Action Research Approaches

This paper advocates for the use of Action Research (AR) approaches in the designing of Information Systems (IS). Following a brief overview of the history of AR as a research methodology and it's use in IS research a framework for describing the AR process is developed. This framework is then used to describe the AR process involved in the design and development of a paper based and orally communicated child health IS. A common criticism of AR in IS design is the focus on the output of the design and the lack of rigour in the description of AR projects. This paper addresses this gap by focusing on the process of the design and development of the IS in the case study, but also contributes to AR by outlining a number of concerns which should be addressed by the IS researcher if AR is to viewed as rigourous. The concerns which need to be addressed are the need: to make explicit the epistemology of the researcher(s) or practitioner(s) in any AR project; to adopt a participatory AR and longitudinal approach to avoid the conflict of 'serving two masters'; to develop networks of action, and; to develop and disseminate generalisations and learnings from the research.

The quality of education in any country rests on school communities as a whole. However, the real implementers of innovations and changes in curriculum are teachers. Teachers, as practitioners, are the ones most often held accountable for successes and failures in educating schoolchildren. The way to facilitate teachers in handling challenges and keeping up with curriculum renewals is through constant support in the form of continuing professional development (CPD) by means of action research. Action research as CPD has been viewed as a critical platform for advocating change, which is the outcome of teachers’ ability and autonomy to lead in making informed decisions about their own practices. Given its usefulness, action research is found well established, vastly practiced, and widely published in Western countries. This has raised the question of the widespread use of action research as CPD in the Southeast Asian (SEA) region. Preliminary analysis reveals that in some SEA countries, such as Timor Leste, there is limited literature on action research, while in countries such as Malaysia, Singapore, and Thailand, action research has been well documented. At the same time, there is an emerging trend in SEA countries to adopt different models of action research. In Malaysia, for instance, action research has been primarily classroom based, whereas in Indonesia, a critical and community based approach to action research seems to be prevalent. This suggests that the kinds of action research conducted in the different SEA countries may reflect variations in cultural, economic, and geographical landscapes. Given the importance of action research to teacher practitioners and school leaders, and in providing an identity to the action research approaches conducted in Southeast Asia, the historical trail of action research presents a window into the nature of CPD concerns of each country, as well as the successes and challenges of conducting action research as CPD for sustained impact.

The objective of the study was to examine the practice of using action research by instructors in research universities of Ethiopia as a means to enhance their instruction. To conduct the study, a concurrent embedded mixed research design was used. Data were collected from384 instructors’ selected using simple random sampling to fill the questionnaire. Furthermore, four department heads and one research coordinator were chosen for interviews using purposive sampling technique. Quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive statistics including frequency, percentage, mean and standard deviation and the qualitative data was analyzed thematically. The finding of the study reveals that instructors’ level of awareness concerning action research was good however; instructors’ use of action research to enhance instruction was very low. Among the challenges that hinder instructors engagement in action research to enhance instruction was Lack of time due to heavy load, Limited funding and emphasizing teaching over research was ranked as 1st 2nd 3rd respectively. Finally, recommendations were proposed to enhance instructors' involvement in action research for the purpose of enhancing instruction.

Based on the analysis of the academic literature, the peculiarities of the use of action research in social work are outlined. The paper also aims to discuss the roles of researchers in conducting research in action, as well as the dilemmas that arise during such research. Action research in has been found to be a cyclical research strategy that facilitates the collaboration of people interested in solving a problem. The analysis reveals that there are three interrelated elements in the structure of such research: (1) knowledge development and social change; (2) cooperation through participation; (3) empowerment. Action research belongs to the critical paradigm of research in social work, which is developmental (emancipatory)by its nature, based on the ideas of postmodernism and poststructuralism, critical pedagogy (pedagogy of the oppressed). Within this paradigm, researchers should engage participants in an interactive dialogue to analyze and make visible socially constructed realities. In social work, action research is used both in working with certain groups and when working on community development, mainly in the model of resource-oriented work (community assets-building). Research participants, including researchers, play the role of agents of social change, and should be aware of their commitment to change the social reality. The research has a client-centered nature and is based on cooperation during all stages of the study, including the stage of interpretation of the results. At the same time, this research strategy is characterized by a number of dilemmas and difficulties due to the underpinning philosophical and methodological approaches on which it is based.

