Action Research

Action research is a process of participatory inquiry aimed at generating knowledge to guide action in pursuit of the participants' goals. It can be compared with traditional scientific research, which seeks to find the “truth” through methods that are highly controlled by the researcher. Action research, in contrast, seeks to generate knowledge that solves specific problems and enables the actors in the situation to achieve their goals. It is carried out collaboratively by these actors, including researchers, who engage in a mutual inquiry process that takes into account the perspectives, knowledge, and purposes of all involved. Thus the conduct of action research is heavily dependent on the process through which the various people involved in the action research project interact to create new ways of ...