Action Research

Action research is a flexible research methodology uniquely suited to researching and supporting change. It integrates social research with exploratory action to promote development. In its classic form, action research involves fluid and overlapping cycles of investigation, action planning, piloting of new practices, and evaluation of outcomes, incorporating at all stages the collection and analysis of data and the generation of knowledge (Figure 1). The outcomes of action research are both practical and theoretical: The knowledge it generates has a direct and ongoing impact on changing practice for participants and on a wider audience through its publications. This entry describes the origins of action research and its use in a variety of fields throughout the world.

Action research is often used in fields such as education, social and health services, and community development, where there is a long history of difficulties in successfully transferring research knowledge into changes in practice. It offers a means of combining the generation of knowledge with professional development of practitioners through their participation as co-researchers. Collaborative action research can also break down the separation between policymakers and practitioners, giving the former richer insights into practice and giving the latter an active role in policy development as well as its implementation.

The first person to use the term action research was probably Kurt Lewin, a psychologist who went to the United States from Germany during the 1940s and worked with immigrant groups to promote their better integration into U.S. society. Lewin, like others at the time, was seeking to explain human behavior so as to enable improvement, and his work was closely related to the sociotechnical research tradition developed by [Page 5]Eric Trist and others at the Tavistock Institute in London. The early work at the Tavistock Institute built on a method of group therapy developed in working with shell-shocked military personnel during World War II. In postwar society on both sides of the Atlantic, this innovative new movement in social psychology research pursued a vision of betterment for individuals and increased organizational efficiency through community participation in research and development.

Figure 1 Model of Action Research

Lewin was familiar with Lev Vygotsky's work in the Soviet Union, and there are a number of similarities between their approaches; for example, Vygotsky was interested in researching the impact of intervention studies, such as the literacy program for peasants in Uzbekistan during the 1920s, on the development of the human mind. It is interesting to note the overlaps between action research and post-Vygotskian activity theory, which sees human activity as mediated by cultural tools and social contexts, particularly as they are regulated by rules governing behavior and divisions of labor according to organizational roles. Lewin believed that human behavior was always a function of the situation at the time it occurred; therefore, he did not believe it was ever possible to make generalizations about human behavior that would apply to all contexts. Action research generates knowledge about the interrelationship between human behavior and sociocultural situations rather than generalizable truths, and it is important that it be reported in a form that includes narrative accounts and rich description as well as analysis and interpretation so that readers can make comparisons with their own situations.

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