What is Action Research

Research method that contributes with practical actions to the organization and generates knowledge about its context simultaneously. The method has five phases: 1) diagnosis where the problematic situation is studied, 2) Action planning during which alternative actions are analyzed, 3) Action taking when the selected plan of action is applied in practice, 4) evaluation where results are analyzed, and 5) learning in which findings and knowledge are generated. These phases are cyclic until the results are satisfactory.

An approach to research in which researchers diagnose a social problem with a view of helping improve the situation, based on the assumption that complex social interactions cannot be reduced for meaningful study.

A collaborative approach to problem solving which involves taking action, and then evaluated the impact of that action, reflecting of it, taking further modified action. Usually takes place in cycles of action with data collection, evaluation and reflection between each cycle.

Research that takes the aim of theorizing alongside the end goal of social action taking place after the culmination of the research project.

Simultaneously a Planned Change approach paradigm and a Research Method , which is about research in action , involving, simultaneously, two goals : solving an organizational problem and contributing to knowledge. The process is based on existing behavioral science knowledge, integrated with organizational knowledge; applied to solve real organizational problems; promoting organizational change and learning and generating new (internal and external) knowledge. As main characteristics , it is developed within natural settings, addressing specific issues, within a spirit of collaboration and co-inquiry, involving the researcher and organizational stakeholders, promoting organizational learning, systems’ improvement, and generating valid knowledge. It requires an ethical positioning , based on a deep understanding of values and norms regarding the cooperation between the researcher and organizational members; preserving special working principles on relationships, communication, participation and inclusion.

Is a disciplined process of inquiry conducted by and for those taking the action. The primary reason for engaging in action research is to assist the “actor” in improving and/or refining his or her actions. It is an empowering experience. Action research has this positive effect for many reasons. The most important is that action research is always relevant to the participants. Relevance is guaranteed because the focus of each research project is determined by the researchers, who are also the primary consumers of the findings.

Instructors uses this methodology to conduct investigations into their own professional practises to learn more about how students learn and how to better educate them.

Research carried out involving actors concerned with value-creating change of practice in a given context.

Action research is a methodology of qualitative research in the field of Social Sciences. It aims to reconstruct the research context through a simultaneous procedure of acting and doing research.

AR is a relatively popular developmental research methodology which has both data collection (research) and change (action) elements ( Piggot-Irvine et al, 2011 ). It has a cyclical orientation (often iterative planning, acting, reflecting and evaluating) and is highly developmental and practical in its intent and it is the latter that makes it suitable as an approach to goal pursuit. Zuber-Skerritt (2012) adds that AR is also democratic, participative and collaborative.

Collected research methods, the main assumption of which is to recognise the competence of members of the studied community to show its functioning and identify potential issues. Researchers involved in the Action Research stream do not impose their views on members of the studied community, but help the community in diagnosing and solving their problems.

An interactive and collaborative process of generating and applying relevant and valid knowledge by “insiders” (usually individuals, organisations, or communities) and “outsiders” (mostly researchers, educationalists, social workers, or consultants) in order to move closer to improving and transforming practice.

Action research is an iterative research process which enables researchers to understand a social or sociotechnical phenomenon with the aim to improve its quality. It consists of several phases of analysis (reflection) and action (interventions) which are alternate and interwoven (cycle of activities): Action research includes a problem diagnosis, action intervention, and reflective learning in real situations, gain feedback from this experience, modify the theory as a result of this feedback, and try it again.

A cyclic process by which change and understanding an be pursued at one time.

Action research is a general term that refers to research developed with and/or by the people being studied and involves both taking and reflecting on actions to solve problems or create desired change.

The form of applying research approaches to real issues faced by practitioners and researchers as it has an emphasis on inquiry and dialogue to develop practical and meaningful teacher experiences (Manfra, 2019).

A collaborative and reflective process among colleagues searching for solutions for real life issues or ways to promote learning in schools. Inquire, discussion, and reflection are key components of the “research.”

This is a practical research technique used to evaluate problems and issues in the workplace and community; the key difference between action research and traditional research is the sampling and size of population used.

Type of research approach in which the researcher attempts to improve the research client, which can be an organization, while at the same time generating relevant academic knowledge.

Research conducted for the purpose of addressing real problems in education and developing transformative solutions.

