Action-Research: Assumptions and Practice
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0000
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Public Enterprises Centre for Continuing Education
Abstract
This paper discusses the assumptions and practices associated with action-research in social science. It critiques the classical enquiry approach, focusing on its assumptions about knowledge generation, objectivity, and the separation between researcher and subject. It explores the ideological, epistemological, and methodological aspects of action-research, highlighting its cyclical nature and the integration of understanding with change. The paper contrasts the traditional approach to research with action-research, emphasizing the value of subjective experience, experiential learning, and intervention in social systems as legitimate means of knowledge generation.
Description
This paper examines the assumptions underlying classical social science research, which has emphasized objectivity, knowledge generation, and the separation of researcher from subject. It critiques these assumptions and presents action-research as a more integrated approach, which combines understanding with social change. The ideological, epistemological, and methodological aspects of action-research are explored, emphasizing the iterative process of learning, the role of subjective experience, and the importance of knowledge utilization in social science research.
Keywords
Action Research, Social Science Research, Methodology, Epistemology, Ideology, Classical Research Assumptions, Adult Learning Theory
Citation
Tandon, R. Action-Research: Assumptions and Practice. Public Enterprises Centre for Continuing Education, New Delhi.