Philosophical Aims
At
its core, action research aims to allow practitioners to conduct their own
research within their own context to better their own practice (McNiff &
Whitehead, 2011). It differs from more traditional types of Social
Science research in that the researcher is often a participant, as opposed to
an outside observer who is looking to create theories that are more universal
in nature (McNiff & Whitehead, 2011). Action research seeks to define
theories that apply more to the practice of the individual or group
investigating their own practice (McNiff & Whitehead, 2011).
Action
research goes beyond the realm of the reflective practitioner. Indeed,
as McNiff and Whitehead (2011) explain, "taken on its own, reflective
practice could be seen as people reflecting on what they are doing without
necessarily taking action to improve it," (p. 13). On the contrary,
action research demands that the practitioner work toward solving the problem
of practice.
Action
research has a living systems approach that stresses the idea that the
researcher is a part of, and often the centre of the inquiry. This occurs
within a paradigm of continual improvement through cycles of inquiry.
A problem is identified, a question is asked, the research is
conducted and reflected on, and then a connected problem is
identified (McNiff & Whitehead, 2011).
Underlying Assumptions
Ontological
Assumptions
Epistemological
Assumptions
Methodological
Assumptions
Social Purposes
·
Action research seeks to improve practices by improving learning.
Philosophical Aims
At
its core, action research aims to allow practitioners to conduct their own
research within their own context to better their own practice (McNiff &
Whitehead, 2011). It differs from more traditional types of Social
Science research in that the researcher is often a participant, as opposed to
an outside observer who is looking to create theories that are more universal
in nature (McNiff & Whitehead, 2011). Action research seeks to define
theories that apply more to the practice of the individual or group
investigating their own practice (McNiff & Whitehead, 2011).
Action
research goes beyond the realm of the reflective practitioner. Indeed,
as McNiff and Whitehead (2011) explain, "taken on its own, reflective
practice could be seen as people reflecting on what they are doing without
necessarily taking action to improve it," (p. 13). On the contrary,
action research demands that the practitioner work toward solving the problem
of practice.
Action
research has a living systems approach that stresses the idea that the
researcher is a part of, and often the centre of the inquiry. This occurs
within a paradigm of continual improvement through cycles of inquiry.
A problem is identified, a question is asked, the research is
conducted and reflected on, and then a connected problem is
identified (McNiff & Whitehead, 2011).
Underlying Assumptions
Ontological
Assumptions
·
Action research is value laden.
o Our own values come into play during the
research because we are often a part of the research.
·
Action research is morally committed.
·
Action researchers perceive themselves as in relation with one another
in their social contexts.
o "Do not adopt a spectator approach,
or conduct experiments on others... we are always in the company of others, who
are perhaps absent in time and space, but their influence is
evident"(McNiff & Whitehead, 2011, p. 29).
o How our subjects perceive us and how
other researchers perceive us will affect the outcome of the
research (McNiff & Whitehead, 2011).
Epistemological
Assumptions
·
The object of the enquiry is the 'I'.
o The focus of the research is yourself.
"You study yourself, not other people," (McNiff &
Whitehead, 2011p. 31). The goal is to improve your own practice.
·
Knowledge is uncertain.
o Not all knowledge is necessarily
knowable, it is in constant flux and subjective. Answers are
negotiated (McNiff & Whitehead, 2011).
·
Knowledge creation is a collaborative process.
o You are investigating your own practice,
but this is done in comparison to the ideas and knowledge of
others (McNiff & Whitehead, 2011).
o We can investigate group practice when
we share common problems of practice.
o
Methodological
Assumptions
·
Action researchers see themselves as agents.
·
Methodology is developmental.
o The researcher is just as important as
the research (McNiff & Whitehead, 2011).
o Action research starts with an idea that
is tracked for effectiveness over time, rather than a hypothesis that is
accepted or rejected (McNiff & Whitehead, 2011).
·
Aim is to improve learning with social intent.
o We seek to improve learning and help
others think for themselves (McNiff & Whitehead, 2011).
Social Purposes
·
Action research seeks to improve practices by improving learning.
o Our Living theories should be put out
into the public domain so we can compare them with the work of
others (McNiff & Whitehead, 2011).
·
Promotes ongoing democratic evaluation of learning and practices.
o Action research differs from what we
already do in that we must justify our ideas and provide evidence for our
theories (McNiff & Whitehead, 2011).
·
Aims to create good social orders by influencing the education of social
formations.
o Action research has an affect on the
wider social realm (McNiff & Whitehead, 2011).
o We make judgements on ourselves before
we make judgements on others. We seek to understand the point of view of
others.
·
We
are the "other to the other," (McNiff, 2005, cited in McNiff and
Whitehead, 2011, p. 39).
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