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The five key characteristics of our approach to action research are:
- Collaboration between professional researchers
and 'problem owners', who may be charities and other voluntary
and community and not-for-profit organisations.
- A focus on the 'real world'. Our action research
starts with a practical issue or problem. The knowledge produced is
practically useful and usable by practitioners and communities.
- The agenda, viewpoints and perceptions of the problem owners
are paramount throughout(rather than those of the professional
researchers or external stakeholders).
- Intervention with a view to achieving change. The
hoped-for change may include solving a problem; developing a shared
view on an issue or task; adapting to a changed environment; organisational
development; or community development.
- Knowledge building and knowledge exchange. Knowledge is
built and transferred in both directions through cooperation between
practitioners and professional researchers. Often there is a
cyclical learning process: building knowledge and understanding by
continuously 'testing' it against practical experience and applying
it to real world situations before further modification and refinement
by the researcher (in collaboration with practitioners).
(adapted from: Cairns, B., Harris, M. and Carroll, M. (2006) 'Action
Research: Professional Researchers in the Community' in Handbook
on Community Movements and Local Organizations edited by R.
Cnaan and C. Milofsky, Kluwer Books / Plenum Press)
To download a discussion about the link between 'action research' and
'capacity building', please click here.
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