Search results for "action research"

How to Foster Critical Literacy in Academic Contexts: Some Insights from Action Research on Writing Research Papers

2013

This chapter attempts to identify problem areas and suggest possible remedial means to rectify critical literacy deficits of students who write research papers in Cultural and Media Studies (CMS) at the Institute of English Studies of Opole University, Poland. Despite sufficient levels of English proficiency and ever easier access to CMS sources, students report daunting problems in selecting and framing their research objectives, stating their positions, and arguing for them. They also find it hard to evaluate materials in terms of relevance and credibility. In brief, they often lack what can be described as critical literacy—a set of skills to interrogate the social, institutional and ide…

Generating dialogical practices in mental health: experiences from southern norway, 1998-2008.

2013

Published version of an article in the journal: Administration and Policy in Mental Health and Mental Health Services Research. Also available from the publisher at: http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10488-013-0479-3 In Norway and many other countries, political guidelines prescribe the development of mental health strategies with both a service user's perspective and a treatment system established by the local authority. The development of new strategies frequently involves challenges regarding procedures and treatment as well as a view of knowledge and humanity. Dialogical practices might provide a solution for these challenges not only because of its procedures but also due to its attitudes tow…

Participation, Involvement, and Application in the Field of Ethnological Research, Museums, and Cultural Heritage

2020

'Why Should I Study English If I'm Never Going To Leave This Town?' Developing Alternative Orientations To Culture in the EFL Classroom Through CAR

2015

This article describes the progress and findings of a collaborative action research project on the cultural dimension in primary levels of EFL education in Valencia (Spain). Its aim was to explore whether the EFL subject tended to ignore the students¿ native cultural background, and if so, whether this omission brought negative pedagogical consequences. It involved ten student-teachers who were carrying out their practicum placements at schools in the region, ten EFL school teachers, and a university researcher. Collective meetings were held to critically analyze the school experiences, and design experimental interventions to give a different orientation to culture in the EFL class. By the…

Breaking the “Fourth Wall” in Qualitative Research: Participant-Led Digital Data Construction

2018

This article reconstructs the typical researcher-participant focus - where the participants are doing for us - instead we followed the participants’ lead in the construction of research. Using a qualitative literacy event case study as an example, we describe how participants unexpectedly co-constructed knowledge through a participant-led digital data collection. In this theoretical article, we provide an explanation of the original study, which used observations, semi-structured interviews, and home visits as a collective qualitative case study on parental participation in social literacy practices. The original investigation led to the important shift that occurred in participant-research…

Between facts and norms: action research in the light of Jürgen Habermas's theory of communicative action and discourse theory of justice1

1998

Abstract An emphasis on democracy is typical of action research. Therefore, theories of modern democracy can be applied within the field of school development through action research. According to Jurgen Habermas, the promotion of democratic will formation requires the promotion of free and rational communicative action that is as free from manipulation as possible. Under ideal communicative conditions, consensus is achieved dialectically through the force of a better argument. The principles of rational argumentation have been developed in detail in Habermas's publications on discourse ethics and in The Theory of Communicative Action. He has recently developed his approach in a book entitl…

Complexity and Action: Reflections on Decision Making and Cybernetics.

2013

This paper highlights some theoretical and epistemological reflections about the relevance of action for managerial studies. These reflections show how the cybernetic paradigm of complexity management can be used for better decision making that unites knowledge and action in a comprising, dynamic, and evolving approach. Cybernetics can help to overcome the fear of decision making in the face of uncertainty in complex scenarios, and can be an effective tool for improving the viability and competitiveness of firms in the twenty-first century.

Action research and narrative inquiry: five principles for validation revisited

2012

The article continues the discussion of the five quality principles proposed by Heikkinen, Huttunen, and Syrjala, published in 2007 in Educational Action Research. In the present article, the authors reconsider the five principles: historical continuity; reflexivity; dialectics; workability; and evocativeness. These five principles are critically examined from two viewpoints. First, the authors discuss comments on the quality of the principles published in Educational Action Research, referring to contemporary discussion within the philosophy of science. Second, they review some empirical action research reports in which these principles have been applied. The authors point out some problem…

La formación docente en Didáctica de las Ciencias Sociales a través de los proyectos socioeducativos en contextos de exclusión social

2015

Presentamos una experiencia formativa innovadora con los estudiantes de la titulación deMaestro/a de Educación Primaria de la Facultad de Ciencias de la Educación de la Universidad de Almería.Se ha realizado en el marco de un Programa Socioeducativo en colegios públicos de un barrio marginal dela ciudad de Almería mediante la metodología de Aprendizaje-Servicio (ApS). Desde la Didáctica de lasCiencias Sociales queremos contribuir a una educación democrática mediante la participación ciudadana.Mostramos algunas valoraciones de nuestros estudiantes en este proceso de investigación-acción. Elbalance positivo de esta evaluación inicial nos motiva para seguir implicados en el desarrollo de proye…

Socio-technical Congruence Sabotaged by a Hidden Onshore Outsourcing Relationship: Lessons Learned from an Empirical Study

2012

Despite the popularity of outsourcing arrangements, distributed software development is still regarded as a complex endeavor. Complexity primarily comes from the challenges in communication and coordination among participating organizations. In this paper we discuss lessons learned from participatory research carried out in a highly distributed onshore outsourcing project. Previous research established that socio-technical congruence principles alleviate distributed work. In practice we have found that alignment between the systems structure and organizational structure can be studied from different abstraction levels and also during different phases of project lifecycle. We have found that…