Action Research

Resources compiled by Maria Nemerowicz

Graduate School of Education, University of Massachusetts Lowell

May 2006

What is Action Research?			History of Action Research				Ethical Issues in Action Research	Validity Questions
Action Research in…			The Dissertation Process					Evaluation
	Education						Information & Organizational Systems
					Alternative Paradigms in Action Research
Action Learning				Critical/Feminist Approaches
		Community Based/Participatory Research
More collected resources on action research
									Annotated Bibliography (text resources)
						Online Collections of AR Resources

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What is Action Research?
	O’Brien, R. (2002). An Overview of the Methodological Approach of Action Research.		This overview includes research paradigms, history and ethical issues of action research, with a particular interest in the study of information/organizational systems.
	Dick, B. and Swepson, P.  (1997) Action research FAQ: "frequently asked questions."		Discusses the distinctions between action research and practice, and action research and experimental and quasi-experimental research.
	Rearick, M. & Feldman, A. (1999). A framework for understanding action research.	Includes discussion of critical, collaborative and “typical” action research. To access this article, copy and paste the following URL into your browser’s address bar: www-unix.oit.umass.edu/~afeldman/ActionResearchPapers/RearickFeldman1999.PDF
	Bryant, B. (n.d.). Research.		Bryant’s statement discusses the values and assumptions underlying participatory research and the tensions that these present for researchers working in the university system where positivism remains the dominant paradigm.

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History of Action Research
	Masters, J. (2000). The history of action research. Action Research e-Reports.	This article on the evolution of action research defines three distinct types or paradigms within action research: positivist, collaborative & emancipatory.

Ethical Issues in Action Research
	Roth, W. (2006). Debate: Qualitative Research and Ethics.	This collection of articles and other materials is hosted by Forum: Qualitative Social Research and moderated by Wolff-Michael Roth. Together, the materials comprise a debate among scholars in the field on ethical issues in qualitative research.
	Dunn (1998). Ethics in Human Research Committee: Action research & the implications for ethics in human research. Working paper of the Charles Sturt University Ethics in Human Research Committee.	Written by a university human subjects protection committee, this posting outlines characteristics of action research which present challenges for traditional strategies of protecting human participants in research projects.
	Quiqley, D. (2005). Considering Research Ethics in the Conduct of Health and Environmental Monitoring Activities.	Ethical considerations in participatory action research in the area of environmental health.
	Australian Institute of Family Studies (n.d.). Information Sheet 1 – Ethics in Action Research.	A series of ethical questions for the researcher to consider in developing a research project.

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Validity
	Dick, B.  and Swepson, P.  (1994) Appropriate validity and its attainment within action research: an illustration using soft systems methodology.	Dick & Swepson discuss action research validity issues in general and soft systems methodology as a means of addressing some of these issues.
	Turnock, C. & Gibson, V. (2000). Validity in action research: a discussion on theoretical and practice issues encountered whilst using observation to collect data. Journal of Advanced Nursing.	Discusses validity issues in observational research in clinical settings. Abstract only; full text available through MedLine.
	McNiff, J. (2002). Critical friends and validation groups. Action Research for professional development: Concise advice for new action researchers.	McNiff takes a straightforward approach: “So that your judgement of your work is not held to be only your opinion, you need to make the work available to the critical scrutiny of others.” She describes strategies for creating roles for colleagues to establish validity.
	Postle, D. (2006). Validity Checks. Living from love: An action research inquiry.	Describes validity checks in use in a project undertaken by a psychoanalyst relating individual behavior to political conditions.
	Dick, B. (1999). The validity chain: Rigour in interview data.	An article in Bob Dick’s Resource Papers in Action Research concerning validity questions specific to interview methods in action research.
	Newman, J.M. (1999). Validity and action research: An online conversation.	A collected online discussion of validity which occurred following a conference, The Reflective Practitioner. Newman compiled and preserved the online discussion here because she felt it comprised a coherent and important discussion of validity issues.

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The Dissertation Process: Special Issues Arising from an Action Research Approach
	Dick, B. (2000) Postgraduate programs using action research.	Considerations and implications of the choice to use action research in a thesis or dissertation.
	Dick. B. (1993) You want to do an action research thesis?	The steps involved in conducting an action research thesis or dissertation.
	Dick, B. (1993). Why would anyone use action research?	More on why a researcher might choose action research for a thesis or dissertation.
	Herr, K. & Anderson, G. (2005). The action research dissertation: A guide for students and faculty. Thousand Oaks: Sage Publications.	Description and blurbs on this recent book on action research dissertations.

