Action Research

The Beginners' Guide to Action Research presents four basic characteristics of action research. Action research usually is cyclic in that "similar steps tend to recur;" oftentimes, in a similar order. Another characteristic of traditional action research is that it is participative. Usually, the researcher and those who are being researched are in some type of partnership. The Guide also states that action research is qualitative because it analyzes language more often than numbers. The fourth characteristic of action research, according to the Web site, is that it is reflective. The researcher must reflect on the process as well as the outcome of the research. Some additional qualities that often are present in action research are responsiveness, emergency, and critical reflection. By responsive, the Guide means that the researcher must be able to adjust his or her research for the situations that occur. If a researcher incorporates all of the above characteristics into his or her action research, he or she will accomplish "both action outcomes and research outcomes."