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=The definitions below were posted during VirtCamp...= 1. Action research combines theory and practice (and researchers and practitioners) through change and reflection in an immediate problematic situation within a mutually acceptable ethical framework. Avision, David. Action Research

2. Action research is an iterative process involving researchers and practitioners acting together on a particular cycle of activities, including problem diagnosis, action intervention, and reflective learning.

3. For research into social phenomena there is increasing interest in “action research” in various forms. In this process the researcher enters a real-world situation and aims both to improve it and to acquire knowledge.

4. Action research is simply a form of self-reflective enquiry undertaken by participants in social situations in order to improve the rationality and justice of their own practices, their understanding of these practices, and the situations in which the practices are carried out (Carr and Kemmis 1986: 162).

5. Action research is inquiry or research in the context of focused efforts to improve the quality of an organization and its performance. It typically is designed and conducted by practitioners who analyze the data to improve their own practice. Action research can be done by individuals or by teams of colleagues. The team approach is called collaborative inquiry.

6. It's a natural way of acting and researching at the same time. With the exception of well-practised tasks there is a natural rhythm to the way most of us behave. We do something. We check if it worked as expected. If it didn't, we analyse what happened and what we might do differently. If necessary we repeat the process.Dick, B. (2002)Action Research: Action and Research online?.http://www.scu.edu.au/schools/gcm/ar/arp/aandr.html#a_aar_whatis act -> review -> act -> review ... This is the natural cycle which action research uses to achieve its twin outcomes of action (for example, change) and research (for example, understanding). You might say that action research is true to label -- it is action and research. action research = action and research Some features of action research assist the action. Some assist the research. Some assist the "and" -- they help the action and the research fit together. We'll explore these in turn.

7. Action research is an organized, systematic and reflective method for teachers to observe their practice and address areas of concern in their classrooms. (Eilers 2006) Josh Burker chose this quote because it emphasizes the reflective nature of the process as well as addressing the fact that action research is trying to solve an issue identified by the action researcher. Eilers L.H. (2006) The Delta Gamma Bulletin v. 72 no. 3 p. 14-17, 29

8. Using a case study of the Ardoyne Commemoration Project (ACP), a community-based ‘truth-telling’ project in the North of Ireland, this article explores the role that action research can play in researching sensitive topics in violently divided societies. The article focuses on the ethics of carrying out research that could be potentially harmful for participants and researchers. The principles that underpinned the work of the ACP, including participation, local ownership and control, and the role of ‘insiders’ are critically examined. The article argues that in situations where political violence has occurred and marginalized groups have experienced social injustice, it is ethically impossible and morally reprehensible for social researchers to remain detached and silent. Action research methodologies are framed by a commitment to social justice, giving voice to those who are usually silenced, challenging structures of oppression and acting withordinary people to bring about social change –therefore they offer appropriate research models for engaging in community-based ‘truth-telling’ in post-conflict situations.

9. Action research is an established research method in use in the social and medical sciences since the mid-twentieth century, and has increased in importance for information systems toward the end of the 1990s. Its particular philosophic context is couched in strongly post-positivist assumptions such as idiographic and interpretive research ideals. Action research has developed a history within information systems that can be explicitly linked to early work by Lewin and the Tavistock Institute. Action research varies in form, and responds to particular problem domains. The most typical form is a participatory method based on a five-step model, which is exemplified by published IS research.

10. Action research is a term which refers to a practical way of looking at your own work to check that it is as you would like it to be. Because action research is done by you, the practitioner, it is often referred to as practitioner based research; and because it involves you thinking about and reflecting on your work, it can also be called a form of self-reflective practice.

11. I think that this is a good consise defination of action research. It does not talk about the collaborative converstation that is involved. Iterative may be a new word for you (unless you program) but it is a very useful word. Action research combines theory and practice (and researchers and practitioners) through change and reflection in an immediate problematic situation within a mutually acceptable ethical framework. Action research is an iterative process involving researchers and practitioners acting together on a particular cycle of activities, including problem diagnosis, action intervention, and reflective learning. (Avison, Lau, Myers, and Neilson, 1999) Avison, D., Lau,F, Myers,M, and Neilson,P, ( 1999) Action Research Vol. 42, No. 1 COMMUNICATIONS OF THE ACM.

