The action research dissertation : a guide for students and faculty / Kathryn Herr Montclair State University, Gary L. Anderson, New York University.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

1. Introduction: What Is an Action Research Dissertation? -- 2. Action Research Traditions and Knowledge Interests -- 3. The Continuum of Positionality in Action Research -- 4. Quality Criteria for Action Research: An Ongoing Conversation -- 5. Designing the Plane While Flying it: Proposing and Doing the Dissertation -- 6. What Does an Action Research Dissertation Look Like? -- 7. Ethical Considerations and Action Research -- 8. Final Thoughts -- --

1. Introduction: What Is an Action Research Dissertation? -- The Many Faces of Action Research -- Toward a Definition of Action Research -- The Action Research Dissertation -- 2. Action Research Traditions and Knowledge Interests -- The Multiple Traditions of Action Research -- Action Research and Organizational Development/Learning -- Action Science -- Participatory Research: The Legacy of Paulo Freire -- Participatory Evaluation -- Action Research and Community Psychology -- Action Research in Education -- The Teacher-as-Researcher Movement in Britain -- The Practitioner Research Movement in North America -- The Danger of Co-Optation -- Participatory Action Research with Youth: YPAR -- Action Research as Narrative: Self-Study and Autoethnography -- Arts-Based Approaches to Action Research -- Feminist, Post-Colonial, and Antiracist Approaches to Action Research -- The Knowledge Interests of Action Research -- Notes -- 3. The Continuum of Positionality in Action Research -- Insider: Researcher Studies Own Self/Practice -- Insider in Collaboration With Other Insiders -- Insider(s) in Collaboration With Outsider(s) -- PAR: Reciprocal Collaboration (Insider-Outsider Teams) -- PAR: Outsider(s) in Collaboration With Insider(s) -- Outsider(s) Studies Insider(s) -- Multiple Positionalities -- The Outsider-Within Stance as a Flawed Approach to Action Research -- Conclusion -- Note -- 4. Quality Criteria for Action Research: An Ongoing Conversation -- Delegitimizing Action Research: Opposition in the Academy -- Redefining Rigor: Criteria of Quality for Action Research -- Reason and Bradbury's Discussion of Validity and Choice Points -- Addressing Bias in Action Research -- Are the Findings of Action Research Generalizable? -- The Politics of Action Research -- Institutional Micropolitics -- The Politics of Redefining Professionalism -- The Politics of Knowledge -- The Macropolitics of Action Research Projects -- Note -- 5. Designing the Plane While Flying it: Proposing and Doing the Dissertation -- Possibilities of a Pilot Study -- The Dissertation Proposal -- Introducing the Proposed Inquiry -- Situating the Study in Relevant Literature -- Methodological Considerations -- Data Analysis and Representation -- Where Do Action Research Questions Come From? -- Insider Action Research -- Outsider Action Research -- Issues of Design and Methodology -- Designing Insider Action Research -- Designing Outsider Action Research -- The Literature Review: Literature in Dialogue With the Data -- Writing the Dissertation -- Defending the Dissertation -- 6. What Does an Action Research Dissertation Look Like? -- Lynne Mock: Carving a Dissertation Out of a PAR Project -- The Entry Process -- Creating Participatory Structures -- Writing the Dissertation -- Emphasizing the Strengths of Action Research -- Researcher-Initiated PAR Studies -- Initiating the PAR Study -- The Emergent Design of the PAR Process -- Collaborative Data Analysis -- Disseminating the Results: Multiple Forms of Representation and Audiences -- John Mark Dyke: Insider Action Research -- First Phase of the Work -- Iterative Cycles of Inquiry -- The Dissertation Research -- Gary W. Street: A Principal Cultivating Action Research -- Conclusion -- Note -- 7. Ethical Considerations and Action Research -- Working with Institutional Review Process -- Ethics in Practice -- Authentic Collaboration -- Learning to Be Researchers -- Who's the Writing For? -- Moving Beyond Do No Harm -- 8. Final Thoughts.

"The first edition of this book was a first-of-its-kind reference, distilling the authors' decades of action research experience into a handy guide for graduate students. The Second Edition continues to provide an accessible roadmap that honors the complexity of action research, while providing an overview of how action research is defined, its traditions and history, and the rationale for using it. The authors demonstrate that action research is not only appropriate for a dissertation, but also is a deeply rewarding experience for both the researcher and participants. This practical book demonstrates how action research dissertations are different from more traditional dissertations and prepares students and their committees for the unique dilemmas they may face, such as validity, positionality, design, write-up, ethics, and dissertation defense."--Publisher's website.