The investigation action alludes to a series of methodological strategies used to improve the educational and social system. It was originally used to describe a form of research capable of mixing the experimental approach of the social sciences with social action programs to address the most important social problems..
The German social psychologist Kurt Lewin (1890 - 1947), one of its main promoters, stated that through action research it was possible to simultaneously achieve advances in the theoretical field and desired social changes. Action research is seen as a combined or collective form of introspective research.
Its purpose is to improve rationality and justice in educational or social practices, but at the same time they help to understand such practices and the situations in which they occur..
Theories of action place great importance on common perspectives, since they are prerequisites of practices that are shared during the research process. However, as Moser (1978) indicates, the objective of action research is not practical knowledge itself, since this is only the beginning.
The important thing is actually the "discovery" that is made and ends up becoming the basis of the process of awareness and rationalization. Thus, the individual becomes more aware of something and better understands the process; that is, he realizes.
The goal and the raison d'être of action research is to achieve full awareness of the student in relation to the scientific process, both the process of knowledge production and the experiences of action in particular..
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Kurt Lewin was the one who coined the term action research in 1944 and other researchers gave it various definitions.
Lewin's definition (1946) establishes the need to keep together the three essential components of this strategy: research, action and training. Argues that professional development depends on these three vertices of the angle; one component depends on another and together they benefit each other in a retroactive process.
For the author, the purpose of action research is oriented in two directions: on the one hand there is the action to generate changes in the institution or organization or institution, on the other there is the research itself to produce knowledge and understanding.
Other authors gave their own approaches to this social research strategy. Some of them are mentioned below:
In 1984 Kemmis pointed out that action research has a dual property. It is a practical and moral science, but also a critical science.
He defines action research as "a form of self-reflective inquiry" carried out by teachers, students and school administrators in certain social or educational situations. Its objective is to achieve the improvement of rationality and justice in terms of:
- Your own social or educational practices.
- Full understanding of these practices.
- The situations and institutions where these practices are carried out (schools, classrooms, etc.).
In 1986 Bartolomé conceptualized action research as a reflective process that dynamically links research, action and training.
It is focused on teamwork of a collaborative nature, with or without a facilitator. Researchers from the social sciences intervene, who reflect on their own educational practice.
It is considered the main exponent of this methodology. Elliott defined action research in 1993 as the "study of a social situation in order to improve the quality of action within it".
Action research is assumed as a reflection on human activities and on the social situations experienced by teachers. It is based on the fact that it is human actions that count and not so much the institutions.
That is, it is their decisions that are the most important to guide social action instead of institutional norms..
In 1990 Lomax defined action research from the perspective of a disciplined inquiry, as "an intervention in professional practice with the intention of bringing about improvement".
Among the characteristic features of his thesis is that the researcher is the main element of the research. In addition, it is participatory insofar as other actors are involved in a more relevant role as researchers and not so much as informants..
According to Kemmis and McTaggart (1988), the action research strategy has the following characteristics or more distinctive features:
- It is participatory, since researchers work with the purpose of improving their own practices.
- It involves a systematic learning process, which is oriented towards praxis.
- It begins with small cycles of investigation (planning, action, observation and reflection) that are extended towards bigger problems. In the same way, it is started by small groups of collaborators and then gradually expanded to larger groups..
- The investigation follows an introspective line; It is a kind of spiral that develops in cycles fulfilling the stages of planning, action, observation and reflection..
- It is collaborative in nature, as it is carried out in groups.
- It seeks to create self-critical scientific or academic communities, which collaborate and participate in all stages of the investigative process.
- It induces to theorize and formulate hypotheses about the practice.
- Run critical analyzes on the situations it analyzes.
- Progressively generate much broader changes.
- Practices and ideas or assumptions are tested.
- It seeks to approximate the object of the research and collaborate to achieve the desired practical social changes.
- The investigative process involves recording, compiling and analyzing one's own judgments, as well as reactions and impressions of situations. For this, it requires the writing of a personal diary in which the researcher's reflections are exposed..
- It is considered a political process, since it involves changes that can affect people.
Action research is described by other authors as an alternative to traditional social research characterized by being:
- Practical and relevant, as it responds to environmental problems.
- Participative and collaborative, because groups of people are involved.
- Emancipatory due to its non-hierarchical symmetric approach.
- Interpretative, because it assumes the solutions proposed from the researchers' point of view.
- Critical, because from the beginning it focuses on change.
There are three models or types of action research, which correspond to the different approaches to this research strategy:
The purpose of this action research model is to achieve a higher level of effectiveness of social practices. The strategy is to encourage the participation of teachers in research programs previously designed by experts or a work team..
The programs establish the purposes of the research and the methodological guidelines to be followed. This model is linked to research carried out by its promoters: Lewin, Corey and others.
In this action-research model, the teaching body has a greater role and autonomy. The researchers (professors) are in charge of selecting the problems to be investigated and of controlling the development of the project..
They can incorporate an external researcher or consultant to collaborate with the investigative process and support the cooperation of those who participate.
The practical action research seeks to transform the consciousness of the participants and generate changes in social practices. This model is linked to the works of Elliott (1993) and Stenhouse (1998).
This model incorporates the ideas exposed in critical theory. His work is focused on educational practices through which he tries to emancipate or free teachers from their daily work (routines, purposes, beliefs), as well as to establish a link between their action and the social context in which they operate..
Emancipatory critical action research makes an effort to introduce changes in the way of working (organization, content, labor relations). Researchers like Carr and Kemmis are its main exponents.
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