Action Research current issue

Introducing issue 7(2): Thinking about the emancipatory aims of action research

Huang, H. B. — 2009-05-21

The arts in action research: call for papers

2009-05-21

Leveraging acculturation through action research: A case study of refugee and immigrant women in the United States

Okigbo, C., Reierson, J., Stowman, S. — 2009-05-21

The demographic changes in contemporary American society portend serious consequences with far-reaching implications for the future development of the country. One of the more serious challenges is in the influx of refugees and new immigrants many of whom are not acculturating as easily as in the past. Unfortunately, the use of conventional research methods in studying acculturation has not yielded many actionable solutions to the adaptation problems, nor have newcomers been engaged as co-researchers. In this longitudinal study, action research approaches of participatory and community action research as well as action inquiry were used to identify the most pressing acculturation problems and also to engage the subjects (co-researchers) in proffering practical solutions to these problems. The results provide lessons for newcomers and resettlement agencies that are interested in promoting successful integration. The use of a variety of action research approaches for each of the three phases of this project illustrates the versatility of action research in different social contexts, especially in evolving situations with different social groups.

Participative research in a remote Australian Aboriginal setting

Kildea, S., Barclay, L., Wardaguga, M., Dawumal, M. — 2009-05-21

This article describes the research process used to develop and evaluate an Internet-based resource aimed at improving access by health professionals to Australian Aboriginal cultural knowledge specific to pregnancy and childbirth. As a result of the research, women's stories from Maningrida were recorded and presented on the `Birthing Business in the Bush Website' which provided a platform for Aboriginal Australian women from Maningrida to present cultural and other information to maternity care practitioners. In particular, this article describes the development of the participatory action research combined with an Aboriginal research process, and how this was guided by the Aboriginal co-researchers and participants.

Reflecting on community/academic `collaboration': The challenge of `doing' feminist participatory action research

Langan, D., Morton, M. — 2009-05-21

This article articulates many of the issues that feminist participatory action researchers confront in attempts to conduct collaborative research with community organizations and the state (see Brydon-Miller, McGuire, & McIntyre, 2004; Gatenby & Humphries, 2000; Reid, Tom, & Frisby, 2006; Sullivan, Bhuyan, Senturia, Shiu-Thornton, & Ciske, 2005). As recent PhD sociologists, the authors were hired as independent consultants by a provincial ministry¹ to evaluate an initiative to expand service provision to women who had experienced violence by their intimate partners.² Our analysis of what transpired during this consultancy experience is grounded in our participant observation and a reflective process in which we have engaged, periodically, over the past 10 years. During that time we have articulated, and re-articulated our `story', both informally and formally, through solitary and collaborative writing and rewriting endeavors. Our immersion in this process has yielded ever-evolving understandings of this life experience, and the passage of time has allowed us to refine an analysis because of the distance in time between now and our involvement. We begin by outlining our understanding of feminist participatory action research (FPAR) that informed our work with the ministry, followed by our story of what happened and our sociological analysis of that story.

Discovering what the people knew: The 1979 Appalachian Land Ownership Study

Scott, S. L. — 2009-05-21

The Appalachian Land Ownership Study is recognized as a pioneering effort in the interdisciplinary field of participatory action research. This article analyzes this community-based study of land ownership and taxation in Appalachia to determine what lessons it offers a new generation of action researchers. It demonstrates both the practical difficulties in community-based research as well as the challenges to legitimation that may be launched from policy and social science audiences who embrace positivistic research methodologies and epistemologies. The article concludes with the lessons that the land study offers a new generation of researchers who wish to conduct socially relevant, participatory research. Despite the obstacles and disappointments associated with the Appalachian Land Ownership Study, this article concludes that it had long-lasting political, social, personal and scholarly impacts.

Dilemmas of trustworthiness in preservice teacher action research

Phillips, D. K., Carr, K. — 2009-05-21

Can preservice teachers carry out trustworthy action research? We have found that action research can be a powerful experience for preservice teachers. Yet preservice teacher action research projects involve complexities unique to a preservice teacher's position as `guest', `student', `teacher', and `researcher'. In this article, we suggest criteria for trustworthy preservice teacher action research that embraces these complexities as sources of strength. We base our criteria upon analysis of action research projects produced by students in the teacher education program where we teach. We apply trustworthiness criteria from qualitative research (Arminio & Hultgren, 2002; Kincheloe, 2003; Lather, 1991; Reason & Bradbury, 2001; Richardson, 1997) to guide our analysis, but we interpret `trustworthiness' through the lens of preservice teacher context and experience. Our intent is to honor the voices of preservice teachers telling their own stories of becoming a teacher through action research.

Dissemination in action research

Sommer, R. — 2009-05-21

Lewin proposed three goals for action research: to advance knowledge; to improve a concrete situation; and to improve behavioral science methodology. The three objectives cannot be met by a single mode of dissemination. Innovative dissemination strategies will be necessary. Action researchers should publish substantive articles in technical journals to reach colleagues; applied articles in periodicals read by practitioners and the public; and methodological and reflective articles in associational and professional journals designed to improve the practice of action research.