Winds of change

2014 ◽  
Vol 24 (3) ◽  
pp. 205-223 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joanne Evans ◽  
Barbara Reed ◽  
Henry Linger ◽  
Simon Goss ◽  
David Holmes ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Action Research ◽  
Process Analysis ◽  
Research Process ◽  
Research Data ◽  
Collaborative Action Research ◽  
Records Management ◽  
Data Sets ◽  
Action Research Project ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Business Process Analysis

Purpose – This paper aims to examine the role a recordkeeping informatics approach can play in understanding and addressing these challenges. In 2011, the Wind Tunnel located at the Defence Science Technology Organisation (DTSO)’s Fisherman’s Bend site in Melbourne and managed by the Flight Systems Branch (FSB) celebrated its 70th anniversary. While cause for celebration, it also raised concerns for DSTO aeronautical scientists and engineers as to capacities to effectively and efficiently manage the data legacy of such an important research facility for the next 70 years, given increased technological, organisational and collaboration complexities. Design/methodology/approach – This paper will detail how, through a collaborative action research project, the twin pillars of continuum thinking and recordkeeping metadata and the three facets of organisational culture, business process analysis and archival access, were used to examine the data, information, records and knowledge management challenges in this research data context. It will discuss how this perspective, was presented, engaged with and evolved into a set of strategies for the sustained development of FSB’s data, information and records management infrastructure, along with what is learnt about the approach through the action research process. Findings – The project found that stressing the underlying principles of recordkeeping, applied to information resources of all kinds, resonated with the scientific community of FSB. It identified appropriate strategic, policy and process frameworks to better govern information management activities. Research limitations/implications – The utility of a recordkeeping informatics approach to unpack, explore and develop strategies in technically and organisationally complex recordkeeping environment is demonstrated, along with the kinds of professional collaboration required to tackle research data challenges. Practical implications – In embracing technical and organisational complexity, the project has provided FSB with a strategic framework for the development of their information architecture so that it is both responsive to local needs, and consistent with broader DSTO requirements. Originality/value – This paper further develops recordkeeping informatics as an emerging approach for tackling the recordkeeping challenges of our era in relation to maintaining and sustaining the evidential authenticity, integrity and reliability of big complex research data sets.

A reflexive account on my positionality in a collaborative action research project in a Seychelles secondary school

2015 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
pp. 2-19 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jemma Simeon
Keyword(s):  
Action Research ◽  
Secondary School ◽  
Learning Strategies ◽  
Strategy Instruction ◽  
Research Process ◽  
Collaborative Action Research ◽  
Action Research Project ◽  
Research Project ◽  
Planning Stage ◽  
Content Type

Purpose – The paper is based on a doctoral action research project in which three ESL teachers and the author in one secondary school in the Seychelles focused on strategy instruction in the process approach to writing instruction with the aim of helping students become effective writers. The project enabled the author to establish relationships with the participating teachers as educator, facilitator and collaborator. To ensure the trustworthiness of the research, the author needed to clarify and explore the complex relationships to the setting and participants being studied. The paper aims to discuss these issues. Design/methodology/approach – In this paper, the author reflexively discusses the development nature of my research: language learning strategies (LLS) and draw upon my experience of working with three ESL Seychellois teachers in the reflection and planning stage of the Core Action Research project to critically reflect on the negotiation of my position in practice. Findings – Reflecting on the author’s positionality in relation to how the teacher participants constructed the identity has helped the author to be more reflexive and engage with the research process in a more meaningful way. Originality/value – The author’s experience suggests that one’s positionality is never fixed and stable, but rather may be characterized as changing and fluctuating according to the context, content, feelings and ideas expressed.

Exploring the complexities of validity claims in action research

2007 ◽  
Vol 30 (5) ◽  
pp. 381-390 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter McInnes ◽  
Paul Hibbert ◽  
Nic Beech
Keyword(s):  
Action Research ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Research Process ◽  
Language Games ◽  
Research Setting ◽  
Action Research Project ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Validity Claims ◽  
Practical Implications

PurposeThe paper aims to explore the problematics of validity that are inherent to the conduct of an action research project because of the disparate language games of both practitioners and academics.Design/methodology/approachAn exploration is offered of the tensions between different understandings of a research setting at different stages of the research process.FindingsIn each phase of the research there are a number of tensions between different epistemological assumptions about the “reality” of the research setting. Validity is not, therefore, about capturing a singular objective picture of the organisation, but rather it is produced through the negotiation of a temporary intersection of language games.Research limitations/implicationsThe paper provides a framework for understanding the role of the researcher in the research process and the issues underlying validity claims made from different epistemological positions.Practical implicationsThe paper provides insights in to the mechanisms through which practitioners and academics come to understand each other and the limitations of this knowledge.Originality/valueThe article raises awareness of the different normative assumptions at play within a variety of action research contexts.