In light of evolving pedagogical frameworks and increasing challenges in English Language Teaching (ELT), effective professional development is essential for teachers striving to enhance their practices. Action research is a pivotal strategy for teachers' professional development, fostering an adaptive learning environment through reflective pedagogy. While teachers have implemented action research, its engagement among secondary-level English language teachers remains underexplored, particularly regarding their knowledge, use, and perceptions of its role in professional growth. The study aimed to identify secondary-level English language teachers’ knowledge, use, and perceived effectiveness of action research as a tool for professional development. The research employed a quantitative survey approach, focusing on English language teachers in private and public schools in Nepal, with a particular emphasis on those in the Sunsari district. A sample of 200 teachers was selected using a simple random sampling strategy, and a structured questionnaire was administered online via Google Forms. The collected data were analyzed using a bivariate analysis approach with SPSS. A chi-square test was conducted to assess the association between the variables, while Phi was employed to determine the significance of these relationships. The study examined the association between independent variables (such as sex, level of teaching, type of school, and academic qualification) and dependent variables (including use of action research, knowledge of action research, and perceived effectiveness of action research). The findings indicated no significant statistical association between the independent and dependent variables. However, the study concluded that the majority of teachers perceived action research as valuable for problem-solving, increasing professional confidence, promoting career advancement, fostering transformative agency, and enhancing teacher collaboration. It suggests that teachers could benefit from more effectively integrating action research into their teaching practices for professional development and transformation.

A large applied research study is a challenging exercise in project management and is often unpredictable because of its complexity. In the beginning, funding bodies, ethics committees, and participating organizations expect a plan of what is intended. As the research evolves, researchers must meet the expectations of stakeholders while being responsive to the emergent reality that the research faces and partly uncovers. This article describes action research used as an umbrella process that enabled us to manage the research project. We used action research as a meta-methodology—that is, a process that can subsume multiple subprocesses and under which these contradicting demands can be satisfied. In particular, two characteristics enable action research to do this. One is its cyclic process, iteratively tracing out a rhythm of planning, acting, and observing the results. The other is the nesting of its cycles, applied at scales ranging from the overall study to the moment-by-moment facilitation. We illustrate this use of action research with examples from a long-term applied study of leadership in faith-based, not-for-profit organizations.

Action Research in Language Learning

This paper shows the implementation of '5S' – a Japanese concept of housekeeping – through action research methodology. The organisational issue it tackles is the cultural inhibition among the Indian population against cleaning. It uses soft systems methodology (SSM), action science and Schein's idea of clinical enquiry to bring about an enduring change against this inhibition. On a theoretical level, this paper develops a model which integrates these three approaches to organisational change. It argues that it is possible to integrate these approaches based on the nature of feedback loop which can be termed as hard, soft, emanicipatory, and therapeutic churning.

ABSTRACTAction research methodology is commonly used in initial teacher education programmes as a pedagogical strategy to enhance student teacher learning. Action research is most often used in tandem with school-based practicum components in the latter stage of programmes as a means of bridging the theory-practice divide. It is also frequently used as a capstone assessment to assure prospective teacher capability for reflective inquiry. The study reported here focuses on the perspectives of teachers who were recent graduates of two initial English language teacher education programmes in Chile, who had undertaken action research projects as part of their degree programme. It also engaged the university-based supervisors who had overseen this work. These experiences are analysed in the context of the guiding epistemological and political foundations of action research. The outcomes of this research suggest that the use of action research in initial teacher education contexts may be more problematic than it is often assumed; particularly, where student teachers’ work is professionally isolated. From this, it is suggested that action research in initial teacher education needs to be conscious of potential constraints in school-based contexts, as these may act to limit the current and prospective impact of this learning experience.

This paper begins by defining what is meant by action research and locates it as a form of a new paradigm of research. Next it describes some present-day concerns about its use in health-care practice and then goes on to describe a vision of research policy and practice which suggests that action research may have a greater role to play in the next millennium. In conclusion, a cautious and pragmatic approach to the use of action research is advocated which is based on rigorous, systematic and visible methods of data collection, analysis and verification of findings.

