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The Reflective Educator's Guide to Practitioner Inquiry
By: Nancy Fichtman Dana, Diane Yendol-Hoppey, Logan Rutten
This updated edition empowers educators to investigate their practice, drive sustained professional growth, and harness inquiry’s potential to create classrooms where students and teachers thrive.
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- Grade Level: PreK-12
- ISBN: 9781071966655
- Published By: Corwin
- Year: 2025
- Page Count: 456
- Publication date: June 10, 2025
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Description
Transform your teaching and shape education through the power of inquiry.
Grounded in real-world examples and more than 30 years of research in professional development, the fifth edition of The Reflective Educator's Guide to Practitioner Inquiry addresses how inquiry fosters curiosity, reflection, and practical action to enhance equitable and effective classroom learning. This latest edition invites educators to view inquiry as a process, a product, and a stance.
The book offers new sections on the relationship between AI and teacher inquiry and the ways in which inquiry is changing with the times. Additional features and updates include:
- A new chapter that provides a step-by-step guide to crafting an intentional, actionable research plan
- Access exercises, inductive and deductive data analysis worksheets, ethical guidelines, and examples addressing today’s issues in education
- A discussion of the connections between practitioner inquiry and the creation of equitable and just school communities
The Reflective Educator’s Guide to Practitioner Inquiry, fifth edition, empowers educators at every stage in their careers to investigate their practice, drive sustained professional growth, and harness inquiry’s potential to create classrooms where both students and teachers thrive.
Author(s)

