Action research is important part of all areas where personal and professional learning is undertaken.
It is a practical way of looking at your own work to check that it is as you would like it to be.
involves you thinking about and reflecting on your work – self reflective practice
involves identifying a problematic issue, imagining a possible solution, trying it out, evaluating it (did it work?), and changing practice in the light of the evaluation.
There are different approaches to action research:
- how it is done, who does it, why, and what the outcomes might be.
Action research is based on the following principles:
- the need for justice and democracy
- the right of all people to speak and be heard
- the right of each individual to show how and why they have given extra attention to their learning in order to improve their work
- the deep need to experience truth and beauty in our personal and professional lives.
- the right of each one of us to experience freedom with justice
In action research, researchers do research on themselves.
your research report will show how you have carried out a systematic investigation into your own behaviour, and the reasons for that behaviour. The report shows the process you have gone through in order to achieve a better understanding of yourself, so that you can continue developing yourself and your work.
Some people prioritise technical aspects, believing that it is important to get the method right. Other people are also interested in the values that inform action research, such as a belief that people should be in control of their work and the way they conduct that work, and how the research can lead to a living out of those values.
Action research helps you to formalise your learning and give a clear and justified account of your work, not on a one-off basis, but as a continuing regular feature of your practice.
Bibliography
McNiff, J. (2002) ACTION RESEARCH FOR PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT, jeanmcniff.com. Available at: https://www.jeanmcniff.com/ar-booklet.asp (Accessed: October 10, 2022).