THINGS EVERY NEW RESEARCHER SHOULD KNOW ABOUT ACTION RESEARCH

Introduction

Research is the foundation of every new theory and principle. In science and technology, every theory is based on some research. There are different types of Research. Each type of Research has a specific aim to achieve. Some research types aim to make theories, while the others aim to use those theories. One of the research types is named action research. The use of action research is very frequent in higher sectors. It includes educational as well as organizational sectors. Therefore, this article aims to discuss action research and its different aspects.

1. What is Action Research and its Types?

Action research is an approach that is used to sort out organizational problems. In this approach, two persons participate. The first person is a researcher who has to work on the problem, while the second person is from the organization. The person from the organization can be an employee or owner. The researcher's participation and a person from an organization are to identify the problem. After proper identification, the researcher works on its solution. Action research is the strategy that works well for investigation. You may develop some solutions that do not have a ground base in other research types. This solution needs advanced technology that can be expected shortly but not right now.

On the other hand, action research ends with a real-time solution that can be implemented urgently. This research strategy can also be used for educational sectors other than an organization. It includes primary, middle, and high school as well.

Following are three types of action research:

o Positivist Action Research

o Interpretive Action Research

o Critical Action Research

Let's discuss each type briefly.

· Positivist Action Research

The type of action research that tests a hypothesis is action research. It is also named classical action research. The hypothesis is not tested in an ideal situation, and evidence is collected to make it valid. The best thing about positivist action research is that you have to prove everything in mathematical form.

· Interpretive Action Research

At the organizational level, interpretative action research is way more than other types of action research. Its frequent use is that it works well for testing any product. Every organization has some product. Irrespective of the product type, its test is done according to interpretative action research. Social theories play an important role in this type of action research. It is also named contemporary action research.

· Critical Action Research

The last type of action research is the critical approach to action research. As per its name, this research type evaluates all issues critically. At the organizational or institutional level, you may have to deal with a new change that can improve the existing system. This improvement is evaluated critically through critical action research.

2. What are the Parts of Action Research?

Action research has four main parts. These parts are mentioned below:

o Action

o Research

o Collaboration

o Reflexivity

Based on these four steps, the procedure of action research is completed.

3. What Type of Research is Action Research?

Action research is an investigation type of Research. In this type of research, we investigate the problem in a cyclic form. The cycle of Action is another name based on its cyclic process.

You may have heard about the cycle of inquiry; it is the same as action research. You can say that these are the different names of one Research.

4. What are the Main Steps in Action Research?

Action research is a theory-driven approach that has a defined path. For all problems and sectors, its steps will remain the same. The main goal of this Research is to sort out the problem with effective solutions. It is insane to go for a random strategy to improve plans and policies. The random selection can cause a loss of effort, time, and money. Therefore, every problem is tested through action research. Let's have a look at a step to conduct action research.

• First, you have to select the problem to be addressed. There can be more than one problem in your organization. It is better to sort out problems one by one. If you address all problems at once, it will cause complexities. So, identify problems and select one problem for study.

• The second step is to collect data to solve a problem.

• Analyze the collected data.

• Make a scheme to address the selected problem.

• Start working as per the scheme.

• Design a solution based on the results of the Research.

If you have more than one problem, repeat the same steps for other problems. If you face a problem performing these steps, you can get research proposal help from the professionals who will help you perform these steps.

5. How is Action Research Different from Other Forms of Research?

The difference between action research and other forms of Research lies in aim and results. The other forms of Research aim to develop new theories, while action research uses theories to solve real-time problems. Also, it provides a practical solution for the problem rather than descriptive details. We can differentiate action research from other types of Research based on the type of problem under study. In all other types of Research, we can discuss all problems, including past, present, and future. In contrast, action research addresses current problems only.

Final Thoughts

As a new researcher, it is very important to know everything related to action research. This article has discussed types, parts, and all other aspects of action research. By understanding all of the points mentioned above, you can effectively work on this research type.