#📓 #📚 #🟠 # Action Research: All You Need to Know ![[calendar-plus.svg]] <small>Oct 14, 2021</small> | ![[calendar-clock.svg]] <small>Nov 25, 2022</small> 🏷️ [[Action Research]], [[Organization Development MOC|OD]] **Author:** [[Jean McNiff]] **Citation:** McNiff, J. (2017). *Action research: All you need to know.* SAGE. --- # Summary McNiff advocates for the use of [[Action Research]] in a variety of situations and provides a guide for understanding what it is and why it's important. The text also serves as a workbook to guide you through the steps of conducting your own Action Research project. Practical and philosophical book that illuminates what doing action research involves, why you should do it, and when, where and how to do it. ## Key Takeaways # Notes & Important Ideas ### Introduction - [[anyone who has a practice has something to say that others can learn from]] - all people are able and should do action research to take action in the world and share their own voice as they explain what, how and why they are doing - traditional research divides thinkers and doers - [[don't just rely on outside experts - become your own expert]] - theories don't just have to be about abstract concepts, they can be practical and dynamic - [[anyone can develop theories by asking questions]] - several [[reasons for doing action research]] ### Ch. 1 - What is action research? - Action Research isn't just one thing - not just about process improvement, also about creating [[theories of practice]] - [[action-reflection cycle]] *is very similar to [[PDSA cycle]]* - agreement that: - action = taking action to improve practices and - research = finding things out and coming to new understandings - creating new knowledge - disagreement about: - [[balance between taking action and doing research]] - who does the action and who generates the theory about the action - there are different [[forms of action research]] - purpose of action research is to generate the kind of knowledge that contributes to sustainable personal, social and global wellbeing - don't use action research to: - draw comparisons - show statistical correlations - demonstrate cause-and-effect relationship - traditional social science research starts with hypothesis and focuses on results - action research starts with self-inquiry and focuses on personal intent and action ### Ch. 2 - Who can do action research? - Schön's metaphor differentiating 'intellectual elites' on the high ground from practitioners in the swampy lowlands - 'intellectual elites' position themselves as experts and produce conceptual theory regarded as legitimate by everyone - practitioners are involved in everyday practices and create knowledge that is valuable for conducting everyday lives - often not regarded as legitimate theory by anyone - many [[forms of knowledge]] - [[Kurt Lewin]] believed if all members of an organization collaborated in creating and implementing strategy the organization would grow - even if pieces of knowledge existed previously, what practitioners do with that knowledge and how they reframe it in their own contexts is creating new theory - *reminds me of what [[Michael Bungay Stanier]] says about [[pouring old wine in new bottles]]* ### Ch. 3 - The values base of action research - before starting action research, need to be clear about values that influence action and research and how they might conflict with various interests (personal, social, institutional) - think about the values that inform your commitments to work and what you hope to achieve through research - four important areas of commitments to consider values around: 1. [[ontological commitments]] - action research values democracy and egalitarianism - importance of subjectivity - "understanding others begins with understanding yourself as you try to live in the direction of your values" (p. 39) - action research is morally committed - living your values is difficult because everything you do involves other people who may have conflicting values - conducting action inquiry involves explaining why you act the way you do and what you hope to achieve - action research is dialogical, inclusional and relational - even though the focus of inquiry is you, any answer will involve other people's perceptions of your influence 2. [[epistemological commitments]] - the focus of the inquiry is the "I" in company with other "I"s - in first-person action research, focus of research is the researcher - can't accept responsibility for what others do and think, must accept responsibility for what you do and think - be prepared to let go of favorite positions and question what you may take for granted - knowledge is uncertain - there is no one answer - question may generate multiple answers, which can each generate new questions - knowledge is created as well as discovered - knowledge is created through dialogue with others - any answer is fleeting and open to change - knowledge creation is collaborative process > whatever we do in our professional practices potentially influences someone somewhere (p. 44) - in action research you work with others at all stages of the process - knowledge has to be negotiated - sometimes answers can't be negotiated and you may have to learn to live with a situation 3. [[methodological commitments]] - practitioners are agents - main responsibility of agents is to ask questions and serve role as public representatives whose job is to interrupt and question the status quo - methodology of action research is open-ended and developmental - action inquiries don't aim for definitive answers - instead of starting with a hypothesis, start