<span>This article examines the pedagogical use of action research (AR) in enhancing professional and problem-solving skills of prospective teachers in Kazakhstani secondary schools. The study involved twenty-seven pre-service and novice English as a foreign language (EFL) teachers, all of whom were master’s students at Kazakh National University. The study was implemented within the AR course integrated into the master’s program curriculum. To support participants’ understanding and practical application of AR, we designed “AR tree” model, a visual, cognitive and pedagogical scaffold. It was introduced to make the stages of AR more accessible for novice teachers. After presenting the model, semi-structured interviews were conducted with pre-service teachers to explore its pedagogical value for professional learning. The results indicate that the model strengthened connections between theory and practice, promoted reflective professional thinking, and enable novice teachers to systematically identify classroom challenges and develop pedagogically informed solutions. The study does not propose a new form of AR, instead, the model guided pre-service teachers through each phase, from finding a problem to developing interventions, reflecting with learners, and sharing results.</span>

Towards the Use of Action Research to Promote Sustainability

Background: Physical education has long been caught in a time of ‘innovation without change’. Yet, despite a wealth of pedagogical innovations and policies, which encourage a reconsideration of the ‘traditional pedagogy’, teachers rarely move beyond the honeymoon period of implementation.Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to explore how communities of practice emerge, develop and support innovation that results in pedagogical change.Participants and setting: Six secondary school teachers from a comprehensive secondary school in the UK used the Cooperative Learning model, which was identified as the pedagogical innovation, to teach physical education for a minimum of four units of activity (6–8 lessons each). Teachers were supported by a researcher who acted as a boundary spanner.Research design: To support their understanding and use of Cooperative Learning the teachers' engaged with action research through (a) the analysis of their observations and reflections, (b) dialogue with the boundary spanner and colleagues, and (c) negotiation with their students. Multiple sources of data informed the study including: teacher reflections, a field journal, a Verification Tool, interviews, teacher observations, professional learning meetings, and discussions on social media.Data analysis: Data were analysed through constant comparison, inductive analysis and peer examination.Findings: The boundary spanner was a catalyst for the adoption and sustained use of pedagogical innovation, facilitating teachers' use of action research, driving social energy, and the subsequent emergence of a community of practice.Conclusion: If physical education is to move beyond the traditional pedagogies, then communities of practice are a professional learning strategy that can support pedagogical innovation with change, especially when boundary spanners help to get them started.

This reflection seeks to explore the role that power plays both in schooling and in research, specifically through the use of action research. The authors began this process in informal conversations reflecting on their personal experience with action research methods. Qualitative methods were then used with the authors using semistructured interviews to collect data and an inductive-interpretive approach to analyze said data. In the analysis, it became clear that the use of action research helped disrupt traditional power structures within teacher preparation programs, in K–12 schools, in higher education, and in research itself.

Hypnoterapi action research on pain management and anxiety based colon cancer patients in the problems of pain and anxiety often expressed by colon cancer patients who have undergone surgery and is in the process of chemotherapy, anxiety will increase when individuals face the threat of a life change as a result of disease and duration of the treatment process. The root of the problem in this research is how hypnotherapy reduce pain and anxiety in patients with colon cancer in a surgical disease inpatient unit RSU Banyumas. Design a qualitative research approach action research/action research using Elliot›s Action Research Model, which consists of the process of identifying the initial idea, searching and analyzing facts about pain and anxiety, making planning hypnoterapi, action hypnoterapi, evaluate the success or failure of interventions hypnotherapy, revise ideas, the steps are performed in three cycles. Formulation of the problem in this research is «How to decrease pain and anxiety in patients with colon cancermafter hypnotherapy in the inpatient surgical disease RSU Banyumas». Data processing and data interpretation using NVivo software 9.0.204.0. Based on the data obtained during the application of the three cycles of action showed that hypnotherapy is eff ective in reducing pain and anxiety in patients with colon cancer who are undergoing chemotherapy inpatient unit RSU Banyumas. Decrease in pain every cycle between 4 to 6.3, while the average decrease anxiety between 7 to 15.8. Conclusions in hypnotherapy research helpful in reducing pain and anxiety of patients who suff er from colon cancer and is undergoing chemotherapy in RSU Banyumas. Researchers hope hypnoterapi intervention can be arranged with a standard operating procedure nursing care in the health facilities and can be learned by nurses through nursing education curriculum. Keywords: hypnotherapy, colon cancer, pain, anxiety.