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A bit of history
The term ‘Action Research’ was first introduced (and
most probably coined) by Kurt Lewin [E1]
[I1] [F1]
[S1] in his paper
"Action Research and Minority Problems" (1946), where he
defined Action Research as "a comparative research on the conditions
and effects of various forms of social action and research leading to social
action", using a process of "a spiral of steps, each of which
is composed of a circle of planning, action, and fact-finding about the result
of the action". Another major contributor to the field in the period
immediately following World War II was Eric Trist [E1] , a social psychiatrist
whose group at the Tavistock Institute [E1] [F1]
of Human Relations in London dealt with applied social research. Both Lewin and
Trist highlighted the importance of group relations as fundamental for
problem-solving experiences. They both supported the principle that any
decision can be best implemented by the people who help formulate them.
The studies and applications of Action Research
evolved to develop, by the mid-70s, four main trends: Traditional Action
Research, Contextural Action Research (Action Learning), Radical Action
Research and Educational Action Research, the latter taking its stems in the
works of John Dewey [E1]
[I1] [F1]
[S1] , the
great American educational philosopher of the 1920s and 30s, who maintained
that professional educators should become involved in community
problem-solving. Although it underwent a significant decline in favour during
the 1960s because of its association with radical political activism, the use
of Action Research to develop and enhance classroom practice has grown into a
strong tradition of practice, especially within the British School System (one
of the first and most interesting examples is the work of Stephen Corey in
1949). As a matter of fact, today Action Research is alive and well, and thanks
to the Internet it has become easier and easier to create virtual communities
or work groups such as, for example, CARN [E1], an international network
linking all those interested in Action Research through regular conferences and
publications. Finally, the most recent trend in action research involves the
use of ICT [E1]
[I1]
in the classroom where the research is taking place.
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