It is a research design used in educational contexts to work on an identified problem.

A systematic investigation of one’s own practice.

An approach to research that seeks to improve practice or outcomes through a cyclical process of observation, reflection, planning, and action.

The process of systematically studying one’s own practice using the tools of research.

Study of specific educational problems with the goal of solving them through inquiry and reflection.

Research conducted by educators in their own classes, collecting data about their students’ educational experience, analyzing these data, and implementing changes in their practice and assessments as informed by their findings.

A type of research, often done by educators, that seeks to solve problems through observing and collecting data on environments, programs, or human interaction for the purpose of addressing an issue.

A means of professional growth via dialogue with people and texts in order to reflect upon lived experiences in a strategic and systematic modes that produces both insight and direction for individuals, schools and the system they work within.

A research method originally proposed by Lewin and influenced by work at the Tavistock Institute. It uses intervention into problematic social situations as a means to develop scientific knowledge.

A disciplined investigation process conducted by and for those taking the action. Assisting the “actors” in improving and refining their actions is the main reason for conducting an action research.

Research initiated to solve a problem or a reflective process of assessing the effectiveness of an instructional strategy or method.

A mainly qualitative research method which is directed towards small-scale social change and takes place in organisational settings such as education. It is usually focused on solving small-scale problems and it involves processes of research, analysis, and reflection.

AR is a relatively popular developmental research methodology which has both data collection (research) and change (action) elements ( Piggot-Irvine et al, 2021 ). It has a cyclical orientation (often iterative planning, acting, reflecting, and evaluating) and is highly developmental and practical in its intent and it is the latter that makes it suitable as an approach to goal pursuit. Zuber-Skerritt (2012) adds that AR is also democratic, participative, and collaborative.

Action research is an interactive inquiry process that balances problem solving actions implemented in a collaborative context with data-driven collaborative research to understand underlying causes, thereby enabling future predictions about personal and organizational change. The theory of action research is far from an integrated or consistent theory. One can see a large variety of theoretical approaches and practical applications (developed dominantly in the past 30 years), but their common characteristics can be unambiguously identified. Reason and Bradbudy (2001) define their ‘participative research’ and ‘action research’ concepts with the same meaning as a collective concept, and offer the following definition: ‘action research is a participatory, democratic process concerned with developing practical knowledge in the pursuit of worthwhile human purposes, grounded in participatory worldview... It seeks to bring together action and reflexion, theory and practice, in participation with others, in the pursuit of practical solutions to issues of pressing concern to people, and more generally the flourishing of individual persons and their communities’ ( Reason and Bradbury, 2001 , p. 2).

Studies carried out in the course of an activity or occupation, typically in the field of education, to improve the methods and approach of those involved.

A process in which teachers investigate problems in their classrooms and take action to solve them and thus to contribute to quality learning and teaching.

A form of participatory inquiry designed to resolve a context-specific problem through some variation of an inquiry cycle and typically encompassing social justice aims.

The process by which change and understanding can be pursued at the one time.

Research approach in which inquiry is seen as aimed at having a positive impact on the participating organizations and society at the same time the investigation is being conducted.

A collaborative cyclical inquiry process that involves diagnosing a situation, taking action, and reflecting on the outcome before recommencing the process.

A research method particularly useful in educational settings to evaluate the effects of teaching and learning.

Action research is a form of inductive, practical research that focuses on gaining a better understanding of a practice problem or achieving a real change or improvement in practice context. It follows a cyclical process of planning, acting, observing, and reflecting ( Kuhne & Quigley, 1997 ).

The use of techniques from social and psychological research to identify group problems regarding active participation involving group efforts to problem solve.

Process of inquiry carried out by the teaching and learning actors own their own practice with the aim of transforming and improving it.

A systematic approach teachers implement to identify and solve academic issues within their own classroom.

Also, often, and interchangeably termed Participatory Action Research (PAR), co-operative enquiry and action learning is a research approach focused on the systematic improvement and positive change of the structure and agency afforded to people within context specific settings.

A type of inquiry conducted by and for those involved in taking the action. Action research is critical in the continuous improvement cycle.

An informal, qualitative, formative, subjective, interpretive, reflective and experiential model of inquiry in which all individuals involved in the study are knowing and contributing participants (Hopkins, 1993).

