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Tuesday, April 22, 2008

INTRODUCTION TO ACTION RESEARCH

AN INTRODUCTION TO ACTION RESEARCH

What is Action Research?

Several broad characteristics define action research (Adler, Shani and Styhre,
2004; Argyris, Putnam and Smith, 1985; Coughlan and Coghlan, 2002; Eden
and Huxham, 1996; Greenwood and Levin, 1998; Gummesson, 2000; Peters
and Robinson, 1984; Reason andTorbert, 2001; Susman and Evered, 1978):
• Research in action, rather than research about action;
• Participative;
• Concurrent with action;
• A sequence of events and an approach to problem solving.

Firstly, action research focuses on research in action, rather than research about
action. The central idea is that action research uses a scientific approach to
study the resolution of important social or organisational issues together with
those who experience these issues directly. Action research works through a
cyclical four-step process of consciously and deliberately: i) planning, 2) taking
action 3) and evaluating the action, 4) leading to further planning.



Secondly, action research is participative and democratic. Members of the
system which is being studied participate actively in the cyclical process outlined
above. Such participation is frequently as research with people rather than
research on people.


Thirdly, action research is research concurrent with action. The goal is to
make that action more effective while simultaneously building up a body of
scientific knowledge.


Finally, action research is both a sequence of events and an approach to
problem solving. As a sequence of events, it comprises iterative cycles of gathering
data, feeding it back to those concerned, analysing the data, planning
action, taking action and evaluating, leading to further data gathering and so
on. As an approach to problem solving, it is an application of the scientific
method of fact-finding and experimentation to practical problems requiring
action solutions and involving the collaboration and cooperation of the action
researchers and members ofthe organisational system. The desired outcomes of
the action research approach are not just solutions to the immediate problems;
they provide important learning from outcomes, both intended and unintended,
and a contribution to scientific knowledge and theory.


Action research works firom its own quality requirements (Reason and
Bradbury, 2001). Reason (2003a) discusses that the criteria against which quality
in action research might be judged may be based on a range of choice
points which action researchers make clear and transparent. For instance, the
quality of an action research may be judged on the practical knowledge that
emerges or the quality of participation. In a similar vein. Levin (2003 a) argues
that action research's contribution to scientific discourse is not a matter of
sticking to the rigour-relevance polarity but of focusing on vital arguments
relating to participation, real-life problems, joint-meaning construction and
workable solutions.

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