A History and Analysis of the Evolution of Action and Participatory Action Research

Abstract

Action research is a type of research which is conducted with research participants rather than on participants. This premise democratizes research, resulting in transformative potential, while addressing issues such as power and hierarchy which are present in traditional positivist research approaches, allowing those affected by the research to benefit from a more democratic research experience: According to Habermas, “in a process of enlightenment, there can only be participants”. However, as with social science research, or perhaps any method of research, there are different forms of action research which have evolved over time. This paper describes the worldviews that have informed the evolution of action research and examines three different forms of action research with respect to assumptions value, beliefs, and claims to truth inherent with each form. These three main forms may be thought of as “umbrella” terms for the forms of action research, with various threads of action research originating and continuing to originate from each form. Lastly, this paper explores one thread of action research-participatory action research. The reason for focusing on participatory action research specifically is that this type of action research has grown in popularity recently within social sciences research due to the opportunity for new insight for all research participants. Further, participatory action research allows for joint knowledge-production, may draw attention to previously neglected areas of qualitative research, and is therefore relevant to a specific community. For a researcher considering employing participatory action research, it is helpful to understand the historical and philosophical underpinnings of action research in general in order to better unerstand the specific intricacies and characteristics of participatory action research.

Is Initial Performance in a Course Informative? Machine Learning Algorithms as Aids for the Early Detection of At-Risk Students

“…As such, we subscribe to the main tenets of action research according to which the aim of a research project is practical. Namely, it is to identify a problem, condition, or situation; propose and implement a solution that is intended to bring improvement to the very people who participate in the research; assess the effectiveness of the solution; and either (a) start from the beginning if the outcome is unsatisfactory, or (b) broaden the reach of the purported solution if the outcome is within the expected parameters [49]. Thus, our goal is to rely on machine learning algorithms as feedback tools for students to assess their learning, and for faculty to assess their teaching.…”

Theatre as method: Performance creation through action research

“…Participatory action research aims to “democratize” research, by providing participants the opportunity to serve as co-researchers (Jacobs, 2018). Practitioners of this methodology seek to disrupt existing power dynamics, to conduct research in such a way that allows for collaboration and mutual transformation.…”

Sikap Ilmiah Siswa Melalui Metode Inkuiri: Pembelajaran Sains di SD Negeri Kabupaten Bima

“…Penelitian ini menggunakan penelitian tindakan kelas dengan model Kemmis dan Taggart (1998) yang terdiri dari empat tahap penelitian mulai dari perencanaan, pelaksanaan, pengamatan, dan refleksi. Penelitian tindakan kelas digunakan sesuai dengan tujuan penerapan metode inkuiri sebagai bagian dari strategi untuk menciptakan pembelajaran yang efisien dan efektif dalam situasi alamiah (Han, 2017;Jacobs, 2018;Laudonia dkk., 2018;Staron, 2020). Subjek penelitian ini adalah kelas IV SD Negeri Rada di Kabupaten Bima berjumlah 27 siswa.…”