Action Research recent issues

Initiating action research: Challenges and paradoxes of opening communicative space

Wicks, P. G., Reason, P. — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 03:01:40 PDT

The success or failure of an action research venture often depends on what happens at the beginning of the inquiry process: in the way access is established, and on how participants and co-researchers are engaged early on. ‘Opening communicative space’ is important because, however we base our theory and practice of action research, the first steps are fateful. We draw on Habermas’s theorizing of the boundary-crises between system and lifeworld to explore the theory behind the idea of communicative space. We attempt to bring these abstract concepts to life, and to illustrate key aspects of action research practice through a review of some of the key challenges, opportunities, and paradoxes which emerge in the early stages of action research projects. Drawing on the literature and on exemplars, we show how the process of opening communicative space can be mapped onto a theory of group development that suggests a progression through phases of inclusion, control, and intimacy. Furthermore, we review an example of third-person action research to illustrate some of the issues raised by the need for both external and internal validation. We conclude that the practices of opening communicative space are necessarily paradoxical, and put forward a list of paradoxes with which facilitators and initiators of action research may need to engage in the start-up phases of their work.

The paradox of participation in action research

Arieli, D., Friedman, V. J., Agbaria, K. — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 03:01:40 PDT

Although participation is widely discussed in the action research literature, relatively few studies deal with building the participative relationship itself. This article attempts to fill that gap through a ‘first-person action research’ involving a relationship between Jewish researchers and a Palestinian Arab non-governmental organization in Israel that failed to live up to our espoused values of participation. It employs an action science method for joint critical reflecting on this relationship and analyzing the data from the reflection. It presents two ‘theories of action’: one aimed at explaining the paradox of participation and one for dealing with it more effectively. By opening our learning, including our errors, to the scrutiny of other action researchers, we hope to generate actionable knowledge that can contribute to building genuinely participative relationships in action research.

Only to connect: Systems psychodynamics and communicative space

Newton, J., Goodman, H. — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 03:01:40 PDT

Local communities empowered to plan?: Applying PAR to establish democratic communicative spaces for sustainable rural development

Bodorkos, B., Pataki, G. — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 03:01:40 PDT

This article presents the second cycle of an ongoing participatory action research (PAR) project that aimed at facilitating bottom-up, sustainability planning and development in one of the most socio-economically disadvantageous micro-regions of Hungary. The process at the very beginning started as conventional qualitative research, and gradually emerged to a PAR process as deeper relationships with local people were developed and previous research practices and research focus were questioned. Current institutional changes, such as the availability of European Union funding for rural development and the micro-regional re-districting driven both by top-down and bottom-up processes, were structural factors that created a more promising context for participatory planning. Although a PAR project generally targets silenced groups, for this to happen it is arguably necessary to legitimize such development work in the eyes of local decision-makers and funding organizations, in order to establish more inclusive communicative spaces around future rural development. However, this also creates a controversial situation: breaking away from prevailing structural inequalities and hierarchies remains difficult through a process which is designed around consensus-building.

Opening and closing communicative space with teachers investigating race and racism in their own practice

Hyland, N. E. — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 03:01:40 PDT

This article explores the very practical challenges that the author experienced as she and a racially mixed elementary school teaching staff negotiated communicative space within a critical inquiry group exploring race and racism in their teaching context. Specifically, the author explores her role of critical friend as crucial to forming communicative space; the ways that communicative space was contested and challenged within the critical inquiry group; and the new communicative spaces that arose from the original group. This article offers implications for action researchers attempting to create communicative spaces around difficult issues such as race and racism.

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

Huang, H. B. — Thu, 21 May 2009 09:31:51 PDT

The arts in action research: call for papers

Thu, 21 May 2009 09:31:51 PDT

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

Okigbo, C., Reierson, J., Stowman, S. — Thu, 21 May 2009 09:31:51 PDT

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. — Thu, 21 May 2009 09:31:51 PDT

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. — Thu, 21 May 2009 09:31:51 PDT

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. — Thu, 21 May 2009 09:31:51 PDT

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. — Thu, 21 May 2009 09:31:51 PDT

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. — Thu, 21 May 2009 09:31:51 PDT

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.

