Bob Dick

Action research literature: Themes and trends

Recent action research books are reviewed. I give attention to books on appreciative inquiry, action science, systems approaches and action learning. Community, health, education and organizational applications are included. Major action research journals are noted. Based on this literature I identify a number of current trends: the growth of action research and especially appreciative inquiry; an increasing sense of community among action researchers; and growing attention to the practical details of participation and involvement. I question the absence of more material on building theory from action research, and on action research and complexity.

Postgraduate programs using action research

This paper is Bob Dick’s latest conceptualisation of much of his extensive work (including his AREOL course: action research and evaluation online). His focus is on postgraduate programs. He discusses the choices that a postgraduate student faces in conducting action research: as a technician or craftsperson; primarily theory‐driven or data‐driven research; emphasis on action or research; choices in methodology; and choices in methods to involve people and to collect and analyse data. He also takes up other key issues including literature review, generalising and writing.

Action research literature 2004-2006. Themes and trends

This review of recent action research books covers the period from about mid-2004 to mid-2006, complementing an earlier review (Dick, 2004). After noting some important recent additions to the action research literature, I address the literature on several different applications of action research including education, community, participatory development, and organizations. There are briefer sections on other topics. Action research journals and special issues of other journals are also identified. Finally, I identify some themes and trends in the action research literature.

Theory in action research

In this prologue to the special issue on theory in action research we provide a context and an introduction for the articles that follow. We begin by sketching in some of our shared ideas on theory in action research and some of the differences between our own approaches. Then, after briefly describing the process of preparing this issue, we provide a succinct pointer to each article in the issue.

Action research literature 2006—2008 Themes and trends

In this, the third in a series of two-yearly reviews (see also Dick, 2004, and Dick, 2006), I identify some of the action research literature that has appeared in books and edited collections over approximately the past two years. After an overview of the general action research literature I gather together other relevant literature under the following headings: action learning; community-based participatory research; youth work; educational action research; appreciative inquiry; and action science. I conclude the review with a very brief look at action research journals and special issues, other literature of interest, and an attempt to divine present and emergent trends.

Action research literature 2008—2010: Themes and trends

This is the fourth in a series of two-yearly reviews of action research books and edited collections. After an overview of the general action research literature I gather together other relevant literature under the following headings: educational action research, appreciative inquiry, community research and engagement, rural and regional development, organizational and systemic applications, and action learning. The review concludes with a brief examination of other relevant literature, and a tentative look to the future of action research.

Interview study of the effects of paediatric traumatic brain injury on memory

Primary objective: To investigate the effects of traumatic brain injury (TBI) on childrens day-to-day memory functioning. Research design: A qualitative, interview-based procedure. Methods and procedures: Thirteen parents of children and adolescents with TBI were interviewed for 2 hours. Data from 12 of the interviews were analysed using content analysis, which involved transcribing notes, sorting information into categories, identifying similarities or differences among the categories and isolating meaningful trends. Main outcomes and results: Over half of the children experienced explicit (past recall) and prospective memory (future intentions) loss, but few experienced implicit memory (e.g. procedural) loss. Further, parents utilized their own interventions in minimizing their childrens memory disabilities. Conclusion: Memory loss is common and can impact on everyday living, but is selective in the types of memory affected. Follow-ups are recommended to assess quantitatively, the so-far, little-known effects of paediatric TBI on prospective memory and to examine more closely parent interventions to assess their wider applicability in TBI rehabilitation.

Singing different tunes from the same song sheet Four perspectives of teaching the doing of action research

In a move consistent with co-generated learning, this article is co-written by teachers of action research and a former student. Before we present the content and structure of the actual course, we write about the vital issues in teaching action research. We then describe the course and finally hear a former student (himself now supervising doctoral students) on the merits of this particular approach to learning AR as a doctoral student. This article represents the combined experience of the authors in teaching action research together for several years at Southern Cross University in New South Wales, Australia. While involved in the same general activity our focus and experiences have, naturally, been quite different and we have tried to communicate them in this article. Hopefully, our learning will be of some value to the readers. What follows, then, are the thoughts of: Bob, the master action research craftsman and educator; Alan, who sees the bigger picture no matter what he is looking at; Shankar, the implementer and coordinator of projects; and Stewart, who struggles and is at peace with a world full of contradictions.

Reflections on the SAGE Encyclopedia of Action Research and what it says about action research and its methodologies

The SAGE Encyclopedia of Action Research consists of 314 entries totalling around 600,000 words by people expert in their topic. What if it was treated as a corpus of data about the current state of action research and related matters? So treated, it can provide a valuable current perspective on what action research is, who uses it for what purpose, and how it is done. A companion paper by Davydd Greenwood reports on what the Encyclopedia has to say about theory in current action research. This paper does the same for action research methodology. I report and reflect on what the Encyclopedia says about the broad family of action research approaches, and its key features of participation, an action orientation, the use of critical reflection and the integration of those features within a cyclic process.

A History of the Action Learning, Action Research, and Process Management Association (ALARPM): From Brisbane (Australia) to the World Through Inclusion and Networks

Action Learning, Action Research, and Process Management Association (ALARPM) is an organization of volunteers dedicated to the international expansion of action learning, action research, and process management, through world congresses. It has existed for over a dozen years now, despite significant stresses and strains, and has successfully conducted five world congresses with a sixth one in 2003. This history of ALARPM shows that a small group can set out to be international and inclusive from the beginning, so long as it also develops processes to sustain itself internally.