Educational action research is typically research carried out by the practitioner in an attempt to improve practice through a systematic cycle, or cycles, of planning, doing and reflecting. The term action research itself is widely seen as having been first used by Lewin in work on citizenships in the 1940s in USA to describe research leading to social action. Action research became particularly influential in the 1970s 1980s in the UK with the work of Carr and Kemmis (1986) was highly cited. In a much quoted definition they envisaged action research as ‘a form of self-reflective enquiry undertaken by participants in social situations in order to improve the rationality and justice of their own practices, their understanding of these practices, and the situations in which the practices are carried out’ (Carr and Kemmis 1986: 162).

Action research is distinctive as it starts with a concern for improving local conditions (how can I make this situation better?) rather than an outsider view (how can I get them to make the situation better? or how can the situation be better?). It begins with an ethical commitment to change things for the better while recognising that what is better is a matter of debate and argument. Action research has a direct impact on practice, indeed the collaborative, ‘bottom up’, iterative models of action research is our best hope of introducing desirable and sustainable educational changes (eg Fullan, 2001). Action research takes a distinct epistemological based on reflection on action; it takes the view that only by trying to change the way the world is organised that you can understand how it is organised. More specifically much research in education merely speculates on the constraints and limits on change, action research is grounded on real world experiences.

Action research is not in the least apologetic or defensive about its action oriented stance. As explained by Carr and Kemmis:

‘education as such is not a theoretical activity. Rather, it is a practical activity, the purpose of which is to change those being educated in some desirable way…..Hence although educational research may share with other forms of research a concern to investigate and resolve problems it differs from them in the sense that the problems it seeks to are educational problems.’

In other words social scientists can carry out research into education but they do not carry out educational research as properly understood. Educational problems are necessarily action orientated; educational research is not a social science.

The above quote research might suggest that action research is atheoretical but this is not the case; theory is there to provide a lens through which to view the world and a means of reflection for future action, for Winter (1998) Theory in an action research process is:

1) a personal, improvised selection of resources, 2) reflexive and multi-disciplinary, 3) speculation on the hypothetical meanings of the immediately observable, 4) integration of the ideas required for practical action.

Theory and practice are closely tied, theory emerges from practice and theory informs practice, hence the much cited aphorism (at least much cited by action researchers) that there is nothing as practical as a good theory.

Reflection

Do you have any experiences of reading or carrying out action research? How far do they tally with the view of action research above?

What might attract you to / put you off carrying out action research

References

Carr, W. and Kemmis, S. (1986) Becoming critical. Education, knowledge and action research, London: Falmer Press.

Fullan, M. (2001) The New Meaning of Education Change, Teachers College Press, Columbia University: New York.

Winter, R. (1998) Managers, Spectators and citizens: what does ‘theory’ come from in action research, Educational Action Research, 6, 3,