行动研究方法学.docx

行动研究方法学.docx

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行动研究方法学

AnOverviewofthe

MethodologicalApproachof

ActionResearch

RoryO’Brien

FacultyofInformationStudies,UniversityofToronto

obrienr@fis.utoronto.ca

1998

Citation:

O'Brien,R.（2001）.Umexamedaabordagemmetodológicadapesquisaação[AnOverviewoftheMethodologicalApproachofActionResearch].InRobertoRichardson（Ed.）,TeoriaePráticadaPesquisaAção[TheoryandPracticeofActionResearch].JoãoPessoa,Brazil:

UniversidadeFederaldaParaíba.（Englishversion）Available:

http:

//www.web.ca/~robrien/papers/arfinal.html（Accessed20/1/2002）

TableofContents

Introduction

“Ifyouwantitdoneright,youmayaswelldoityourself.”Thisaphorismmayseemappropriateifyouareapickyhousekeeper,butmoreandmorepeoplearebeginningtorealizeitcanalsoapplytolargecorporations,communitydevelopmentprojects,andevennationalgovernments.Suchentitiesexistincreasinglyinaninterdependentworld,andarerelyingonActionResearchasameansofcomingtogripswiththeirconstantlychangingandturbulentenvironments.

Thispaperwillanswerthequestion“WhatisActionResearch?

”,givinganoverviewofitsprocessesandprinciples,statingwhenitisappropriatetouse,andsituatingitwithinapraxisresearchparadigm.Theevolutionoftheapproachwillbedescribed,includingthevariouskindsofactionresearchbeingusedtoday.Theroleoftheactionresearcherwillbebrieflymentioned,andsomeethicalconsiderationsdiscussed.Thetoolsoftheactionresearcher,particularlythatoftheuseofsearchconferences,willbeexplained.Finallythreecasestudieswillbebrieflydescribed,twoofwhichpertaintoactionresearchprojectsinvolvinginformationtechnology,apromisingareaneedingfurtherresearch.

WhatisActionResearch?

Definition

Actionresearchisknownbymanyothernames,includingparticipatoryresearch,collaborativeinquiry,emancipatoryresearch,actionlearning,andcontexturalactionresearch,butallarevariationsonatheme.Putsimply,actionresearchis“learningbydoing”-agroupofpeopleidentifyaproblem,dosomethingtoresolveit,seehowsuccessfultheireffortswere,andifnotsatisfied,tryagain.Whilethisistheessenceoftheapproach,thereareotherkeyattributesofactionresearchthatdifferentiateitfromcommonproblem-solvingactivitiesthatweallengageineveryday.Amoresuccinctdefinitionis,

"Actionresearch...aimstocontributebothtothepracticalconcernsofpeopleinanimmediateproblematicsituationandtofurtherthegoalsofsocialsciencesimultaneously.Thus,thereisadualcommitmentinactionresearchtostudyasystemandconcurrentlytocollaboratewithmembersofthesysteminchangingitinwhatistogetherregardedasadesirabledirection.Accomplishingthistwingoalrequirestheactivecollaborationofresearcherandclient,andthusitstressestheimportanceofco-learningasaprimaryaspectoftheresearchprocess."[i]

Whatseparatesthistypeofresearchfromgeneralprofessionalpractices,consulting,ordailyproblem-solvingistheemphasisonscientificstudy,whichistosaytheresearcherstudiestheproblemsystematicallyandensurestheinterventionisinformedbytheoreticalconsiderations.Muchoftheresearcher’stimeisspentonrefiningthemethodologicaltoolstosuittheexigenciesofthesituation,andoncollecting,analyzing,andpresentingdataonanongoing,cyclicalbasis.

Severalattributesseparateactionresearchfromothertypesofresearch.Primaryisitsfocusonturningthepeopleinvolvedintoresearchers,too-peoplelearnbest,andmorewillinglyapplywhattheyhavelearned,whentheydoitthemselves.Italsohasasocialdimension-theresearchtakesplaceinreal-worldsituations,andaimstosolverealproblems.Finally,theinitiatingresearcher,unlikeinotherdisciplines,makesnoattempttoremainobjective,butopenlyacknowledgestheirbiastotheotherparticipants.

TheActionResearchProcess

StephenKemmishasdevelopedasimplemodelofthecyclicalnatureofthetypicalactionresearchprocess（Figure1）.Eachcyclehasfoursteps:

plan,act,observe,reflect.

Figure1SimpleActionResearchModel

（fromMacIsaac,1995）[ii]

GeraldSusman（1983）givesasomewhatmoreelaboratelisting.Hedistinguishesfivephasestobeconductedwithineachresearchcycle（Figure2）.Initially,aproblemisidentifiedanddataiscollectedforamoredetaileddiagnosis.Thisisfollowedbyacollectivepostulationofseveralpossiblesolutions,fromwhichasingleplanofactionemergesandisimplemented.Dataontheresultsoftheinterventionarecollectedandanalyzed,andthefindingsareinterpretedinlightofhowsuccessfultheactionhasbeen.Atthispoint,theproblemisre-assessedandtheprocessbeginsanothercycle.Thisprocesscontinuesuntiltheproblemisresolved.

