Jānis Kapenieks’ doctoral thesis Educational Action Research in an E–Learning Environment has been worked out at the Distance Education Study Centre of the Faculty of Electronics and Telecommunications of Riga Technical University within the doctoral programme E–Study Technologies and Management as a transdisciplinary research work for obtaining a doctoral degree in higher education pedagogy. The doctoral thesis has 227 pages, it contains 95 figures and 22 tables, as well as 26 annexes. 194 scientific sources have been used in elaborating the doctoral thesis. The objective of the research described in the doctoral thesis is to develop a methodology for the use of action research for educational purposes in an e–learning environment and provide a model for such an environment in order to promote the sustainability of the pedagogic process. In order to reach the objective of such a research, three basic research problems have been solved: 1. How to integrate educational action research (EAR) into an e–learning environment using the available IT resources? How to take advantage of the dual nature of action research — as a study method and a strategy for creating new knowledge — for mastering the study courses at higher education institutions? 2. How does the action research method influence the students? Does the development of the students’ creativity, interests and values answer the needs of highly demanded knowledge–based professions? 3. How to create an environment design suitable for action research and what kind of e–learning environment prototype should be used for acquiring the study courses at higher education institutions? What basic principles of group work should be used in an e–learning environment? In order to reach the objective of the research, the following tasks have been performed: • The philosophic, pedagogic and e–learning aspects of computer science literature have been analysed. Literature on the essential aspects of action research, its use for creating personal knowledge and deepening the research participants’ understanding of the research subject, the use of information technologies for acquiring knowledge and collaborative learning have been studied in depth. • Research on professions necessary in the European countries in the future and skills and personal qualities involving interests, values and creativity that they will require have been analysed. • A version of educational action research for the use of available internet resources and the creation of an e–learning environment has been elaborated and the results of mastering and generating knowledge in this environment have been investigated. • The impact of educational action research in an e–learning environment on the interests and values of the students has been studied. Their adequacy to the requirements of the European labour market has been assessed. • The shortcomings of the e–learning environment used have been identified and a prototype of an improved e–learning environment for educational action research has been developed. The research object is the pedagogic process in an e–learning environment at higher education institutions. The research subject is the use of educational action research in developing an e–learning environment prototype. The described research in the doctoral thesis contains three chapters which correspond to the three outlined research problems. The research work ends with conclusions and recommendations for using the research results at higher education institutions.