A Critical Action Research Reader

Since its inception, action research has been the subject of confusion and controversy. Can something be research if it doesn't "prove" anything ? Can something be action research if it's a project run by an expert who does not consider participants co-researchers ? Questions multiply when the general term is limited to critical action research. What makes critical action research different from action research generally ? Can the action research project of a classroom teacher intended to raise standardized test scores properly be considered critical ? Is there a role for advocacy in any enterprise calling itself research ? If critical action research is distinct from traditional empirical research, then what formats make sense for sharing results ? This highly diverse collection of previously unpublished and published works offers a sampling of opinions on key theoretical and methodological questions, complemented by a wide range of critical action research reports illustrating what various theories look like in practice.
The book provides a sketch of the topography of critical action research terrain and illuminates some diverse paths through it.