Indiana State University, her M.A. in Multicultural/Multilingual Education from California State University, Stanislaus, and her Ph.D. in Educational Psychology with an emphasis in Language, Culture, and Literacy from the University of California, Santa Barbara. LeAnn specializes in teaching courses in qualitative research. Her ethnographic research has focused on how teachers and students construct responsible communities for academic success in K-12 schools from a Vygotskian perspective.

Areas of Expertise: Ethnographic Research, Discourse Analysis, Action Research

Research Interests: Collective Classroom Efficacy, Linguistically diverse classrooms