A collaborative action research project towards embedding ESD within the higher education curriculum

2017 ◽  
Vol 18 (6) ◽  
pp. 857-876 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gisela Cebrián
Keyword(s):  
Action Research ◽  
Teaching Practice ◽  
Collaborative Action Research ◽  
Research Approach ◽  
Action Research Project ◽  
Research Project ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Collaborative Action ◽  
Action Research Approach ◽  
The Impact

Purpose This paper aims to present a collaborative action research project conducted at the University of Southampton with the aim to promote curriculum and professional development in education for sustainable development (ESD) and learn from everyday practices of academics. Design/methodology/approach An action research approach guided by participatory and emancipatory approaches was used. An interdisciplinary group of five academic staff members from different subject areas (education; archaeology; electronics and computer sciences; biology; and health sciences) was created with the aim to support the group’s critical reflection and action towards embedding ESD in their teaching practice. Findings The main outcomes of delivery of sustainability teaching achieved through the project and evidences of the impact of the facilitator role are outlined. The facilitator role has enabled reflection and action, together with the identification of specific needs of academics and the factors influencing their engagement and action. Originality/value This research demonstrates the potential of using action research to rethink current practice in embedding ESD and to lead to new practices and actions of communities of practice. The facilitator role and second-order action research can contribute to better decision-making of sustainability as it questions practice, current assumptions and worldviews.

scholarly journals It's our museum too: co-producing research in a university museum through a nursery residency programme

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Kate Noble ◽  
Nicola Wallis
Keyword(s):  
Action Research ◽  
Young Children ◽  
Action Observation ◽  
Research Process ◽  
Early Years ◽  
Action Research Project ◽  
Community Groups ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Residency Programme ◽  
University Museum

PurposeThe authors draw on Howard and Thomas-Hughes' (2020) framework for quality assessment of co-produced research, to interrogate our assumptions and processes and to reflect on our project. They consider if they achieved our planned outcomes around developing practice, enabling a range of voices and perspectives within their research, and enacting change within the university museum.Design/methodology/approachThe authors’ early years residency programme explores the potential of collaborations with community groups to transform knowledge and practice through action research. As museum educators, the authors find synergy between the participatory pedagogies underpinning their practice and the co-construction of knowledge within action research. Both are committed to enabling diverse interpretations within a collective and supportive framework. Within their project, practitioners from the museum and playgroup worked collaboratively to collect video footage, photos, children's artwork and reflective journals and memos.FindingsThe process of action, observation and reflection revealed much about the authors’ different perspectives and they found variations in both pedagogy and practice. Although the authors had a shared commitment to providing high quality, memorable, exciting opportunities for the children, the exploratory nature of the project meant that they did not agree what these experiences might look like in advance, and so they had different understandings of what they saw.Research limitations/implicationsAlthough the authors’ methodological framework was designed to make their research collaborative, structural challenges and the contexts of the art museum and university reinforced long established hierarchies. While some felt supported by the research process and the prestige of working with a university museum to gain legitimacy for their practice, others were disempowered by these same structures. The authors consider their obligations as practitioner-researchers to become aware of the role they play in maintaining, as well as challenging, hierarchies and assumptions.Originality/valueYoung children in museums is a growing area of study and this practitioner-led action research project develop a new strand of enquiry within this field. Through this research the authors can collaborate with community partners to record, analyse and make visible the many different ways in which young children experience the museum. As research led institutions, university museums are ideally placed to develop research in partnership with local public bodies and community groups. However, future work in this area would benefit from a more explicit consideration of the constraints implicit within the institutions within which they all operate.

Design of the Tool (web) EMAeHealth supporting decision-making during pregnancy and postpartum: Collaborative Action Research Study. (Preprint)

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Isabel Artieta-Pinedo ◽  
Carmen Paz-Pascual ◽  
Paola Bully ◽  
Maite Espinosa ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Action Research ◽  
Maternal Education ◽  
Monitoring And Evaluation ◽  
Research Process ◽  
Collaborative Action Research ◽  
Public Healthcare ◽  
Self Assessment ◽  
Collaborative Action ◽  
Patient Decision ◽  
Pregnancy And Postpartum

