ACTION RESEARCH

Kusrini S. Kadar
 “THERE IS NO RESEARCH
WITHOUT ACTION; AND THERE IS
NO ACTION WITHOUT RESEARCH”

Kurt Lewin, 1950

OUTLINE
 What is Action Research

 Characteristic of Action Research

 Type of Action Research

 Example of AR Project
WHAT IS ACTION RESEARCH (AR)

Action Research is one scientific

method that aims to change
something and observes the
effects through systematic
processes
 PURPOSE

 Action research’s primary

purpose
 To facilitate change in specific
situations in local and real
world environments
 To solve real problems
 To encourage positive change
in the physical, emotional and
social status of people.
MORE ABOUT AR
 Action Research is more of a holistic approach to problem-solving, rather than
a single method for collecting and analyzing data.
 It allows for several different research tools to be used as the project is
conducted.
 These various methods, which are generally common to the qualitative
research paradigm, include: keeping a research journal, document collection
and analysis, participant observation recordings, questionnaire surveys,
structured and unstructured interviews, and case studies.
AR AND IT’S POSITION WITHIN THE
RESEARCH PARADIGM

EMPIRICAL RESEARCH INTERPRETIVE RESEARCH

(Quantitative) (Qualitative)

CRITICAL THEORETICAL
RESEARCH

ACTION RESEARCH
Interpretive Critical theoretic Living theory
approaches approaches approaches

(McNiff & Whitehead 2002)

ACTION RESEARCH IS:
 Not research ‘on’ people (Quantitative Paradigm)

 Not research ‘for’ people (Qualitative Paradigm)

BUT
 Research ‘with’ people (Critical Social Theory Paradigm)
CRITICAL RESEARCH PARADIGM
• Emancipatory interest (Freire)
• Advocates Change
• Political, ideological factors, power and interests
shaping behaviour
• Feminism
• Small scale research
and interests
• Participant researchers
tion
• Understanding, interrogating, critiquing, transforming
ner researchers
actions
• Critical theorists, ac researchers,
practitio
4 DEFINING CHARACTERISTICS OF ACTION RESEARCH

Practical nature – real world problems

Change – integral part of research

Cyclical process – feedback loop

Participation is active not passive

KEY FEATURES OF ACTION RESEARCH
 It is research in action rather than about action

 It is participative

 Starts small

 It has a sequence of events (Cycle)

 Compiles evidence – keeps records (logs, journals)

 Aims to manage change and/or solve problems in an analytical, reflective

series of actions, evaluations and further actions.
PRACTITIONER AR (IN EDUCATION/HEALTH)

 Aims to improve education/health practices by changing practice and

learning from the consequences of change
 It is participatory and collaborative

 Establishes self-critical communities keen to ‘enlighten’ themselves and thus

‘emancipate’ themselves from rigid practices
 THE CONTINUUM OF POSITIONALITY IN ACTION
RESEARCH – OUTSIDER VS. INSIDER
Positionality of Researcher
1. Insider (researcher studies own self/practice
2. Insider in collaboration with other insiders
3. Insider(s) in collaboration with outsider(s)
4. Reciprocal collaboration (insider-outsider teams)
5. Outsider(s) in collaboration with insider(s)
6. Outsider(s) studies insider(s)
Contributes to
Knowledge base; Improved/critiqued practice;
Self/professional transformation
Knowledge base; Improved/critiqued practice;
Professional/organizational transformation
Knowledge base; Improved/critiqued practice;
Professional/organizational transformation
Knowledge base; Improved/critiqued practice;
Professional/organizational transformation
Knowledge base; Improved/critiqued practice;
Organizational development/ transformation
Knowledge base
Traditions
Practitioner research; Autobiography, Narrative
research; Self study
Feminist consciousness raising group;
Inquiry/Study groups, Team
Inquiry/Study groups
Collaborative forms of participatory action
research that achieve equitable power relations
Mainstream change agency: consultancies,
industrial democracy, organizational learning;
Radical change: community empowerment
(Paulo Freire)
University-based, academic research on action
research methods or action research projects
CYCLES OF ACTION RESEARCH
Plan

Reflect Act

Observe
(Lewin 1946)
ACTION RESEARCH MAP
2. Imagine a possible solution
1. Identify a problematic issue

5. Change your 3. Try it out

practice in the light of
the evaluation

4. Evaluate it

(McNiff 2002)
Step 1. Identifying Problems/Issue

Step 2. Thinking ways to solve the problems

SIMPLE 5 STEPS
Step 3. Doing It

Step 4. Evaluating it (Research Findings)

Step 5. Modifying future practice

ACTION CYCLE
One research project
consist of several cycles 
number depends on the
length of the
study/project
 Stage 1: Preliminary investigation and planning action
 Study the context
 Development tools to evaluate current community health professionals practice

Plan Act Observe Reflect

Stage 2: Group Establishment and empowerment

Replan Plan

Reflect Act Reflect Act

Observe Observe

Cycle 3 Cycle 2

Stage 3: Reconfiguring practice and evaluation

Replan • Evaluation of study

• Withdraw from the field

Reflect Act

Observe

Cycle 4
 CRITICISMS OF ACTION RESEARCH
 Not valid research as seen from positivist/scientific
perspective
 Largely un-theorised descriptions of practice
 Need to be aware of major criticisms, and have
confidence in that approach to action research is well
thought out and systematic
 Findings not generalisable

How can we combat this?

Critical Friends
ESTABLISHING
Recording Events (Journaling) RELIABILITY &
VALIDITY
Validation of FGD/Interview

Triangulation

Reflection
CHECKLIST FOR ACTION RESEARCH
Cycle structure

Timescales

Ethical approval

How will you insure quality

and validity
 Reflective ... Communicative
Qualitative ... Soft ... Dynamic
Hermeneutical ... Narrative
Contextual
ACTION RESEARCH
as method(ology)
Naturalistic ... Interpretive
Constructivist ...Problem-solving
Pragmatic philosophy ... Historicity