Figure2DetailedActionResearchModel

（adaptedfromSusman1983）[iii]

PrinciplesofActionResearch

Whatgivesactionresearchitsuniqueflavouristhesetofprinciplesthatguidetheresearch.Winter（1989）providesacomprehensiveoverviewofsixkeyprinciples.[iv]

1）Reflexivecritique

Anaccountofasituation,suchasnotes,transcriptsorofficialdocuments,willmakeimplicitclaimstobeauthoritative,i.e.,itimpliesthatitisfactualandtrue.Truthinasocialsetting,however,isrelativetotheteller.Theprincipleofreflectivecritiqueensurespeoplereflectonissuesandprocessesandmakeexplicittheinterpretations,biases,assumptionsandconcernsuponwhichjudgmentsaremade.Inthisway,practicalaccountscangiverisetotheoreticalconsiderations.

2）Dialecticalcritique

Reality,particularlysocialreality,isconsensuallyvalidated,whichistosayitissharedthroughlanguage.Phenomenaareconceptualizedindialogue,thereforeadialecticalcritiqueisrequiredtounderstandthesetofrelationshipsbothbetweenthephenomenonanditscontext,andbetweentheelementsconstitutingthephenomenon.Thekeyelementstofocusattentiononarethoseconstituentelementsthatareunstable,orinoppositiontooneanother.Thesearetheonesthataremostlikelytocreatechanges.

3）CollaborativeResource

Participantsinanactionresearchprojectareco-researchers.Theprincipleofcollaborativeresourcepresupposesthateachperson’sideasareequallysignificantaspotentialresourcesforcreatinginterpretivecategoriesofanalysis,negotiatedamongtheparticipants.Itstrivestoavoidtheskewingofcredibilitystemmingfromthepriorstatusofanidea-holder.Itespeciallymakespossibletheinsightsgleanedfromnotingthecontradictionsbothbetweenmanyviewpointsandwithinasingleviewpoint

4）Risk

Thechangeprocesspotentiallythreatensallpreviouslyestablishedwaysofdoingthings,thuscreatingpsychicfearsamongthepractitioners.Oneofthemoreprominentfearscomesfromtherisktoegostemmingfromopendiscussionofone’sinterpretations,ideas,andjudgments.Initiatorsofactionresearchwillusethisprincipletoallayothers’fearsandinviteparticipationbypointingoutthatthey,too,willbesubjecttothesameprocess,andthatwhatevertheoutcome,learningwilltakeplace.

5）PluralStructure

Thenatureoftheresearchembodiesamultiplicityofviews,commentariesandcritiques,leadingtomultiplepossibleactionsandinterpretations.Thispluralstructureofinquiryrequiresapluraltextforreporting.Thismeansthattherewillbemanyaccountsmadeexplicit,withcommentariesontheircontradictions,andarangeofoptionsforactionpresented.Areport,therefore,actsasasupportforongoingdiscussionamongcollaborators,ratherthanafinalconclusionoffact.

6）Theory,Practice,Transformation

Foractionresearchers,theoryinformspractice,practicerefinestheory,inacontinuoustransformation.Inanysetting,people’sactionsarebasedonimplicitlyheldassumptions,theoriesandhypotheses,andwitheveryobservedresult,theoreticalknowledgeisenhanced.Thetwoareintertwinedaspectsofasinglechangeprocess.Itisuptotheresearcherstomakeexplicitthetheoreticaljustificationsfortheactions,andtoquestionthebasesofthosejustifications.Theensuingpracticalapplicationsthatfollowaresubjectedtofurtheranalysis,inatransformativecyclethatcontinuouslyalternatesemphasisbetweentheoryandpractice.

WhenisActionResearchused?

Actionresearchisusedinrealsituations,ratherthanincontrived,experimentalstudies,sinceitsprimaryfocusisonsolvingrealproblems.Itcan,however,beusedbysocialscientistsforpreliminaryorpilotresearch,especiallywhenthesituationistooambiguoustoframeapreciseresearchquestion.Mostly,though,inaccordancewithitsprinciples,itischosenwhencircumstancesrequireflexibility,theinvolvementofthepeopleintheresearch,orchangemusttakeplacequicklyorholistically.

Itisoftenthecasethatthosewhoapplythisapproacharepractitionerswhowishtoimproveunderstandingoftheirpractice,socialchangeactiviststryingtomountanactioncampaign,or,morelikely,academicswhohavebeeninvitedintoanorganization（orotherdomain）bydecision-makersawareofaproblemrequiringactionresearch,butlackingtherequisitemethodologicalknowledgetodealwithit.

SituatingActionResearchinaResearchParadigm

PositivistParadigm

ThemainresearchparadigmforthepastseveralcenturieshasbeenthatofLogicalPositivism.Thisparadigmisbasedonanumberofprinciples,including:

abeliefinanobjectivereality,knowledgeofwhichisonlygainedfromsensedatathatcanbedirectlyexperiencedandverifiedbetweenindependentobservers.Phenomenaaresubjecttonaturallawsthathumansdiscoverinal