Theory in action research

Dick, B., Stringer, E., Huxham, C. — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 08:35:17 PST

In this prologue to the special issue on theory in action research we provide a context and an introduction for the articles that follow. We begin by sketching in some of our shared ideas on theory in action research and some of the differences between our own approaches. Then, after briefly describing the process of preparing this issue, we provide a succinct pointer to each article in the issue.

The `f' word has everything to do with it: How feminist theories inform action research

Frisby, W., Maguire, P., Reid, C. — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 08:35:17 PST

This article considers how feminist theories have and can contribute to action research, while acknowledging some of the tensions that arise when applying and building feminist theories. While feminist theorizing undoubtedly occurs in some action research, whether it is named or not, the gap appears to be in linking local knowledge to existing theoretical frameworks. Feminist theories, even though they are always partial and contested, have acted as an intentional counter to dominant theories about human experiences and strategies for change. They prompt people to ask new questions and to see power dynamics and relationships that may otherwise be missed or misread. As a result, they have an important role to play in any action research with transformative intentions.

There is nothing so theoretical as good action research

Friedman, V. J., Rogers, T. — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 08:35:17 PST

The goal of this article is try to retrieve the idea of `good theory' that provides accessible and useful tools for practitioners, academics, and other participants in action research. In doing so, we advocate the importance of explicit theory building and testing as an integral part of action research practice. The association of theory with positivist research methodologies has resulted in the rejection of theory by many action researchers, who are fundamentally interested in interpretation and change and correctly see positivist theorizing as antagonistic to these aims. Drawing on the example of Chris Argyris and Donald Schön's `theory of action' approach, we identify six qualities of a non-positivist `good theory'. Broadly, these suggest that theory needs to be both sensitive to the meanings participants give to their situation, yet go beyond these to explore unseen causal dimensions of their behavior and the environment, and the interaction of the two. A case study based on our own practice illustrates these points. We conclude that empowering clients to make practical and sustainable changes means co-creating a shared knowledge of the causal conditions of their social world and its attendant difficulties, and that this knowledge is theoretical.

Big returns for a little more investment: Mapping theory in emergent research

Raymer, A. — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 08:35:17 PST

Action researchers can effectively uncover the theory embedded within inquiries by using a combination of analysis approaches and heuristic models already widely known. Presented here is one approach for mapping theory to capture elements of both program theory and theory of practice. Using a case of a Participatory Evaluative Action Research (PEAR), the article demonstrates how data collected over the course of an inquiry can yield extra contributions, in addition to its original usages for informing local actions and decision-making.

Building grounded theory in action research through the interplay of subjective ontology and objective epistemology

Poonamallee, L. — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 08:35:17 PST

In this article, I contribute to the discourse on building theory within the context of action research. Specifically, drawing on advaita (non-dualism) philosophy from Hinduism, I describe a holistic framework which views life as holistic, that is, comprising both subjective and objective views of reality and thus promoting interplay between ontological subjectivity and epistemological objectivity. I illustrate with examples, how anchored in a holistic paradigm, I used principles of constant comparison in developing the theoretical category of sacredness in its various dimensions. I also describe two dimensions that characterized this process: researcher as insider-outsider and researcher's affirmations and ambivalences.

Generating living theory and understanding in action research studies

Whitehead, J. — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 08:35:17 PST

The paper explains how individuals can generate their living theories from action research as explanations for their educational influences in learning. The epistemological significance of these explanations is explored in terms of the energy and values that are expressed in explanatory principles of learning in enquiries of the kind, `How do I improve what I am doing?'. Limitations in the expression of the meanings of these explanatory principles through words on pages of printed text are overcome from a perspective of inclusionality and in multi-media explanations that focus on the embodied knowledges of action researchers. These explanations can be accessed through the live URLs provided in the article. Evidence that the explanations of educational influences in learning from Whitehead's educational research programme have been used by others is provided from the masters and doctoral degrees of other living theory action researchers.