Nancy Fichtman Dana

Diane Yendol-Hoppey

Logan Rutten
Table of Contents
Preface
Acknowledgments
About the Authors
List of Exhibits and Figures
List of AI Moments
How to Use the Inquiry Books
1. Teacher Inquiry Defined
2. The Passions That Drive Your Journey: Finding a Wondering
3. Data Collection: Making Inquiry a Part of Your Teaching Practice
4. Developing a Research Plan: Mapping Out Your Inquiry Journey
5. Finding Your Findings: Data Analysis
6. Sharing Your Inquiry Journey: Presenting and Publishing
7. Contributing to the Creation of More Equitable Schools and Classrooms: The Why of Inquiry
8. On Your Way: Becoming the Best Teacher and Researcher You Can Be
References
Index
Reviews
"There’s a reason this book is now in its 5th edition. With its many updates that speak to current educational and societal challenges, this book is a must-read for every teacher, teacher educator, and school leader who is interested in how practitioner inquiry enriches professional practice. Highly practical, but also grounded in scholarship, the book offers compelling reflective exercises and a thoughtful step-by-step guide that explore both the 'how' and, as importantly, the 'why' of practitioner research."Marilyn Cochran-Smith, Cawthorne Professor of Teacher Education for Urban Schools, Emerita
Lynch School of Education and Human Development, Boston College
The 5th edition of The Reflective Educator’s Guide to Practitioner Inquiry builds upon the years of “teaching as inquiry” research presented in earlier editions. The authors challenge readers to systemically examine their own practice to transform their teaching and their classrooms. This edition offers a balanced combination of theorical constructs and practical applications including chapter exercises, discussion topics, and online resources. It is a perfect resource for novice and veteran teachers to take a deeper dive into reflective practice and research.JoAnne Ferrara
Professor Emerita, Manhattanville University and National Association for School–University Partnerships (NASUP) Publications Committee Co-Chair
"The 5th edition of The Reflective Educator’s Guide to Practitioner Inquiry offers a compelling framework for identifying persistent, contextualized challenges and using systematic, intentional investigation to drive continuous improvement in teaching and learning. Packed with practical tools, real-world examples, and reflections on the inquiry process, this book empowers teachers to approach their work with a mindset of curiosity, adaptability, and lifelong professional growth."Jill Perry, Professor of Practice and Executive Director
University of Pittsburgh and Carnegie Project on the Education Doctorate
"This 5th edition of The Reflective Educator’s Guide to Practitioner Inquiry is posed to make a lasting impact on the field of education as it reframes classroom research to practitioner inquiry, adding agency prominently into the role and practice of reflective educators. Emphasizing the process of inquiry as central to the purpose of practitioner inquiry, Dana, Yendol-Hoppey, and Rutten highlight the interplay of inquiry as a process, a product, and a stance toward knowledge and practice for the education profession. This revised edition provides a framework for engaging the process of inquiry, using the product of inquiry to make an impact on education practice, and living an inquiry stance toward teaching to enable a way of being for reflective educators and transformative educational work."Jennifer L. Snow, Professor and Program Area Coordinator
Boise State University
"The Reflective Educator's Guide to Practitioner Inquiry is a masterful bridge between research and practice, equipping educators with the tools and mindset to cultivate continuous, data-driven improvements that elevate student-centered teaching."Aimee H. Barber, Ed.D., Assistant Professor
College of Education & Human Development, University of Louisiana at Lafayette
"Since its first edition, I have relied on The Reflective Educator’s Guide as my essential resource for guiding teachers through the inquiry process. Dana, Yendol-Hoppey, and Rutten masterfully scaffold this process, using vivid examples to illuminate each phase of the inquiry cycle and bring it to life. These examples demonstrate how practitioner research can seamlessly integrate into teachers’ daily practice. I am especially thrilled that this edition introduces new content on developing a research plan, offering a detailed roadmap to help teachers navigate inquiry planning stages with greater depth and purpose. The updated examples, addressing timely topics like Artificial Intelligence, make this edition particularly relevant to today’s educators. At a time when external forces increasingly diminish teachers' autonomy, classroom research offers a powerful means of reclaiming agency and ensuring effective teaching practices for their students."Jennifer Jacobs, Associate Professor/Director, Office of Clinical Education
University of South Florida
"The fifth edition of The Reflective Educator’s Guide to Practitioner Inquiry highlights the transformative power of practitioner inquiry in education, serving as both a guide and inspiration for educators seeking to deepen their impact. By fostering curiosity, reflection, and action, it equips teachers to navigate complexities, elevate their practice, and champion equity in classrooms and communities."Frannie Tunseth, Classroom Teacher & Teacher Educator
May-Port CG School District
"As an instructional coach, I’ve used The Reflective Educator’s Guide to Practitioner Inquiry to guide my own action research as well as facilitate the professional development of others. Learning how to systematically investigate my own practice through inquiry has been transformative. A powerful and impactful learning experience always results."Kerri Bartholomew, Instructional Coach
Ketchikan Gateway Borough School District
"The 5th edition is more than an update. Dana, Yendol-Hoppey, and Rutten’s latest is a manifesto for teacher inquiry: laying out its history, describing the dramatic changes to the contexts of teaching since the 4th edition, and providing the purpose for teacher inquiry as a tool to create more just and more equitable schooling experiences. I predict this edition will become a seminal work in our field."Rachelle Meyer Rogers, Clinical Professor, Past-President of The Association of Teacher Educators
Baylor University
"This book, coupled with its extensive online resources for each chapter, makes coaching, facilitating, and teaching inquiry a truly enriching experience. I have used this book with teacher candidates, teacher leaders, administrators, and graduate students because it provides step-by-step guidance on planning an inquiry and walks readers through the process, providing real-world examples and guides for all audiences."Jamey B. Burns, Director of Professional Learning & Clinical Practices, Project PREP
University of North Florida
"The fifth edition of The Reflective Educator's Guide to Practitioner Inquiry has me eager to work alongside teachers as they engage in inquiry! Its progression is sequenced in such a way that allows for teachers to inquiry independently or within a community of practitioners. I highly recommend it to anyone who is looking to address difficult (and sometimes contested) issues in the classroom while also developing in professional practice."Lisa Vojacek, School-Based Instructional Coach
Grand Forks Public Schools
Other Titles in: Staff Development & Professional Learning | Data-Driven Decision Making | Reflective Practice