120 likes | 748 Views
ACTION RESEARCH. Chapter 6. Introduction. Action research is a research method that aims to solve current practical problems while expanding scientific knowledge It is oriented towards collaboration and change involving researchers and subjects. Definition.
E N D
ACTION RESEARCH Chapter 6
Introduction • Action research is a research method that aims to solve current practical problems while expanding scientific knowledge • It is oriented towards collaboration and change involving researchers and subjects Action research
Definition • ‘Action research (AR) aims to contribute both to the practical concerns of people in an immediate problematic situation and to the goals of social science by joint collaboration within a mutually acceptable ethical framework’ (Rapoport, 1970: 499) • The distinctive feature of AR is the collaboration with practitioners and the deliberate intervention of the researcher • AR is not ‘applied information systems’ or ‘applied marketing’ or consultancy Action research
Action Research Cycle (Adapted from Susman and Evered, 1978) Action research
Approaches to action research • Action research can take positivist, interpretive, or critical forms • ‘Classical action research’ is positivist and is seen as a method for testing and refining a hypothesis or solution • Interpretive action research sees social reality as socially constructed • Critical action research tends to aim for emancipation Action research
Critique of action research • One advantage of AR is that it helps to ensure that your research is practically relevant • One disadvantage of AR is that it is difficult to do the action and the research Action research
What makes an exemplary action research study? • It makes a contribution to practice • It makes a contribution to research Action research