Action Research recent issues

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.

Theory in action research

Dick, B., Stringer, E., Huxham, C. — 2009-02-24

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. — 2009-02-24

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. — 2009-02-24

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. — 2009-02-24

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. — 2009-02-24

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. — 2009-02-24

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. — 2009-02-24

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. — 2009-02-24

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. — 2008-11-24

Voices from the field: Practitioner reactions to collaborative research initiatives

Cunningham, W. S. — 2008-11-24

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. — 2008-11-24

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. — 2008-11-24

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. — 2008-11-24

Celebrating the legacy of Orlando Fals Borda

Ospina, S. — 2008-11-24

Gracias Companero: an appreciation of Orlando Fals Borda

Hall, B. L. — 2008-11-24

Editorial

Bradbury, H. — 2008-08-22

Making habitable space together with female Chinese immigrants to Hong Kong: An interdisciplinary participatory action research project

Kwok, J. Y.-c., Ku, H.-B. — 2008-08-22

When women from mainland China are newly arrived in Hong Kong, their first difficulty is usually environmental stress. Their socio-economic situation often limits their ability to express their expectations related to their living space. In order to enable the women to voice their views and become participants in urban planning, our research group adopted interdisciplinary participatory action research, including non-participant observation, in-depth interviews, focus groups, photovoice, visual simulation-modelling workshops, etc. In the process, we asked these newly arrived woman to 1) offer comments on their current living situation; 2) describe clearly their preferred housing environment; and 3) propose suggestions to the Hong Kong Government in respect to housing and neighbourhood planning. This article intends to demonstrate the validity of the use of these methods to promote participatory democracy in the context of an urban living environment.

e-PAR: Using technology and participatory action research to engage youth in health promotion

Flicker, S., Maley, O., Ridgley, A., Biscope, S., Lombardo, C., Skinner, H. A. — 2008-08-22

There is increasing interest in `moving upstream' in youth health promotion efforts to focus on building youth self-esteem, self-efficacy and civic engagement. Participatory Action Research (PAR) can be a powerful mechanism for galvanizing youth to become active agents of this change. Engaging youth in PAR and health promotion, however, is not always an easy task. This article describes a model (e-PAR) for using technology and Participatory Action Research to engage youth in community health promotion. The e-PAR Model was developed iteratively in collaboration with 57 youth and five community partners through seven projects. The Model is designed to be used with a group of youth working with a facilitator within a youth-serving organization. In addition to outlining the theoretical basis of the e-PAR Model, this article provides an overview of how the Model was developed along with implications for practice and research.

Reciprocity: An ethic for community-based participatory action research

Maiter, S., Simich, L., Jacobson, N., Wise, J. — 2008-08-22

Ethical issues have been of ongoing interest in discussions of community-based participatory action research (CBPAR). In this article we suggest that the notion of reciprocity — defined as an ongoing process of exchange with the aim of establishing and maintaining equality between parties — can provide a guide to the ethical practice of CBPAR. Through sharing our experiences with a CBPAR project focused on mental health services and supports in several cultural-linguistic immigrant communities in Ontario, Canada, we provide insights into our attempts at establishing reciprocal relationships with community members collaborating in the research study and discuss how these relationships contributed to ethical practice. We examine the successes and challenges with specific attention to issues of power and gain for the researched community. We begin with a discussion of the concept of reciprocity, followed by a description of how it was put into practice in our project, and, finally, conclude with suggestions for how an ethic of reciprocity might contribute to other CBPAR projects.

Teaching and learning action research: Transforming students, faculty and university in Mexico

Kur, E., DePorres, D., Westrup, N. — 2008-08-22

This article describes our experience teaching action research (AR) in a Mexican graduate program. It emphasizes the challenges associated with teaching this kind of research in Mexico and illustrates ways we address those challenges. It also illustrates that a high level of personal growth often accompanies AR training and that such growth, as well as learning the `mechanics' of AR, is significantly enhanced when faculty become deeply engaged with students during the entire learning experience. The article contributes to what is known about teaching action research in graduate university settings, specifically, about how to teach it, reasons for teaching it, and unintended consequences of teaching it. It describes problems in teaching and mastering AR competence and uses experiences in Latin America's oldest masters program in organization development to illustrate solutions. Examples from student projects demonstrate how action research coursework translates to increased student skills and simultaneously to increased effectiveness of the social systems in which the students conduct research. Finally, the article describes work that led a university to include action research training in all of its graduate programs.

Authenticity as first person practice: An exploration based on Bernard Lonergan

Coghlan, D. — 2008-08-22

In this article I explore how the notion of authenticity may be grounded in first person practice, rather than in the quality of research data. Drawing on the work of the philosopher-theologian Bernard Lonergan who follows a first person approach and who articulates a notion of authenticity, I explore how authenticity may be framed in terms of being attentive, intelligent, reasonable, and responsible in engaging with the challenges of action research.