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Action Research in Education
Readings
	Ferrance, E. (2000). Action Research. Providence, RI: Northeast and Islands Regional Educational Laboratory At Brown University.	Introduction to action research in education, including field notes from two New England school-based projects.
	Newman, J.M. (2000). Action research: A brief overview.	Presents basic issues in action research in educational settings.
	McNiff, J. (2002). Action Research for professional development: Concise advice for new action researchers.	Handbook developed from many years of presenting a course on action research for teachers.
	Rock, T.C. & Levin, B.B. (2002). Collaborative action research projects: Enhancing preservice teacher development in professional development schools. Teacher Education Quarterly.	Discusses action research as a strategy for improving practice in professional development schools.
	Calhoun, E.F. (1994). How to Use Action Research in the Self-Renewing School.	This excerpt from Calhoun’s 1994 book introduces the “action research cycle” in school-wide action research.
	Gorski, P.C. (2006). EdChange Multicultural Pavillion: Teacher Action Research.	Overview of teacher action research as an approach to equity and multicultural education.
Links to More Resources on Action Research in Education
	Action Research Network (2005). What is educational action research?	Brief overview of action research in education and links to the University of Kansas Action Research Network.
	Educational Action Research (2006). Routledge.	The homepage of a quarterly journal on educational action research. A free sample copy is available at the site.
	Development and Dissemination Schools Initiative (n.d.). Action Research Websites.	Electronic resources in action research with a primary focus on action research in education.
	Bencze, J.L. (2005). Action Research: Support for Educators.	Basic information about action research in education and links to many electronic resources.
Associations and Networks for Action Research in Education
	AERA’s Action Research SIG	A Special Interest Group of the American Educational Research Association.
	Collaborative Action Research Network (2006).	Network based at the Institute of Education, Manchester, England, UK. Includes a discussion group and links to publications and conferences.

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Action Research in Information/Organizational Systems
	Weeks (2006). Soft systems methodology (Checkland).	Explains soft systems methodology and its origins and importance (“applying systems thinking to non-systemic situations;). A method for study complex (human, social, political) organizations or processes.
	Dick, B. (2002) Soft systems methodology.	Discusses the application of soft systems methodology to evaluation and information systems.
	Lopes, M.E. (2001). Soft Systems Methodology: An Application to a Community Based Association.	Soft systems methodology study of a volunteer organization. Paper presented at the Fielding Graduate Institute Action Research Symposium.
	Action Science Network (2005). Action Science: Organizational development for the 21^st century manager.	Overview, bibliography and other resources for “action science,” action research applied to organizational development.

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Action Evaluation
	Australian Institute of Family Studies (n.d.). Stronger Families Learning Exchange: Research.	Links to several online articles regarding action evaluation and related ethical and other issues.
	The Conflict Management Program (n.d.). Action Evaluation.	Overview of the action evaluation process.
	Rothman, J. (2003). Action Evaluation.	Overview of action evaluation purpose and strategies, in the context of complex social intervention (conflict resolution).
	Rothman, J. (1999). Action Evaluation.	Discusses action evaluation as formative and participatory evaluation. Includes links to model projects.

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Critical and Feminist Approaches to Action Research
	Weiner, G. (2003). ‘Working on research that really matters’: notes towards the possibility of feminist action research.	Explores the potential of feminist action research in education to create change for marginalized and non-dominant populations.
	Reid, C. J. (2004). Advancing women’s social justice agendas: A feminist action research framework. International Journal of Qualitative Methods, 3(3).	Explores issues in feminist action research in the areas of health and social justice, and its potential.
	Center for Research on Violence Against Women & Children (1999). Designing a Feminist Action Research Project.	Defines feminist action research and provides a seven-step guide to designing a feminist action research project. To open, paste this URL into the address bar of a web browser: iggi.unesco.or.kr/web/iggi_docs/02/952327509.pdf
	Barazangi, N. (2006). Participatory Feminism.	An electronic reader on participatory feminism and participatory action research.

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Community Based/Participatory Action Research
	Seymour-Rolls, K. & Hughes, I. (1999). Participatory Action Research: Getting the Job Done.	Presents participatory action research as research primarily focused on achieving social change and discusses four “moments” (phases) of participatory action research.