Action Research as a Valid Doctoral Dissertation Instrument?

Today we want to refer to Action Research, one of the research methods studied in Unit 3, in EDD802.  We'll be discussing some of the literature and principles summarized by Cohen et al (2011), in Chapter 18.  We have chosen this topic because Action Research (AR) is one of the methods we have used in the past to carry out research in the class, and which has yielded rich fruits in terms of new perspectives and procedures used to address some problems or situations in the classroom.  Some of our papers where AR was implemented can be found here.

In addition, AR is one of the methods we're considering for our dissertation thesis, and will be included in our Assignment 4 in the correponding section for methods.  Let's mention some of its main characteristics according to Zuber-Skerritt in Cohen et al (2011), where it is described as:

"Critical (and self-critical) collaborative enquiry by
reflective practitioners being
accountable and making results of their enquiry public
self-evaluating in their practice and engaged in
participatory problem-solving and continuing professional development" (p.346).

Thus, some of AR's most attractive features correspond to its critical nature.  In other words, teachers can examine their own practice during research, which promotes reflection and reflexivity.  This research, as such, should be published, making them accountable to stakeholders (administrative staff, colleagues, students, parents, etc).  It is also self-evaluating since teacher-researchers themselves reflect and act upon their observation and action plan, and it is participatory due to the fact that teachers themselves design their plan, implement it and it can be used as an ongoing process of reflection and professional updating.  According to McNiff & Whitehead (2002),

"Action research involves learning in and through action and reflection, and it is conducted in a variety of contexts, including the social and caring sciences, education, organisation and administration studies, and management. Because action research is always to do with learning, and learning is to do with education and growth, many people regard it as a form of educational research" (p.15)

Thus, AR can be seen as a tool to acquire knowledge, and a process for transformation and self-transformation.  Just to be clear, AR can be classified into two main currents: participatory action research, and action research as critical praxis (Cohen, 2011).

However, can AR be used as a valid research method for a dissertation?  McNiff & Whitehead say,

"Today [AR] is recognised as a valid form of enquiry, with its own methodologies and epistemologies, its own criteria and standards of judgement. Debates still take place about the nature of action research, how people carry out their research and for what purposes, but there is general agreement that action research has an identity of its own and should not be spoken about in terms of traditional forms of research" (p.1).

This is confronted by some epistemological and methodological implications that question the feasibility and philosophical foundations of AR as to be used as an acceptable research method for a doctoral dissertation.  Tripp (2005) warns about this:

"A research proposal that focuses on the action research process itself is notoriously difficult to have approved by a university research committee simply because it is not possible to pre-specify either what knowledge will be gained or what practical outcomes will be achieved because the results of each cycle will determine what happens next, and there is no saying at the outset where the process will lead. One can outline the fieldwork situation, but because the initial situational analysis (or reconnaissance) is part of the fieldwork, then it can seldom be performed prior to the acceptance of the proposal. Furthermore, if one is facilitating an action research project, one cannot even specify the topics that will be worked on, for these will emerge from the situation analysis and be selected by the participants" (par. 93).

To conclude, I will still include AR as my second proposed method for research in my Assignment 4, since I have previous experience with the method, I find its critical and transformational nature compatible with my chosen paradigm, Freire's Critical Pedagogy, and because I believe that data collection techniques such as surveys, observations, interviews, and artifact analysis can be implemented, as well as Discourse Analysis as a data analysis technique. Nevertheless, the last word will be my supervisor's and her advice regarding these caveats.


References:

Cohen, L., Manion, L., & Morrison, K. (2011). Research Methods in Education. New York: Routledge. Retrieved from http://cw.routledge.com/textbooks/cohen7e/

McNiff, J., & Whitehead, J. (2002). Action research: principles and practice (2nd ed). London ; New York: RoutledgeFalmer.
 
Tripp, D. (2005). Action research: a methodological introduction. Retrieved April 7, 2018, from http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?pid=s1517-97022005000300009&script=sci_arttext&tlng=en