7. The Diamond Model Impact of Change People Structure Task Alteration* Leavitt et al (1973) In: Cork, A. (2005) A Model for Successful Change Management Nursing Standard 19 (25) pp40-42
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14. AR & its Application Analysis; fact finding Acting; observing Further Action R R R
15. Time ACTION RESEARCH Evaluation Synthesis Analysis Application Context Knowledge
18. Time ACTION RESEARCH Evaluation Synthesis Analysis Application Comprehension Knowledge
Editor's Notes
Basic premise of AR An action research cycle
Kurt Lewin, a Prussian psychologist who immigrated to America in 1933, is most often credited with coining the term ‘action-research’.
Basic premise of AR Alteration could be modification, technology - almost anything that represents the change process
Can you site anymore examples? What about the status of AR – is there difficulty there? Is the lack of a unifying paradigm the major barrier to its acceptance as a rigorous methodology? Such debates can become a distraction from the real issues: the real question is not whether the methods are appropriate per se , but whether the AR method you use is appropriate to answer the question being addressed. Is Action-Research Really Research? Clearly, being able to change practice and build a sense of empowerment are valuable characteristics of any approach in the fields of health and social care. But, is action-research really research? This is an issue that creates much debate; in essence it would appear that this depends on the design of the project. Some projects place the emphasis on action, they may be designed and led by practitioners or community members keen to understand the constraints and issues they face and then make immediate improvements to their own programme or environment. Other projects place a stronger emphasis on the research elements of the study and are often led by an external researcher who acts as a facilitator within the group of co-researchers. These projects often include an initial ‘reconnaissance phase’ of primary research to help the co-researchers understand the issue they are working on. Throughout the study the evaluation phases of the spiral will also be more rigorous, although the complexity of the research must continually be balanced against the need for timely results which can be used to influence practice development in the short term. Both the reconnaissance and the evaluation phases may draw on quantitative and/or qualitative research methods as appropriate to the specific question being explored. Some action-research studies take the analysis further and the external research may design methods to collect data about the overall change process experienced throughout the study. This can lead to new insights into the challenges of changing practice which can be valuable to a much wider group of academics, practitioners and policy makers. In answer
Other projects place a stronger emphasis on the research elements of the study and are often led by an external researcher who acts as a facilitator within the group of co-researchers. These projects often include an initial ‘reconnaissance phase’ of primary research to help the co-researchers understand the issue they are working on. Throughout the study the evaluation phases of the spiral will also be more rigorous, although the complexity of the research must continually be balanced against the need for timely results which can be used to influence practice development in the short term. Both the reconnaissance and the evaluation phases may draw on quantitative and/or qualitative research methods as appropriate to the specific question being explored. Some action-research studies take the analysis further and the external research may design methods to collect data about the overall change process experienced throughout the study. This can lead to new insights into the challenges of changing practice which can be valuable to a much wider group of academics, practitioners and policy makers.
. So if your research questions begins with ‘How to…?’ then action-research may be the approach for you.
Further action: - reformulation, reconceptualisation, redefinition, reflection. But this point seems to be the sticking point in AR and comes under most critically scrutiny (for the right reasons)
![Action research model: ,[object Object],[object Object],[object Object]](data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7)