with an idea and follow where it leads - aim of research is to improve learning with social intent - improve learning to improve practice 4. [[social commitments]] - aim to improve workplace practices through improving learning - aim to promote ongoing democratic evaluation of learning and practices - test validity of knowledge claims by gathering, analyzing and interpreting data and then making them public to subject them to critical evaluation - a living system has not perfect end state, it's the best it can be currently and always has the potential to improve - in self-study the researcher evaluates their own work by making judgments about what the "I" is doing in relation to others and articulating standards of judgment based on the practitioners aims and values - aim to create good social order by influencing social formations ### Ch. 4 - Critical times for action research - action research has roots in early 20th century and is cover term for several approaches that emerged from different traditions - practitioner research - action science - participatory rural appraisal - teacher research - participatory action research - feminist participatory action research - [[foundational principles of action research]] - Action research has been embraced by the Academy but watered down to fit its own methodological and epistemological frameworks - two visions of inquiry process 1. [[constrained vision]] where inquiry works to find definitive answer(s) and closure 2. [[unconstrained vision]] where inquiry looks outward with curiosity, open to innovation and many possibilities - need to be clear about how you see the reasons for doing your action research and what you hope to achieve (see examples on p. 57) ### Ch. 5 - Why do action research? - improving practices begins with improving knowledge - assess your own [[personal and professional positioning]] - the practical professional knowledge of practitioners is key to developing human capabilities - begin an action inquiry when: - You feel your current practice is good and you want to understand how and why so you can show others - You have a hunch and ask yourself 'I wonder what would happen if...?' - You think something could improve and try something new - start by asking yourself what you want to achieve - sharing your theories with others shows: 1. how you have learned to develop innovative practices 2. how those ideas about practice are your own original contribution, even though you collaborated with others ### Ch. 10 - Planning to do your action research - first step is to draw up action plan to manage systematic process of personal or organizational change - consider what you need to do - plan and take appropriate action - systematic monitoring and review to modify practices > reflection on the reasons and purposes of taking action transforms the initiative from everyday action into research (p. 130) - important to understand [[12 action research steps|12 action steps]] also as research steps 1. Clarifying aims also helps clarify why you're doing the project - for personal improvement? - for organizational self-evaluation? - to support colleagues' professional education? 2. Identify reasons for doing the project and link them to values that will guide your action 3. Identify what you need to know and be able to do to achieve aims and the specific targets 4. Articulate activities and milestones as idealized but achievable stories 5. Draw up list of resources required 6. Create timelines to keep you on task and focused 7. Set success criteria in advance - the things you expect or require as a marker to assess whether or not objectives have been achieved 8. Establish standards that will tell you whether the criteria are being realized 9. Determine how you will gather, analyze and interpret data 10. Determine how you will evaluate your progress/success 11. Determine how you'll modify actions 12. Identify future priorities and action plans - most action plans focus on doing things, not understanding how and why to do things - SMART goals assess the success of actions, but not the quality of research or learning - research questions may change during and through action research process - as new learning emerges, document it and explain how and why this happened and how it might change the focus of your inquiry - choose a research question where you can have an influence, which will contribute to changing the organizational culture - action research is a process of inquiry, not a procedure - you can't identify specific outcomes in advance - you won't know what you should know before you know it > all people who are involved in learning and influencing the learning of others should regard themselves as practitioners, regardless of role or setting (p. 31). > action research is seen as a way of being, thinking and acting that enables people to find ways of realising their values in practice, and always in negotiation with others who may hold different values from those of ourselves (p. 56). ## Connections to Other Materials --- # Personal Reflections & Application - How can we encourage frontline staff to develop and share PX theories? - Should add Action Research to professional development offerings - How could we offer this to frontline staff? - How am I positioned at Asante? How can I re-position myself in my current role? - My ontological commitments: - I am sparked by learning and development. - I value being of service in ways that are meaningful to those I serve. - I value practicing at the "top of my license." # Other References - [x] Arendt, H. (1958). *The human condition.* Chicago University Press