Action Research

Action Research is - the process of systematically collecting research data, - about an ongoing system, - relative to some objective, goal or need, - feeding these data back into the system, - taking actions by altering selected variables, - based on the data and the hypotheses, - evaluating the results of actions - by collecting more data.

Stages of Action Research

A cyclical process with five phases:

diagnosing action planning action taking evaluating specifying learning

in order to develop a client-system infrastructure

Contribution by Action Research

Contributes: differently to the growth of knowledge Guides: or action principles as opposed to rules Practices: techniques providing know-how

Enabling: develops interpersonal and problem solving skills, competence

Infrastructure: researcher acquires increasing skills of developing organizational infrastructure Collaboration: enlarges domain of inquiry from them to us

Need for Action Research

Action research is a corrective tool to the deficiencies of other research techniques

is future oriented is collaborative implies system development generates theory grounded in action is diagnostic is situational

Varieties of Action Research

1.

2.
3. 4.

Diagnostic Action Research Participant Action Research Empirical Action Research Experimental Action Research

Method of Action Research

Discussion

Research to precede action or action to precede research ?