12. A (usually cyclic) process by which change and understanding can be pursued at the one time, with action and critical reflection taking place in turn. The reflection is used to review the previous action and plan the next one. (Dick 1997)

13. "Action research is defined as collaborative critical enquiry by academics themselves into their own teaching practice, into problems of student learning and into curriculum problems."

14. Action research involves gaining knowledge through direct participation in a dynamic research process of cycles of planning, action, observing, and critical reflection (Kemmis, 1985; Kemmis & McTaggart?, 1988; Owens et al., 1999). The process of cycles involves testing of new ideas through action in practice, evaluating, reflecting on and critically analysing the results of the new approach. Insights gained in each level of the cycle are used to develop new ideas to continue the spiral of learning. Dialogue between participants is a key inquiry process, which enhances understanding of the intent of the participants' actions. By working together, a group can generate a greater insight into human behaviour than studying that behaviour from an outside perspective as in quantitative research (Kemmis, 1985). Reflection as a means to foster client-centred practice, Canadian Journal of Occupational Therapy, April 1, 2005, Vol. 72, No. 2; Pg. 103;

15. Amanda Case: Action research emphasizes practitioner action for change in conjunction with rigorous reflection on practice and careful gathering and analysis of data. Rowell, L. L professional School Counseling v. 9 no. 5 (June 2006) p. 376-84

16. Action Research is a term in which refers to the process of people conducting their real-life enquiries, as they ask, individually and collectively, "How do I improve what I am doing for our mutual benefit?" McNiff?, Jean; You and Your Action Rearch Project, Dec 1, 2004

17. “Action research is a participatory, democratic process concerned with developing practical knowing in the pursuit of worth while human purposes, grounded in a participatory worldview which we believe is emerging at this historical moment.” Peter Reason, Hilary Bradbury, Handbook of Action Research: Participative Inquiry and Practice, Jan 1, 2000, online

18. Action research is a participatory, democratic process concerned with develoing practical knowing in the pursuit of worthwhile human puerposes, grounded in a participatory worldview which we believe is emerging at this historical moment. It seeks to bring together action and reflection, 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. Action research is a ractic for the systematic development of knowing and knowledge, but based in a rather different form from traditional academic research—it has different form from traditional academic research—it has different puroses, is based in different

19. Action research is a form of self-reflective enquiry undertaken by participants (teachers, students, or principals, for example) in social (including educational) situations in order to improve the rationality and justice of (a) their own social or educational practices, (b) their understanding of these practices, and (c) the situations (and institutions) in which these practices are carried out. (Carr & Kremmis, 1986) Carr, W. & Kremmis, S.(1986). Becoming Critical: Education, Knowledge, and Action Research. London: Falmer Press.

20. “a comparative research on the conditions and effects of various forms of social action and research leading to social action”

21. Action research combines theory and practice (and researchers and practitioners) through change and reflection in an immediate problematic situation within a mutually acceptable ethical framework.

22. Action research is an iterative process involving researchers and practitioners acting together on a particular cycle of activities, including problem diagnosis, action intervention, and reflective learning.Retrieved July 20, 2006. DE Avison, F Lau, MD Myers, PA Nielsen - Communications of the ACM, 1999 - idi.ntnu.no

23. "Collaborative action research, conducted by teams of practitioners, is a process that enables teachers: (1) to improve student learning, (2) to improve their own practice, (3) to contribute to the development of their own profession, and (4) to overcome the isolation commonly experienced by classroom teachers."-Richard Sagor

24. “Action Research is a process in which participants examine their own educational practice systematically and carefully using the techniques of research. It is based on the following assumptions: >
 * teachers and principals work best on problems they have identified for themselves;
 * teachers and principals become more effective when encouraged to examine and assess their own work and then consider ways of working differently;
 * teachers and principals help each other by working collaboratively;
 * working with colleagues helps teachers and principals in their professional development.”

25. It's a natural way of acting and researching at the same time. With the exception of well-practised tasks there is a natural rhythm to the way most of us behave. We do something. We check if it worked as expected. If it didn't, we analyse what happened and what we might do differently. If necessary we repeat the process.