BACKGROUND Background: Despite the benefit it can give women, Maternal Education needs new tools that increase its effectiveness and scope OBJECTIVE To develop a multifunctional, personalized eHealth platform aimed at the self-management of health in relation to maternity METHODS The International Patient Decision Aid Standards (IPDAS) were applied. A website prototype was developed for implementation in the public health system using a collaborative action research process in which experts and patients participate, with qualitative research techniques as well as prioritization and consensus techniques. RESULTS A website is proposed which includes (1) systematically updated information related to clinical practice guidelines, (2) interaction between peers and users/professionals, (3) instruments for self-assessment of health needs as a basis for working on counseling, agreement on actions, help in the search for resources, monitoring and evaluation of results and (4) access for women to their clinical data and the option of sharing them with other health agents. These components, with different access requirements, would be permanently reviewed through iterative cycles depending on the frequency and effectiveness resulting from their use and would be accessible from any digital device CONCLUSIONS This public healthcare website would facilitate use, maintenance and effectiveness to increase quality of care without increasing costs. The participation of professionals and users in the creation of new tools will result in greater satisfaction with their use, with the decisions made, and with the decision process itself.

scholarly journals Co-designing food waste services in the catering sector

2018 ◽  
Vol 120 (12) ◽  
pp. 2762-2777 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aleksandra Michalec ◽  
Martin Fodor ◽  
Enda Hayes ◽  
James Longhurst
Keyword(s):  
Action Research ◽  
Food Waste ◽  
Research Methodology ◽  
Policy Design ◽  
Waste Recycling ◽  
Business Practices ◽  
Local Policy ◽  
Action Research Project ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Food Waste Recycling

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to present results from the action research project, where sustainability professionals, local businesses and academic researchers collaborated on exploring barriers for food waste recycling in SMEs food outlets in order to inform local policy and business practices in Bristol, UK. Design/methodology/approach The researchers conducted face-to-face, qualitative surveys of 79 catering businesses in three diverse areas of the city. The action research methodology was applied, where a range of co-researchers contributed towards study design and review. Findings The research reveals the main barriers to recycling and how such perceptions differ depending on whether the respondents do or do not recycle, with “convenience” and “cost” being the main issue according to the already recycling participants. On the other hand, participants who do not recycle state that their main reason is “not enough waste” and “lack of space”. Practical implications Participants recommended a range of measures, which could improve the current food waste services in Bristol. For example, they suggest that business engagement should address the barriers voiced by the participants applying the framings used by them, rather than assuming restaurants and cafes are not aware of the issue. By inviting a variety of non-academic stakeholders into the process of research design and analysis, the project addressed the imbalances in knowledge production and policy design. Originality/value Despite the local and qualitative focus of this paper, the results and research methodology could act as a useful guide for conducting food waste action research in the policy context.

Web Site Development in Action Research

2005 ◽  
pp. 729-734
Author(s):  
Maximilian C. Forte
Keyword(s):  
Action Research ◽  
Participant Observation ◽  
Research Process ◽  
Collaborative Action Research ◽  
Small Community ◽  
Collaborative Action ◽  
Site Development ◽  
The Everyday ◽  
Field Setting ◽  
The Web

Ethnography has traditionally involved the sustained presence of an anthropologist in a physically fixed field setting, intensively engaged with the everyday life of the inhabitants of a given site, typically, a village or other small community. Conventional notions of the field, especially in anthropology which has been the premiere field-based discipline (see Amit, 2000; Gupta & Ferguson, 1997, 1992), involved basic assumptions of boundedness (the field was a strictly delimited physical place); distance (the field was “away,” and often very far away as well); temporality (one entered the field, stayed for a time, and then left); and otherness (a strict categorical and relational distinction between the outsider/ethnographer and the insider/native informant). The key mode of ethnographic engagement in the field was, and is, that of participant observation. When the Internet enters into ethnography, and when ethnography acquires an online dimension either in the research process or in the production of the documentary outputs of research, we end up facing a situation that leads us to reconsider relationships between the researchers and those who are researched. This is especially true of collaborative, action research projects that involve researchers and activists producing materials for the Web.

Using Action Research for Improvement of Project Knowledge Management in the Public Museum

2020 ◽  
pp. 123-144
Author(s):  
Kamila Brodzińska ◽  
Agnieszka Szostak ◽  
Beata Jałocha
Keyword(s):  
Knowledge Management ◽  
Action Research ◽  
Action Plan ◽  
Research Process ◽  
Theoretical Background ◽  
Public Institution ◽  
Research Approach ◽  
Action Research Project ◽  
Analysis Of Results ◽  
Questionnaire Surveys

This chapter aims at presenting the results of the research carried out as part of the action research project concerning knowledge management and knowledge sharing in a public institution. As a research subject, a public cultural institution in Poland was selected. The methods used during the implementation of the research include observations, interviews, questionnaire surveys, and document analysis. The chapter presents the course of the research process, a diagnosis of problems, and challenges of the institution under study as regards project knowledge management, analysis of results, and recommendations. The principal result of the study is the developed action plan that contains an overview description of the proposed change and suggestions for solutions for the diagnosed challenge. It also illustrated that action research is a research approach supporting project management processes in public organizations. The theoretical background for considerations undertaken in the work are the concepts of project knowledge management and sharing knowledge on the implemented projects.

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