Building emergent situated knowledges in participatory action research

Genat, B. — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 08:35:17 PST

Participatory action research (PAR) draws theoretically on the concepts of symbolic interactionism, particularly with regard to the collaborative construction and production of meanings. This article describes how action research builds meaningful theory at the local level thereby enabling researchers, researcher-participants and their local partners to foreground shared local understandings to critique more dominant discourses and policy positions regarding their circumstances. In so doing, this approach to PAR also draws on feminist understandings of standpoint epistemologies and situated knowledges and aligns itself with the politics of post-colonial theory and decolonizing methodologies.

Final reflections, unanswered questions

Dick, B., Stringer, E., Huxham, C. — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 08:35:17 PST

The interest in theory is greater than we anticipated. However, in looking at the role of theory in action research, there are more questions than answers. With few exceptions, the way in which theory is built from experience remains elusive. How is it done? It seems that frameworks are useful in making sense of the world. But which frameworks? What do they leave out? How accessible are they to participants? What effect does that have on participation, and in turn on actions? These and other questions about theory may have to wait for other occasions.

Editorial

Huang, H. B. — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 06:56:20 PST

Voices from the field: Practitioner reactions to collaborative research initiatives

Cunningham, W. S. — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 06:56:20 PST

Numerous accounts of the difficulties encountered in research collaborations can be found in the extant literature. Most of these accounts, however, are from the perspective of academically based researchers. Comparatively little is known about how agency staff respond to these initiatives. To address this gap in knowledge, the article describes the challenges encountered during a research collaboration from the perspective of agency participants. Interviews were conducted with agency staff who have partnered with a university-based research team in an attempt to implement a continual learning system in their agencies. Despite taking great care to set up the project in a way that was intended to foster collaboration, the project encountered some difficulties over the course of its first three years. The article concludes with suggestions for both the implementation of research collaborations and research on the endeavors themselves.

An existential approach to engaging adult learners in the process of legitimizing and constructing meanings from their narrative knowledge

Hussein, J. W. — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 06:56:20 PST

The aim of this study is two-fold. One is evaluating the action research process and how the existential situations of the inquiry influence the process of intervention. The second is generating and analysing the thematic structure of the learners' reconstructions of their lived experiences. The study highlighted that through challenging, one can convince learners to legitimate their narrative knowledge through sharing their personal narratives and to understand how to reach their existential reality. It is evident from the steps that action research can help a practitioner make learners see and believe that their narrative knowledge is valuable and can serve as input for critical reflection. The other finding is that learners may not need advanced language to give expressions to their lived experience. Finally, the article concludes with the researcher's emotional dissonance regarding where an inquirer into the lived experiences of his/her research participants should stand.

Action research, practical challenges and the formation of theory

Gustavsen, B. — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 06:56:20 PST

It is a common assumption that action research exists in a number of varieties. In efforts to explain these varieties, the point of departure is sometimes sought in differences in practical challenges, sometimes in differences in theoretical outlook. Taken separately, these perspectives can, however, both be too limited. Drawing upon an action research tradition that has been in existence for four decades, it will be seen that one and the same tradition has passed through a series of different ways of combining theory and practice. The prime moving force has been success and failure in meeting specific practical challenges; the role of theory has been to deepen the understanding of these challenges and indicate what courses of action are open in each specific situation.

Orlando Fals Borda: 1925--2008

Rahman, A. — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 06:56:20 PST

Celebrating the legacy of Orlando Fals Borda

Ospina, S. — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 06:56:20 PST

Gracias Companero: an appreciation of Orlando Fals Borda

Hall, B. L. — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 06:56:20 PST