Action Research

Models, Methods, and Examples

Edited by:
Jerry W. Willis, St. John Fisher College
Claudia Edwards, St. John Fisher College

A volume in the series: Applied Research in Education and the Social Sciences. Editor(s): Jerry W. Willis, St. John Fisher College.

Published 2014

The first three chapters of Action Research: Models, Methods, and Examples covers the history, foundations, and basics of conducting action research projects. In those chapters you will learn about the origins of action research as well as about the different methods and models of action research - from the original approaches used by Kurt Lewin and his students in the 1940s and 1950s to the diversity of current approaches to AR that are used to develop both solutions to real world problems and to construct a better understanding of important issues and concern in communities, schools, businesses, and organizations.

The nine chapters in the second part of the book illustrate the many ways action research is practiced today. Those chapters illustrate the use of action research methods to accomplish everything from individual personal professional development to changing policies and practices in large organizations and systems.

The chapters detail many specific methods of doing AR such as participatory action research, emancipatory action research, designbased action research, collaborative inquiry, and many others.

CONTENTS
Preface. Section I: Introduction. The Twists and Turns of Action Research History, Jerry Willis and Claudia Edwards. Theoretical Foundations for the Practice of Action Research, Jerry Willis and Claudia Edwards. Varieties of Action Research, Jerry Willis and Claudia Edwards. Section II: Action Research Models and Approaches. Individual Action Research: The PARJ and Self Study, La-Kicia K. Walker-Floyd. An Action Research Study: How Can Elementary Teachers Collaborate More Effectively With Parents to Support Student Literacy Learning? Carol Anne St. George. Implementing Organization Change Using Action Learning and Action Research in an Asian Setting, Shankar Sankaran. Immigrant PhD Students Using Action Research as a Tool in Career Preparation, Wenying Shi. Pragmatic Interpretive Action Research: Addressing a Problem: Situated Literacies in the Homes and Communities of Three Children, Maria Casamassa. Design-Based Research as a Form of Action Research, Dan Cernusca and Ioan Gelu Ionas. Improving Adherence to Ante-Retroviral Treatment for People With Harmful Alcohol Use in Kariobangi, Kenya Through Participatory Research and Action, Caleb J. Othieno, Anne Obondo, and Mathai Muthoni. Access to HIV Treatment and Care Amongst Commercial Sex Workers in Malawi: A Participatory Reflection and Action (PRA) Project Report, Kingsley Chikaphupha, Patnice Nkhonjera, Ireen Namakhoma, and Rene Loewenson. Cooperative Inquiry Revisited: Reflections of the Past and Guidelines for the Future of Intergenerational Co-Design, Mona Leigh Guha, Allison Druin, and Jerry Alan Fails. Transitions in Well-Being and Recovery Cooperative Inquiry Involving Older Adults With Lived Experience of a Mental Illness, Kathleen Thompson. About the Editors. About the Contributors.