2. Rough Guide to Action Research
This slide gives Isobelâs personal view,
as a busy person doing research âon the sideâ
Action Research is very good, BUT âŚ
⢠Even experienced researchers find it demanding.
⢠I view it as an aspiration or an ideal, not a benchmark.
⢠When I do bits of Action Research, thatâs good.
⢠When I donât, I explain:
â Why Action research would have been better.
â What I actually did, and why (no time, thought of it too late...)
â How my results might have been better.
â What Iâd do next timeâŚ
3. ACTION RESEARCH (McNiff et al 1996)
Action research is a method devised for professionals
who wanted to:
⢠improve their own practice.
⢠contribute to public knowledge about how to do their job.
Action research is now used for other research problems:
wherever objective logic alone cannot provide the answers.
Because it requires subjective interpretation of events,
action research must maintain the highest quality of:
⢠enquiry
⢠action
⢠validation
⢠results
4. ENQUIRY
Enquiry must be systematic and critical.
We ask the research question: âHow can I improve ...?â
As research proceeds we refine the question.
A systematic plan documents what we are looking for.
The plan changes as we learn. We must explain why.
In order to be critical, we must be willing to change:
⢠what we do, how we do it and why.
⢠how we think and what we pay attention to.
We must be willing to listen and accept other peopleâs viewpoints.
Seek ideas / suggestions / theories / models / problems / issues from:
⢠the literature (textbooks, academic journals, the law, the press...
⢠other practitioners (colleagues, people in other professions,...
⢠beneficiaries (clients/users)
5. ACTION
Action must be involved, informed and overtly intentional.
As an action researcher, you should:
⢠Be committed to a worthwhile purpose. Explore and defend values.
⢠Respectfully involve others as collaborators (not subjects).
⢠Collect valid data according to a systematic plan.
⢠Monitor the data as it is collected and use it to:
⢠Identify issues, make claims, suggest theories and models
⢠Amend research plan to test new issues / claims / theories / models.
⢠Explore new issues, construct and test new theories and models.
⢠Regularly write:
â authentic descriptions of researcherâs actions and feelings.
â explanations of possible meanings + motives.
6. VALIDATION
Self validation:
⢠Look back at early questions + assumptions. What has changed?
⢠Can you now live out your values more effectively now?
⢠Can you rationally describe your professional learning?
Peer validation: Do colleagues take your new knowledge seriously?
Up-liner validation: Can you prove to managers that your way is better?
Can you convince them to support dissemination of your work?
Client validation: Do customers see a difference? /get better service?
Academic validation: Start by presenting your ideas to a local interest
group.
⢠Re-read McNiff et al chapter 7, before trying to publish.
⢠Join with others to publish at conference > in refereed journal.
General public:
⢠Are any of your ideas more widely applicable / interesting?
⢠Share ideas with friends / family
⢠Learn to resolve potential misunderstandings.
7. VALIDATION GROUP
WiIl people work together to validate your work?
⢠Find people: local expert, supporters, critical
friend, independent person.
⢠Prepare + circulate a short report (1-2pp) on
context, aims, method, outcome.
⢠Present evidence to support your claims at a
meeting (1 hour approx.)
Ask group members to:
⢠Identify problems / objections.
⢠Set conditions.
⢠Recommend next actions.
8. VALIDATION CRITERIA
1. Intention. Context explained? / question developed? / rationale
clarified?
2. Plan. Is the link between reflection + action established? /
research process transparent? / values demonstrated in practice?
3. Collaborate. Is research role transparent? / collaborative intent
realised?
Are ethical principles applied?
4. Act. Was comprehensive data collected? from different sources?
Patterns + contradictions appreciated? Analysis exposed to critique?
Alternatives considered?
5. Evaluate. Are claims important? Patterns + contradictions appreciated?
Findings related to critical professional discussion?
Explanations convincing+ authenticated? Generate further questions?
6. Report. Terms of reference? Structure? Minimal jargon? Succinct?
Comprehensive? Identify strengths + weaknesses?
Spells out implications? Critical evaluation info. from other sources?
Enough references for readers to follow up their own interests?
9. RESULTS
Results must be clarified and made public.
⢠Make links between new knowledge and existing knowledge.
⢠State the researcherâs past experience, acknowledge potential bias.
Make claims and indicate:
⢠The range of situations in which they have been tested.
⢠The strength of the results, identifying potential risks.
⢠A range of other situations to which they might also apply.
Examine your claims against evidence and other peopleâs judgement.
⢠Assemble evidence to support each claim.
⢠Identify arguments against each claim and answer them.
⢠Use qualitative results to offer explanations and viewpoints.
⢠Use quantitative results (statistical concepts) to assess confidence.
⢠Use rich explanations to convey meaning
(self-reflection, dialogue, narrative).
10. âIâ am central to action research
Traditionally science expected the researcher to:
⢠objectively, impersonally stand outside the situation under
observation
⢠logically, unemotionally interpret results, avoiding any personal bias
Action research asks questions that cannot be answered in this way.
⢠Questions like : âHow can I improve the usability of the software I
build?â
⢠and hence: âHow can we help everyone to build more usable
software?â
I (the researcher) am committed to this project.
⢠From the start, I give it meaning.
⢠Throughout the enquiry I dedicate time and effort.
⢠Throughout action I am also thinking about the research.
⢠When I first publish my results, I lay my reputation on the line.
⢠If my answers are important Iâll want to convince other people.
11. ACTION RESEARCH IS AN
HEROIC JOURNEY
Enquiry is asking questions for which nobody knows the answer.
⢠I hold myself in a state of uncertainty, so I am open to new answers.
⢠I must admit that some things Iâve been doing have not been helpful.
⢠I expect that some of my treasured assumptions will be proved wrong.
Action documents all my mistakes, misunderstandings and biases,.
⢠I must have (and show) respect for viewpoints that I donât agree with.
⢠I still have to stand my ground when a point of principle is at stake.
Results give a lot of myself in the theories, models and claims I publish.
⢠I expose my cherished results to criticism
(some of which will not be reasonable).
⢠I justify claims with the best evidence I can get (it is never enough)
⢠I expose my motives and reflect on how they influence my actions.
⢠Always expose myself to validation by my own critical faculties.
12. ACTION RESEARCH OFFERS
NEW OPPORTUNITIES
I may struggle on the journey, but at the end I will achieve:
⢠Improvements to my working practice,
⢠Some contribution to work in my profession,
⢠The ability to go on and achieve more.
⢠Learning many interesting useful things.
⢠Improving my performance at work.
⢠Confidence that Iâm doing the best job I possibly can.
⢠Knowing mistakes, misunderstanding & bias are inevitable.
⢠Ability to respond robustly & constructively to problems
& confrontation.
⢠Ability to help others improve their performance at work.
⢠Experience of several important aspects of management.