Action research

A topic in research methodology

Action research is a research methodology (a type of research strategy) that can incorporate a range of different data collection and analysis techniques.

Action research implies no specific methods of inquiry. Methods are context-bound and will be operationally shaped in the light of the problems that are presented in the context. Action research has no distinctive methodological characteristics… (Elliott, 2005: 370)

Elliott, J. (2005). Becoming critical: the failure to connect. Educational Action Research, 13(3), 359-374

The erroneous assumption is often made that action research is yet another tradition in qualitative research, adding to genres such as phenomenology, ethnography, and grounded theory. Although the type of self-reflexive exploration that is the hallmark of action research is particularly well served by qualitative methods, action research is not tied directly to any particular method of qualitative data collection or analysis, nor does it preclude the use of quantitative methods. Rather, action research uses methodological pluralism, which allows researchers to choose the most pragmatic method (quantitative, qualitative, or mixed) that best suits their particular research question. (Guiffrida, et al., 2011)

Guiffrida, D. A., Douthit, K. Z., Lynch, M. F., & Mackie, K. L. (2011). Publishing action research in counseling journals. Journal of Counseling and Development, 89(3), 282-287.

Action research has become very popular in professional fields such as education, nursing, counselling…

Action research is – like many ideas in research methodology – contended. Different authors have somewhat different views of what counts as action research.

However, action research, AR, is generally a form of practitioner research that is practice and context-directed and can be characterised by

• purpose
• priorities
• periodicity

…action research is understood differently by different authors, but usually means research that is carried out by practitioners to address a problem or issues in their own practice. A key feature of action research is its cyclic nature, with the practitioner-researcher implementing and evaluating an innovation intended to address the concern, and then modifying the innovation as indicated by the evaluation. There is then a similarity between the action research cycle and the learning cycle …. The focus of action research is meant to be the improvement of the practical situation, rather than the development of generalisable theoretical knowledge, and so action research often lacks detailed documentation and formal reporting.

Taber, K. S. (2014). Methodological issues in science education research: a perspective from the philosophy of science. In M. R. Matthews (Ed.), International Handbook of Research in History, Philosophy and Science Teaching (Vol. 3, pp. 1839-1893). Dordrecht: Springer Netherlands.

This table suggests how action research should be distinct from traditional academic research:

AR studies a 'moving target'

'Flavours' of action research

Forms of AR have been described as 'critical', 'collaborative', 'participatory' and 'emancipatory', although there are differences and overlaps in how these different terms are used by different authors.