Greenwood, D.J., & Levin, M. (1998). Introduction to Action Research: Social research for social change. Thousand Oaks CA: Sage.

This recent and comprehensive text is clear and compelling. It provides readers with an overview of the different approaches to action research (AR). The book begins with a history of AR and two cases. This is followed by the methodological and philosophical tenets of AR. Four cases from the authors own practice are included in this section. Finally there is a series of chapters on the various different approaches to AR.

Group for Collaborative Inquiry (1993). “The democratization of knowledge ”. Adult Education Quarterly 44, 43-51.

The authors of this essay raise the point that conducting research engenders attitudes and behaviours that are in conflict with the ideology of collaborative research, in which, a commitment to democracy is considered fundamental. This group of researchers recount their experience of realizing that their own production of knowledge was constrained by the larger cultural milieu of academia. Despite the authors holding values espousing empowerment, inclusion and liberation, they became aware of their tacit assumption that only analytical and objective knowledge were suitable for formal knowledge production. Thus, while adult education academics have concerned themselves with oppressed structures in their field ’s constituencies, they have paid scant attention to the oppressive structures operating in their own professional culture. The group suggests that there is a need for critical self-reflection among university-based adult educators.

Hart, E., & Bond, M. (1995). Action research for health and social care: A guide to practice Buckingham, UK: Open University Press.

Designed as a text on research methods at the undergraduate and postgraduate levels, this book is also recommended for professional training courses. The authors have structured the book according to what they claim is the driving force behind action research, that is, the interplay of practical wisdom and theoretical concepts. Part One provides an overview of action research in different contexts; in process, which includes an action research typology of our broad traditions and seven criteria; and in practice, where the authors present an action research proposal. In Part Two five case studies are presented. The cases differ in magnitude, issues addressed, and are written from the perspective of various participants. In addition to successful examples there are instances of instructional failure. Next there is a ‘toolkit’ designed to help researchers thinking through the research process. The final chapter proposes that a project perspective is a way for practitioners and researchers to think of research that combines research and practice.

Heron, J. (1996). Co-operative inquiry: Research into the human condition. London, UK: Sage.

In this volume Heron presents a comprehensive guide to co-operative inquiry. Heron sees this approach as having links to the action research and experiential learning work stemming from Kurt Lewin (1952) but he believes that the source, application, and epistemology of co-operative inquiry make it quite distinct. The chapters cover all aspects of co-operative inquiry from philosophy, methods, to a detailed discussion of validity. Many of the specifics covered in this book have application to other types of action research.



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