A disciplined process of inquiry conducted by and for those taking the action in order to assist the “actor” in improving and/or refining his or her actions.

A cyclical approach to enquiry that involves taking positive action for change, gathering evidence about the action and reflecting critically upon processes and outcomes.

A democratic and participative orientation to knowledge creation. It brings together action and reflection, theory, and practice, in the pursuit of practical solutions to issues of pressing concern.

Originated by Kurt Lewin, is conducted by researchers who collect and analyze data with an eye to implementing change and improving their own practice (Chisholm & Elden, 1993).

A reflective process of problem solving led by individuals working with others in teams or as a part of a “community of practice” to improve the way they address issues and solve problems.

As action researchers we collaborate with practitioners to intervene in practice in order to solve concrete problems while expanding scientific knowledge. In the literature, action research represents an overarching class of research approaches, rather than a single monolithic research method. Action research is usually split into a reflective phase where problems and opportunities are analyzed and an intervention is planned, and a phase of action where the intervention is carried out.

A method of systematic inquiry that teachers undertake as researchers of their own practice. The inquiry involved in action research is often visualized as a cyclical process.

Action research is a social case study that aims to improve the quality of actions by focusing on them in a social situation ( Elliot, 1991 ).

Often carried out by teacher researchers, Action Research is an exploration of interventions in the school context, with the ultimate aim of improving student learning. This exploration usually occurs in cycles, with the teacher researcher reflecting on what has occurred during each cycle.

The action research is to collect data related to a problem existing in the organization or a possible problem to occur, to analyze the data and to carry out the change activity according to the analysis results.

Research initiated to solve an immediate problem or a reflective process of progressive problem solving led by individual.

Form of research in which practitioners (often educators) reflect on their professional practice in order to solve problems or make changes.

An inquiry process utilized by teacher researchers within their classroom environments in order to gain insight into their teaching, student learning, or how the classroom functions.

A democratic and participatory approach to solve problems, create development and change in organizations and communities, accompanied by systematic research during the process and thereby creating new knowledge.

a methodological framework of investigation used by teachers to study educational issues that involves an iterative process of planning, acting, observing, reflecting, and evaluating.

A dynamic, evolving, and reflective research methodology that develops practical knowing and pursues solutions to issues that matter to people.

Type of research method, commonly applied in the social sciences and research that seeks to link change through the simultaneous process of action and research, which are aligned by critical reflection between researchers and researchers.

This type of research is carried out to understand the problems that arise in practice and involves the researcher in the process. Thus, the process can be followed more closely and the problems can be detailed.

A research design that aims to improve and/or modify practices. It is a practitioner research that brings research and practice together and provides the transfer of the research results to the implementation.

Inquiry or research in the context of focused efforts to improve the quality of practice and is typically designed and conducted by practitioners who analyze the data to improve their own practice.

Inquiry into how to improve the quality of an organization and its performance within an authentic or simulated context to improve practice.

A methodology that aims to contribute both to the practical concerns of people in an immediate problematic situation and to the goals of social science by joint collaboration within a mutually acceptable ethical framework.

Research initiated to solve an immediate problem or a reflective process of progressive problem solving led by individual.

Research initiated to solve an immediate problem or a reflective process of progressive problem solving led by individual.

A reflective process in which problem solvers engage in research activities to inform the action strategies they adopt

Research initiated to solve an immediate problem or a reflective process of progressive problem solving led by individual.

A disciplined process of inquiry conducted by and for those taking the action to assist the “actor” in improving and/or refining his or her actions ( Sagor, 2000 ).

Self-reflective enquiry made by participants in social sciences to improve the rationality /justify understanding of their own practices.

Used by teachers to study their own teaching.

Also, often and interchangeably, termed Participatory Action Research (PAR), co-operative enquiry and action learning is a research approach focused on the systematic improvement and positive change of the structure and agency afforded to people within context specific settings.

IS research paradigm encouraging participation between researchers and participants.

A research approach which involves iterations of practical action, followed by reflection.

A research methodology which addresses practical problems in practice by taking participants through a cyclical process of trying a variety of teaching methods to solve the problem.

A reflective cycle of inquiry into practice to effect change.

Research initiated to solve an immediate problem or a reflective process of progressive problem solving led by individual.

Research performed by teachers and other educational professionals to change conditions in a particular situation they may be involved in.