26. Since we can neither appeal to universal reason nor to an external reality as foundations for our claims, argument must move through a process of redescription. It is argued that just as Rorty is redescribing philosophy, so action researchers are redescribing inquiry. Rorty's ideas are compared with five basic characteristics of action research: practical knowing, democracy and participation; ways of knowing; human and ecological flourishing; and emergent form. Finally, Rorty's notion of the ironist is compared with the action researchers as reflective practitioner. The stimulating quality of Rorty's thought suggests that action researchers must find new language to describe their work, rather than be caught in the old academic metaphors of research.

27. Action research simultaneously assists in practical problem-solving and expands scientific knowledge … >
 * Action research aims to contribute both to the practical concerns of people in an immediate problematic situation and to the goals of social science …
 * Thus action research must possess as aspect of direct involvement in organizational change, and simultaneously it must provide an increase in knowledge.

28. Action research combines theory and practice (and researchers and practitioners) through change and reflection in an immediate problematic situation within a mutually acceptable ethical framework.

29. Action research is an iterative process involving researchers and practitioners acting together on a particular cycle of activities, including problem diagnosis, action intervention, and reflective learning.

30. “…action research can be described as providing a framework for thinking systematically about what happens in social situations, implementing action for change and monitoring and evaluating the effects of the action with a view to continuing the development. By using this framework action researchers can not only improve what they do, but also their understanding of what they do (Kemmis &McTaggart?, 1982). Linking the terms action and research highlights the essential feature of the method: trying out ideas in practice as a means of improvement and as a means of increasing knowledge about the given situation. Action research provides a way of working which links theory and practice into one whole: ideas-in-action. Elliott (1991) has described action research as the study of a social situation with a view to improving the quality of action within it. Within this tradition the observer is seen to be a part of the social situation and therefore a factor in bringing about change. The more critical stance taken by Carr and Kemmis (1986) is based on a view that potentially action research can be strongly empowering and empancipatory in that it gives practitioners a voice through participation in decision making in their organisations, and some control over their environment and professional lives. Starting points for this research have been the standard approach towards”

31. A form of collective self-reflective inquiry undertaken by participants in social situations in order to improve the rationality and justice of their own social or educational practices, as well as their understanding of these practices and the situations in which these practices are carried out" (Kemmis and McTaggert?1990:5).

32. Action research is a flexible spiral process which allows action (change, improvement) and research (understanding, knowledge) to be achieved at the same time. The understanding allows more informed change and at the same time is informed by that change. People affected by the change are usually involved in the action research. This allows the understanding to be widely shared and the change to be pursued with commitment.

33. The strength of the action research approach to professional development rests upon a creative and critical dialogue between members of a community which includes teachers, academics, parents, industrialists, and politicians. We move ahead through creative leaps of imagination. We learn from our mistakes in detailed criticisms of our positions. Jack Whitehead, Action Research, Principles and Practice, McNiff?,1988, xi

34. “Action research is essentially a practice-based process that involves an ever-narrowing spiral of problem-posing and problem-solving. The practitioner engaged in action research explores a dilemma, devises a probable solution, launches a study with the aid of learners, and determines whether anything has been changed by his actions. The cycle often restarts, with the researcher taking previous mistakes into account and improving performance with each round.” B. B. Allan Quigley, F D. (Publication year). The Practitioner-Researcher: A Research Revolution in Literacy. Adult Learning v. 11 no. 3 (2001) p. 6-26. Retrieved 7/20/06, from H.W. Wilson database.

35. Classroom action research begins with some kind of a supposition emerging from observation, knowledge and experience, a vision of a life in schools where things could and should be otherwise. Implicit or explicit, action research has theoretical implications, both drawing from and shaping new theory. Classroom action research is political. . . . In all of its nuances, complexities, and promise, action research coalesces with a variety of new methodological and theoretical genres giving incentive to ask and act.

36. The core of action research is presented as a group of researchers joining a real world problem situation, taking part in improving the situation, and declaring a framework and a methodology so that reflection subsequently can yield research.